The digital magazine for faculty, staff, students and friends of Pensacola State College
October 6, 2021
Breaking ground on Pensacola State College’s Truck Driver Training Facility were from left, PSC President Ed Meadows, Santa Rosa Economic Development ‘s Erica Grancagnolo, PSC Workforce Director Michael Listau, PSC Dean of Grants and Federal Programs Debbie Douma, Santa Rosa Commissioner Colten Wright, Santa Rosa Economic Development Director Shannon Ogletree, Sen. Doug Broxson, Santa Rosa Commissioner David Piech, PSC Board of Trustees Chair Margie Moore, Triumph Gulf Coast Inc. Board Member David Bear, Santa Rosa Commissioner Bob Cole, PSC Board of Trustee member Dr. Troy Tippett, Santa Rosa Commissioner Sam Parker, Santa Rosa Commissioner James Calkins, Bullock Tice Associate’s Larry Adams, Santa Rosa County Property Tax Appraiser Greg Brown II and Morette Company’s Michael Morette.
The first shovels have hit the dirt at the location of the soon-to-be built $7.8 million Pensacola State College Truck Driver Training Facility in Santa Rosa Industrial Park East in rural East Milton.

PSC President Ed Meadows led the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday, Sept. 30, at the 15-acre site off Jeff Ates Road. The 13,000-square-foot commercial driver’s license (CDL) training and testing facility and driving range should be completed in 10 months.

“This is such a great occasion for us,’’ Meadows said at the groundbreaking press conference. “There is a tremendous need for truck drivers, nationally and locally.”

The facility is being funded by a $3.8 million Triumph Gulf Coast grant, a $1.6 million U.S. Department of Commerce grant, as well as state and local funding.

The PSC truck driving program also has received matching funds ─ a $250,000 GEERS Rapid Credentialing Grant, a $125,000 Florida Governor’s Job Growth Grant and $49,500 from the Santa Rosa County Board of Commissioners.

“This is a game changer for our area,’’ said David Bear, a Triumph Gulf Coast Inc. board member and vice president of the Lewis Bear Co., a family-run beverage distributing business that depends heavily on commercial truck drivers. “There is a huge need because there is a national shortage of truck drivers. That shortage is hurting us here as well. Ten months can’t come soon enough.”

PHOTO: PSC President Ed Meadows addresses the audience at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Want just an example of why Pensacola State College lead culinary instructor Chef Jimmie Langham was inducted into the PSC Academy of Teaching Excellence?

Well, minutes before the reception for the Academy inductees was to begin, Langham was in his chef garb overseeing last-minute details of the (scrumptious) hors d’oeuvres that were to be served at the event on Thursday, Sept. 30, in the Charles W. Lamar Studio Gallery.

“Yeah, everyone’s telling me I need to get out there and mingle,’’ Langham said. “But this is what we do.”

Langham was one of 11 PSC instructors who were honored at the reception – six were 2021 inductees and five were 2020 inductees. Traditionally, inductees are honored with a spring dinner reception, but the events were canceled because of COVID-19.

The 2021 inductees are: 
• Karen Carter, Cybersecurity
• Jimmie Langham, Culinary Arts
• Randall McClellan, Physics (Outstanding New Faculty Member)
• Sarah Meyer, Veterinary Technology 
• Scott Schackmann, Spanish 
• Britni Schoocraft, English

PHOTO: Left to right, Langham, Carter, Schackmann, Meyer, Schoocraft. Not pictured, McClellan.
Pensacola State College Charter School application in hands of Escambia County School District
Pensacola State College administrators delivered copies of its nearly 400-page charter school application to the Escambia County School District on Friday, Oct. 1.

Included in the application is a proposed opening of the Pensacola State College Charter Academy in August 2022. 

The school would be in existing facilities on the Warrington campus. 

Escambia County School District committees will examine various parts of the application, including budget, curriculum and other school features, then make a recommendation to Escambia County School Superintendent Tim Smith. If Smith supports the application, it would go before the Escambia County School Board for final approval. 

If approved, the PSC Charter Academy would allow students to earn an associate in arts or associate in science degree while simultaneously earning a high school diploma. 

“I think we’re in a good place,’’ said PSC President Ed Meadows. “I have talked to Dr. Smith on several occasions and he understands the initiative and the need for this type of charter school.” 

The charter school draft application places special emphasis on recruiting students from military families, though other students will be able to attend the school as well.

Naval Air Station Pensacola commanding officer Capt. Tim Kinsella has announced his support for the school, which would be located near the U.S. Navy base and Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station. 

During its first two years, the PSC Charter Academy would admit 75 11th-grade students and 75 12th-grade students. 

The Charter Academy would be open to 10th-grade students beginning in the third year. 

The PSC Board of Trustees approved the proposal in late September. 

Brenda Kelly, PSC Senior Dean of Academic Affairs, led the development of the charter school application. 

“The more I worked on this, the stronger my belief that for the right students this will be quite the experience,’’ Kelly said. “We still have a lot to do, but we believe this will be a great asset for our community.” 

PHOTO: From the May 18, 2021, press conference, left to right: Patrick Dawson, Capt. Tim Kinsella, Julian MacQueen, Andrea Krieger, Wesley Hudgens, Sandy Sims, Rick Byars, Mike Spoor, Ed Meadows, Sarah Gatewood, Scott Luth, Margie Moore, Ed Moore and Troy Tippett.

