SPC Foundation Newsletter

St. Petersburg College held its 124th Commencement Ceremony at Tropicana Field Tuesday, May 13. A total of 2,547 students earned 2,849 degrees from SPC this term, the highest ever for the college. President Bill Law told the crowd of well-wishers that this ceremony recognized graduates ranging in age from 17 to 74 and brings the number of degrees awarded to 140,618 since the college was founded in 1927.

Helen W. Gilbart Receives the Outstanding Alumnus Award

Helen W. Gilbart recipient of the Outstanding Alumnus Award.

For her accomplishments and contributions to the SPC community, Helen Gilbart was honored as this year's Outstanding Alumnus by the Alumni Association during the commencement.

Helen graduated from St. Petersburg Junior College in 1964 with an AA degree. She earned a Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Education with specializations in English, Speech and Journalism from the University of Florida.

Helen began her career at St. Petersburg College as a faculty member at the

Clearwater Campus where her tireless dedication to her students and to her profession were widely recognized. Upon her retirement in 1998 Helen held the title of Program Director for Humanities, Fine Arts and Communications.

In 1997, Helen and her late husband Don Gilbart established an endowment to provide scholarships to SPC students. To-date, over 150 students have benefited through Helen's and Don's generosity! Most recently, Helen established an endowment to benefit the College's Leepa Rattner Museum of Art.

SPC Student Has A Bright Future

SPCHS Student Named Gates Millennium Scholar

Salina Som plans to earn a degree in Chemistry from the University of Florida.

For the second straight year, an SPC student has received the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholar award.

Salina Som, a senior at St. Petersburg Collegiate High School, was recognized for her leadership, community service and academic achievements. The award distinguishes her as a Leader for America's Future™. More than 52,000 students from across the country applied for the scholarship.

The Gates Millennium Scholarship recognizes outstanding minority students and provides academic support, leadership training and professional development for the 1,000 students chosen each year.

Salina plans to pursue a degree in Chemistry from the University of Florida followed by a doctorate in Pharmaceutical Engineering. She discovered her passion for the lab in an Organic Chemistry class at St. Petersburg College's Collegiate High School.

Foundation Event Benefits First Generation Scholarships

Snell-Bishop House Roarin' 20's Soiree showcases student success

Students Glen Dorsey, II and Linaea Floden arrive in period

dress for the event.

The Foundation Roarin' 20's Soiree at the Snell-Bishop House brought together an impressive group of individuals to support First Generation Scholarships. Linaea Floden, SPC Alum and USF graduate student, and SPC sophomore Glen Dorsey, II delivered heartfelt testimonies of the challenges they have faced in their personal journeys to achieving their academic and career goals.

Approximately one in five students enrolled at St. Petersburg College will be the first in their families to attend college.

The Foundation is deeply grateful to event sponsors: Bright House Networks, Lynne M. Hensley, Raymond James, Inc., Crown Automotive Group, Duke Energy, Helen W. Gilbart and Bill and Elaine McCloud.

SPC Alumnus Spenser Reed Graduates From Cornell University

SPC Alumnus Spenser Reed graduated from Cornell University with a B. S. in Food Science and Nutritional Science.

SPC Alumnus Spenser Reed joined Cornell University's Class of 2014 in May. Spenser earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in Food Science and Nutritional Science, with a concentration in molecular nutrition.

A serious illness during high school did not keep Spenser from pursuing his dreams. "Immense health struggles served to spur my passion for science and medicine and inspire me to pursue a career as a pediatric endocrinologist," he said.

Spenser studied molecular biology and genetics at SPC, earning an

A.A. Degree. He transferred to Cornell where he dove into research and published three studies, two as first author. Before applying to medical schools, he plans to complete his research at Cornell and present at major conferences in San Diego, Brazil and Ethiopia.

Foundation Celebrates Scholarship Donors and Legacy Society Members

Foundation Directors Steve Cole, Bill McCloud with his wife Elaine

and Steve Shepard enjoyed meeting students at the luncheon.

The Foundation's Annual Scholarship Luncheon this year included recognizing members of its Legacy Society - a group of individuals who have remembered the College in their estate plans.

Student speakers Fernanda Correra, Al Moreno and Christina Joseph each shared how SPC has provided a lifeline to a better future for them. Guest speaker Bill Zewadski of Tremnar Kemker talked about the importance of supporting future college students through legacy gifts.

He urged donors to consider the College their estate plans.

More than 1,500 students were awarded scholarships through the Foundation last year that totaled over $1M in financial support. The event was sponsored by RBC Wealth Management.

For more information on the Foundation's Legacy Society, please call (727) 341-3319.

