Best of Florida Schools 2000 Issue

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Best Dress Code
The saying, "clothes do not a man make," doesn’t ring true for everyone. At Keiser College campuses, students must dress professionally in clothing related to their majors. In the business programs, men sport pants and shirts with ties while the women wear business attire such as dress suits or slacks, stockings, and heels. Students in health-care majors attend hands-on classes while wearing medical scrubs and nametags. "Dressing professionally puts students in a serious frame of mind that makes them focus on their major," says Arlene Connelly, coordinator of student activities. "When professionals visit the campus, they’re impressed with the appearance of the student body." Established by Dr. Arthur Keiser, the tradition has been in existence since the first day of classes in 1977.

Best Helping Hands
The new millennium also marks a new milestone in Palm Beach Atlantic College’s Workship program—the celebration of more than one million hours of service. Since 1968, PBAC students have ventured into the local community and beyond to volunteer with non-profit agencies. Workship requires undergrads to fulfill 45 hours of community service every year. "The Workship program is a Christian’s response to human needs. It’s a combination of work and worship," says Director Deborah Nowell. "It gives students a chance to see outside their own cultures, give back to the community, and develop new perspectives in life and about the world." Students have repaired trailer homes for migrant farm workers, cooked meals for the homeless, set up a medical mission in El Salvador, and shared Bible stories with children in Northern Ireland. To commemorate this achievement, PBAC will invite faculty, staff, community leaders, trustees, and executives to join students to build a Habitat for Humanity house in West Palm Beach. The home’s completion will be celebrated on March 24, 2000 on the PBAC campus.

Best New Arrival
Students in the two-year-old midwifery degree program at Miami-Dade Community College-Medical Campus truly know that the stork doesn’t deliver babies. "A midwife is someone who takes care of pregnant women throughout the pregnancy, the birth, and during the postpartum period," says Justine Clegg, midwifery program coordinator. M-DCC is the only community college in the nation offering the program. About 30 enrollees take basic science courses as well as specialized courses including genetics, embryology, and fetalogy. To become a licensed midwife, applicants must complete the three-year program and pass a national certification exam. According to the Midwives Association of Florida, midwives deliver more than 70 percent of the babies born in countries that have fewer infant and maternal deaths, lower cesarean rates, and lower health care costs than the United States. A midwife can work in a client’s home, in birth centers, or at clinics and hospitals.

Best Triumph Over Evil
"Booo! Hisss!" These are just a few of the jeers that could be heard from the crowd when the "bad guys" walked onto the stage during one of the outdoor "mellerdrammers" presented by Jacksonville University’s Department of Theatre Arts. According to Dr. Dan Robins, director of the theatre arts division and the production’s director, "A mellerdrama is an exaggerated form of melodrama in which the good guys always win in the end." Audience members interacted with the performers when they were invited by the directors to throw popcorn at the villains and to cheer on the good guys. The admission was free for the two productions Wonderful to be Wicked and Showdown in a One-Horse Town which were both held last May on JU’s Council Green, an outdoor area on campus.

Best Double Scoop of Hope
"Brother, can you spare a toothbrush?" The homeless in Jacksonville may not need to sing that sad tune this year. Each year, the "Homeless But Not Hopeless Ice Cream Social" takes place on the University of North Florida campus during the National Volunteer Week in April. Last year, students, faculty, staff, and the community brought three toiletry items in exchange for ice cream. At the day’s end, UNF donated items such as toothpaste, soap, and non-perishable foods to the Clara White Mission. "I’m not sure exactly how much was donated, but I do know that it was enough to provide each person with something," says J’Coby Pittman, executive director of the Clara White Mission. "There are more than 2,000 to 3,000 homeless people in Jacksonville. The mission serves about 300 to 400 each day."

Best Odds for Success
Watch out Einstein! The GPAs of GCCC grads are really taking off. "This isn’t the first time Gulf Coast Community College has been ranked number one," says Linda Adair, vice president of instructional services. During the past 15 years, GCCC has held one of the top three spots among 28 Florida community colleges in grade point averages for students continuing their education for a four-year degree. The 1999 Accountability Report showed that 188 associate of arts grads who transferred to a Florida state university averaged 3.1 during the 1996-1997 academic year. The state average for students from other two-year or junior colleges was a 2.9 GPA. "We have built such a good reputation in town that half of the local high school students within the top 10 percent consider us their school of choice," Adair says.

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