NWFSC College Trustees Meet at New Student Services Center
1/19/2012
The governing Board of Trustees of Northwest Florida State College held its January 17 business meeting as the first in the college's new Student Services Center, a 75,000 square foot facility just constructed on the college's Niceville Campus. Various college programs are moving into the new facility in stages and the college will host a series of student and community events on January 31st, February 2nd and February 4th to officially inaugurate the new building.
The three-story Student Services Center is part of a $25 million-dollar project that will also include complete renovation of the college's 1970's era College Mall (Building K), work slated to be completed in 2012. The two-building complex will be the central hub of student and community life on the college's main campus. The new facility houses vital functions such as advising, admissions, registration, financial aid, testing, veteran's affairs, adult education, continuing education, food services, student activities, the college's Leadership Institute, community meeting space and more. The renovation of the existing College Mall will include the college bookstore, Career Resource Center, Academic Success Center and more.
To open the facility for students and the community, the college will hold a student and staff opening event on January 31 from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., as well as a formal Grand Opening and ribbon cutting the evening of February 2 at a Joint Chamber of Commerce Business After-Hours event featuring the center's third floor Leadership Institute. The opening week festivities will culminate with a free Community Open house featuring the facility, as well as activities and tours of the entire Niceville campus, on Saturday, February 4 from 12 noon to 3:00 p.m.
In their business meeting, Trustees approved various items related to the college's fundraising arm, the NWFSC Foundation, including approval for the establishment of endowments funded by donors to support the Leadership Institute programs housed at the new Student Services Center. Facilities naming based on the gifts will be formally unveiled at the February 2 Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting. Other Foundation items approved included a slate of officers and directors for consideration at the Foundation's annual meeting February 10, and approval of updates to Foundation governing documents and the policy and procedures manual.
In other action, NWFSC Trustees approved:
• The selection, pending final contract negotiations, of the legal firm Conerly, Bowman and Dykes to provide legal services for the college and serve as attorney for the Board. The Board's Personnel, Finance and Audit Committee recommended the selection following a request for proposals and interviews with four applicants;
• A retirement resolution honoring the 11 years of service of Bob Coache of Crestview who served as a Senior Systems Programmer in the college's Information Technology area;
• Deletion of $24,310 in tangible property from the college's inventory; and other items.
The Board also commended the staff of the NWFSC Collegiate High School for the charter school's recent top ranking among 410 high schools in Florida as reported by the Florida Department of Education's school grade report. It was the third time in the school's eleven year history that the school achieved the top A+ high school grade in the state.
The next Trustees business meeting will be held February 21 at 4:30 p.m. at the college's South Walton Center in Santa Rosa Beach. Trustee meeting are open to the public. For information, see www.nwfsc.edu/BoardofTrustees.