Year in Review 2022

Engage 2022 Year in Review

Northwest Florida State College

Dr. Devin Stephenson

President of Northwest Florida State College Friends and Colleagues, This past year was filled with opportunities for growth and achievement, and I am proud to share that Northwest Florida State College excelled in 2022. Our enrollment numbers continue to strengthen, and the student experience here at the College continues to flourish. This year’s publication reflects some of the many accomplishments of our board of trustees, faculty, and staff throughout the year.

Northwest Florida State College would not be the institution it is today without the steadfast support of our donors. The College’s accomplishments are made possible by our donors’ continued support. This publication additionally features the support received from our community as well as local and state government officials.

Thank you all for supporting Northwest Florida State College in maintaining our standard of excellence. I hope you enjoy reminiscing on the achievements of our students, faculty, and staff. I look forward to going beyond our best successes in 2023!

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Dr. Devin Stephenson #TheBestIsOurStandard

NWFSC President Honored by Phi Theta Kappa for Going Above and Beyond NWFSC President Dr. Devin Stephenson was among the few college

presidents to be honored with the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction during Phi Theta Kappa’s 2022 PTK Catalyst convention. The award is given to college presidents who have shown strong support of student success on their campuses by recognizing academic achievement, leadership, and service among high-achieving students at their colleges. Recipients are nominated by students on their campus and are only eligible to receive the award once over the course of their careers.

Raiders Win the 2021-22 National Championship The Northwest Florida

State College Raiders claimed the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship title for the 2021-2022 season! The big Raider win is the third in school history for men’s basketball. The team emerged from the season with a 31-5 record and received championship rings to commemorate the momentous victory.

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Creating New Opportunities with Expanded Workforce Education and Training The Florida

Department of Education awarded the College $116,954 through the Pathways to Career Opportunities Grant to support apprenticeships in Computer Support and Computer Networking, while the Florida Department of Education granted NWFSC $2 million through the Early College Career and Technical Education grant to expand the dual enrollment program at the Collegiate High School.

“Reacher” Star Reunites with his Alma Mater Northwest Florida

State College was pleased to welcome American actor Alan Ritchson back to the College’s Niceville campus as he hosted a Q&A session for students, faculty, and staff. Ritchson, who gained prominence for portraying Jack Reacher on the popular Amazon Prime television series “Reacher,” is a Niceville, FL native and an alumnus of the College. While at NWFSC, he was a student in the Fine & Performing Arts department and was a member of the Soundsations and Madrigal Singers.

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NWFSC Recognized for its Commitment to the Military Community Northwest Florida State College was named a 2022-2023 Military Friendly School with a Gold Distinction by MilitaryFriendly.com. Final ratings were calculated by combining the institution’s survey scores with its ability to meet minimum thresholds for student retention, graduation, job placement, loan repayment, and loan default rates for student veterans.

NWFSC Announces 2022 Math Bowl Winners

Eight high school teams from all across Northwest Florida gathered at the Northwest Florida State College to compete in the 34th annual Math Bowl. The competing schools were divided into two classes, Class Y for smaller schools and Class Z for larger schools. After spending the day completing written exams and ciphering matches, students were invited to an awards ceremony where the individual and team winners were announced.

Raider Basketball Adds to its Roster with a Returning Head Coach NWFSC President

Dr. Devin Stephenson and Athletic Director Ramsey Ross announced that Steve DeMeo would be returning to NWFSC to coach the Raiders men’s basketball team after serving as the assistant head basketball coach for East Carolina and St. John’s University.

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Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation Invests in the Futures of Select CHS Students

Northwest Florida State College was joined the Okaloosa Public Schools Foundation as they honored Collegiate High School students during the Take Stock in Children S t u d e n t Aw a rd s C e re m o n y. T h e Take Stock in Children program serves deserving, low-income youth throughout Florida, helping them succeed in life by providing them with mentors, student advocates, case managers, and early intervention. Students who maintain the terms of the program’s contract are awarded tuition scholarships to the post-secondary institutions of their choice.

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NWFSC Presented with the Triumph Gulf Coast Horizon Award The College was

presented with the Triumph Gulf Coast Horizon Award for its accelerated implementation of its FAA certification program at the Aviation Center of Excellence.

