Our Awards

Highlights and Accolades 

October 2024

• FSCJ introduced the name for its new mascot, “Rayzor Ray.” Read more.
• Congratulations to Professor Gail Hamilton, winner of the American Business Woman of the Year from the American Business Women's Association (ABWA). Professor Hamilton will serve as an ambassador and national spokeswoman for the organization.
• The FSCJ family participated in the annual First Coast Heart Walk. FSCJ had 14 teams, close to 270 walkers and raised more than $6,500. Thanks to all who participated, raised funds, made donations and supported Team FSCJ and this worthy initiative! 
• FSCJ’s Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive (Workforce CAP) Grant Program received $3.6 million from the Florida Department of Education. The funding will support programs focused on medical assistance, practical nursing, emergency medical technology and more.

September 2024

• Thanks to the generosity of the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS Championship, FSCJ Foundation announced the AJ Laguerre, Jr. Endowed Scholarship, a full scholarship established to honor the memory of the Raines graduate who planned to come to FSCJ and major in cybersecurity. Read more.
• The inaugural celebration for the LEAP (Lift, Empower, Achieve, Persist) Program completers was held at Downtown Campus. Nine finished in this cohort and the team is working to grow from there! LEAP is designed to provide personal, academic, social and career development support to underrepresented male students at FSCJ.
• FSCJ was named in the 2024 Great Colleges to Work For® program with special designation as an Honor Roll institution for 2024! The College was one of 75 institutions out of 216 to be recognized, and one of only 42 institutions to receive the Honor Roll distinction in nine categories, including: Job Satisfaction & Support, Professional Development, Mission & Pride, Supervisor/Department Chair Effectiveness, Confidence in Senior Leadership, Faculty & Staff Well-being, Shared Governance, Faculty Experience, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging. Read more.
• FSCJ hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to unveil the new Commercial Vehicle Driving program at the Nassau Center

August 2024

• FSCJ and Brooks Rehabilitation celebrated the first cohort of students who completed the new certified nursing assistant (CNA) to licensed practical nurse (LPN) program. Read more.
• Congratulations to the 25 student-athletes and five teams earning NJCAA All-Academic awards for their dedication in the classroom during the 2023-24 school year! Student-athletes who achieved a minimum GPA of 3.60 were eligible for NJCAA All-Academic honors. Baseball led the department with 11 honorees. Teams with a minimum average GPA of 3.0 or higher were recognized as 2023-24 NJCAA Academic Teams of the Year, and for FSCJ, those included Baseball, Beach Volleyball, Women's Cross Country, Men's Basketball and Indoor Volleyball.
• Seven students and sponsor-coaches attended the National Mu Alpha Theta Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. The students competed in 24 different competitions, earning trophies and honorable placements throughout the event: 3rd Mu Chalk Talk: Emmanuel Alayande; 9th Alpha Gemini: Samuel Deegan; 4th (of 23) in Blue Ribbon (small school competition); 16th (of 32) Mu Division (calculus-level); 17th (of 25) Poster; 82nd (of 209) Mu Individual: Jayden Johnson; 32nd (of 79) Mu Topic: Integration: Jayden Johnson; 40th (of 79) Mu Topic: Integration: Vincent Gillaspy; 43rd (of 79) Mu Topic: Integration: Emmanuel Alayande; 39th (of 91) Mu Topic: Limits & Derivatives: Tian Ye; 48th (of 91) Mu Topic: Limits & Derivatives: Emmanuel Alayande; 36th (of 52) Theta Topic: Equations & Inequalities: Tabitha Broussard; 38th (of 52) Theta Topic: Equations & Inequalities: Pablo Garcia

June 2024

• FSCJ and Professor Robert Wechsler were recognized by Electrathon of Florida as "College Sponsor of the Year," an acknowledgment of the two races we hosted during the season and efforts to help spread the Electrathon EV race series to the area.
• FSCJ Interior Design students and faculty worked with Habitat for Humanity of Jacksonville (HabiJax) to stage the interior of one of their new builds, preparing it for a family to establish their new home.
• FSCJ student artwork was displayed at MOCA Jacksonville as part of Art Walk. The "Wild Side Art Box Project," drew inspiration from the exhibition, "A Walk on the Wild Side." The student work was originally exhibited during the 37th Annual Student Exhibit of Art and Design at the South Campus Gallery.
• FSCJ's Commercial Vehicle Driving program is excited to be working with the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department to offer entry-level driver training for select paramedics and firefighters.

May 2024

• FSCJ and Brooks Rehabilitation have partnered to offer certified nursing assistants (CNAs) an opportunity to work toward becoming a licensed practical nurse (LPN) while on the job. Together, Brooks and FSCJ created this pilot program which allows a cohort of 11 Brooks Rehabilitation CNAs opportunities to work with FSCJ instructors during the workday. Their tuition is covered by Brooks and laptops, scrubs and supplies are also provided. The first cohort will graduate in summer 2024.
• Professor Jennifer Chase recently published a memoir and album, "I Can Smell You from Here: Thirty Years, Seventeen Letters to My Town 1993-2023."
• Congratulations to our 2024 Distinguished Faculty Awards, Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award, Administrative and Professional Collaborative Exceptional Service and Initiative Award, Career Employees’ Council Recognition of Excellence Award and the new iRISE Awards.
  • Distinguished Faculty Awards for Liberal Arts & Sciences, Adult Education and ESOL
    Dr. Shep Shepard, Professor of English
    Dr. Scott Matthews, Professor of History
  • Distinguished Faculty Award for Bachelors, Career & Technical Education
    Susan Amburgey, Professor of Logistics
  • Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award
    Galya Taborn, Adjunct Professor of Human Services
  • Administrative and Professional Collaborative Exceptional Service and Initiative Award
    Dr. Marc Boese, Executive Director of Organizational Development
  • Career Employees’ Council Recognition of Excellence Award
    Ashlie Empleo, Program Coordinator - H.O.P.E. Food Pantry
  • iRISE Awards
    Integrity Award
    Darci Lanaghan, Director of Benefits and Human Resources Information Systems
    Respect for All Served by FSCJ Award
    Dr. Kathleen Ciez-Volz, Associate Provost for Curriculum and Instruction
    Innovation Award
    Lance Culver, Laboratory Manager in the Urban Agriculture Initiative at Downtown Campus
    Student-Centered Award
    Terence Wright, Director of Campus Enrollment & Student Services
    Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Service Award
    Fulton Burns, Director and Professor of Theatre

