After sixteen years with FSCJ, twelve of which have been at Nassau Center, Ken Ward is retiring on December 31, 2015. Ken started as a Library Assistant at South Campus before transferring to the Nassau Center. At the Nassau Center he worked as a Library Assistant and, when needed, at the Nassau Outdoor Center as an Outdoor Aide.
Ken reports, “My plans for retirement include traveling with my wife, canoeing/kayaking camping trips, riding my side-by-side ATV and enjoying my vacation cabin in the Ocala National Forest.”
Please join us all in wishing Ken all the best in his retirement.
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The months of November and December are two of the most challenging, and yet rewarding periods of the year. Students, faculty and staff are challenged to meet tight deadlines, complete assignments, and prepare for final exams. These can be stressful times, and LLCs in collaboration with Student Services, academic programs, and the Student Government Association are offering a wide variety of "stress relieving" programs and events to help students stay on task and focus on successful completion of the semester. Just to highlight a few events, the North Campus team is offering students massages and light breakfasts. The Open Campus /Deerwood Center is offering students access to specially trained pets that help sooth worried hearts and minds. The South Campus is offering students late night coffee, snacks, peppermint candy and calming coloring books. All of these programs are intended to help students cope during stressful times, and also to demonstrate how much the faculty and staff of FSCJ truly care about all our valued students.
This time of year is also rewarding for the LLC staff as together we strive to say "thank you" to our communities by taking part in a variety of engaging programs such as planting trees to aid the environment; collecting blankets for women and children in need; and by donating food baskets to the Community Connection and other charitable organizations. All of these programs benefit our local communities which have been so tremendously supportive to FSCJ over the past 50 years. "Thank you" to all of our LLC supporters, students, faculty, staff, family and friends for a wonderful 2015, and we look forward to and even better year in 2016!
Tom Messner
Executive Dean Library and Learning Commons
The Library and Learning Commons (LLC) at Kent Campus had an eventful fall semester! In the spirit of our campus’ theme, “The Art and Science of Teaching and Learning,” we held numerous workshops and an Open House for faculty, staff, and students to learn about the resources available to them through our LLC. We also developed some innovative projects to reach and teach participants using social media and technology. For example, the Kent Campus LLC collaborated with SLS classes to host a Facebook Scavenger Hunt on our page. We also hosted a book club and participated in an oral history project for The Bosnia List, using a StoryCorps account to share the refugee experience. In addition, we had the most views on our Kent Campus Library and Learning Commons Resource Guide.
In the Learning Commons, we bought interactive microscopes for the Science Lab, and created an instructional video on how to use them. This is posted on our guide. The Writing Lab offered daily workshops, and hosted International Game Day, which coincided with International Education Week this year.
To help our students “de-stress” during the week before finals, we collaborated with Student Life to host a snack table in the LLC. The students enjoyed coffee, fruit, and other snacks while preparing for finals week.
This spring term, you can expect the Kent LLC to continue promoting The Bosnia List through the StoryCorps oral history project and book club. You can also look for future collaborations with Student Life, including our table at Spring Fling. Our upcoming LLC workshop schedules will be posted on our Facebook page, as will information about our Just Imagine writing contest. Follow us on Facebook or visit our Resource Guide to keep up on the activities at our campus library.
FSCJ 50th Anniversary Fall Nassau Center Festival
Library staff participated in the FSCJ 50th Anniversary Fall Nassau Center Festival on November 7th with an Ask a Librarian table and book give away. The library’s joint-use partner, Nassau County Public Library, held craft and story-time programs for children.
Pictured: Nassau Library Assistants Ashley Bateh and Danielle Navarro with Nassau Librarian Dr. Gwen Chandler
Business Administration Offerings at Nassau Center
Library Assistant Ashley Bateh and Librarian Dr. Gwen Chandler, created library displays to promote the new Business Administration A.S. offerings at the Nassau Center. At Nassau, classes for this program are being offered in the evenings and on Saturdays to accommodate working professionals.
