The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
May 8, 2020
Pensacola State College is joining the nationwide initiative to express appreciation to our local and global frontline healthcare workers, first responders, and all essential personnel who are committed to getting us through this unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.

As you drive down College Boulevard in the evening, you will notice a stunning blue-gelled M.J. Menge Bell Tower. Why is the 880-foot landmark all aglow in blue lights? Illuminating the M.J. Menge Bell Tower is a form of solidarity to show our gratitude for the tireless work of all of the frontline workers, locally and nationally.  

“We are proud of our PSC healthcare, emergency responders and essential personnel graduates and students who have been using their training and skills to help, heal and keep us moving forward during this time,” stated PSC President Ed Meadows.

Drive by to see us at Pensacola State College, 1000 College Boulevard, Pensacola, Florida.
Congratulations to the 2020 Academy of Teaching Excellence inductees (left to right in photo): Andrew Barbero , History, Languages, Social Sciences, and Education: Amber Carey , History, Languages, Social Sciences, and Education; Domenick Grasso, Natural Sciences; and Deborah Woods , Mathematics;. 

The Academy also named Lauren Rogers , Natural Sciences instructor (far right in photo), as Outstanding New Faculty Member. Other additions include legendary former instructors Wayne Wooten and Ed Stout, Natural Sciences instructors, who were selected by the Board of Trustees for the recognition of Professor Emeritus.

The Teaching Excellence awards are designed to recognize outstanding classroom instructors who demonstrate sustained teaching excellence as measured by four criteria:

  • Demonstrated knowledge of and enthusiasm for subject matter
  • Good rapport/relationship with students
  • Effective course content and organization
  • Effective instructional methods.

Erin Spicer, PSC Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, lauded the award winner’s commitment to their students.

“One key component of the Academy of Teaching Excellence awards is that the nominations are submitted primarily by students,’’ Spicer said. “Each nomination submitted reflects a deep gratitude for the support students receive from the faculty both inside and outside of the classroom.”

Scott Schackmann knows language of learning
Spanish instructor enjoys seeing 'unexpected surprise' of PSC students
On this particular Tuesday evening, Pensacola State College Spanish instructor Scott Schackmann joined the students in his Spanish II class in their remote classroom, on the Zoom video conferencing program.

Immediately he noticed, in one of the now-ubiquitous Zoom meeting cells, a dog holding a hand-written sign that read, “We’re Going Miss You!” (You know dogs: Good with contractions, bad with infinitives.)

The cordial canine was Zack, the service dog of student Jodie Nash. Later, an amused Schackmann noted, “I wish PSC gave the service dogs the same degree — novelty, of course — as the students they assist.”

As whimsical as the greeting was, however, it simply served to Schackmann as another example of the caring bond that PSC students form with each other and with their instructors.

"This was our last regularly scheduled class where the entire class would be together," Schackmann says. "It’s a one-night-a-week class and they’ve formed quite the community bond. Ninety-nine percent of them have been together since the beginning of the Fall 2019 semester.”

The instructor has seen numerous examples of such community-forming in the almost three years he’s taught at PSC.

Schackmann is from a small, rural village called Odin in southern Illinois, about 65 miles east of St. Louis. After earning bachelor’s degrees and master’s degrees from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale — "Go Salukis!” — his job search brought him to Pensacola and PSC.
“I researched the college and decided that I really liked what I saw,” he says. "I applied for an open Instructor of Spanish position and fortunately got the job.”

He teaches seven to eight courses each semester, so a vast majority of his time is spent grading, leaving feedback for his students, answering emails — "with lightning speed, ask any of my current and/or former students” — preparing lessons/activities, recording lectures for online course, or researching new technology in the form of apps and equipment, "and constantly learning new ways to best reach a wide variety of students,” he says.

In addition to Spanish instruction, Schackmann is one of the lauded members of what’s come to be known as the “Zoom Crew,” the team of instructors and professors who already were well versed in the ways of online instruction before the COVID-19 threat forced the entire College to adapt to the ways of Live Online classrooms. He and the other team members created training courses, study materials and student tutorials, and acted as mentors to other instructors as the online expansion was rolled out.

In a previous article about the online transition, Schackmann said, “I’m really quite proud of our PSC faculty, staff, and administration during this transition because we really tried our best to focus on not just student success for the coming weeks, but faculty support. We needed to take a faculty with decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge utilizing a wide array of teaching methods and approaches and give them the tools and support to carry on while maintaining a modicum of normalcy.”

Schackmann says that at PSC, the common student experience is “unexpected surprise.”

“Throughout the course of their time at PSC, many students are surprised by what they learn and the experiences they never expected to have,” he says. "I’ve seen a young dual-enrollment student befriend a 60-plus-year-old nontraditional college returnee, students who may have never been in a classroom community with people from differing ethnic backgrounds, and I’ve seen some very closed minds begin to open to emerging knowledge.”

At PSC, he says, "Students are most definitely experiencing a wide spectrum of experiences. They attend with their various ideologies, belief structures, religious backgrounds, and social constructs from various socioeconomic backgrounds and life experiences. They often seem surprised that stepping outside of their comfort zone isn’t so bad. If the proper atmosphere is created in the classroom, I find that people let their guard down and open to new ideas and concepts, even if it’s 'just fulfilling a requirement' like Spanish. If I can get one person to say, 'I learned something new in this course,' then I am fulfilled."

To illustrate and encapsulate these experiences, Schackmann steps into the role for which he’s become known among his students, that of the Jokester Teacher, and relates one of the dad jokes in his arsenal:

"The Spanish conjugation for the verb ‘Ser' — the verb 'to be' in English — is ‘Soy.' So, when you’re in the grocery store and you walk past the soy milk, is it just soy milk or is it milk introducing itself in Spanish? A teacher must be able to see both. I know it’s corny, but so am I and that’s OK!"