April 2024

• For the second year in a row, FSCJ was named a Military Friendly® School with a “Gold” ranking for 2024-25, in recognition of leading practices, outcomes and effective programs for student veterans. Learn more.
• FSCJ was named a 2024 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges award winner by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD)! NISOD joins Diverse: Issues in Higher Education in recognizing FSCJ’s best-in-class student and staff recruitment and retention practices, inclusive learning and working environments, and meaningful community service and engagement opportunities. This is the third time in four years that FSCJ has been recognized in this way.
• Academic Tutor Amy Copeland edited and co-authored a book, "Finding Sherri: Reclaiming Myself After Childhood Sexual Assault," with Sherri Noble Jones. The two are launching the book in concert with Sexual Assault Awareness Month. 

March 2024

• FSCJ was welcomed into the Diplomacy Lab partnership network. The partnership consists of FSCJ student teams that will undertake research projects identified by the U.S. Department of State and approved by FSCJ. The projects are intended to explore current, real-world diplomacy issues that are of mutual interest to the participants and suitable for exploration in an academic environment.
• Led by first-year Head Coach John Putyrski and Assistant Coach Toriano Andrews, FSCJ Men's Basketball won the NJCAA Gulf South District Championship and earned their spot to compete in the NJCAA Dll National Championship in Danville, Illinois. In the inaugural season of the move to NJCAA Dll, the program (26-10) captured the FCSAA Sun-Lakes Conference Championship, FCSAA/NJCAA Region 8 Championship for the first time ever, and their very first NJCAA Dll Gulf South District Championship. Aside from their success on the court, the team also earned an average 3.18 GPA, making them an All-Academic Team.

February 2024

• FSCJ’s Hospitality Management A.S. degree program was ranked #2 in the Southeast Region by Course Advisor. See the top 10 here. FSCJ was ranked 19^th in the nation as well. This report analyzed 176 schools in the U.S. to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. 
• FSCJ was recognized for being among the colleges and universities with the highest number of faculty and administrators selected for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Two scholars from FSCJ were selected for Fulbright awards for the 2023-24 academic year: Professor of Legal Studies Faith Litvack, J.D. and Adjunct English Language Institute Professor Aileen Hale. Read more.
• FSCJ students competed in the second regional Florida Mu Alpha Theta competition at Gainesville High School. The students competed in individual and team competitions and FSCJ's Precalculus Team took fifth place.
• The Jacksonville Transit Authority (JTA) and FSCJ launched the first autonomous shuttle at Downtown Campus on Tuesday, February 20. Dr. Avendano, along with representatives from JTA and Beep, spoke with media attendees about what this partnership means for our students, downtown and the Jacksonville community.

January 2024

• Congratulations to Professor Dustin Harewood! His artwork is featured on the cover of this year's Jacksonville Visitors Guide. The featured work, "Still Unfolding," is part of a larger body of work titled "New Habitats."
• Congratulations to FSCJ's Electrathon team for their second place finish during the race held at Cecil Center with Electrathon of Tampa Bay.
• FSCJ's Marketing and Communications team brought home several awards in the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) 2023 Awards of Excellence competition. The annual competition provides communications and marketing professionals a platform to be recognized across the state for their work. The FSCJ team received the following awards:
  • Direct Mail-Silver (High School Postcard Series)
  • Viewbook/Primary Recruitment Piece-Gold (Mini At-A-Glance)
  • Outdoor Signage-Bronze (Billboards)
  • Poster-Gold (Single Stop Series)
  • Video Under 30 seconds-Bronze (General Commercial)
  • Video Over 30 seconds-Silver (FSCJ Alumni Video, Ann)
  • Video Campaign-Gold (Commercial Series)
  • Digital Advertising-Gold (Spring Recruitment Ads)
  • Digital Advertising-Bronze (Fall Recruitment Ad)

December 2023

• FSCJ Men's Basketball is currently ranked #2 in the state and the NJCAA Region 8 Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll votes have them as the best in Florida, ahead of Florida Gateway, Palm Beach State and Pasco-Hernando State. The team’s four wins over DI teams have also powered them to “Receiving Votes” status in the national poll.
  

