The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College

January 27, 2020



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We’ve heard a few people say they have the best job at Pensacola State College. 

Brittney Clark, PSC Coordinator of Mental Health Services, is one of them. 

Sure, it’s a hard, emotional job offering guidance and empathy to some of the College’s most emotionally vulnerable students. But the payoff when she can make a difference in those students’ lives is huge. 

And a bonus? Dogs are involved.

Clark has an adorable, sweet doggie to help her help students. Actually, she currently has two therapy dogs in her office on the Pensacola campus, but one of the dogs, Milly, is heading off for a new adventure in February. But Rudy, an affectionate and loving Labrador retriever, has recently arrived on campus and already settled into his job as a PSC facility service dog.

Read more about the therapy dogs and how they help students in need

U.S. News ranks PSC online RN-to-BSN Program among the best

For the third consecutive year, Pensacola State College's online RN-to-BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) Program has been listed among the best in Florida and the nation by U.S. News and World Report. 

In the “Best Online Bachelor’s Programs 2021 Edition,” Pensacola State’s RN-to-BSN Program was ranked second among Florida College System (FCS) institutions. Also, the College tied for 8th among all Florida colleges and universities and was ranked 53rd in the U.S. by the publication.

"Each year, we keep moving up in the rankings, and that speaks volumes about our online RN-to-BSN Program,” said Pensacola State President Ed Meadows, pictured right. “We’ve moved up one spot among the FCS schools and up 20 spots nationally – that is outstanding.”

He cited Pensacola State accepting applicants year-round, transfer students and affordable tuition as some of the rankings' factors. The College also offers diverse online learning technologies, career guidance, strong support structures and learning assistance to students.

Read more about the U.S. News rankings

Anita Kovacs is Pensacola State’s new VP of Business Affairs

Anita Kovacs is the new Vice President of Business Affairs at Pensacola State College, succeeding longtime and beloved former Business Affairs VP Gean Ann Emond.

But Kovacs won’t try to fill Emond’s shoes. She brought her own and plans to walk her own path at PSC. 

“I’ve known Gean Ann since about 2000 and have always enjoyed talking with her,’’ said Kovacs, who began her tenure at the College earlier this month. “She’s very knowledgeable and very good.” 

But so is Kovacs, who comes from Florida State College at Jacksonville, where she was Associate Vice President of Finance, a position she held for nearly five years. She spent 18 years as Controller for South Florida State College before that. A Certified Public Accountant, Kovacs began her career as a public accounts auditor with the Florida Auditor General.

“I started off as a state auditor, primarily auditing education and local governments,’’ she said. “I really didn’t care for school board finance or local government finance, but I really liked the college environment.”

It was her auditing of various colleges that put her on South Florida State College’s radar to begin with.

“One of the colleges hired me because they got tired of getting written up for things,’’ Kovacs said with a laugh. “And I really liked the college and stayed there for 18 years.”

Pensacola State College President Ed Meadows said Kovacs is a perfect addition to the PSC family. 

“Ms. Kovacs comes highly recommended by both Gean Ann Edmond and (PSC Comptroller) Nan Jackson, who have worked with her within the Florida College System,’’ Meadows said. “She has hit the ground running, as the saying goes, for someone who is working overtime to respond to the many challenges and demands of this position. We are fortunate to have Ms. Kovacs, who has extensive experience.” 

Kovacs earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Phoenix and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from Florida Southern College. 

Her priorities?

“My priorities are to learn the institution and learn about Workday,’’ Kovacs said. “We have to determine what Workday can do and ways to make it into a system that everyone can be happy with. I like to convert systems and we need to get the Workday system to work for you instead of seeming against you. That’s when you know you’ve achieved something worthwhile.” 

Another priority, a must for any Vice President of Business Affairs:

“We have to present a good budget going forward,’’ Kovacs said. “Obviously COVID-19 has affected everything, but we need to ensure we stay fiscally sound.”

-- Troy Moon

Johnson is the Wellness Case Manager in the Student Conduct office. Schackmann teaches Spanish and was nominated for the Academy of Teaching Excellence this year.

Publisher Rick Outzen offers a preview of the 2021 Rising Star issue of inweekly on his blog.

See a preview here