Meg Lowman

“Life in the Treetops — Adventures of a Woman in Science” 

Valencia Community College
East Campus
Performing Arts Center

701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail
Orlando, FL  32825

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Book signing and reception immediately following talk.
This event is open to the public.

Margaret D. Lowman, PhD
Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies
Director of Environmental Initiatives
New College of Florida, Sarasota FL 34243

Meg Lowman pioneered the science of canopy ecology. For 30 years, she has designed hot-air balloons and walkways for treetop exploration to solve mysteries in the world’s forests, with special expertise on the links between insect pests and ecosystem health. Meg is affectionately called the grandmother of canopy research as one of the first scientists to explore this “eighth continent”. She relentlessly works to “map” the canopy for biodiversity and to champion forest conservation in Florida as well as around the world. Her academic training included Williams College (BA, Biology); Aberdeen University (MSc, Ecology); Sydney University (PhD, Botany); and Tuck School of Business (Executive Management).

Meg facilitates policy solutions using science education as a tool, drawing upon a lifetime of research and conservation. Her international network and passion for science have led her into leadership roles where she seeks best practices to solve environmental challenges. She currently serves as vice president of The Explorers Club; vice president of the Ecological Society of America; treasurer of the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation; executive director of Florida’s TREE Foundation; and Cluster Chair for the Sarasota Economic Development Corporation. She frequently speaks about her science adventures to groups ranging from elementary classes to corporate executives to international conferences. Her numerous awards include the Margaret Douglas Medal for Excellence in Conservation Education from the Garden Club of America; Girls Inc. Visionary Award; Mendel Medal for achievements in science and spirit; Lowell Thomas Medal for discoveries in the canopy; and election as a Kilby Laureate and an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow. Carolyn Shoemaker of the U.S. Department of Interior named an asteroid after her. Meg has authored over 100 peer-reviewed scientific publications, and her first book, Life in the Treetops, received a cover review in the New York Times Sunday Book Review. Working tirelessly on sustainability initiatives at home and abroad, she recently received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Conservation from Sarasota County.

“Canopymeg” is currently Director of Environmental Initiatives and Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at New College of Florida. She also serves as the Science Advisor for Climate Change to Florida’s CFO, Alex Sink. Previously she has served as CEO of The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Professor of Biology and Environmental Studies at Williams College, and co-managed a sheep and cattle station in outback Australia. Meg is married to attorney Michael Brown. They are the proud parents of Eddie, research associate at Environmental Defense working on urban environmental policy; and James, applied math major at Princeton University who is modeling forests as global carbon sinks. Reflecting her love for linking kids to nature, Meg’s personal mantra is no child left indoors.

http://www.valenciacc.edu/honors/speakers.cfm

Want to know more about the Valencia Foundation and how we support Valencia Community College?  F.A.Qs for you are provided so you can be one of Those-in-the-Know.

What is the Valencia Foundation?
The foundation is a separate, not-for-profit, IRS approved 501(c)(3) corporation chartered in 1974 to provide financially for the educational needs of Valencia that cannot be met through state aid or student tuition income.

What does the Valencia Foundation do?
The office coordinates campaigns that help Valencia Community College provide a range of benefits, including scholarships, new technology, facilities, faculty improvements, and special programs. Nearly 60 community leaders volunteer generously of their time, talent, and resources by serving on the board of directors.

Can I tell the foundation how to spend my money?
Yes, you can tell our foundation how to utilize your donation by making a restricted gift.   *Please see the next question and answer for more information about restricted and unrestricted gifts.

What is the difference between a restricted gift and an unrestricted gift?
If you make a restricted gift, also known as a designated gift, you can direct your contribution to a specific scholarship, academic program, or any other special need. If you make an unrestricted gift—one with no restrictions on its use—you give Valencia the ability to apply funds where students need them most, including taking advantage of unexpected opportunities and meeting unforeseen challenges.

Will I receive tax benefits for my gift?
Yes, in most cases, the college’s supporters can deduct gifts from their taxes. Besides making direct, one-time contributions, you may also want to consider the long-term tax and estate-planning benefits of giving through annuities, trusts, and other financial tools.

Can I make a gift in honor or memory of someone?
Yes. As a tribute to a friend, colleague, mentor, family member, or anyone else, you can give in a person’s name.

How can I double or even triple my contribution?
Check with the human resources office at your company to see if it offers a matching funds program. More than 1,200 corporations have programs that match employees’ gifts to organizations like Valencia Community College.

What is a planned gift?
A planned gift is an arrangement to make a contribution to the Valencia Foundation, usually in the future. Annuities, trusts, and bequests in a will are examples of planned gifts. For more information, please visit our planned giving website at www.valenciagiving.org or contact Donna Marino at (407) 582-3128.

What is an outright gift?
An outright gift is an immediate, direct contribution, usually consisting of cash, real estate, or securities. 