November 2023

• The Aspen Institute has once again named FSCJ as one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation's signature recognition of high achievement and performance among two-year colleges.
• The 2023 Florida Planning & Zoning Association (FPZA) First Coast Chapter Awards Committee selected the FSCJ Downtown Master Plan to receive this year’s Outstanding Public Participation Award. This award is given to the most innovative and comprehensive involvement of citizens in a planning study, design plan, brick and mortar project, ordinance, educational effort, visioning process, etc.
• FSCJ's Student Magazine, "The Experience," placed 1^st in two categories and 2^nd in three at the 64th Annual Florida College System Publications Association (FCSPA) Conference at Daytona State College. This was the publication’s 55th anniversary edition and featured student entries in Spanish, German, Arabic and Tagalog. It was the first in the state's history to include foreign language submissions.
• FSCJ Men's and Women's cross country teams competed in the NJCAA DII National Cross Country Championships. A record 118 colleges competed in the DII races and FSCJ finished 19th in the nation among them!

October 2023

• The National Science Foundation (NSF) shared that FSCJ has the most active NSF Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grants represented nationally by two-year state colleges this year. The ATE program supports education that enhances the workforce for high-technology fields that drive the nation’s economy.
• Dr. Linka Crosby was honored by Latin Times Media with a 2023 Florida Lideres Award for her work in the community. The award was announced during the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, Taste of Latino Festival.
• Congratulations to Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Lourdes Norman-McKay who recently had an article titled "Shaping Positive STEM Identity for Student Success" published by the American Society of Microbiology. Read the full article here.
  

September 2023

• FSCJ once again participated in the annual First Coast Heart Walk, which was held on Saturday, September 9, 2023. This year, Team FSCJ raised more than $4,400, had 245 registered participants and 19 coaches, with additional walkers joining us on the day of the event. In total, close to $1.1 million was raised through this event.

August 2023

• FSCJ was awarded the U.S. Navy contract in partnership with Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) for an apprenticeship program. The program offers apprentices up to four years of tuition-free education and training in one of eight skilled trades while they also earn an hourly wage and benefits as an FRCSE employee at Naval Air Station (NAS) Jacksonville. Read more.
• FSCJ Student Patrice Bent was selected as a 2023 Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Coca-Cola Leaders of Promise Scholar and will receive a $1,000 scholarship. PTK Leaders of Promise Scholars are selected based on outstanding academic achievement and demonstrated leadership potential. This year’s recipients were selected by a panel of independent judges from nearly 1,100 applicants. Read more.
• Congratulations to Professor of Engineering Technology Dr. Joylene Hall who was named the Jacksonville Distinguished Alumni Professional Achievement Award recipient by the FAMU National Alumni Association, J.R.E. Lee Jacksonville Chapter during the 2023 Gala.

July 2023

• Three FSCJ Interior Design students are participating in the Badcock Home Furniture & more design challenge. The students are competing to create a stylish, functional and comfortable living space for a family of four.

June 2023

• Professor of Funeral Services Howard Beckham was selected for the prestigious W. Clyde Lankford Distinguished Service Award by the Independent Funeral Directors of Florida (IFDF). This award is given to a recipient who exemplifies the essence of funeral service to families, their community, colleagues and the residents of the state of Florida.  

May 2023

• Congratulations to our dental hygiene graduates, faculty and staff for achieving a 100% pass rate on the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE). This is the 14th year in a row with all program graduates passing this exam. 
• FSCJ Interior Design Technology faculty and students are working with PILLARS Plus to create modern, transitional housing for homeless youth in the community.

April 2023

• FSCJ was named a 2023-24 Military Friendly® School with a “Gold” ranking for leading practices, outcomes and effective programs for student veterans. Out of the 1,800-plus schools that participated for the 2023-24 award cycle, FSCJ was one of only 250 to be selected for the “Gold” status. Learn more.
• Congratulations to our 2023 Distinguished Faculty Awards, Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award, Administrative and Professional Collaborative Exceptional Service and Initiative Award and Career Employees' Council Recognition of Excellence Award recipients.
  • Distinguished Faculty Awards
    Dr. Theresa Dyer-Kramer, Professor of Nursing
    Jeniah Jones, Professor of Adult Education
    Dr. Christopher Robert Perle, Professor of Biological Sciences
    Matthew Simmons, Professor of Mathematics
    Dr. Indrani Sindhuvalli, Professor of Biological Sciences
  • Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award
    Janet Goldstein, Adjunct Professor of Human Services
  • Administrative and Professional Collaborative Exceptional Service and Initiative Award
    Kerry Roth, Associate Director of Student Success, Student Life & Leadership and North Campus Dean
  • Career Employees' Council Recognition of Excellence Award
    Brian Keene, Natural Sciences Laboratory Manager
• Two FSCJ students, Francis Felix Javier and Kayla Tamez, were named semifinalists for the highly competitive Cooke Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship. They were chosen from a pool of more than 1,700 applicants from 215 community colleges across 38 states. Learn more.
• Congratulations to our recent Fire Academy of the South Fire Academy of the South (FAS) grads! They achieved a 100% pass rate on the state practical exam and a 97.7% pass rate on the written exam.
• Congratulations to our Respiratory Care Associate in Respiratory Care Associate in Science Science students who recently competed in the annual student Sputum Bowl during the Florida Society for Respiratory Care’s Sunshine Seminar. Our students finished in third place, coming just short of the win after going into overtime in the final match before finals.