Triumph’s Horizon Award is presented to organizations that demonstrate outstanding innovation and lead efforts to create substantial job opportunities throughout the region.

NWFSC Receives Energy Stewardship Recognition Northwest Florida State College

received the Energy Stewardship recognition from Cenergistic, a national energy conservation company, for its comprehensive energy conservation program which decreased the College’s CO2 emissions by 51,417 metric tons over the past eight years.

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NWFSC Presents the AIM Award to Rep. Maney Northwest

Florida State College presented the Advancing Institutional Mission (AIM) Award to FL Representative Patt Maney for his efforts in appropriating funds for the College and helping expand the educational opportunities in Northwest Florida. The College established the AIM Award in 2021 in an effort to recognize individuals and organizations for successfully advancing the institution to a place of prominence in the region.

Rep. Maney is the fourth individual to date to receive this award.

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Dr. Stephenson Appointed to the Southern Regional Education Board by Gov. DeSantis Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

appointed NWFSC President Dr. Devin Stephenson to the Southern Regional Education Board. The Southern Regional Education Board strives to improve education by providing policymakers with reliable data to inform sound policies, collaborating with states to share resources, and serving educators by providing the training needed to help prepare students for their futures.

Basketball Camp The College’s Athletic Department hosted the Raiders Basketball Camp over the summer! The camp was open to students in 2nd-8th grade.

Students received instruction from NWFSC coaches and athletes and received family passes for Raider Opening Weekend games.

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Fall Semester

Triumph Gulf Coast Awards $21.8 Million Grant for Expansion of Nursing Program

The Triumph Gulf Coast board awarded Northwest Florida State College $21,787,560 for its Nursing Program Expansion project. This grant enables the College to meet health care industry needs and expand the availability of qualified nurses throughout Northwest Florida.

The project consists of four parts: the renovation of the Niceville Campus Health Sciences building, the integration of instructional enhancements through virtual technology, professional development for faculty, and increased accessibility of prenursing coursework to support a pipeline of students. The project’s impact is expected to extend throughout both Okaloosa and Walton counties with additional education and employment opportunities provided to individuals located throughout the eight disproportionately affected counties.

The Collegiate High School at NWFSC Welcomes Inaugural Freshman Class

The Collegiate High School at NWFSC opened its doors to 335 students as the 20222023 school year began. Among those walking the halls were 50 new students who belong to CHS’s inaugural freshman class. The new freshman class consists of almost a 50/50 ratio of male and female students, with 31 pursuing an Associate in Science in Computer Information Technology and 19 pursuing an Associate in Science in Engineering Technology.

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NWFSC Receives 2022 CLEP Honors National Military Achievement Award

Northwest Florida State College was named a recipient of the 2022 CLEP Honors National Military Achievement Award. The CLEP Honors Award recognizes College Level Examination Program (CLEP) test centers that administer high volumes of CLEP exams throughout the academic year. These exams enable students to earn college credit for introductory-level courses by achieving satisfactory scores on subject-specific tests.

NWFSC Ranks Among the Top 10 Safest Colleges in Florida

Northwest Florida State College was ranked among the top 10 safest college campuses in Florida, according to Niche.com. The rankings for campus safety were established after evaluating campus and community crime rates, rates of violent crimes, and student surveys on crime. NWFSC ranked number 10 out of the 48 colleges and universities evaluated in 2022.

Gov. Ron DeSantis Grants Northwest Florida State College $1.5 Million for the Expansion of its CDL Program

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis visited Northwest Florida State College to announce a $1.5 million Job Growth Grant for the expansion of the College’s Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) Program. Since last year, NWFSC has received over $4.3 million in grant funding from Gov. DeSantis to increase the College’s capability to provide shortterm, in-demand, high-wage workforce programs.

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Northwest Florida State College Awarded $2.2 Million Grant The

U.S. Department of Education awarded NWFSC a $2,245,280 grant as part of its Title III Part A Strengthening Institutions Program. The grant provides 70% of the funding needed to support NWFSC’S Title III Raider Flight Plan Project which enables the College to tackle academic performance, persistence, and completion issues among this population.

