Blue Springs Brings in $$
Blue Springs in Jackson County is a haven for manatees and scuba divers. In fact a recent study has found that diving in Blue Springs brings in over $1 million dollars a year for that area. The Blue Springs is a large network of underground fresh water springs where divers can explore and even help chart the caverns and paths. Take a look a this amazing suba video a diver took in one of these caves.
Diving is Freedom
As a diver you are weightless and can move in all directions. You approach the freedom of a bird as you move in three dimensions in a fluid environment.
—Dennis Graver, Scuba Diving
Partnership with Diveheart
Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle focused on partnerships to help expand the reach of FKCC out to the community. One of those partnerships was with Diveheart. Diveheart provides dive training to the disabled. It is the Diveheart vision to help bring skills to the disabled where they can put their talents and time into productive use focusing on our planets problems like coral destruction, over fishing and shark fining. Diveheart and FKCC are through this partnership are encouraging more divers with disabilities to continue their dive education and pursue careers in related areas such as oceanography & marine sciences.
FKCC Student getting her degree in marine archeology
Tropical Fish in New England
The warm water of the Gulf Stream flows into southern New England in the summer time and brings baby tropical fish along for the ride. The fish first come up as eggs on broken seaweed, they then hatch in New England.
The water is in the low to mid 70′s from July to late October, but of course the water does turn colder and the tropical fish do not survive. In response to this, many New England Aquariums, such as the New England Aquarium in Boston and the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut, collect the fish. In fact, some local dive clubs organize fall rescue days and donate the fish they find to the various aquariums. It’s a win / win for the divers, the fish, and the aquarium.
Duct Tape Diving?
Spoke with my brother-in-law, today and, as we compared our experiences in SCUBA diving, once again I’m reminded of how lucky I’ve been to have started diving in the waters off Key West. In the waters off the coast of New England, even during the summer, hypothermia is of real concern and a full 1/4″ wet-suit (which hood, gloves, and booties) is the bare minimum — a dry suit would be even better. Not wanting to spring for the cost of a dry-suit, he has done plenty of cold water dives — as late into the season as mid-November — and would literally use duct tape around his ankles and wrists to reduce the flow of cold water inside the suit. He and his dive buddies call them selves “Duct Tape Divers!”
Now is that crazy or what?!
Update on the 2.24 for FKCC Dive Program
The Real Story – Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle
The real story is that she was brought in to turn around a very problematic situation – ten years of declining enrollment and a lack of diversified revenues. Executive members of the administration had in at least one case given out a degree to a faculty member so that they could overcome accreditation issues about faculty credentials. Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle terminated that employee and was told she was a hostile employer for doing so. In a subsequent legal ruling, her actions were upheld as being actions of integrity. Other employees were misrepresenting overtime hours worked for the school and in one case, an audit indicated an employee was teaching for one school during the hours he was supposed to be teaching for the college. There was endemic problems at many levels.
From the moment she set foot in Key West, she was the target of disgruntled employees who were unhappy with accountability. She endured endless anonymous attacks by emails and letters. Yet, she continued to stay the course and bring the school millions of dollars in new support while increasing student enrollment and focusing on student success. On a monthly basis, her detractors would file trumped up charges – in one case the Mayor’s campaign manager (who was friends with the Mayor’s brother who worked at the school) charged her with inflating enrollment numbers because some students paid late ( less than 5 FTE according to preliminary state auditors who, at the insistence of these ongoing charges, investigated). All of these students had paid before the end of the semester.
You’ve seen my previous posting, but I want to highlight when I say millions, I mean millions:
- Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle brought in the largest private donation of $1 million dollars.
- Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle brought in the IUTS Defense Appropriation, in which enables FKCC to share in 2.24 million dollar.
- Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle worked with the sheriffs department so the school could receive confiscated items, and other countless smaller donations.
- Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle instituted conservation effors resulting in significant savings of $100K a year and not to mention the benefit to the envirionment.
Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle went up against developers trying to get a sweetheart deal (with a clause to take the college’s land), she was approached and asked if she would change her mind about giving the contract to the local developers despite the fact that it would cost the college millions more. When she declined to do so, her husband was told “I would hate for Jill to be like Moses – bring everyone to the promise land and then have to see it from, say, Philadelphia.” Within a matter of days, those connected to the project rounded up employees, some of who were on probation or close friends of those who were on probation, and with a board member present, allowed them to distort the truth.
In reality, Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle had given the faculty the first major raise in years (on average 20%) and had an overwhelming vote of confidence from the faculty senate. She was loved by the students who felt that she had improved student services immensely. She established the first Student Government Association (SGA) ever installed at FKCC. She always had an open door policy and was known to take money out of her own pocket to help students stay in school. Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle was also very popular with the community. When she resigned after being tormented for over two years, she received hundreds of letters of support from community members – many she did not even know.
It is disappointing that in this new Internet world we live in, such a small group of employees (some of who have already been terminated by the interim president for the same reasons they were in jeopardy previously, i.e. lack of performance) have been able to hold the community hostage.
IUTS Earmark Comes to FKCC
This is part two of my previous post on the fund-raising efforts of Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle for FKCC’s dive program. FKCC is a school with a unique place, surrounded by tropical waters and the worlds third largest reef system. The reefs are located in shallow water and the seas are typically calm, clear, and warm.
With this amazing natural resource it is not surprise that the FKCC has a diving program aimed at people interested in working as a SCUBA instructor, dive boat captain, commercial diver, research diver, or other public service diving careers.
Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle saw this as a unique opportunity to explore opportunities for FKCC to participated in partnerships with the government on the training needs they have related to SCUBA. Most of us do not realized how important SCUBA is to our national security, for port security, surveillance, military missions, and even search and recovery.
Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle was able to bring this opportunity to realization through her efforts with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Bill Chalfant, and Dr. Patrick Rice to bring in a Federal Defense Appropriation target at Navy training, port security, and other defense organizations.
FKCC will share in this $2.24 million dollar appropriation, thanks to the hard work and amazing talent at the school and the incredible vision of Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle.
I look forward to seeing FKCC’s dive program grow and it’s contribution to our national security.
Thank you Dr. Landesberg-Boyle, Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Bill Chalfant, and Dr. Patrick Rice.
One Million Bequest To Dive Program – Thank You Jill Landesberg-Boyle
This is part one of the articles I will write about the expansion of FKCC stellar diving program, though Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle’s fund-raising efforts and the incredibly talented individuals running the dive program, such as William Chalfant and Dr. Patrick Rice.
In May of 2009 the dive program received a $1 million bequest from the James E. Lockwood Estate. James Lockwood was a scuba diving pioneer building his own rebreathers and an underwater camera.
This could not have come at a better time, since Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle was facing cutbacks due to the economic crisis. However instead of cutbacks this gift allowed the program to expand. They expanded recreational and commercial diving programs, increased research including a Coral Reef Mapping, and upgrading the hyperbaric chamber at FKCC.
Another Jill Landesberg-Boyle Benefit
Just a quick note to brag on this a bit. I am attaching a photo that sums it up. Thanks to the work of Dr. Patrick Rice, Bill Chalfant and the people connected to the building of the James E. Lockwood School of Diving and Underwater Technology the students at Florida Keys Community College are actively involved in changing the future of the Florida Keys and the eco-systems protecting and feeding us all.
FKCC students and baby corals
FKCC students Kelly Burger, left, and Kyle Moran head back to the boat with a tray of baby corals from the underwater nursery. See more at Keysnet.
This amazing program just received though the hard work of Dr. Jill Landesberg-Boyle, Dr. Patrick Rice, Bill Chalfant and of course and SO importantly the drive of the Honorable Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen a special appropriation of $2.24 million dollars in federal money to assist the building of programs just like this and HomeLand Security.
Stay tuned!
SPLASH!!!!
