Leaders gather at Legislative Manufacturing Summit to discuss issues impacting Florida

More than 80 representatives from the local manufacturing industry and related organizations attended the summit on Feb. 25.

More than 80 representatives from local manufacturing industry and organizations attended the Legislative Manufacturing Summit on the Clearwater Campus Feb. 25. The event, sponsored by Synovus Bank, was hosted by Sen. Jack Latvala (R-Clearwater) and Rep. Kathleen Peters (R-St. Petersburg).

Attendees heard from a distinguished panel who shared information about upcoming Florida legislative bills that would affect manufacturers throughout the state. The bills address such issues as sales tax exemptions, taxation of facility leases, incentives for manufacturers wishing to enter or expand their facilities into Florida, scholarships for teachers to work in manufacturing during the summer, export assistance for Florida manufacturers and educational grants, certifications and articulation agreements.

After the panel presentations, participants divided into teams and were guided by SPC’s Collaborative Labs personnel in prioritizing recommendations they would like to make to the Florida Legislature.

Latvala and Peters thanked attendees for providing their recommendations about how to address manufacturing issues. The goal is to enable Florida to grow as a leader in the manufacturing industry.

Legislative Manufacturing Summit with Senator Latvala and Representative Peters at St. Petersburg College #SPCintern pic.twitter.com/cK70rYe3wv

— Jason Krupp (@DrJasonKrupp) February 25, 2015

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SPC faculty recognized by MERLOT for Power Point tutorial

St. Petersburg College Instructional Designer and Adjunct Communications Faculty Karen Walker, was recently recognized by Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) for her PowerPoint Today tutorial.

Previously an instructional support specialist for SPC’s Learning Resources team on the Tarpon Springs Campus, Walker created the LibGuide tutorial to provide students with easy-to-use tools that will help them succeed in their classes and later in their career. View PowerPoint Today tutorial.

“Karen is an innovator,” said Joseph Leopold, Director of Learning Resources for SPC. “Her work with students, faculty, and staff demonstrates her ability to gather information, think creatively, and use her resources to produce tools for students that can be used easily and repeatedly without fail.”

MERLOT focuses on encouraging faculty to integrate technology into higher education. Their peer review process of instructional technology is modeled after the peer review process for research and scholarship. The MERLOT Teacher Education Editorial Board identified Walker’s work as worthy of peer review due to the:

• Quality of content
• Potential effectiveness as a teaching-learning tool
• Ease of use

Learn more about how SPC’s innovative faculty are focused on helping students succeed in and out of the classroom.

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Pizza with the SPC president

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, St. Petersburg College President Bill Law met with about 50 students and staff from the college’s various campuses for Pizza With the President.

The casual, candid platform gave students an opportunity to connect with the president.

“Your feedback helps us strengthen our programs,” said Dr. Law. “Here are the rules: you ask it; I’ll answer it. There are no rude questions.”

Students asked questions about topics such as:

• The need for International Advisors on the Seminole Campus
• How to find additional help with MyCourses
• How SGA can have a place to share information with other students
• What can we do to make SPC campuses non-smoking
• Tips for how to allocate SGA funds for collegewide needs vs. just campus needs
• Consideration for stipends for SGA leaders
• Availability of additional space for a café on the Seminole Campus

Pizza with the President is held twice a year at SPC, once in the spring and again in the fall. The event is open to all students. To attend, students should contact their campus Life and Leadership Coordinator’s office.

For more photographs from the event, view the SPC Facebook gallery.

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Jazz Fest gains Bright House as sponsor

Bright House Networks joins Creative Loafing as a media sponsor of the St. Petersburg Jazz Fest, which kicks off Feb. 25. Other sponsors include Chamber Music America, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, St. Petersburg College & EMIT.

Download the full program and schedule.

Share your photos on the Jazz Fest Facebook page and check out the profiles of the scheduled artists on their website.

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Collaborative Labs celebrates 10 years on Feb. 24

The Collaborative Labs at St. Petersburg College will celebrate its 10-year anniversary from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 24 at the EpiCenter.

The open house will provide attendees with an opportunity to network with local business leaders, tour the facilities and enjoy a sneak preview of the new technology that will be installed next month.

Through its unique program design, the Collaborative Labs has helped nonprofits, government and private sector businesses ranging from midsize to large corporations, translate their vision into successful outcomes.

To attend the 10-year anniversary party, attendees must RSVP online.

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Keys to Manhood inspires more than 200

“How many of you in here aspire to be rappers or musicians?” asked Holloway in his opening remarks. “If you can recite a rap lyric, you can study. How about ballplayers? If you can remember the stats of the pros, you can tackle math.”

Holloway spoke at length about choices and delved into seven aspects of making them: guilt, excuses, fear, blame, stress, chaos and defeat.

“It all comes down to choices. Do you want to see me or the judge or do you want to be the judge, the doctor or the lawyer?” said Holloway, himself raised by a single mother.

“I’m looking at a lot of leaders in this room,” Holloway said. “You’re here because you made that choice and you want to make a difference in the world.”

The daylong Keys to Manhood conference included breakout sessions aimed at motivating and supporting male students, who are more likely to drop out of high school and less likely to attend or graduate from college than their female peers (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2014).

Topics at the conference included:

• Overcoming Legal Obstacles
• Workforce Degrees
• The Endangered Male
• How to Get an “A” in Class
• Money Management
• Social Media (How to Get a Job Using Social Media)
• Second Time Around (non-traditional students)

“This is a great event to hold for young men,” said SPC student Kezra Johnson. “It gives us all these great lessons and morals they can take with them. They may not know where to find certain resources. Here, they don’t have to feel embarrassed about asking for resources or help.”

Past keynote speakers at the event have included Jimmie Lee Solomon, former executive vice president of Major League Baseball, and Florida House Rep. Darryl Rouson.

In his closing comments, Holloway encouraged audience members to always keep others in mind.

“When you succeed, you have to reach back, grab someone and put them on your shoulders so they can pass you,” he said. “If you’re not doing that, you’ll see them on your way down.”

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SPC-TV on new channel for Bright House customers

Starting Feb. 9, Bright House customers will find SPC-TV on channel 636. Channels for WOW (19) and Verizon (47) remain unchanged.

Newer TV’s with a built in digital tuner can find SPC-TV on channel 97.2.

You can also go to www.spcollege.edu/spctv to:

• Watch a live feed
• Check the program schedule
• Submit your questions or comments.

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