StoryCorps Recording with Lynn Sumner from Lutheran Social Services
During the Fall 2015 semester, Kent Campus Librarian Sharon Uskokovich spearheaded an oral history project at the College. The goal of the project is to collect stories related to the refugee experience that will become a part of the StoryCorps archive and serve as a tie-in to the College's author series, which features the book The Bosnia List this year. Librarians across the College have partnered with Sharon to capture the immigrant and refugee stories of Jacksonville residents. On November 16, 2015, North Campus Librarians Mary Dumbleton and Eris Northern coordinated and recorded a presentation given by Ms.Lynn Sumner of Lutheran Social Services, who spoke about the ways in which the organization assists with refugee resettlement in Jacksonville. A number of North Campus communication classes attended this informative presentation. To listen to the StoryCorps recording from the event, please click on the link below:
https://storycorps.me/interviews/lynn-sumner-from-lutheran-social-services-at-north-campus/
Pictured: Professor Karen Otto, Ms. Lynn Sumner, Professor Nancy Bullard
Communication classes in attendance at event
North Campus LLC Relieves Stress of Finals
Throughout the week of November 30, while FSCJ students grappled with completing coursework and studying for final exams, the North Campus LLC treated its toiling scholars to both academic support and much needed stress relief. Library hours were extended to 10:00 p.m. to accommodate the longer hours students might want to spend studying. Students snacked on the free breakfast sandwiches, fruit, and juices offered each evening. Participants in the Massage Therapy program offered free massages to stressed out students who wanted to relax for a few minutes before returning to their studies. Finally, academic tutors in writing, math, and science conducted a number of special study sessions designed to offer some extra support to students who needed an opportunity for focused review.
Canine Companions Take the Stress out of Finals Week
This semester, FSCJ students were doing something they’ve never done before, looking forward to finals week! For the first time, the Open Campus/Deerwood Center Library and Learning Commons invited Canine Companions to help calm students during this stressful time. The event, “Paws for Stress,” was held from 6:00-8:00 pm, on December 9, about fifteen dogs from Canine Companions for Independence arrived to sooth anxious students and give them a canine break from their studies.
Canine Companions for Independence has been “helping people with disabilities since 1989” (Canine). They train four types of assistance dogs:
Most of the dogs used in the program are Golden Retrievers and Labrador Retrievers. Volunteers play an important role and often help with the breeding and caring of the puppies (Canine).
Anyone with a physical or developmental disability is welcome to apply to receive a Canine Companion assistance dog. Unfortunately, there is a limited number of dogs available, so Canine Companions will ultimately determine who will benefit the most from one of their dogs (Canine). For more information about Canine Companions, please visit their website at CCI.org.
Students spending time with the therapy dogs.
The Library and Learning Commons hosted several additional events during finals week in collaboration with the SGA including; extended study hours in the LLC, a pizza kickoff party, popcorn and movies, morning coffee bar, a ZZZ- zone for relaxation, and an anti-stress coloring area.
A selfie with some "za" and popcorn inside the library.
Enjoying some freshly brewed coffee during finals week.
Canine Companions for Independence. 2015 Canine Companions for Independence, Inc. CCI, 2015. Web. 03 Dec. 2015.
LLC Gives Back
During this holiday season, FSCJ gave back to the community through the efforts of professor Heidi Marshall and her Thanksgiving Basket drive. The various departments at South Campus gathered donations from their staff to deliver baskets to families served by a nonprofit called Community Connections. South Campus alone collected 76 baskets total, four of which were donated by the Library and Learning Commons.
Extended Hours for Finals Week
As the year 2015 and the Fall semester come to a close, South Campus LLC is preparing for the influx of student visits during final exam week. To accommodate the students’ anticipated need for increased study sessions and tutoring, we are extending our hours during finals week which covers December 7th through the 10th.
While the G-200 area will keep its current schedule and close by 8:00 pm, tutoring services, such as Writing and Foreign Language, will relocate to the G-301 area along with the other tutoring and library services. These services will be provided until 10:00 pm during this week. Through this effort, we hope to make final exam week as stress-free as possible for our students as they finish out the year.
Going Green
In the spirit of giving, FSCJ commemorates its 50th anniversary by donating time, effort, and resources to benefit the community. On December 1st, FSCJ planted 200 trees across its various campuses. The South Campus LLC assisted in planting 50 of the South Campus trees near the Wilson Center.
https://www.facebook.com/SouthLLC
https://twitter.com/FSCJLLCSouth
https://www.instagram.com/fscj_llc_south/