aia golf tournament – june 15

Each year, AIA Orlando, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects, helps support foundation scholarships through proceeds from their golf tournament. This year’s 23^rd annual event will be on Friday, June 15, at Reunion Golf Resort. AIA members can play for $150 each and non-members for $175 per player. Sponsorships start at $300. Click here for more information.

generous contribution to support student scholarships

It is with appreciation that Valencia Foundation sends a great big thank you to Wells Fargo and regional CEO Larisa Perry for a generous contribution of $50,000 to support student scholarships.

Half will immediately support first-generation students and the balance will seed an endowment fund for individuals seeking to retool or retrain.  On behalf of Valencia and the students we serve, thank you for your generosity!

valencia counts video

There has been much discussion lately about the positive impact Valencia has on the community. Here is a great video that shows why together we’re better.

valencia leaders committed to keeping tuition low

Valencia to Freeze Student Tuition for the Fall

During a visit to Tallahassee last February, Valencia President Sanford Shugart told lawmakers it would be a mistake to raise college tuition rates at a time when federal financial aid is constrained by the budget problems in Washington.

Today he made good on those intentions, when he presented Valencia trustees with a budget overview for the coming year that holds tuition at current levels. While trustees approved the plan, they will still need to formally approve the college’s operating budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year when they meet on June 19.

At $99.06 per credit hour for Florida residents, Valencia’s tuition is currently less than five other Central Florida community colleges, including Seminole State College and Polk and Brevard community colleges, and is about half the cost of a state university.

“Valencia has held the line on student costs, even at some pain to the college,” said Shugart.

While good news for students, employees of Valencia will not see a salary increase under the new proposal. The college also plans to cut $3.8 million in expenses through reductions to travel, supplies and the number of adjunct faculty and part-time staff.

Valencia leaders have declined to raise tuition although authorized to do so by the Florida Legislature, which gave colleges in the Florida College System—including Valencia—the option of implementing a 5 percent tuition hike.

Valencia’s trustees applauded the administration’s budget outline.

“I think it is a thoughtful and considered approach to trying to solve a number of problems,” said trustee Lew Oliver.

Shugart said that the budget scenario presented is a short-term solution and cannot be sustained indefinitely.

“We really need to start moderating tuition and investing in the system again,” said Shugart.

In the past, state dollars funded about 75 percent of a student’s education at Valencia, with students funding the rest. But in recent years that model has shifted. The state now pays about 40 percent of the cost with students paying 60 percent.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, trustees expressed frustration with the way the state funds two-year colleges. Over the last decade lawmakers have cut financing or not allocated enough to keep pace with growing enrollment, while expecting colleges to make up the difference by increasing tuition. In 2011-2012, Valencia was next to last in state funding per full-time student – and yet the college leads the nation in the number of associate degrees awarded.

Not only is the college committed to keeping tuition as low as possible, it is also looking at other ways to hold down costs for students, including discounting textbooks and exploring textbook alternatives.

In the last two years, students took advantage of a 20 percent discount on textbooks sold through the college’s bookstores. The total savings to students fell just shy of $2 million at $1,975,000.

crew golf tournament photos

Golfers enjoyed great weather and a great game on Friday at Reunion Resort. The event was the CREW Orlando golf tournament, proceeds of which fund Valencia scholarships. The theme was the 80s and everyone had a totally rad time, fer sure!

For more photos, visit us on Facebook.

new study: valencia boosts local economy by $1 billion a year

A Press Release from Valencia’s Marketing and Strategic Communications Department

Orlando, FL – At a time when Florida’s unemployment rate is 9.4 percent and public funding for higher education is being cut, a new study finds that Valencia College boosts the economy of Orange and Osceola counties by $1.05 billion a year.

The study, conducted by Economic Modeling Specialists, Inc. (EMSI) on behalf of the college, calculated the college’s total economic impact, based on the 70,000 students enrolled at Valencia, and includes alumni earnings, student spending and expenditures related to college operations.

The impact study also examined the college’s return on investment, for both students and taxpayers.

• For students, every dollar spent on tuition today increases a student’s future income by $5.60, according to the EMSI study.
• For Florida taxpayers, the rate of return on their investment in the college is 8.9 percent, outperforming nearly all private investments’ return on the dollar.

Valencia, the 17^th largest employer in the region, has become an economic engine for Central Florida, generating close to 3,000 jobs and spending $231 million a year on buildings, salaries, services and supplies.

In addition to the impact of students currently enrolled at the college, the study found that Valencia’s graduates contribute $781.7 million in earnings, spending and savings to the region’s economy each year.