The A. D. Morgan Corporation Promotes Architectural and Engineering Studies at SPC

A.D. Morgan president Rebecca Smith and Dr. Bill Law

President Bill Law welcomes A. D. Morgan President, Rebecca J. Smith. A.D. Morgan has provided over $20,000 to support the Susan M. Reiter Scholarship since it was created last year. The scholarship provides awards to students pursuing degrees in Architecture, Building Construction, Environmental Science, Engineering, or Music Industry Recording Arts programs.

Pinellas County Osteopathic Medical Society Presents Check for Scholarship Program

Dr. Kenneth Webster was pleased to present a check to Dr. Bill Law to support the Pinellas County Osteopathic Medical Society (PCOMS) Scholarship at SPC.

Since 2012, PCOMS has provided over $8,000 in support to students in Allied Health fields.

Dr. Bill Law and Dr. Kenneth Webster, executive director, PCOMS

SPC Hosts its 4th Annual Business Plan and Elevator Pitch Competition

Sponsors Jane and Donald Silverberg pose with completion participants.

St. Petersburg College hosted its 4th Annual Business Plan and Elevator Pitch Competition on April 24 to showcase SPC's budding entrepreneurs. The Shark Tank-like competition awarded $10,000 in prizes to support students' business plans and elevator pitches. James Finn was the 1st Place Grand Prize Winner of $5,000. He is a Business student in the Entrepreneurship Certificate program who has completed the program this year. James' company is Red Carpet Golf Vacations - a company aimed at providing luxury golf vacations to a niche market that seeks a unique and complete vacation experience. Sponsors include:

Great Bay Distributors

Donald and Jane Silverberg

Wells Fargo

The Zillig Family

Scarr Insurance Group

The Golden Fund

City of Seminole

JCL and Associates

The Mallard Group

Seminole Chamber of Commerce

Sandy Hartmann & Associates

Ameriprise Financial

DeLoach + Hofstra, PA

Regions Bank

LSG Consulting Services, LLC

Vernon Photography

Certified Insurance Underwriters

Harris Real Estate Team

CoCreativ

Rick Butler Realtor

SPC Leaders Retire After Years of Service

Conferlete Carney, PhD

Tarpon Springs Provost

Conferlete Carney Ph.D.

Tarpon Springs Provost Conferlete Carney is retiring on June 30 after almost 18 years of service.

During his tenure, Dr. Carney oversaw several major projects including: the selection and implementation of the PeopleSoft system, two Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) accreditation processes and achieving accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums for the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art.

We will miss you, Dr. Carney!

J. C. Brock, Allstate Campus

Executive Officer

J. C. Brock

J. C. Brock who has lead the Public Safety and Criminal Justice programs at SPC's Allstate Center as Campus Executive Officer will retire on June 30 after 25 years at SPC.

While leading Allstate, Mr. Brock helped oversee federal grant funding for law enforcement training through the Center for Public Safety Innovation. At its funding peak, the center was bringing in more than $33 million in grants to train local, state and federal law enforcement officers.

Mr. Brock will be missed by all of us at SPC!

SPC Legal Counsel Honored by Tampa Bay Business Journal

Suzanne Gardner, General Counsel

at SPC pictured in blue.

Suzanne Gardner, SPC General Counsel, was named one of the 2014 Top Corporate Counsel Finalists by the Tampa Bay Business Journal. She was one of four finalists in the government organization/ nonprofit category.

The program recognizes in-house attorneys in the Tampa Bay area who are leaders in their company, organization or industry who display high ethical standards and exemplary professional skills.

Class Notes

Class of 2013: Katharine Cuervo, BAS in Health Services Administration, is approaching her one-year anniversary as a Quality Specialist at Largo Medical Center.

Class of 2012: Linda Meier, AA in General Studies, recently graduated with a BA in Mass Communications from the University of South Florida. She is now the owner of Linda Meier PR, a public relations company that focuses on giving small businesses the opportunity to establish a social media presence, attract new customers and maintain customer loyalty through strategic promotions.

Class of 2009: George Bessler, BAS in Public Safety Administration, is employed as Assistant Fire Chief for East Lake Fire Rescue. Previously, he served as Fire Chief for the City of Seminole Fire Rescue for over thirty years.

Class of 1994: Ron Schinder, AA in English Language and Literature, continued his education and received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida. He now works at Centurion as a Credit Union CARES Consultant.

Class of 1978: Mark Reithmaier, AA in Business Administration and Management, went on to receive a BA in Finance from the University of South Florida's College of Business. He is the Senior Accountant at Suncoast Digital Technology, where he has worked for fifteen years.

To share your accomplishments with your fellow alumni, contact Tiffany Hughes at (727) 341-3055.

P.O. Box 13489 | St. Petersburg, FL 33733-3489 | (727) 341-3302

www.spcollege.edu/foundation