March 2023

• FSCJ was awarded the Achieving the Dream (ATD) Leader College designation. To earn the designation, colleges must provide four years of data and highlight a three-year upward trend of at least three percentage points on two of the four Leader College metrics. Colleges must also demonstrate, through disaggregation, the narrowing of an equity gap by at least two percentage points over three years on one or more metrics.
• The National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) named FSCJ as a recipient of NSNA Stellar School Chapter Recognition. This program recognizes school chapters for their ongoing involvement in NSNA and their commitment to shared governance and professional development. Congrats to Professor of Nursing Carolyn Keister who serves as faculty advisor of our chapter.
• Congratulations to Professor Jennifer Chase and The Experience Literary and Art Magazine team. The team, under Professor Chase's leadership, won five awards during the Florida College Student Publication Association (FCSPA) Conference and Awards Banquet:
  • Nonfiction: 1st Place: Sarah Gonzales
  • Two-page Spread Design: 2nd Place: Hazel Hannis & Eunaldo Williams
  • Editing: 3rd Place, Team
  • Contents Page: 1st Place, Team
  • General Excellence Magazine Division B: 3rd Place TIE

February 2023

• The U.S. Department of Education awarded FSCJ a federal TRiO Veterans Upward Bound (VUB) grant. This five-year grant will assist low-income, potential first-generation, and high-risk veteran students in successfully transitioning into college.
• Professor of Communication and Media & Digital Media Isaac Brown and his classes worked with a local nonprofit, Searching for Identity, on a service-learning project to film interviews of children of holocaust survivors. Along with his wife, Ana Paula Habib, Professor Brown has continued working to create an hour-long documentary film, "TRACES, Voices of the Second Generation." The animator for the documentary, Brian Oakley, also teaches in FSCJ's Digital Media program and Thomas Doughty, the documentary's composer, is a recent addition to the Digital Media team. "TRACES" had its world premiere at FSCJ’s Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts on January 28 to commemorate the United Nations International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Watch the trailer.
• Congratulations to FSCJ's Marketing and Communications team for their recognition as National Council for Marketing & Public Relations (NCMPR) Medallion Award winners for the following projects:
  • High School Postcard-Gold
  • Health Sciences Overview Brochure-Gold
  • Workforce Outdoor Bus Series-Bronze
  • Imagine Your Future Postcard-Bronze

January 2023

• Congratulations to Janice Van Delinder, one of our Dual Enrollment faculty for SLS1103 who also teaches at Yulee High School. She received the Governor DeSantis Excellence in Education Award for excellence in the classroom and her efforts teaching Native American History. The inaugural student and educator contest, offered through a collaboration between the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Volunteer Florida and the Department of Education, focused on the theme of “Celebrating the Achievements of Native American Floridians.” Read more.

December 2022

• After a thorough review from the American Board of Funeral Service Education (ABFSE), FSCJ's Funeral Services program was named an ABFSE-approved distance learning (online) program during the October 2022 ABFSE Committee on Accreditation meeting in Chicago. Out of the 58 ABFSE-accredited programs, less than 25 are currently approved for distance learning.
• FSCJ students, faculty and staff celebrated #GivingTuesday, collecting food, personal items and monetary donations to benefit the FSCJ H.O.P.E. Food Pantry. Over the course of the day, $11,930 was raised, which equates to 5,746 meals for families in need. More than 5,600 pounds of food was also distributed during the food giveaway event.
• FSCJ's Men's and Women's Cross Country teams competed in the NJCAA National Cross-Country Championship in Tallahassee. The women earned 17th place and the men came in 14th.
• Thanks to the generosity of FSCJ students and employees, 127 nonperishable, personal hygiene and home cleaning items were donated for students who were affected by Hurricane Ian. The College also donated close to 150 laptops to those in need.

November 2022

• Academic and Career Coordinator for ESOL Martin Reyes was named the winner of the Outstanding Member in the Community Award at this year's Ford Cuban Sandwich and Taste of Latino Festival. 

October 2022

• FSCJ’s Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) student chapter was awarded a 2021-22 Merit Award designation for providing superior growth and development opportunities to student members. This is the sixth Merit Award earned by FSCJ-SHRM.
• The FSCJ Foundation received more than $67,000 to go toward nursing and first-generation student scholarships, thanks to combined donations from the Florida College System (FCS) Foundation, Florida Blue, Helios Education Foundation and Bank of America. 
• Congratulations to Brooklyn Schaffer! She was named the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Volleyball DII Defensive Player of the Week. A sophomore libero, she had 33 digs with an average of 6.6 digs per set.
• After completing the Automotive Service Management Technology Associate in Applied Science in 2021, FSCJ Alum Tiffany Minter was invited to participate in the prestigious Mercedes-Benz DRIVE program. The 17-week program prepares students for careers at Mercedes-Benz dealerships.
• Professor of Writing and Humanities Jennifer Chase was selected as a recipient of the Art Ventures Individual Artist Grant from The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida. Professor Chase also received the grant in 2014. Learn more and see all recipients here.

September 2022

• Congratulations to FSCJ Student Maryam Bint-Hakim-Muhammad, a sophomore in the Network Systems Technology Associate in Science program. She was one of 25 recipients nationwide to receive the Trustmark Workforce Development Scholarship.

August 2022

• Governor Ron DeSantis awarded Polk State College, Broward College, and Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) with $6.5 million to launch the Career Pathways for Public Service Initiative, which will develop a national model for preparing students for public service and careers in local or state government.
• Congratulations to Professor of Nursing Dr. Carol Jenkins Neil. She was selected for two prestigious awards by the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA): the 2022 Trailblazer Award and the NBDA Daisy Health Equity Chapter President Leadership Award.

