The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
March 3, 2022
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Phase II of Pensacola State’s STEM facility will bear the names of four families who collectively donated $1 million to the College for scholarships for students. The Bear, Jones, Moore and Reeves STEM Building was announced at a press conference held March 1 in the Dona and Milton Usry Board Room on the Pensacola campus. Pictured are, from left, David Bear, Michael Cutter, Lauren Moore Cutter, Jacqueline Moore Pommerening, Lewis Bear III, Jenn Bear, Cindi Bear Bonner, Bill Jones, Cindi Bear, James J. Reeves and Aimee Dumas. |
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Four prominent and generous Pensacola families have collectively given $1 million to fund scholarships for STEM-related programs at Pensacola State College.
In appreciation, the Pensacola State College Board of Trustees voted to name Phase II of Pensacola State College’s STEM facility in honor of those families.
The Bear, Jones, Moore, and Reeves STEM Building was announced at a press conference held Tuesday, March 1, in the Dona and Milton Usry Board Room on the Pensacola campus.
All of the donors — the Bear Family Foundation, the Jo and Bill Jones Family, the Pete Moore Family and James J. Reeves — established the endowed scholarships to support PSC students.
“We want to thank these families and acknowledge their commitment to and support of the College and our students,” said PSC President Ed Meadows of the donations.
“These families have a long and storied history with Pensacola State College. Time and time again, they have supported the College and our students in numerous projects and endeavors.”
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Members of the PSC Foundation staff, PSC Board members pose with the donor families, left to right: Andrea Krieger, David Bear, Margie Moore, Dr. Troy Tippett III, Lauren Moore Cutter, Michael Cutter, Jacqueline Moore Pommerening, Lewis Bear III, Jenn Bear, Bill Jones, Cindi Bonner, Flash Gordon Sprague, Cindi Bear, Jim Reeves, Aimee Dumas, Dr. Ed Meadows. |
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PSC offers 30 student clubs with something for everyone, including cultural, academic, and health and wellness |
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Every Monday, there is free food and drinks for Pensacola State College students – burgers, hot dogs, tea and the like – at the pavilion outside the Delaino Student Center on the Pensacola campus.
For that, you can thank the PSC Baptist Collegiate Ministries ─ one of College’s 30 student clubs or student organizations. Each Monday, Baptist Collegiate Ministries invites a different local church or religious organization to cook for the students. There are also games for students at the pavilion with lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“I think clubs are very important when it comes to being part of a community and having that socialization that students need,’’ said Kathy Schultz, a PSC mathematics instructor and adviser to PSC Baptist Collegiate Ministries. “COVID kind of put a damper on us meeting. We tried to keep it going on Zoom, but it’s not the same. You don’t get that real socialization.”
With COVID-19 numbers waning and people wanting to spend time with others, PSC’s student clubs and organizations appeal to a wide variety of interests, ranging from health and wellness to academic achievement to social and cultural clubs and more.
“Our clubs cover a lot of different interests,” said Aubrey Elmore, PSC Student Engagement and Leadership Coordinator. “There really is something for all of our students.”
Some PSC clubs go back decades — Baptist Collegiate Ministries goes back to at least 1960 when it was named the Baptist Student Union. The PSC Meditation Club was formed in Fall 2021.
Club adviser Richard Carr, a PSC psychology and sociology instructor, said there are many benefits to joining a club.
“You get the opportunity to make new friends, you get the chance to be an officer in a club or organization and gain leadership ability,” Carr said. “You can meet people with similar interests. It’s just a great opportunity for personal growth.”
PSC Baptist Collegiate Ministries President Austin Green said there are many plusses to club life.
“It’s a great way to get connected to other people,’’ said Green, a PSC graphic design student. “You build a community with your peers on campus. You’re meeting new people and hearing new ideas.”
To join a PSC club or student organization, visit www.pensacolastate.edu/current-students/student-clubs/. The link will lead to a page listing all of the College’s current clubs and information such as meeting times and how to join.
