Dr. Timothy Beard, president of Pasco-Hernando State College, has been making the rounds to each of the college’s campuses in a run-up to a formal celebration of his inauguration as the college’s fourth president.
The events have had a different focus at each campus, with the most recent event at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch centering on leadership development and community engagement.
Before that panel discussion began, however, Beard shared his vision for the college and talked about steps that are necessary to ensure its graduates are ready for challenges they will face.
(File Photo)
The state college, formerly known as Pasco-Hernando Community College, is 44 years old, and has made its mark on the region, Beard said. However, he added, “we believe our best days are ahead of us.”
Beard told those gathered that it’s important to reach out to the community, and for the community to reach out to the college.
“We’ve learned over the years in order to be effective and efficient as a public institution, we all need each other,” Beard said. “At the end of the day, we want our students to be successful. We want our students to be able to complete whatever they started.”
The college wants to prepare students “who are globally astute,” Beard said. It also wants them “to be able to imagine, achieve and succeed,” he said. “In other words, we want them to be able to dream.
“This vision doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It needs fuel. It needs energy,” he said.
The college delivers its instruction through online learning, face-to-face instruction and through a hybrid approach, Beard said.
It is aiming to increase its college completion rates by 50 percent within the next five to 10 years, Beard said.
“College readiness is big piece of what we do. We have very strong partnerships with Pasco and Hernando public schools, with USF (the University of South Florida) and Saint Leo University,” Beard said.
“We serve a purpose in making sure that students have the right to a public education. So, we want to make sure that education is affordable. We want to make sure it is accessible. And, we want to make sure our students are successful,” he said.
“We take great pride in being the great democratizer of education — meaning we’re willing to give students not just a second and third, but a fourth and fifth chance.”
The college also wants to help close the American skills gap, Beard said.
“Companies want to come here. They want to do business with us. No. 1, they want to make sure we have a skilled workforce,” he said.
“We have companies that are calling us every day to ask us, ‘Do you have students or graduates who can go to work for us?’” Beard added.
So, the college is playing “a very vital role in making sure we can produce students with industry certifications, AS (Associate of Science) degrees, students who can go to work to make a difference in our workforce,” Beard said.
“We want every student in this county that at least by age 20, 21, they have some type of credential – a certification, an AS degree, a BS (Bachelor of Science) degree,” Beard said.
He also asked for continuing support of the college’s efforts.
“We know we can’t do it alone,” Beard said.
Inauguration of PHSC President
Dr. Timothy Beard will be inaugurated as Pasco-Hernando State College’s fourth president on May 6, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., at the college’s Performing Arts Center on its West Campus in New Port Richey, 10230 Ridge Road. The reception will follow, at 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., in the physical fitness center at the same campus.
Published April 13, 2016
