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DAYTONA STATE COLLEGE MAGAZINE
Fall/Winter 2019
DSC Champion Forough B. Hosseini
Photo by Aldrin Capulong
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Forough surrounded by family at the 27th Annual DSC Foundation Gala in her honor.
Photo by Aldrin Capulong
Forough and Mori Hosseini at the 27th Annual DSC Foundation Gala in her honor.
After serving on the District Board of Trustees since 2006, Forough Hosseini stepped down from her position on May 31, bringing to a close 13 years of leadership and service to Daytona State College. Those years were filled with incredible growth and remarkable achievements that established the College as a leader in higher education while bringing national acclaim for academic programs and student support services alike.
Much of what the College has today can be attributed to the efforts and advocacy of Forough, and on October 23, she was honored at the 27 th annual Gala, where she was presented with an Honorary Bachelor of Applied Science in Public Service degree along with the 2019 Falcon Award.
“When I first met Forough, she struck me immediately as someone with vision and purpose,” said Dr. Tom LoBasso, President.
Forough receives honorary degree from DSC President Dr. Tom LoBasso during the 27th Annual DSC Foundation Gala.
Forough Hosseini attends the 27th Annual DSC Foundation Gala in her honor.
“She wanted to do things that would positively impact the College. When I look at this College and where it is today, it all happened through a team effort, and she was the beacon for that.”
Though members of the Board are volunteers, they spend countless hours leading and supporting the College’s mission. Through two terms as chair (2008-10, and 2015- 19), Forough led the charge in providing for the needs of DSC students, both social and educational. Students were her focus from the first day she set foot on campus, and she will continue to be a voice for students as well as an advocate of DSC.
One of the lasting hallmarks of her dedication to accessibility and affordability came in 2015 when Daytona State became the first college in Florida, and among only a few anywhere in the nation, to lower tuition.
Forough Hosseini attends the 27th Annual DSC Foundation Gala in her honor.
For a generation of students who have seen college tuition skyrocket, this was (and still is) a landmark achievement.
Since her initial appointment as a trustee by Governor Jeb Bush, and subsequent reappointments by Governors Charlie Crist and Rick Scott, Forough and her husband, Mori, helped the College secure millions of dollars in funding for construction projects while simultaneously guiding policy to move the College closer to its academic performance goals.
During her 13-year tenure, the College expanded academic offerings by adding 11 new bachelor’s degrees and other unique associate degree programs such as interactive media, environmental science, additive manufacturing, hospitality beverage science, and optician technology, to name a few.
Forough, Dr. Tom LoBasso and members of the DSC District Board of Trustees at the ribbon cutting celebration of the DSC Soccer Stadium.
Forough holding a gift of her very own brew from the DSC Hospitality Beverage Science program.
Forough, Dr. Tom LoBasso and the trustees at the 2019 DSC Commencement Ceremony.
At the same time, she and College leaders were determined to improve state performance funding rankings, and improve they did. The College was also recognized with national rankings, including those from prominent publications such as U.S. News & World Report, among others. This includes the number one ranking in the nation for most affordable bachelor’s degrees in engineering technology and nursing.
Since 2008, she has fostered partnerships with Florida State University, the University of Central Florida, Stetson University and most recently, the University of Florida.
Thousands of DSC AA graduates have taken advantage of the DirectConnect to UCF partnership established in 2015, and last summer, a new partnership with UF was announced, guaranteeing qualified DSC students admission into UF’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. The University of Florida has few such agreements with any school, and it was through Forough’s efforts that Daytona State earned a spot on that very short list.
Forough’s leadership and vision were the impetus that resulted in a comprehensive 10-step plan to eradicate homelessness and hunger among DSC students, which has been recognized as a model by the State Board of Education.
Today, Daytona State’s most vulnerable students have a food pantry, free textbooks, free bus passes, free access to medical services at Halifax Health and AdventHealth, housing at Hope Place and much more.
Forough receiving a Proclamation of Appreciation after her many years of service to the DSC District Board of Trustees.
In 2012, the College opened its Veterans Center on the Daytona Beach Campus and comprehensive services for veterans were established on all campuses, leading to the College being designated a Military Friendly School.
During her tenure, the Falcon athletic program expanded to include men’s and women’s cross country and soccer teams. The nationally-ranked soccer teams have a beautiful facility to call home, too, thanks in large part to Forough’s efforts. The stadium provides tremendous exposure for the College as it hosted the 2018 NJCAA Division I Men’s Soccer National Championship Tournament as well as hosting the upcoming Women’s National Tournament in 2021.
Mori Hosseini, L. Gale Lemerand, Chef Costa Magoulas, Forough Hosseini and Dr. Tom LoBasso enjoying a reception in the DSC Hospitality Beverage Science Lab in the Hosseini Center.
Forough Hosseini, Dr. LoBasso and trustees at the groundbreaking for the L. Gale Lemerand Student Center.
Forough’s impact on the College will be felt for generations to come, much of it through new and expanded facilities on every campus.
One of those bears the name of her husband, a generous supporter of the College in his own right, which houses the Mori Hosseini College of Hospitality and Culinary Management programs. The $26 million structure, completed in 2007, also serves as home to the Southeast Museum of Photography and the Babazadeh Gallery in recognition of Forough’s family, and includes multi-purpose event space that is second to none.
In 2014, the Flagler/Palm Coast Campus opened a $7.6 million building that features a state-of-the-art teaching and learning environment, and in 2017, her efforts secured more than $13 million over several years of appropriations designated for a new building on the Deltona Campus that will allow the College to improve its vocational programs in west Volusia County.
Around the same time, the College broke ground for its new 84,000 square-foot student center, which opened in the spring of 2019, a $39 million hub of activity on the Daytona Beach Campus that includes space for academic support, career services, student life, and dining services.
DSC President Tom LoBasso and Forough Hosseini visiting the House of Representatives in Tallahassee.
Renovations are also underway that will convert the former student center into new offices and student space for the Veterans Center and the Center for Women & Men.
None of those projects would have been possible without the support and drive of Forough Hosseini.
“The time with her has been memorable and so many projects that we have, and initiatives that we have taken on, have been driven by her vision,” said LoBasso. “She changed the trajectory of this College, and we’re reaching new heights because of the work she has done.”
