Former Governor Bob Graham

citizenship. State colleges represent a bright star in restoring civic health." 

The non-partisan Village Square was co-founded by SPC President Bill Law in 2006 as a public educational forum dedicated to fostering civil discourse on matters of local and national importance as well as promoting accuracy in civic and political debate. 

Graham, who served two terms as governor and three terms in the

United States Senate, is regarded as one of Florida's and the nation's senior statesmen. "The challenge for the Village Square and other entities is a state of citizenship," he said. "Citizenship is the only anecdote we have to a dysfunctional democracy." 

Close to 200 area residents attended the May 22 event which was held at St. Petersburg College's Seminole Campus.  

Cheers were heard across SPC campuses as the 2012 Silverberg Endowment for Academic Excellence grant recipient was announced. This year, the award was presented to the college's Applied Ethics Institute to support the Southeast Regional High School Ethics Bowl.

The annual Silverberg Endowment for Academic Excellence grant was first awarded in 1982 and provides up to $5,000 to help support, enhance, enrich or develop programs of benefit to SPC and its students, as well as the local community.

Susan Demers, Dean of the College of Policy, Ethics and Legal Studies, said the $4,990 Silverberg Grant "gives the Applied Ethics Institute the opportunity to raise the level of competition and serve a larger number of Pinellas County high school students. As a trial lawyer and law school mock trial coach, I have always been a strong advocate for forensic competition as a way to strengthen critical thinking and presentation skills." 

Held in conjunction with Pinellas County Schools and coordinated by SPC Ethics instructors George Sherman and Laurie King, the day-long competition is the culmination of months of preparation in which students engage in team building, research, analysis, strategizing and communication skill-building activities. The event has grown to include 14 teams representing 12 Pinellas County high schools and is held at the Seminole Campus. 

Signifying a strong commitment to student success and completion, St. Petersburg College is one of 25 institutions selected this year into the Achieving the Dream National Reform Network - the nation's most comprehensive non-governmental reform network for student success in higher education.

"The opportunity to become an Achieving the Dream college includes a commitment to align resources - current and future - to the programs, activities, and services determined the most impactful in improving the success of our students," said SPC President Dr. Bill Law.

"St. Petersburg College should be applauded for helping tackle one of society's most daunting challenges: success for more college students," said Beverly Fletcher, Senior Director of Organizational Development and Change for Achieving the Dream. "The success of each student means much more than just a personal goal secured. It means improved skills, better employability, and economic growth for their community and our nation as a whole."

Through Achieving the Dream, the college will have the opportunity to work with experienced practitioners in building a culture of support campus-wide, using data to identify problems, setting priorities, and measuring progress toward increasing student success. 

The Achieving the Dream National Reform Network includes approximately 200 institutions and helps nearly 4 million community college students have a better chance of realizing greater economic opportunity.

SPC President Bill Law and Poynter Institute VP Roy Peter Clark lead a workshop at the symposium

The College's first annual Writing with Integrity Symposium was held May 23-24 at the Poynter Institute. The result of a newly-established partnership between SPC and the Poynter Institute, the conference provided over 50 SPC faculty members the opportunity to learn innovative instruction techniques as well as tools to encourage integrity in writing and methods to combat plagiarism.

Rebecca Moore Howard, Syracuse University Associate Professor of Writing and Rhetoric, provided the keynote address. The symposium also featured inspirational presentations by Dr. Roy Peter Clark, Poynter Institute Vice President and Senior Scholar, Reporting, Writing and Editing, and Kelly McBride, Poynter Institute Senior Faculty, Ethics, Reporting and Writing.

Given the success of this inaugural event, SPC and the Poynter Institute have begun planning next year's symposium, which will be open to educators from other colleges in the area, as well as K-12 teachers. 

Class of 2010: Roberta (Robin) Bouffard, B.S.in Nursing, obtained her national certification in nursing and was promoted to manager of a medical surgical unit. 

Class of 2005: Brian Lamb, A.A., is working as an Investment Advisor with New England Financial.

Class of 1995: Mary Poe, A.A., earned a bachelor's degree at the University of South Florida where she then became an Academic Advisor for 16 years. She is now retired. 

Class of 1984: Matthew Reimer, A.A., earned a B.A. in Economics from Eckerd College and a master's degree in Social Work from San Diego State University. He is now a licensed clinical social worker.

Class of 1977: John Watkins, A.A., became a teacher at Mount de Sales Academy in Macon, Georgia after earning a bachelor's degree in Christian Education from Florida Southern College in 1980. He also earned a second degree in Information Technology from Macon State College in 2000.

Class of 1960: Lynn Williamson (formerly Simon), A.A., went on to earn a bachelor's degree from Florida State University and a master's degree in English from Mercer University.  She taught English for many years in central Georgia and organized a county-wide curriculum in gifted education.  Since retirement, she has enjoyed serving as organist for her church.