July 2022

• All of FSCJ's Dental Hygiene 2022 graduates passed the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE) on the first attempt this year. This makes 13 years running without a failing score. Their scores were in the 98th percentile in the nation!
• Congratulations to Ameera Thomas, who was selected for the Sandy Miller Award by the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA). This award is presented each year to the top female basketball player in the state for academic performance, community service and leadership.
• FSCJ Funeral Services students were awarded scholarships that will help them further their education and training. Lucretia Cobb received the Mortuary Science Student Scholarship from the Florida Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (FCCFA). Earline Blumhagen received the Service Corporation International (SCI) Funeral Services Scholarship. Niki Phillips received a scholarship to attend the International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA) University, a week-long training program at Emory University in Atlanta. In addition, the Association of Independent Funeral Directors of Florida and Gables Capital Management created a special scholarship that covers expenses that will allow FSCJ Funeral Services students to attend the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) Student Arranger Training Seminar which will be held at FSCJ in September.
• Head Baseball Coach Brad Frick was selected as one of the American Baseball Coaches Association and ATEC 2022 National Coaches of the Year.

June 2022

• FSCJ's Baseball team finished an incredible 2022 season with a third-place finish at the NJCAA Division II World Series in Enid, Oklahoma. In the most successful season since 2000, the team's final record was 33-21.

May 2022

• Professor of Biological Sciences Dr. Lourdes Norman-McKay was selected for the 2022-23 cohort of Jefferson Science Fellows (JSF), an initiative of the Office of the Science and Technology Adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State. The program is designed to further build capacity for science, technology and engineering expertise within the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
• For the second year in a row, FSCJ was selected as one of the Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) and “Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.” FSCJ was one of only 24 colleges to be selected for the award in recognition of workplace diversity, staffing practices and work environment.
• Congratulations to the FSCJ Baseball team! Their winning season, with a record of 30-19, continues with a trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II World Series. This will be FSCJ Baseball's fourth overall appearance at the World Series and their first since 2000.

• The Workforce Education Team won the Contract Training Revolutionary Practice Award from the Learning Resources Network (LERN). The award recognizes a Contract Training Unit that has taken an innovative approach to navigating the rapidly changing environment, developed cutting-edge practices, and/or found impactful ways to support internal and external customers in 2021.

April 2022

• The FSCJ Forensics Team earned awards in the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) State Tournament and the Florida Intercollegiate Forensics Association (FIFA) open state tournament. Congratulations to the team and Professor Matthew Doggett who led them to their success!
  • 2nd place - Poetry Interpretation (FCSAA)
  • 3rd place - Poetry Interpretation (FIFA)
  • 3rd place - Speaker Novice IPDA
  • 3rd place - Novice IPDA
  • 3rd place - Debate Sweepstakes
  • 5th place - Overall Sweepstakes

• Congratulations to our 2022 Distinguished Faculty Awards, Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award, Administrative and Professional Collaborative Exceptional Service and Initiative Award and Career Employees' Council Recognition of Excellence Award recipients.
  • Distinguished Faculty Awards
    Christopher Lee, Professor of Information Technology
    Nicholas Martino, J.D., Professor of Paralegal Studies
    Dr. Dianne McAuliffe, Professor of Physical Therapy
    Marilyn Painter, Professor of English
    Dr. Jerry Santiago, Professor of Histology
  • Distinguished Adjunct Faculty Award
    Mallory Branco, Professor of English
  • Administrative and Professional Collaborative Exceptional Service and Initiative Award
    Sarah Reardon, Director of Academic and Student Achievement
  • Career Employees' Council Recognition of Excellence Award
    Stephanie Castro, Student Success Advisor II
    

• "The Experience," FSCJ's Student Art and Literature Publication brought home two first-place prizes in two categories (Best Poem and Best Photography) and second-place prizes in another two categories (Fiction and Staff Page) during the Annual Florida College System Publications Association (FCSPA) Conference and Awards in Ybor City.

March 2022

• FSCJ held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially open the new dental clinic at North Campus. This state-of-the-art facility will help expand learning opportunities for dental hygiene students and ensure essential dental services continue for those in the community who are in need.
• FSCJ was awarded more than $490,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to educate the next generation of pilots and aviation professionals. The Aircraft Pilots Aviation Workforce Development Grant was established to create and deliver curriculum designed to prepare students to become aircraft pilots, aerospace engineers or unmanned aircraft systems operators.
• One of FSCJ's Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) students, Lysandra Haidinger, was selected for the Florida College System's (FCS) 2022 All-Florida Academic Team.
• Professor Dustin Harewood, Malcolm Jackson, Jordan Walter (FSCJ alumni) and Toni Smailagic recently presented "Soul Circuit," an exhibition of the legacy of the True American Cowboy, during Art Walk at The Lark Performance & Event Venue. The exhibition also featured other works, with contributions from CJ Wenninger (FSCJ alumni) and FSCJ Professor Patrick Miko.
• FSCJ was selected to be an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, providing Amazon’s hourly employees access to any Associate in Science or bachelor’s degree program. In addition, Amazon employees can choose to enroll in one of the selected fast-track career certificate or technical certificate programs in industries such as automotive, aviation, health care and information technology, including an Amazon-only cohort Patient Care Technician program.

February 2022

• FSCJ received a three-year, $500,000 grant from Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to enhance postsecondary educational opportunities for Veterans living in Duval and Nassau counties. The grant will be used to create the FSCJ Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success within the existing Military and Veterans Services program.

January 2022

• FSCJ received a $3,181,792 Florida Job Growth Grant from the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) and Enterprise Florida to support the Nassau County Transportation Education Institute. Governor Ron DeSantis and DEO Secretary Dane Eagle visited FSCJ’s Nassau Center on Thursday, December 16, 2021, to announce the grant award which will allow the College to establish a designated truck driving training facility at the Nassau Center.
• Professors Mark Creegan and Dustin Harewood showcased their art at Untitled Art in Miami in the Long Roads Project booth.

