President’s Circle Honor Roll
President’s Circle
C
onsidered the preeminent donor organization of Tallahassee Community College, the President’s Circle is made of up of individuals who contribute at least $1,000 a year for unrestricted use by the College. Despite the fact that unrestricted funds can be difficult to raise, membership is on the rise. This is thanks in part to the efforts of TCC Foundation Board Chair Susan Payne Turner. “I’ve made increasing membership in the President’s Circle the focal point of my presidency,” Turner explained. “Those funds are so critical because of their flexibility; they can be utilized to meet any number of needs,” she continued. As an example, the TCC Foundation Board recently authorized the purchase of Starfish software with nearly $70,000 of previously donated unrestricted funds. The Starfish software system is designed to Susan Payne Turner, TCC Foundation Board streamline communications, educational planning president and President’s Circle member. and intervention strategies. According to Sally Search, vice president for student affairs, “Our goal in adopting the Starfish software is increased retention and better communication across campus.” The system facilitates the tracking of student data, including attendance records and grade books, from the entire student population and within various sub-sets of that population. Because Starfish includes an advanced early alert system, intervention strategies can be maximized. This robust system will integrate with existing systems on campus including Blackboard, making communicating with students easier. Academic advisors and faculty have spent the fall semester learning how to best utilize Starfish, and implementation is planned for the spring 2014 semester. “Because of the financial support of the Foundation and the purchase of Starfish, we will positively impact thousands of students. In particular, we will be able to do a much better job of directing resources to those highrisk students that need them,” concluded Search. The purchase of Starfish software is only one example of how the Foundation uses unrestricted donations to best meet the needs of students and staff. To help meet those needs, please consider joining the TCC President’s Circle. For information, visit tcc.fl.edu/Foundation or call Robin Johnston at (850) 201-6067.
Jean Ainsworth Pamela S. Aveling Robert G. Ballard Margaret Banocy-Payne Richard Barnett Mark Bates Barney T. Bishop John Burch Pamella Butler Donna Callaway Walt Colón L. Finley Cook Charlotte Cummings Patrick H. Dallet Ann S. Davis Tom Deison Kim Dixon Janice Dunn C. Wayne Edwards Monte Finkelstein Julia Goldstein Robert B. Hall Major Harding Cherie Hodge Darrin Holloman Michael Illers Bret L. Ingerman Robin Johnston Kim Kelling-Engstrom Eugene Lamb Steven M. Leoni Stan Marshall Bradley C. Mitchell Karen B. Moore Rick Moore Mary L. Pankowski Susan Payne Turner Almena H. Pettit Russ Rainey James L. Rodgers Winifred Schmeling Sally Search Michele Shapley Barbara Sloan Allison Tant-Richard John Thomas Marjorie Turnbull Lei Wang Richard Weidner Polly A. White Donald Wilson Foy Winsor
TCC Foundation 2013-2014 Board of Directors OFFICERS:
DIRECTORS:
Susan Payne Turner, President Greg Thomas, President-Elect Pamella J. Butler, Vice President Allison Tant-Richard, Secretary R. Randy Guemple, Secretary-Elect Patrick H. Dallet, Treasurer Almena Hill Pettit, Treasurer-Elect Curtis B. Richardson, At-Large Officer C. Wayne Edwards, At-Large Officer Mary L. Pankowski, Past President
Pamela S. Aveling Max T. Clark Walter E. Colón, II L. Finley Cook Tom H. Deison Kimberly S. Dixon C. Wayne Edwards Kim Kelling-Engstrom Mike Illers Pamela A. Johnson
4 TCC FOUNDATION NEWSLETTER
134 November–December 2013
tallahasseeMagazine.com
Steven M. Leoni David Miller Randy B. Nelson Hemant Patel Bobby Pearce Russell B. Rainey Brian Rowland Winnie Schmeling Michele Shapley Jimmy Suber Elizabeth Tedio
Marcia Deeb Thornberry D. Christine Thurman Sherry VanLandingham Kevin Vaughn
EX-OFFICIO: Jim Murdaugh, TCC President Donna Callaway, District Board of Trustees Liaison Frank Messersmith, District Board of Trustees Liaison