To understand Valencia’s economic impact on its two-county region, compare the college’s $1 billion impact to that of the University of Florida (UF). In 2011, an economic impact study found that UF’s impact on the statewide economy was $8.76 billion – and $2.9 billion of that was attributed to the Shands Hospital system and UF physician practices.

“Valencia is a billion dollar gem. We hope the independent study will help the community understand what an asset Valencia actually is to the region,” said Valencia Board of Trustees Chair Bertica Cabrera Morris.

Trustees, along with Valencia President Sandy Shugart, are calling on business and community leaders to join the college’s efforts to increase public and private investment in Valencia.

“We encourage business leaders to get involved with the college and become a part of its success. Seek Valencia interns. Hire the college’s graduates. Serve on industry boards. Support the foundation. It all fuels our local economy and makes a real difference,” added Cabrera Morris.

Valencia stands out as a model of efficiency compared to its peer colleges around the state. Based on data gathered by the Florida Department of Education for the 2011-2012 school year, Valencia has lower funding per FTE (full-time equivalent) than its sister two-year colleges – and yet Valencia consistently produces more graduates and more students who are earning technical certificates.

Valencia was named the best community college in America for 2011/12 when it won the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The Aspen Prize was the first national recognition of extraordinary accomplishments at a community college. Valencia won the honor for an overall graduation rate nearly three times that of similar, large urban public community colleges. In addition, Valencia had the highest job placement rates at 95 percent, and the most productive transfer program in the country, because of its partnership with the University of Central Florida (UCF).

Valencia plays a key role in educating the region. Of the graduating high school seniors in Orange and Osceola counties, almost twice as many start their college careers at Valencia as at all other state universities combined. And, today, that’s the new “normal” among college students. Only 25 percent of America’s college students are full-time students, living away from home. Seventy-five percent of current college students are part-time students, juggling families, jobs and school.

At Valencia, 39 percent of the students are focused on learning specialized skills that prepare them for the workforce through the college’s Associate in Science (A.S.) programs or Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degrees. To produce graduates who are ready to hit the ground running, the college works closely with 400 area businesses to tailor the curriculum to meet the needs of the workplace.

In some technical areas, such as nursing and allied health, Valencia graduates make up a large percentage of the local workforce. Valencia’s RN program supplies many of the nurses to local hospitals and is highly regarded for its quality. In 2010, for example, 94 percent of Valencia’s nursing graduates passed the national registered nursing exam – a higher passing rate than the state and national average.

That specialized training is reflected in the graduates’ earnings. Valencia’s Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degree graduates earn on average an annual salary of about $43,385 in their first year after graduation – more than double that of a high school graduate and $7,839 more than a bachelor’s degree graduate from UCF in their first year out of college, according to the latest data from the Florida Education and Training Placement Information Program (FETPIP).

In addition to preparing students for the workforce, Valencia offers a two-year A.A. program that prepares students to transfer to an upper-division college or university – at half the cost of tuition at the state’s four-year universities.

And, thanks to DirectConnect to UCF, an innovative partnership between the University of Central Florida and area members of the Florida College System that began in 2007, Valencia students who earn an associate degree are guaranteed admission to UCF’s upper division. Through DirectConnect, Valencia has become an “on ramp” to a four-year degree. In 2011, 22 percent of all UCF graduates started their college careers at Valencia.

Also helping the local economy is the fact that Valencia is attracting more students from outside Orange and Osceola counties. Since DirectConnect began, the number of students moving to the area grew from 14,967 to 21,134, a 34.5 percent increase. These students rent apartments, purchase goods and services, and stay in the area to attend UCF and build their lives here.

Click here to get the economic impact facts.

The full report, “Economic Contribution of Valencia College,” is available on the Valencia News website.

New Study Finds Valencia Boosts Local Economy by $1 Billion a Year

valencia magic scholarship

Valencia Magic Scholarship Recipient – Davon Sherman

There was something truly amazing that I was able to be a part of yesterday. The Orlando Magic Youth Fund and McCormick Foundation have created a new scholarship for Valencia College students.

Three deserving high school seniors were selected to begin their educational journey at Valencia beginning the 2012-13 academic year. Each student received a two year scholarship in the amount of $6,000.

Valencia Magic Scholarship Recipient – Joan Marcelin

As we surprised each student in their classrooms, hallways and at lunch each moment was a great experience. To see the joy and excitement on their faces, is a memory that I will take with me for year’s to come. What a fabulous way to start the week!

Valencia Magic Scholarship Recipient – Shaiquan Williams

Edgewater H.S. student Davon Sherman will attend Valencia College and plans to study creative writing or journalism; Joan Marcelin (Evans H.S.) will attend Valencia College and plans to study business or hospitality; Boone H.S. student Shaiquan Williams will attend Valencia College in the area of gaming.