• Professors Pamela Brauda and David Singletary participated in the WASTC Winter ICT Educator Conference. Sharing their knowledge and experiences from establishing the two-year data science degree framework at FSCJ, they presented a workshop called, “The Nuts and Bolts of a Two-Year Data Science Degree."

December 2021

• FSCJ students, faculty and staff celebrated #GivingTuesday on November 30, collecting food, personal items and monetary donations to benefit the FSCJ H.O.P.E. Food Pantry. Over the course of the day, $18,257 was raised through more than 230 donors. An anonymous donor had originally agreed to match up to $12,500 but, they were so touched by the outpouring of support, they decided to match all donations dollar for dollar, bringing the grand total to $36,514, which equates to 219,084 meals for families in need.
• Congratulations to FSCJ District Board of Trustees Member Dr. Jennifer Brown, Executive Director/CEO of KIPP Jacksonville, and FSCJ Dean of Education and Human Services Dr. Tara Haley, who were both welcomed into the New Member Class of 2022 for the Jacksonville Women’s Network.

November 2021

• The Aspen Institute named FSCJ one of the 150 institutions eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges.
• FSCJ received a five-year, $1,160,250 grant from the U.S. Department of Education to establish a TRiO Educational Opportunity Center (EOC) to support adults from Duval and Nassau counties, specifically those who belong to traditionally underrepresented populations, have limited English proficiency or are living with disabilities. Focus will also be given to homeless children/youths, students who are in foster care/aging out of the foster care system, other disconnected students, and veterans, military spouses and their dependents. 

October 2021

• Heather Campbell and Ben Cutler with the Vision Education and Rehabilitation Center (VERC) were selected as presenters for the NISOD Fall Virtual Conference. Their training was a condensed version of the 3-hour course that is offered to FSCJ faculty and staff, “What Do You Know About Ableism?” as supported by FSCJ’s Perkins Grant program.

September 2021

• FSCJ BlueWave Cross Country Athlete John Bear was named the National Alliance of Two Year College Athletic Administrators (NATYCAA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

August 2021

• FSCJ's Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Student Chapter and Faculty Advisor Chris Goodell were awarded the 2020-21 Superior Merit Award designation for providing superior growth and development opportunities to student members. This is the fifth year in a row the chapter has received this recognition.
• Chief Officer for Organizational Culture and Engagement, Lisa Moore was appointed to the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission (JHRC) by Mayor Curry. The JHRC works to ensure that all Jacksonville residents enjoy a community free of discriminatory practices.

July 2021

• Chef Rich Grigsby received the Postsecondary Educator of the Year Award from the Center for the Advancement of Foodservice Education (CAFÉ). Chef Grigsby is not only dedicated to teaching students in the classroom, but he is also active in the community working with industry employers and internship host sites to help students move forward in their careers.
• Dr. Susan Mythen became the president of the American Library Association’s Library Instruction Round Table (LIRT) on July 1, 2021. LIRT is an organization that advocates for library instruction, information literacy and lifelong learning within all types of libraries. LIRT has approximately 1,800 members that represent academic, school, public and special libraries across the country.
• All 2021 dental hygiene program graduates passed the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam, the licensing exam that tests students on all the information learned in the program. They even passed all four licensing exams required in Florida on their first attempt.

June 2021

• FSCJ is one of only 26 U.S. colleges and universities – and the only one in Florida – to be awarded a 2021 IDEAS Grant (Increase and Diversify Education Abroad for U.S. Students) under the Capacity Building Program for U.S. Study Abroad by the U.S. Department of State‘s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and World Learning. The College will use the grant to develop a virtual exchange program through a partnership with an international university for FSCJ B.S.N. students in the NUR 4287: Leadership and Management course beginning in Spring Term 2022. 
• FSCJ BlueWave Softball Player Breanna Swanson and Men’s Basketball Player Gianfranco Grafals were named FSCJ’s Female and Male Athlete of the Year for 2020-21 in recognition of their athletic achievements.
• Indoor and Beach Volleyball Player Leah Mortensen and Cross Country's John Bear were named FSCJ’s Female and Male Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2020-21 in recognition of their academic, athletic and civic achievements. John was also named Mid-Florida Conference Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.

May 2021

• FSCJ's Men's and Women's Cross Country teams capped off their most successful season ever by being awarded the Cross-Country Scholar All-America Team Awards. The women's team average GPA of 3.771 ranked 3rd and the men's 3.696 average GPA ranked 5th in the NJCAA Cross-Country Coaches Association poll.
• FSCJ was selected as a winner of the 2021 Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges award by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD).
• Robin Price was formally recognized as the incoming 2021-22 Florida College System Student Government Association (FCSSGA) State President. Destinee Roundtree received the FCSSGA Region 1 Leadership Award.
• Student Success Advisor II Stephanie Castro was recognized as the FCSSGA Region 1 Advisor of the Year.
• The following FSCJ students were recognized for completing the FCSSGA Leadership Training (FLT) Certificate: Marjan Ahmadzada, Robin Price, Destinee Roundtree, Breona White, Breana White.