— Troy Moon
ABOVE PHOTO: Austin Green, president of PSC Baptist Collegiate Ministries, at one of the regular cookouts for students at the pavillion outside the Delaino Student Center.
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Current PSC clubs and student organizations |
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African American Student Association (AASA)
Active Minds
PSCDREAMers
Baptist Collegiate Ministries (BCM)
Biology Club
PSC Cosmetology Club
Culinary Club
Cyber Defense Club
Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA)
HOSA – Future Health Professionals
Meditation Club
National Technical Honors Society
Outdoor Club
Performing Arts Crew (PAC)
Pharmacy Technician Student Association (PTSA)
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Philosophy Club
Pi Tau Alpha
PTK Beta Gamma MIL
PTK Theta Chi PNS
Robinson Honors Program
SADHA (Dental Hygiene)
SCNAVTA (Vet Tech)
Student Government Association (SGA)
Student Nurses Association (SNA)
Trio: Student Support Services Club (SSS)
Student Veterans Association (SVA)
SkillsUSA
Women in Cyber Security
Fit and Well
TTRP
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The prize winners and competition officials for the 2022 Pensacola Finger Style Acoustic Guitar Competition are, from left, Dr. Joe Stallings, Director of Guitar Programs at Pensacola State College; Johan Smith, adjudicator; Micah Fetner, second-place winner; Laws Savage, third-place winner; Lincoln Marcus, first-place winner; and Derrick Javier, adjudicator.
Submitted photo
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Facing the music: Pensacola State announces winners of
2022 Pensacola Finger Style Acoustic Guitar Competition
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Three gifted musicians captured the top prizes at the 2022 Pensacola Finger Style Acoustic Guitar Competition held Feb. 19 in Pensacola State College’s Ashmore Fine Arts Auditorium.
The first-prize winner was Lincoln Marcus, 16, of Navarre. He received a $600 cash prize and a $2,400 scholarship to Pensacola State.
Second-place went to Micah Fetner, 11, of Bayou La Batre, Alabama. He received a $450 cash prize and an $1,800 scholarship to the College.
Laws Savage, 17, of Pensacola won third place. He was awarded a $300 cash prize and a $1,200 Pensacola State scholarship.
The winners were announced at intermission during the Johan Smith concert. Smith is the Rose Augustine Grand Prize Winner of Guitar Foundation of America’s 2019 International Concert Artist Competition.
The adjudicators were Derrick Javier from Minds on Music in Gulf Breeze, Dr. Ken Phillips, Chairman of the Performing Arts Department at the College; and Smith.
Competition sponsors were Hill Guitar Company in Ben Lomond, California; Blues Angel Music and Leitz Music, both in Pensacola; A Joyful Noise Music Store in Milton; and Minds on Music.
Dr. Joe Stallings, Director of Guitar Programs at Pensacola State, expressed appreciation to Smith for his contributions during the two-day event.
“I would like to thank Johan Smith, for being extremely generous with his time, energy, and talent in teaching a 3 ½-hour master class, adjudicating the competition, and presenting a spectacular performance on Saturday night,’ Stallings said. “His contributions to the success of the weekend’s activities were greatly appreciated.”
— Mary Mabins
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PSC New Employee Spotlight:
Jessica Wies, Kevin Kropp
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The recently created Pensacola State College Veterans Student Success Center is now fully staffed.
Program Coordinator Tanya Brashers added two new members to the team. Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Kevin Kropp, former commanding officer of Helicopter Training Squadron EIGHT at NAS Whiting Field in Milton, joined the PSC team as Veterans Academic Adviser.
Jessica Wies, a U.S. Air Force military spouse and military brat, is now the Veterans Student Success Center Administrative Assistant.
“We’re fully staffed now and excited to have them join the team," Brashers said. “We think they both bring a lot to what we’re doing here.”
The PSC Veterans Student Success Center is a new program funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. While PSC offers two federally-funded TRIO programs to assist certain veteran demographics, the Veterans Student Success Center will assist all veterans.