Are there any advantages to making an outright gift?
Yes!  In fact, the advantages of making an outright gift are many… Valencia now offers more than 50 pre-major associate of arts, over 100 associate in science and applied science degrees and certificate programs: most programs lead to immediate entry into the workforce.

When you make an outright gift of cash, property, securities, or other assets to the Valencia Foundation,

• You provide instant assistance to the college and gain an immediate tax deduction.
• You usually get a charitable deduction for the full cost of the gift in the year you make it.
• It’s an easy, efficient way to support a cause you believe in.
• There are no complex financial documents to fill out.
• You get the satisfaction of offering direct financial help that furthers Valencia’s mission of reaching out to potential students and providing affordable, accessible learning opportunities.
• You receive other benefits depending on the type of gift: cash, real estate, or appreciated securities.

Because most Valencia Foundation benefactors make an outright gift of cash, the foundation has established several convenient ways for you to provide that support, including a check or credit card.

Are all gifts useful?
Yes, gifts of all amounts are deeply appreciated no matter how large or modest. Added to other gifts, any one gift combined has a large impact. Any gift demonstrates your concern for educational excellence at Valencia.

Can I make a gift online?
Yes. It’s quick, easy and secure through our online registration form at Make a Donation.

What is an Annual Fund?
An Annual Fund is a yearly campaign that raises resources for student scholarships and college programs and establishes a vehicle for Valencia to broaden its base of support. The rental income from the foundation’s real estate investments cover most of the foundation’s operating and fund-raising expenses, ensuring that 100 percent of donations are used exclusively for our donors’ intended purpose.

What is the Capital Campaign?
The Capital Campaign is a special campaign for new investments in people, programs, technology, and facilities for Valencia.

Where can I get more information?
Contact the Valencia Foundation at 190 S. Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804; (407) 582-3150 or by emailing the foundation at foundation@valenciacc.edu

dmarino orig posting 09/09

As her daughter tells it, Evelyn Louise Breeze was a woman who tackled every task with efficiency and without trepidation. It didn’t matter whether she was hand-stitching a quilt, packing up the house when her Army pilot husband was transferred to a new city or running for the state Legislature.

Evelyn Louise Breeze

“Strong and independent,” said her daughter, Robin Breeze Basile of Maitland. “That carried her through almost every endeavor — that attention to detail, and efficiency and thoroughness. And no shirking.”

Breeze, who went by Louise, passed away October 26 from complications of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 87.

Born in Kentucky in 1922, she graduated from St. Elizabeth’s Hospital School of Nursing in Ohio and served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army Nurse Corps duringWorld War II. While stationed in Denver, she met her future husband, pilot Robert Carey Breeze. They married in 1944 and had three children.

During the next 15 years, Breeze worked as a nurse and volunteered in various causes wherever her husband was stationed. But she was eager to get more involved in her community. After her husband retired from the service and the family moved to Winter Park in 1961, she rose in the ranks of the local Republican Party and was elected to the Orange County School Board in 1967.

Breeze served four years on the School Board, with two as chairwoman. She resigned for a week in 1970 to run for a state House seat. When she lost the race, then-Gov. Claude Kirk reappointed her to finish her School-Board term and she was re-elected chairwoman, according to Sentinel archives.

At the end of her life, Breeze would value her service on the School Board among her proudest accomplishments, Basile said. During her terms, the county desegregated the schools and created Valencia Community College, her daughter said.

Breeze gave up her nurse’s license in 1978 but stayed active in the community and in local politics, serving as a guardian ad litem in the Orange County Court System and as a court mediator for the Small Claims Court System. In 1987, she was chairwoman of a Winter Park residents group that protested the use of 95-gallon garbage carts because the bins violated their sense of aesthetics.

She also loved to sew, crochet, knit and make quilts, often setting quotas and time limits for herself just to see how quickly she could accomplish projects, her daughter said. When her oldest son was in high school, and already 6 feet tall, she made his oxford-cloth shirts with seven buttons instead of the usual six so they would stay tucked in.

After her husband’s death in 1989, she made a blue silk jacket for herself out of his patterned neckties.

Besides her husband, Breeze was preceded in death by her oldest child, Marshall Hall Breeze II. In addition to her daughter, she is survived by her sister, Mary Cox Sturgeon of Ohio, son, Philip Breeze of Kaneohe, Hawaii; six grandchildren; and three great-granddaughters.

Evelyn Louise Breeze served proudly on Orange County School Board — OrlandoSentinel.com

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Valencia Community College Osceola Campus

Valencia Community College’s Osceola campus was recognized by the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities with its Outstanding HACU-Member Institution Award, in recognition of the college’s efforts in advancing the mission and goals of HACU.

The award was presented Nov. 1 during HACU’s 23rd annual conference held at the Disney Coronado Springs Resort. Dr. Silvia Zapico, provost of the Osceola campus, accepted the award on behalf of the college.

Zapico served as past chair of HACU and has represented Valencia as a member of the association since 2001.

