revisiting Valencia’s economic impact

Wondering how much value Valencia brings to the area?

The independent economic impact study shows Valencia’s economic value amounts to more than one billion dollars a year. For every dollar students invest in tuition, they will see a $5.60 increase in their lifetime earnings.

progress energy 2+2 scholarship – $4,275 annually

Progress Energy is boosting access to female students who would like a career in the engineering field. So to serve the needs of our community, this generous donor is looking for female, engineering majors in Orange or Osceola counties. Students must demonstrate financial need and students must be at least 19 years of age or older to be considered.

The scholarship is a 2+2 allowing students to study for two-years at Valencia and two-years at the University of Central Florida to earn a bachelors.

Don’t delay – apply TODAY!

valencia makes list of “military friendly” schools

Valencia College has made the 2013 Military Friendly Schools list, honoring the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.

“Inclusion on the 2013 list of Military Friendly Schools® shows Valencia College’s commitment to providing a supportive environment for military students,” said Sean Collins, director for G.I. Jobs and vice president at Victory Media, which publishes the list on its website. The company said that the 1,739 colleges, universities and trade schools on this year’s list exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience.

More than 1,800 veterans are enrolled in classes at Valencia this fall. In fact, according to latest figures from the Florida College System, Valencia is home to the second largest enrollment of veterans among Florida’s 28 state colleges, second only to Florida State College at Jacksonville, home of the Mayport Naval Station.

Valencia provides veterans services on all of its campuses, including assistance with VA benefits, student support, workshops and activities. There’s also a student veterans club, a veterans-only speech class, and professional development to help faculty recognize the unique challenges of veterans in integrating into the college environment.

Now in its fourth year, the 2013 list of Military Friendly Schools was compiled through extensive research and a data-driven survey of more than 12,000 VA-approved schools nationwide. The survey results that comprise the 2013 list were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by G.I. Jobs. Each year schools taking the survey are held to a higher standard than the previous year via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) consisting of educators from schools across the country.

Article by: Carol Traynor

valencia – serving our veteran students

Please enjoy the following sample of the good work being done at Valencia College for veteran students:

Valencia College has made the 2013 Military Friendly Schools list, honoring the top 15 percent of colleges, universities and trade schools in the country that are doing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.

Valencia is home to the second largest enrollment of veterans among Florida’s 28 state colleges, second only to Florida State College at Jacksonville, home of the Mayport Naval Station.

Valencia provides veterans services on all of its campuses, including assistance with VA benefits, student support, workshops and activities. There’s also a student veterans club, a veterans-only speech class, and professional development to help faculty recognize the unique challenges of veterans in integrating into the college environment.

global peace film festival comes to valencia

To celebrate International Peace Day, which is September 21, Valencia College will partner with the Global Peace Film Festival to present free screenings on multiple campuses. Valencia is offering three selections from this year’s festival. Please come out and join us. All faculty, staff and students are invited to attend. The three films that will be shared are as follows:

1. Khaati Suun (Pure Gold)
Thursday, September 20, 2:30 p.m.
East Campus, 3-113

2. Opening Our Eyes
Thursday, September 20
East Campus, 7:00 p.m., Room 3-113
West Campus, 7:00 p.m. Building 8

3. Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story
Friday, September 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Winter Park Campus, Room 225-226

These events are made possible by the support and partnership of the West Campus H.E.R.O. Club, Study Abroad and Global Experiences (SAGE), East Campus student development, and thePeace and Justice Initiative (PJI). For more information contactpeaceandjustice@valenciacollege.edu.

flag display to honor 9/11

Osceola Campus to Honor 9/11 Victims with Massive Flag Display

KISSIMMEE — To honor the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Valencia College’s Osceola Campus has teamed up with the Rotary Club of Lake Nona to stage a dramatic display of flags on its expansive lawn — one flag for each of the nearly 3,000 lives lost on that tragic day.

The installation of the flags in Kissimmee, which will be on display from Sept. 8 – 14, was the idea of Dr. Kathleen Plinske, president of Valencia’s Osceola and Lake Nona campuses.

Dr. Plinske taught weekend classes at Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. last fall – and was impressed by Pepperdine’s annual memorial for Sept. 11, which is called “Waves of Flags.”

“It was that display – one flag to represent each victim of 9/11 – that helped me to get my mind around the magnitude of the tragedy,” Plinske said. “When you hear 2,977 people, it’s obviously too large of a number to fully comprehend its magnitude. But to see all of those flags, knowing that each one represents an individual who was lost and whose family and community was forever impacted, really touched me.”  She believes the memorial will be a way for current Valencia students, many of whom were only six or seven years old on Sept. 11, 2001, to learn about the events of that tragic day.  The campus will host a number of events throughout the week, including an Interfaith Panel, intended to help students learn about different religious faiths and develop a deeper appreciation for diversity, peace and acceptance.

In addition to honoring the victims of 9/11, the Osceola Campus flag display will also serve as the site for Osceola County’s Sept. 11 county-wide memorial service, which will include participants from the Osceola County’s Sheriff’s Office, Osceola County Emergency Services, Kissimmee Police and Fire Departments, St. Cloud Police and Fire Departments, and the Osceola County Veteran’s Council.  In addition, Gina Marie Incandela will perform the national anthem and the chorus from Denn John Middle School will perform “God Bless America.”

The ceremony will be held at on Sept. 11 at 1:30 p.m., near the Clock Tower at the Osceola Campus.

To install the flags, the Rotary Club of Lake Nona has assembled a community-wide team of volunteers. Between Aug. 27 and Sept. 6, volunteers – including Rotarians, cadets of the Civil Air Patrol, members of the U.S. Fire Department Reserve Corp and U.S. Navy Future Sailors program, members of the Osceola Sheriff’s Explorers, volunteers from local churches, and Valencia students, faculty, and staff – will install the 2,977 flagpoles on the campus grounds.  To install the poles, organizers anticipate that they will work seven nights in three-hour shifts.

The Rotary Club of Lake Nona secured sponsors to raise the money to buy the supplies for the flag display. The primary sponsors are Kissimmee Utility Authority (KUA) and Clancy & Theys Construction Company. Other sponsors include Hoagland Electric LLC, Insurance Office of America, Sonu Shukla, CPA, Sweetwater Car Wash, and Williams Company Management Group.

“We feel like this will serve as important recognition for our local emergency responders, as well as a way to honor those who were lost on September 11,” said Michael Valenzuela, president of the Rotary Club of Lake Nona.  “Rotary International’s theme this year is ‘Peace Through Service’ and we believe this project will build bridges of friendship and acceptance among our diverse community.”

The Rotary Club of Lake Nona has continued to raise money and has pledged that any additional funds raised will go toward a scholarship with the Valencia Foundation to help pay for continuing education for men and women who are currently police officers, firefighters and emergency medical technicians.

View the Orlando Sentinel video on the project.

valencia’s president appears on jobs panel at GOP convention

Valencia College president, Dr. Sandy Shugart, participated in a high-powered panel discussion on jobs creation on Aug. 29 at this year’s Republican National Convention in Tampa. The debate, sponsored by The Huffington Post, was livestreamed on NBC News video.

To access video from the event, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuIx89HuNV8&feature=player_embedded