Smaller named to spring Dean’s List at Loras College

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Loras College has announced the names of students who achieved Dean’s List status for the 2022 spring semester. Among those named to the Dean’s List was Kiandre Smaller of Cape Coral.

A student must earn a 3.5 grade point average and carry a minimum of 12 credit hours to be recognized.

Loras College is a private Catholic college in Dubuque, Iowa. It has an enrollment of approximately 1,600 students and is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state of Iowa. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. For additional information, visit https://www.loras.edu/#

Union Plus offering scholarships for union members, their families

The School District of Lee County has announced a new opportunity for members of the Teachers Association of Lee County (TALC) and the Support Personnel Association of Lee County (SPALC) and their families to continue their education. Union Plus, a nonprofit organization founded by the AFL-CIO in 1986, is offering scholarships to earn an associate’s degree or a bachelor’s degree online for free.

Union Plus partners with Eastern Gateway Community College to offer the free online associate’s degree. After earning an associate’s degree, students can transfer into the bachelor’s degree program. Partner schools include Paul Quinn College, in Dallas, Texas, Central State University, in Wilberforce, Ohio, and Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio.

Current and retired TALC and SPALC members, their spouses, domestic partners, children (including stepchildren and children-in-law), financial dependents, grandchildren, siblings and parents can all take advantage of this opportunity. Family members do not need to be financial dependents or living with the member to be eligible.

New employees are eligible once they join TALC or SPALC. These last-dollar scholarship cover the difference between any federal grants and employee assistance and tuition, fees and e-books.

Union members and their family members can call Union Plus at 888-590-9009 for more information, send an email to  online@EGCCFreeCollege.org  or complete the  request information form.

Porvaznik awarded 2022 Florida Supervisors of Elections Scholarship

Lee County Supervisor of Elections Tommy Doyle recently announced that Stephanie Porvaznik of Florida Gulf Coast University is the recipient of the Joe Oldmixon College Scholarship awarded by the Florida Supervisors of Elections Scholarship Foundation.

Porvaznik, a junior in college and a political science major, received the scholarship for her academic achievements, civic engagement and leadership roles in the community. Earlier this year, she interned with the Florida Senate in Tallahassee and most recently completed an internship at U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds’ Lee County district office.

Every year, the FSE, the statewide organization representing Florida’s 67 supervisors of elections, awards four $1,200 scholarships to four Florida undergraduate students. A student must be enrolled or accepted as a full-time student in a senior college or university in Florida and must be a political science, public administration, business administration, journalism or mass media communications major.

FSW offers free college-credit certificates and micro-credentialing to eligible county residents

Through a partnership with the Lee County Economic Development Office, Lee County residents selecting to enroll in certain Florida SouthWestern State College college-credit certificate programs may be eligible for funding to support in-state tuition and fees provided by the American Rescue Plan Act.

FSW programs that are eligible for the funding are:

• FSW School of Business and Technology — Accounting Technology Management, CCC; Computer Programmer, CCC; Financial Services Management, CCC; Information Technology Support Specialist, CCC; Network Security, CCC; Real Estate Paralegal, CCC; Risk Management & Insurance Management, CCC; Small Business Management, CCC; Business Analytics, AS; and Computer Programming and Analysis, AS

• School of Health Professions — Emergency Medical Technician, CCC

To be eligible, students must be Lee County residents, declare their program of study in one of the eligible FSW programs, commit to completing selected program of study by December 2023, and be available to work in Lee County, Fla.

Additionally, FSW’s Continuing Education department offers micro-credentialing classes that may be covered by ARPA funding. Many of these career-ready certificates are available online and are self-paced.

• Micro-credential Programs — QuickBooks Certified Users Program; FSW Leadership Academy; FSW Custo-mer Service Academy; Microsoft Office MOS; Waste Water Operators Certification; Drinking Water Operators Certification; Project Management Professional (PMP); Phlebotomy; and Nurse Remedial/Refresher Course

• Online Programs — Insurance Customer Service Agent Certification; Insurance Accredited Claims Adjust-er; Real Estate Pre-licensing; Property Management; Coding Boot Camp; and Hazmat Train the Trainer

For more information, contact Adrian Kerr, executive director, FSW Continuing Professional Education, at 239-432-7313 or email corporate.training@fsw.edu.

Florida SouthWestern State College annually serves nearly 22,000 students globally and offers a variety of career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees and professional certifications, several. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.

Earn to Learn FL partners with Southern Scholarship Foundation

Earn to Learn FL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that envisions a world without barriers to higher education, announces a partnership with the Southern Scholarship Foundation for the 2022-2023 school year. Through the partnership, 150 first-year college students across 26 SSF homes throughout Florida will head to school with SSF scholarships and have access to ETLFL Near Peer Coaches; many will have ETLFL tuition scholarships as well.

ETLFL Near Peer coaches are current college students who promote college success by supporting students and working through obstacles related to retention and degree completion.

Earn to Learn FL, in partnership with Volunteer Florida, recruits, trains, and deploys AmeriCorps members to provide Near Peer Coaching to economically disadvantaged students in the areas of postsecondary access, personal finance training, and career planning. Near Peer Coaches supports student preparation for pursuit of a non-degree award (career & technical education), associate’s de-gree, or bachelor’s degree. In addition, the Segal AmeriCorps Educa-tion Award Scholarship, up to $6,195 per year, is granted to AmeriCorps members who complete their term of service to pay education costs at qualified institutions of higher education for educational training or to repay eligible students loans.

For information, please visit EarntoLearnFL.org or email Brenda Tate at Brenda@Earnto LearnFL.org.