-- Mike Suchcicki
PSC photography student wins monthlong exhibit at Jaco’s
A photography exhibit by Pensacola State College student Lisa Carver is on display at one of Pensacola’s favorite restaurants.

Carver, a PSC photography student, won the PSC Sunset Photography competition in February, earning the chance to hold her own monthlong exhibit at Jaco’s Bayfront Bar & Grille in downtown Pensacola.

Each February, Jaco’s hosts a competition for PSC students where restaurant patrons vote on their favorite photograph, with the winner receiving the exhibition. 

Last year, Carver received Honorable Mention in the PSC Sunset Photography Contest. This year, eight PSC photography students participated in the February contest.

“It’s such a great opportunity for all of us,’’ said Carver, who hopes to compete her associate degree in spring 2021. “We all get a chance to compete and show our work in public. And Jaco’s has been very generous and welcoming and helped our department out so much.” 

Carver’s exhibit opened on May 6 and runs through June 3 at the restaurant located at Palafox Pier. She has 14 photographs on display at the eatery, which has hosted the photography contest since 2014. The exhibit was originally supposed to open in March but was postponed because of the COVID-19 shutdown.

The exhibition is just part of Jaco’s support of the College’s photography department. Jaco’s has contributed nearly $8,000 to the photography department since 2018. The funds are used for scholarships and program support.

“Jaco’s has really been wonderful, and very supportive of the Photography program,’’ said Mark Francis , PSC Photography program coordinator. “They contribute annually and created incentives for the students. They also offer a scholarship to an incoming freshman photography student. It’s been an amazing experience for our students.”

Of Carver, Francis said “she is very dedicated and well-versed in all the aspects of photography. She can basically do it all, and her work almost always has an emotional component to it.”

After graduation, Carver hopes to work in documentary photography.

“Hopefully with a human rights organization, or a conservation organization,’’ she said. “You want your work to mean something.”

-- Troy Moon
Pensacola State's Kids College goes virtual for the summer of 2020
There will be a Pensacola State Kids College this summer. But like the older College students, Kids College attendees will learn and enjoy group activities from home.

The 30th annual PSC Kids College becomes Virtual Kids College ― a result of the COVID-19 shutdown that has rearranged all aspects of American life, including education.

PSC Virtual Kids College will begin June 1 and operates from 8:30-10:45 a.m. Monday through Friday. The summer camp classes each lasts one week, with new classes beginning each week. Four 30-minute classes will be offered each day.

The last weekly session starts July 31. PSC Virtual Kids College registration should be open by May 22, said Devin Walther-Thead, Continuing Education, Recreation and Leisure Coordinator.

“The teachers are the same beloved teachers that the kids all know,’’ she said. “A lot of the children are home and are limited on where they can go, so this will offer them some fun, educational activities during the day.”

PSC Kids College is open to children ages 8 to 14 years old.

“There will be fun activities with little lessons,’’ Walther-Thead explained. “And the kids will still be able to interact with each other online.”

Topics covered during the Virtual Kids College will include science and experiments, physical challenges, zoology, arts and crafts, and life skills. Minimum at-home adult supervision is required. Students will need internet access to connect, and classes will be on a password protected site, accessible to only registered students.

For details, go to the PSC Kids College Facebook page for the latest information.

-- Troy Moon
On May 6, retiring Performing Arts Department head Don Snowden, whose last day is July 30, posted this message on Facebook:

"Well, I just had finished dinner with Holly while watching CNN, and I noticed a message from one of my college band students to take a look at this YouTube link. (The end of my teaching career) didn't turn out like we wanted but receiving this Youtube video from my students not only brought me to tears but made me realize what impact we have on our students. This is the best retirement gift I could have received from them."

The link led to the YouTube channel of Cheyanne Burge, where the video was posted with this message: "We are so sorry that your last semester of teaching ended like this. Here are just a few messages and thoughts of appreciation to show you how much you've changed our lives for the better. We love you and we can't wait to read your book!"

P SC Theatre Dept.'s 'Machinal' receives Superior Rating from FCSAA
The Spring performance of “Machinal” by the PSC Performing Arts Department recently received a Superior Rating from the Florida College System Activities Association.

A play by American playwright Sophie Treadwell, “Machinal” was performed March 6-8 in the Ashmore Auditorium. It was inspired by the real-life case of Ruth Snyder, who was executed at New York’s Sing Sing Prison for the murder of her husband. The play, first staged in 1928, is considered one the high points of Expressionism theater on the American stage.

PSC’s “Machinal” also received a Community Service award from the FCSAA.

Jeanine Henry, FCSAA Theatre Division Representative, said, "The Florida College System Activities Association sponsors many activities. Within the theatre division, we host a theatre festival wherein respondents attend productions and provide feedback or a response. Our goal is education - we want to give students and faculty feedback so they can learn from the process."

Rodney Whatley, Director of Theatre in the Performing Arts Department, served as producer for the show with Dr. Jacqueline Viskup as the associate director.

Whatley said, “Our team worked really hard and I’m glad to see our hard work recognized. The ‘Superior' rating makes me very proud, but I celebrate even more the 'Community Service' award the program also received. I train our students to recognize that the responsibility of the theatre artist is to improve their community through their art, and these awards show they accomplished this goal. Associate Director Dr. Jacqueline Viskup, Technical Director Robert Gandrup, and Costumer LaVonne French, along with our cast and crew of students and community volunteers, deserve a standing ovation.”

Don Snowden, Performing Arts Department head, said, "I am so proud of our director, cast and crew of ‘Machinal.' This was an important play about spousal abuse and was just an outstanding production both from a visual perspective and an emotional perspective.”