Hispanic students make up more than 27 percent of enrollment collegewide and 46 percent of enrollment on the Osceola campus alone. The college is third in the nation in the number of associate degrees earned by Hispanics.

Accepting the award was Valencia Provost Silvia Zapico (center). The award was presented by HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores and Rosa Perez, Chancellor, San Jose/Evergreen Community College District and treasurer of HACU's Governing Board.

Established in 1986, HACU represents 450 colleges and universities committed to Hispanic higher education success in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Latin America, Spain and Portugal.

Source:  Valencia receives Hispanic education award – Orlando Business Journal:

Valencia Community College’s distinguished artist series Visions & Voices is one of the best kept secrets in Orlando.  These amazing events highlight world-class poets, songwriters and artists from across the country.  Visions & Voices events are free and open to community members (that means you), not just Valencia students, and have featured many talented artists including Poet Laureate Billy Collins, Musician David Wilcox, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Paula Vogel and Poet David Whyte. 

John Gorka at Valencia

This fall Visions & Voices brings back musician John Gorka.  His acoustic music, deep melodic voices, and charming persona provide an expression of everyday life that is rich in complexity yet simple in verse. 

I beseech you: take a mid-day break and come experience John Gorka on November 18, 2009.  You will thank me later. The performance is from 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. at the East Campus Performing Arts Center.  Add to your calendar, schedule a date, make a plan, and attend the event. John Gorka will be the best afternoon treat!  Well worth any effort to attend.

Gorka, like the Visions & Voices series, is a wonderful kept secret–artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. His music video for the single “When She Kisses Me” found a long-term rotation on VH-1’s “Current Country,” as well as on CMT and the Nashville Network. John has also graced the stage of Austin City Limits, appeared on CNN, and has been the subject of other national programming. 

This visit by John Gorka isn’t just for students, faculty, and staff; it’s for our community to experience something unique and different.  Invite a friend, pass it on . . . this is one secret not worth keeping. 

For more information about Valencia’s distinguished artist series and other upcoming artist visits, please visit online at: www.valenciacc.edu/visionsvoices

A little friendly motivation from one of my favorites, Abraham Lincoln…Never underestimate the power of a friend. Abraham Lincoln said, “I am a success today because I had a friend who believed in me and I didn’t have the heart to let him down…” A friend is more than a companion. A friend is the better side of ourselves.

 As we enter this season of thanksgiving, a heartfelt thank you to all of our friends and motivators!

Through your kindness, my next two semesters have been completely covered, including my textbooks, which we all know can be as expensive as tuition itself. As an independent, full time student, reaching the level of higher education beomces a challenge as we face everyday life. I will be forever grateful for what the foundation has done for me durimg my future endeavors.

R. Stio
2009/10 Ella B. Sadler
 Scholarship Recipient

Did you know that annual alumni membership is absolutely free at Valencia?

Please take a moment to reconnect and get involved with exciting Alumni Association benefits and events.  We invite you to fill out the membership registration form online today!

Already a member?   Please complete the alumni class notes online. We’d like to know what you’ve been doing: new job, new degree, new adventure, new babies . . . all stories are welcome!

The Annual Osceola Arts Festival will be held February 13 and 14, 2010 on the Osceola Campus of Valencia Community College in Kissimmee. Artist applications are now available at www.ocfta.com. The deadline for all applications is December 1, 2009.

The Osceola Art Festival is an annual juried fine arts show under the sponsorship of the Osceola Center for the Arts and in partnership with Valencia Community College. Show incentives include $15,000 in prizes, including (1) $1500 Best of Show 2D award, (1) $1500 Best of Show 3D award, (9) $900 1st place awards in each category, (10) $300 open awards of excellence and (10) $100 open honorable mentions. A complimentary Artists Awards Brunch will take place Sunday morning and Booth Sitting is available. Categories include painting, pastels/graphics/ drawing, photography, sculpture/clay/ceramics, jewelry, glass, wood, mixed media & metal.

The festival, which is free and open to the public, is located on Highway 192 in Kissimmee.  Kissimmee is located in the heart of Florida’s tourist capital and is just 20 minutes from Walt Disney World and Orlando.  Call 407.846.6257 x 4 or visit www.ocfta.com for more information.

Source: Osceola festival looking for artistsposted by Elizabeth Maupin on Oct 30, 2009 10:49:27 AM

With a successful Taste for Learning event behind us, we now have are arduous task of remembering all those who made a difference (big or small) every step of the way in the planning process to give our thanks. And though we use the word arduous, we simply mean that it’s difficult not to thank everyone we encountered along the way … and we mean everyone and so we will!!!

It’s because of every conversation, every email, every comment, every thought, every task, every wish and every word of advice that we sit here and say, “Wow, what a great event that was!”

And so to all those smiling faces in our office doors, at the end of the phone and across email cyberspace and beyond, we smile back while blogging and say thank you for all you did and continue to do – you know who you are!