— Troy Moon
PSC students can use Workday to register for Fall 2022 classes
Pensacola State College’s transition to the Workday enterprise resource planning system reached another goal on Friday, Oct. 1, when the first stage of Workday Student went live.

Now, students and prospective students can apply for Fall 2022 classes at PSC. Students also can register for campus tours on Workday Student, which can be accessed on the PSC homepage at www.pensacolastate.edu by clicking on “Apply Now.” Students must then click “Sign In” at the top right-hand corner of the page and then click “Create Account.”

Students wishing to apply for classes in Spring 2022 or Summer 2022 still will use the current Spyglass system. 

Workday Student will begin accepting Financial Aid applications beginning in December, and the new system will open for Registration and Advising in March 2022. New features will continue to be added through full Workday Student implementation in October 2022.

When fully implemented, Workday Student will replace current Student Systems such as Spyglass, eRosters, eAdvising and eManagement.

“It’s extremely exciting because we are here for our students,’’ said Michael Johnston, PSC Associate Vice President of Institutional Research and Management Information Systems “We believe the students will really appreciate that it was designed as a phone app and to be user friendly. They will be able to do much more from their phones that they wouldn’t have been able to do before.” 

The Workday team held a “Go Live” luncheon on Oct. 1 to celebrate the milestone. PSC President Ed Meadows thanked the extensive Workforce team for their extensive work.

“You have all done a wonderful job,’’ Meadows said. “I know many of you have been working on weekends and evenings. “I want to thank each and every one of you for the great work in getting us where we are now.” 

Meadows said Workforce team members will be receiving a financial bonus.

Johnston named Senior Systems Coordinator Steve Zukowski, pictured above, as the winner of the Workday Student Phase 1 ERP Deployment MVP Award. Zukowski is in charge of Data Conversion and is the Data Subject Matter Expert for Workday.

Johnston said Zukowski “exceeded expectations in his role” and “knows PSC data inside and out.” 

Zukowski accepted a desktop plaque for his work from Johnston, who said the winner was selected by Workday Executive members. 

“I sure appreciate this,’’ Zukowski said. “But I could not do it without the team. It was a challenge, but I look forward to us succeeding.” 

Workday became the employee and staff ERP system on July 1, 2020, replacing a system designed in-house. Workday is now used for accounting, purchase orders, budget, payroll and HR.

PHOTO: Steve Zukowski.

— Troy Moon
10th Annual Day of Clays raises more than $110,000 for PSC
The 10th Annual Day of Clays presented by TRANE on Saturday, Oct. 2, was the most successful shoot yet. More than $110,000 was raised with all proceeds directly aimed at supporting Pensacola State College students and programs.

“As we emerge through this pandemic, our ongoing support for students continues to be of the utmost importance,” said Andrea Krieger, Executive Director of Institutional Development. All proceeds benefit PSC students through the Fund for Excellence.  

At the Santa Rosa Shooting Center in Pace, more than 140 shooters of all ages, representing 39 teams, competed at the event. First-place teams from two courses were recognized.

Earning First-Place Team honors on the Red Course was Elite Mechanical and First-Place Team honors on the Green Course went to Nordic Healthcare.

First-Place Men and Ladies Individual shooters on the Red Course were Michael Solliday and Lindsey Engel. Green Course winners were Casey Roberts and Diane Beckworth.

Junior First Place on the Red Course was Grant Norris and the honors went to Clinton Green on the Green Course.  

Overall Shooting Honors, those who participated without the use of mulligans, went to Eric Hanssen on the Red Course and David Snyder on the Green Course.

Winners will be recognized on the newly-established Day of Clays Trophy, which will be proudly displayed in the PSC Foundation office.  

We are grateful to the shooters, guests, and volunteers as well as the following organizations that took part in our Clay Shoot success:

• Presenting Sponsor: TRANE
• Signature Sponsors: Bradley Masonry and SYNOVUS
• Cart Sponsor: The Rockhill Group
• Breakfast Sponsor: Hewes and Company
• Lunch Sponsors: Chet’s Catering, Lewis Bear Company and Morette Company
• Ice Cream Sponsor: Arcadia
• Hospitality Sponsors: Buffalo Rock Pepsi, Lewis Bear Company, InterBay Building Services and Brokers Unlimited
• Prize Sponsors: ACS Coatings, Schmidt Consulting Group and SYNOVUS.

Generous in-kind event donors included Boyett’s Portable Restrooms, Santa Rosa Shooting Center, ACE Unlocks, Lewis Bear Company, Monarch Aviation, Saltmarsh Cleveland and Gund, Bere’ Jewelers, and Seville Power Equipment.

The next Day of Clays will be Oct. 1, 2022, at the Santa Rosa Shooting Center. 

For more information on supporting the event, call the Pensacola State College Foundation office at 850-484-1564.
Team Morette Company
Team Ready Mix
Hour-long workshops with financial experts are scheduled for August-November and January-April. Topics include: Basics of budgeting; recovering your finances; understanding loans and repayment; identity theft; and more. Details: 850-484-2082 or bmwright@pensacolastate.edu.
PTK Beta Beta Gamma Chapter and Campus Veterans Office present the Fall Semester Annual Collection for Homeless Veterans, Sept. 21-Dec. 1, 2021.
Collections on the Milton Campus at Buildings 4200, 4400, 4300 and 4000. On the Pensacola Campus, collections at the Veterans Office, Building 6, Room 658.
Needed are hats, white over-the-calf socks, scarves, gloves, lapghans, and holiday cards (please do not seal the envelopes).