Kropp graduated from Norwich University Military College of Vermont in 1989, earning a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and a commission in the U.S. Navy through the college’s NROTC program.
A Naval aviator, Kropp served as an instructor pilot at Whiting Field before eventually becoming commanding officer of Helicopter Training Squadron EIGHT at the Milton base. He served aboard the USS Bataan and USS Mount Whitney in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He has accumulated more than 4,000 hours flying both the H-46 Sea Knight and TH-57 Sea Ranger helicopters.
Kropp retired in 2019.
His reason for coming to PSC?
“I was looking for a purpose for myself," Kropp said. “I wanted to have a second career, but I didn’t just want to earn a paycheck. The Navy gave me opportunity and purpose, but now helping veterans is my purpose.”
Kropp is tasked with helping guide and assist veterans who don’t qualify for the TRIO veterans’ programs.
“I want to do whatever I can to assist them," Kropp said. “I want to help them figure out what they want to do next. Some vets will take their military skill sets and apply them to civilian life, but others are trying to figure out how they fit in the civilian world. I want to be able to help them with a plan, help them with financial questions or help them find they resources they might need. I want to create an area where veterans feel welcome to come, whether they’re having problems or just want a place to relax and build camaraderie and esprit de corps among us.”
Wies is well familiar with the military and the challenges it brings. Her husband, Anthony Wies, is in the Air Force and stationed at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Her mother is an Aquatics Director for the U.S. Army and teaches Army water survival training. The family was stationed at various bases, including one in Japan where her father taught scuba diving to members of the U.S. Marines.
Wies previously worked with children and children’s organizations such as the Girl Scouts of America and various after-school and child development programs.
“I love kids and made my mark in that community," she said. “For the past 15 years, I’ve worked with children ages 0 to 16 and I loved it. But I wanted something new and fresh. I wanted to make a mark in a new community.
“I’m very familiar with military life. I want to help veterans. I see veterans on the street, I see homeless veterans. They should be treated better than they are, and I want to do what I can to help them improve their lives.”
— Troy Moon
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Pensacola State raises more than $5,000 in United Way campaign |
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Kathy Van Dyck won the $100 Target gift card. Martha Weyels won the swag bag drawing.
But the real winner of the 2022 Pensacola State College United Way of West Florida campaign are our neighbors, our friends, our community.
PSC employees donated $5,411 to United Way of West Florida, about $40 more than last year.
“We didn’t really have a goal other than to increase the total from last year," said Melonie Miner, PSC campaign co-coordinator. “We had a lot of fun and raised a good amount of money to help out United Way.”
The PSC United Way of West Florida campaign ran Feb. 11-25. Campaign coordinators planned special events to rally support for the campaign, which opened with a Balloon Pop Kick Off – with prizes – followed by a Department Coin Challenge that brought in $304.48 for United Way.
There were perks also. Van Dyck, Humanities and Social Sciences interim department head, won the Target gift card donated by Debbie Douma, PSC Dean of Grants and Federal Programs. Douma is also serves on the United Way of West Florida board.
Weyels, a PSC Library Serials Technician, won the Swag Bag, containing numerous United Way and PSC items.
Miner said the money raised by PSC employees will help people across Escambia and Santa Rosa counties.
“United Way has so many programs that help people in our area," she said. “Money raised for United Way stays in our community. It goes directly to our neighbors, friends, families, coworkers and students who need help or assistance. There are so many programs and projects that United Way supports, so we wanted to do what we could as a college to help.”
— Troy Moon
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Senior students are invited to compete in literature or math for a PSC two-year Academic Excellence Scholarship ($1,800/year) to pursue any course of study. The literature winner and the math winner will both be nominated for scholarships.
Literature topics may include: Authors; literary movements; sources of quotations; literary terms; characters.
Math topics may include: Mathematical functions; history of mathematics; computation problems; statistics and probability; geometric applications.
REQUIREMENTS
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We are so thankful for the many donors who provide support for students like Amelia at PSC! #FoundationFriday
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