As we near completion on two very important construction projects – our new Gadsden Center and the Wakulla Environmental Institute – I wanted to take this opportunity to share my excitement around the vision for these facilities. They will round out the college’s footprint across our district for years to come.

From time to time I am asked what counties make up our service district. We serve a district comprised of three very distinctive counties with unique characteristics and needs: Leon, Gadsden, and Wakulla. While our mission as an institution is consistent across the district and our efforts in these counties are parallel in nature, the goals and priorities in Leon, Gadsden and Wakulla are each quite different.

When the Gadsden Center and the Wakulla Environmental Institute open in January 2016, our college will proudly operate two campus sites in each of our three counties. Of course our main campus is located in Leon County along with our Ghazvini Center for Health Care.

In Gadsden and Wakulla, our Centers will have two primary purposes. First, as an extension of the main campus each Center will provide access to student services such as academic advising, career counseling, job recruitment and financial aid assistance. Academic services will also be available in the form of computer labs where students can take college classes online. The second purpose of the Centers will be to provide county-specific workforce training initiatives. For example, at the Gadsden Center, we will be offering HVAC classes, a profession identified as high-growth with good earning potential.

However, it is important to me that you know we are doing much more than building buildings. We are building relationships by making long-term commitments to the communities we serve. The programs at each Center will be tailored to the opportunities for employment in each county that prepare job seekers with skills and credentials that lead to gainful employment. Skills pay bills and a good quality of life equals a healthy community.

In each county, we also have our county-specific campuses. In Leon, we operate the Ghazvini Center for Healthcare Education which is strategically positioned in the medical corridor to meet the needs of healthcare providers in this region and beyond. In Gadsden, we operate the Florida Public Safety Institute which is nationally known for the level and breadth of public safety training offered to prepare professionals to enter, remain, and advance in a wide range of public safety roles. And in Wakulla, our Wakulla Environmental Institute will make Wakulla County a world class destination for ecotourism that brings together education, conservation and recreation in an environmentally responsible way.

Healthcare, public safety, and the environment. Those are the sectors in our workforce that we have identified as strategic to the success of our district, our college, and our students.