April 2021

• Three of FSCJ's Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) students were selected the Florida College System’s (FCS) 2021 All-Florida Academic Team. Jessica Beccaccio, Carrington Boyer and Gabel Rose Abigale Strickland were selected for their academic achievement, leadership and service to the community.
• Vice President of Institutional Effectiveness and Advancement Dr. Marie Gnage was named the recipient of the 2021 Excellence in Executive Board Service Award. 
• Professor of History Dr. Andrew Holt was invited to give a keynote address at Norwich University in June for their online graduate student summer residency program, which is comprised of mostly active military officers. He will be speaking about his new co-authored book, "Sanctified Violence: Holy War in World History."
• Dr. Marie Gnage and Dr. Tara Haley were featured presenters at the American Council on Education (ACE) Women's Network 2021 State Conference, "The Hill We Climb: Leading with Hope." The two also served on the event planning committee.

March 2021

• FSCJ's Culinary Management Associate in Science (A.S.) degree program was recently identified as “Exemplary” and accredited by the American Culinary Federation Education Foundation’s Accrediting Commission (ACFEFAC) through 2026.

February 2021

• Two FSCJ students received awards during the 61st annual Florida College System Publications Association Conference and Awards Banquet. Hannah Murphy won third place for her cover design of "The Experience" Arts and Literature magazine. Gabriela Laracuente Sanchez won third place in the fiction category for her entry, "About a Letter," which can be found on page 25 of the magazine. Congratulations to our student winners and to Professor Matthew Lany, who serves as the faculty advisor for the publication!
• The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named FSCJ in the list of institutions that produced the highest numbers of Fulbright U.S. Scholars. Check out the full listing published in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

January 2021

• Administration Support Manager Bryan Stewart received the Unsung Heroes Award from the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) for Region II.
• FSCJ's Marketing and Communications was recognized in the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) Communications & Marketing Commission (CMC) Awards of Excellence.

December 2020

• Ronald Carr, Ph.D., Taryn Bellino and Golf Kanjanapongpaisal, Ph.D. of the Center for eLearning recently presented at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Conference. The presentation, Virtual-Focused Instructional Design Internships: Mentoring ID Students Where They Are, discussed the design, development, implementation and reiteration of an internship program for advanced graduate students studying in an instructional design field. 

November 2020

• Dr. Jerrett Dumouchel and Leofric Thomas were accepted to Cohort 1 of the Strategic Data Project for Career and Technical Education (CTE) Fellowship through the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University. The fellowship is the community college extension of Harvard’s Strategic Data Project. Dr. Dumouchel and Mr. Thomas will be working on a year-long data project focused on CTE student success and labor market outcomes.
• FSCJ received a $1 million grant from Bank of America for a jobs partnership to help students of color successfully complete the education and training necessary to enter the workforce and embark on a path to success in Jacksonville. This initiative builds on Bank of America’s ongoing work in Jacksonville to address the underlying issues facing individuals and communities of color who have been disproportionately impacted by the current health crisis.

October 2020

• FSCJ Professor of Nursing Carol Jenkins Neil, Ph.D., RN, was named 2020 Nurse of the Year for Community Service by the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA). The awards were given during the NBNA Virtual Conference Experience Scholarship and Awards Ceremony, on Saturday, September 26, 2020. Her article titled "First Coast Black Nurses Association of Jacksonville Tackles Health Disparities" was also featured in the NBNA News Special COVID-19 Report.

September 2020

• FSCJ Professor of Dance Rebecca Levy was named Art Educator of the Year in the 44th Annual Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville's Arts Awards.
• Congratulations to our Dental Hygiene graduates for achieving a 100% pass rate on the Dental Hygiene National Board Exam, putting them in the 94th percentile in the nation! They also achieved a 100% pass rate on their licensing exams.
• FSCJ was awarded a $261,888 grant from the United States Department of Education for the TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) program. The project is intended to provide academic and other related support services for low-income, first-generation or disabled college students to increase retention and graduation rates, facilitate transfers from two-year to four-year colleges and universities, and to foster an institutional climate supportive of their success. 

August 2020

• The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) awarded a 2019-20 Superior Merit Award designation to FSCJ's SHRM student chapter for providing superior growth and development opportunities to its student members. This is the fourth year in a row the chapter has received this recognition.

July 2020

• The Association of Florida Colleges Technology Commission named FSCJ's Adult Education program the third-place winner of the 2020 Technology Commission Exemplary Practice Award for their "Using YouTube to Enhance the Student Experience" project.

• Twenty-five student-athletes from FSCJ's BlueWave Athletics program earned placement on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Academic Teams for the 2019-20 academic year. Student-athletes are eligible to earn this academic honor by achieving an overall GPA of 3.60 or higher, with 9 of FSCJ’s honorees earning a perfect 4.0 GPA for the academic year.

June 2020

• Christopher Lee was highlighted in the Community College Daily for his work in creating an online simulation for IT students.
• FSCJ BlueWave Baseball Player Jordan Briones was selected as the 2019-20 Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA)/Region VIII Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. He made the list of finalists after receiving the Bill Tuten Scholar Athlete Award and was also recently named the Mid-Florida Conference Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.

May 2020

• FSCJ was awarded a $574,639 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Technician project. Funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced technology fields that drive the nation's economy, the three-year grant project will allow FSCJ to add ADAS systems and diagnosis instruction to the College’s Automotive Service Management Technology Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree. Additionally, the College will develop an ADAS Technician Technical Certificate (T.C.) which will be embedded in the A.A.S. program.
• VP of Business Services Al Little was selected to receive the 2020 Distinguished Service Award from the Southern Association of College and University Business Officers (SACUBO).
• As a Florida A&M University (FAMU) alumna, FSCJ Professor of Nursing Dr. Melisia R. Robinson was asked to speak and participate in the Virtual Hooding Ceremony for Nurse Practitioner students graduating from FAMU.
• The Florida NJCAA Council of Athletic Administrators (CAA), FCSAA Region VIII named the Men’s and Women's Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year awards after former FSCJ Cross Country Coach Larry Monts.

