The Grove | Valencia College

The 49th Annual AFC Student Development Conference a Success

Jul

5

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By Deanne Abrams, Assistant Director, Student Development, and 2016 Chair for the Association of Florida Colleges Student Development Commission

The 49th Annual Conference of the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) Student Development Commission was held at Valencia on Tuesday, May 17 through Thursday, May 19, 2016 on West and East Campuses.

This year’s conference was in partnership with four other commissions, including Communications and Marketing; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; Institutional Effectiveness, Planning and Professional Development; and Technology.

This offered a variety of concurrent session topics — 21 in total — and a wealth of opportunities for networking.

The conference planning committee consisted of Nelson Sepulveda, assistant director, student development; Lauren Taylor, student development program specialist; Bernard Huggins, coordinator, college transition; Whitly Charles, word processing specialist, senior; and Jacquelyn Thompson, director, enrollment services. Together, the committee was dedicated to offering a high-energy conference.

Each day began with text trivia and giveaways and, each evening, conference attendees participated in social gatherings, including a novelty fair and a team-building opportunity called WhirlyBall, which is a combination of adult bumper cars and basketball. Keynote speakers included Valencia College President Dr. Sandy Shugart and Professor of Business and Accounting Stanton Reed. Some of the commissions even offered exemplary practice presentations.

In addition, the Student Development Commission awarded Valencia College’s S.E.E. UCF program, led by Leonard Bass, campus dean, learning support, the 2016 Exemplary Practice winner. To be considered for this award, a college must illustrate exceptional student services.

Our conference service project, Pooky’s Pantry, collected 453 items and fully stocked each pantry at all five campuses.

We look forward to seeing everyone at the 50th Annual Student Development Commission Conference at Pasco-Hernando State College on Tuesday, May 16 through Thursday, May 18, 2017.

Related Tags: afc, association of florida colleges