Convocation

The College kicked off the new academic year with Convocation on Tuesday, Aug. 16. The ceremony was held at the Mattie Kelly Arts Center and featured keynote speaker, Dr. Joe Martin.

Esports Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

The College hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Flight Deck, the new home for Raider Esports. Esports consists of organized video game competitions that feature both professional and amateur players who compete in front of ever-increasing audiences. This billiondollar industry has quickly become one of the most financially lucrative markets in the world thanks to the exposure it has generated and the interest it has gained in major tournaments. We are eager to see how our new members and coaches perform in future competitions.

Pastry Showcase

The College welcomed members of the community to the Niceville campus as the Culinary Management Program hosted its annual Pastry Showcase on Aug. 3.

Fall Bake-Off

The College hosted its first-ever Fall Bake-Off on Nov. 16. Faculty and staff were encouraged to show off their baking prowess as they competed in the categories of cookies, pies, cakes, and brownies. Employees were then invited to a tasting event where they tried all the sweet baked goods and watched as the winners were announced.

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Holiday Parades

We were delighted to spread holiday cheer and interact with community members as we participated in the holiday parades throughout our region.

Holiday Pops

The Raider community was invited to enjoy the sounds of the season with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra and special guests including NWFSC’s President, Dr. Devin Stephenson.

12 Days of Celebration

The College celebrated the holiday season and the conclusion of a great semester with the 12 Days of Celebration!

From Nov. 28 to Dec. 15, NWFSC departments demonstrated their holiday spirit by hosting events for faculty and staff. Some of the festivities included Christmas cookie socials, hot cocoa tastings, open houses, and ornamentmaking workshops.

Halloween Costume Contest

This year’s Halloween Costume Contest had a record number of group and individual entries! Thank you particularly to those who participated as judges: Dr. Chris Gabers, Ms. Tawanda Brown, Officer David Smith, and Ms. Alexis Howard.

Individual Category:

First Place: Ryan Adams as Plague Doctor Second Place: Lesha Denega as Bellatrix Lestrange Third Place: Glenn Bracken as Obi Wan Kenobi

Group Category:

First Place: Business Services, Purchasing, & Business Ops as The Wizard of Oz Second Place: Foundation as Barbie’s Dream House Third Place: English, Communications, & Social Science as Halloween High

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Fall Commencement

The College celebrated its newest graduating class at the inaugural Fall Commencement Ceremony on Dec. 16.

The ceremony’s featured speaker was Okaloosa County Commissioner Mel Ponder. More than 150 candidates walked across the stage and received their diploma and/or certificate.

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Employee of the Year Congratulations to Kim-Anh Brechtel, the 2022 Employee of the Year!

Kim-Anh currently serves as the athletic operations specialist for the Northwest Florida Raiders. We are lucky to have her on our team!

AFC Raider Recognition The Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) serves the employees, retirees, associates, and boards of the Florida colleges via opportunities for professional development, leadership, community service, networking, and more at the local, regional, and state level.

AFC gives away monthly recognition awards based on nominations from employees of the College. The recipients receive a certificate and a shoutout in the internal newsletter.

2022 Recipients Ashley Bell - Raider Central’s Academic Records & Enrollment Specialist Genesis Calo Martinez - Public Relations Specialist Terry Comeau - Copy Services Manager Ozzie Falk - Assistant Facilities Director Janice Henderson - Director of Learning Resources and Library Service Stephanie Patty - Risk Manager/Facilities Coordinator Tammy Ricchio - Facilities Maintenance Specialist Troy Roberts - Skilled Craftsman, Facilities Caitlin Robertson - Director, Medical Laboratory Technology Robert Slavens - Student Success, Admissions Navigation Charlie Stevenson - Student Success Navigator

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Think. Dream. Go.

Northwest Florida State College Board of Trustees Lori Kelley, Chair Thomas “Rudy” Wright, Vice Chair Charlotte Flynt Graham Fountain Don Litke Jack “Tanner” Peacock Jon Ward Dr. Devin Stephenson, President

100 College Boulevard, East Niceville, FL 32578

850.502.2895 | nwfsc.edu

Northwest Florida State College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate and baccalaureate degrees. Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation of Northwest Florida State College may be directed in writing to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA 30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC’s website (www.sacscoc.org).