April 2020

• The 2019-20 FSCJ men's cross country team ranked 17th in the nation with a combined GPA of 3.403 and the FSCJ women's team ranked 19th in the nation with a combined GPA of 3.406. Both teams were awarded the NJCAA Cross Country Scholar All-America Award.

• Collegewide President SeQoya Williams who was named the 2019-20 Florida College System Student Government Association (FCSSGA) President of the Year. This honor is given to one SGA president from the 28 Florida College System (FCS) institutions who has provided distinguished service to their respective college’s SGA.

March 2020

• FSCJ was ranked #10 among the Top 50 Colleges and Universities with the lowest tuition costs by University HQ.
• RegisteredNursing.org, a nursing advocacy program, named FSCJ’s Associate in Science (A.S.) in Nursing (R.N.) (Bridge Option for Paramedics and Licensed Practical Nurses) in their 2020 list of Best Paramedic to RN Programs.
• FSCJ's Marketing and Communications department received the Bronze Prize for the FSCJ Donor Report in the National Council for Marketing and Public Relations (NCMPR) National Paragon Awards.

February 2020

• FSCJ was featured as an American Association of Community Colleges spotlight: https://www.aacc.nche.edu/2020/01/30/spotlight-florida-state-college-at-jacksonville-fscj/

• Governor Ron DeSantis awarded $3.67 million through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund to FSCJ and St. Johns River State College to create the Northeast Florida Fintech Initiative. This initiative represents a partnership between both colleges, regional schools, nonprofits and numerous financial services companies to provide new financial technology, or “FinTech” training and certification opportunities. 

January 2020

• FSCJ, City of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department and UF Health announced the first-ever recipient of the President’s Heroism Award, Davay Kinsey. UF Health Jacksonville Security Officer Davay Kinsey acted quickly and heroically to aid two local firefighters who were assaulted by a patient they were called to help. She played a critical role that day in saving a life and, in response to her bravery, the Jacksonville Fire Rescue Department, City of Jacksonville and UF Health joined forces with FSCJ to honor her life-saving actions. Through the support of the FSCJ Foundation’s Power of Possible scholarship fund, the College is working to help Officer Kinsey’s lifelong dream of becoming a firefighter become a reality. She received financial support that will cover the full amount of her tuition, books and fees to attend the Fire Academy of the South.

December 2019

• FSCJ students, faculty and staff participated in #GivingTuesday on December 3, 2019. Representing the College, 120 volunteers set out to support five different nonprofit organizations throughout the city: Celestial Farms, Farm Share, Feeding Northeast Florida, Jacksonville Humane Society and Tiger Academy.
• FSCJ’s Florida Apprenticeship Grant was recognized nationally as one of the top 15 performing American Apprenticeship Initiative (AAI) grantees. Led by FSCJ, along with consortium members St. Petersburg College and Broward College, the Florida Apprenticeship Grant Program is helping to address the state’s workforce challenges related to the vast number of retirees and the skills gap that they will leave behind.

November 2019

• FSCJ was ranked second in FOLIO Weekly’s Best of Jax reader awards for “Best College/University” and Professor Liz Murphy Thomas was ranked first for “Best Visual Arts teacher.” 
• FSCJ was named as one of the top 150 U.S. Community Colleges by the Aspen Institute. This is the third time in the last five years that FSCJ has been given this honor and is proof that we are providing a top-quality education to the students in our community.

October 2019

• FSCJ’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Logistics was ranked #13 in the Online Schools Report’s list of Best Online Supply Chain Management Degrees. 
• FSCJ’s Vision Education and Rehabilitation Center (VERC) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to present their newly redesigned space to the community. The fully renovated space was designed to enhance the training opportunities available through improved functionality, greater mobility, and new equipment and technology.
• FSCJ hosted the Region VIII National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Volleyball Tournament on November 1-3, 2019. The top eight teams in the Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) will compete for the state championship and spots in the national tournament.

July 2019

• FSCJ was awarded a $555,507 grant from the National Science Foundation in support of the Industry 4.0 Technicians in Advanced Manufacturing (Industry 4.0 Tech)project. In partnership with the College of Lake County (CLC) in Illinois, as well as businesses and industry associations representing 300 employers, Industry 4.0 Tech will work to address the widening skills gap in the manufacturing industry due to new and emerging innovations in technology and processes.
• FSCJ’s BlueWave Baseball and Men’s Cross Country Teams earned recognition in 2018-19 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Academic Teams of the Year.

June 2019

• The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) Board of Commissioners approved FSCJ's four business baccalaureate programs for accreditation. FSCJ was the only state college in Florida to have all of its business baccalaureate programs accredited.
• FSCJ opened the Instrumentation and Control Technology Center (ICTC), located inside the Advanced Technology Center at FSCJ’s Downtown Campus. The learning lab features state-of-the-art instrumentation and controls that are utilized in the leading manufacturing systems throughout the world.
• FSCJ BlueWave student athletes earned awards from the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) and Mid-Florida/Panhandle conference in honor of their academic achievement. In total, 54 of FSCJ’s athletes, over half of the team rosters, were recognized with academic awards.