I am pleased to share with you the spring edition of Online@HCC. Like the flowers blooming throughout our community, the college is flourishing because of your efforts. Our enrollment remains steady, and we are continuing to seek ways in which we can expand our offerings to ensure that education is within reach of those who seek it. The college once again successfully hosted the Black, Brown & College Bound Conference just over a month ago. In this its sixth year, the conference reached an important milestone of over 500 attendees. This conference continues to be recognized as the leader in the national conversation on issues faced by minority males in higher education.

The college is also bustling with events and activities, and I want to call your attention to two specific items. The first is that we will be holding our 2012 Presidential Showcase on April 19th at the Tampa Waterside Marriott. This year’s event is especially significant as we are using the occasion to recognize Dottie Berger MacKinnon as this year’s Distinguished Alumna. We are also recognizing TECO Energy for the workforce partnership that they established with the college in which we offer the classes for the associate in applied science degree on site to their employees.

Planning is also underway for the college to go tobacco-free in the fall. Led by Deans Linda Herlocker and Sabrina Peacock, we have appointed a collegewide committee that has been tasked with establishing the best path to accomplish this lofty, yet very important, goal. I hope that you all enjoy this issue and look forward to seeing you around campus.

-Dr. Ken Atwater