This is my final guest editorial as President of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) before my retirement on July 1 and it’s bittersweet. Given one last opportunity, I am going to share in SCF pride the excellence of the institution and our students, faculty and staff as nothing brings me greater joy.

I am proud of our strong, dedicated executive staff and the senior team members that I hired and mentored. They are highly skilled, creative thinkers who encourage innovations and are passionate about student success. 

I am proud of our professional and career staff — often our unsung heroes. From the registration desk to the student helpline to the financial aid counselor to the facilities department crews, they comprise an entire army of student advocates who work with dedication and pride to keep everything running smoothly so students can focus on their academic journeys. 

I am proud of our faculty. Our professors demonstrate their professionalism and commitment to our college and students not only in the classroom but also in the way they go above and beyond to help struggling students and encourage those who lack self-confidence. They set our college apart with their desire to see students succeed and the personal interest they take in making that happen. Our faculty dedicate their lives to changing students’ lives. 

I am proud of our partners in the community, donors, foundations, businesses and our local legislative delegation. I appreciate their willingness to work with us to enhance programs for the community and to invest in us on major new initiatives. Their support makes it possible for us to meet the needs of our students, the workforce and community.

I am proud of our SCF Foundation directors and our College Board of Trustees past and present. They serve because they care about our students. They are helpers, advisors and givers who volunteer their time, treasure, and talents to make SCF a better institution and foundation for students to change their lives. 

I am proud of our students. I love getting to know students who are here from around the world for different reasons and from different backgrounds. Everyone has their own path, and fortunately we offer various opportunities, but what I hear most often is that students choose to come here to create a better future for themselves, their children and their families. Many overcome tremendous obstacles to come to our college. Our students humble me and inspire me. 

Doing the right thing for students has been my primary motivating factor and knowing that I was where I could make a positive impact on students’ lives is what I loved most about my job.  I consider myself to be the luckiest person alive to have had the honor of serving as leader of SCF. 

We have worked together for the last 12 years making dreams come true for SCF students. Thank you for supporting me and reading my column each month. It pleases me immensely to share that the state of our college is strong and SCF is well positioned to maintain forward momentum in the years ahead with its seventh President, Tommy Gregory.

Dr. Carol F. Probstfeld is President of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota 

Photo courtesy SCF.

Some heavy decisions have recently been made at many local governments without the open transparency that should be provided to the public. Decisions are being made, and based upon, important documents or considerations without the public getting to see those documents in advance of meetings. This usurps the ability of the public to comment on the information in the documents, or even understand the decision.

Most local governmental legislative bodies have a report section on their meeting agendas where an elected official can bring up most any issue they want and start to advance their idea on a solution.

There is also an ability to attach documents to the packet in that agenda under the report sections. At the very least, the elected official has the ability to send documents to known stakeholders in advance of meetings so they can participate in the process.

The Argus Foundation has noticed a recent trend in local governments where local elected officials in several governments are making choices not to publish those pre-prepared documents in advance of meetings. They are even choosing not to disclose the documents at the meeting before public comment, thus eliminating public participation in the decision-making process.

This is a troubling trend that deserves focus and attention. We would like to believe that this is an oversight by elected officials, but the consistency in which this is happening is increasing.

Forcing members of the public to send public records requests to see documents used by local elected officials at public meetings should not be the rule, it should be the exception.

On top of this, withholding these documents from the public is actually increasing government costs. After a public records request, staff has to take the time to chase down these documents from elected officials and staff time costs taxpayer money. This all can be avoided by disclosure of documents in advance of meetings and at the very least, disclosure to stakeholders.

The Argus Foundation urges every local government to develop a policy for their agenda report sections to increase transparency and participation by the public. If documents are available or created that they plan to use at a meeting, they should be disclosed and available to the public in advance for public comment. Government officials need to set an example for their staffs that they are transparent and respectful of their time and resources, while encouraging public participation.

Christine Robinson is the executive director of The Argus Foundation.

Image courtesy Pixabay.

Anniversaries are a time for reflection. One year ago, I shared how excited I was to be joining your community. Today, it brings me great joy to reflect on the past year in my home—our community. The impact we have had together with our donors during this year has been transformational for the greater good of our region.  

Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of building meaningful relationships with many of you. One of the first things I learned about this region was the inspirational sense of togetherness and generosity. We reside in a place filled with compassionate individuals who make this community the best place to live, work, and play. 

Our philanthropic partners serve as a force for good with their generous investment in projects and opportunities that will leave a lasting impact on our region. This past year, our donors have invested over $30 million in philanthropic resources into the community. 

For example, Gulf Coast’s Project HEAL: Helping Everyone Align with Love is funded by an anonymous donor and is offering training for four homeless-services providers to become trauma-informed organizations - Family Promise of South Sarasota County, Suncoast Partnership to End Homelessness, Community Assisted and Supported Living (CASL), and Harvest House. Trauma-informed care aims to create safe environments that promote healing and recovery. Organizations that are trauma-informed realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand potential paths to recovery.

Through Gulf Coast’s Heroes’ Village, ten rental units are well underway in construction in the city of Sarasota to offer transitional, life-changing housing for veterans. Working with nonprofit St. Vincent de Paul CARES, Heroes’ Village will provide housing to veterans and their families, while also offering complete support services. With the support of the City of Sarasota, Office of Housing and Community Development, donors, and our Board, the complex is expected to be move-in ready by the fall of 2024. Additionally, we support the expansion of The Bay Park where all programming is free and accessible to everyone, truly “One Park for All.” The Foundation, along with anonymous Gulf Coast philanthropists, have provided a $2 million community challenge match that will double any gift to The Bay dollar-for-dollar for the rest of the year. This significant milestone funding will be used to support the design and development of a new resilient shoreline, as well as the continuation of free park programming. The living shoreline will provide critical wildlife habitat and enable nature to handle the flooding and storm surges that are inherent parts of Florida’s hurricane season. 

The incredible work of our nonprofits never ceases to amaze me. The support from foundations, government, and donors like you make their impact possible. While my past year was filled with celebrations, there were also moments of sadness for our community. Just recently, a budget vote impacted 300 families who will lose childcare subsidies, ending 20 years of funding for the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County and adding to the ripple effect of no access to childcare.

As we navigate through these challenges, we stand strong in investing in the future of our region through bold and proactive philanthropy. Our Board and staff have created a roadmap for the future, Transforming, Together Strategic Plan 2024-2027, that will put us on a path for deeper connection, staff alignment, and increased impact. I am energized by many more years of collaboration, partnership, inspiration, and impact— together. I am optimistic about the future and the importance of continuing to advocate for unity at the community and government level. 

Phillip P. Lanham, CAP, is President and CEO of Gulf Coast Community Foundation. 

Photo courtesy Gulf Coast Community Foundation.