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Sam Ajlani, associate professor and program manager of engineering technology at the College of Central Florida, will be honored with the American Association of Community Colleges 2023 Dale P. Parnell Faculty Distinction Recognition at its annual conference in Denver, Colorado, in April.

The award, named after former AACC President and CEO Dale P. Parnell, recognizes instructors who go above and beyond to help their students find academic success.

“In nearly 10 years at 91��Ƭ, Associate Professor Ajlani has modernized our engineering technology program with cutting-edge technology and has leveraged community partnerships to create apprenticeship opportunities,” said Dr. Rob Wolf, dean of business, technology and career and technical education. “We are currently training more than 100 engineering technology students for high-skill, high-wage local jobs with a nearly 100% job placement rate.”

For more information about 91��Ƭ’s engineering technology program, visit 91��Ƭ.edu/Engineering. For more information about the AACC, visit

The College of Central Florida’s innovative educational series, “Patriot Project: Bringing History to Life,” continues on Monday, Feb. 6, with “Science in the Colonial Period” from 12:30-1:30 p.m. at the 91��Ƭ Webber Center, 3001 S.W. College Road, Ocala. Mark Taylor, 91��Ƭ assistant professor of physical sciences, will dig into the history of science in America.

“In colonial times, even the word ‘science’ meant something else,” Taylor said. “The ‘natural philosophers’ of the time include people like Ben Franklin and we’ll look into his contributions as well as a few other early American scientists.”

The Patriot Project lectures are free and open to the public. Light refreshments and event giveaways will be provided.

Series Schedule:

March 1, 2023 – “History of the Colonial Period” presented by Jay Thompson and Jennifer Ambrosia

April 5, 2023 – “Religion in the Colonial Period” presented by Dr. Ron Cooper

For more details, visit .

Visit the Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, on Feb. 4 for Free First Saturday. Admission is free all day and the public is invited to enjoy the permanent collection, special exhibitions, the Artspace and other special programming.

Visitors can take advantage of this free opportunity to see several new exhibitions. On view through May 21, “Big and Bold in Modern & Contemporary Art” features the largest and most dynamic works from the collection. On view through June 18 are two exhibitions by Florida artists: “Paper Thin & Shadow Deep: Hiromi Mizugai Moneyhun’s Hand-cut Paper Works” and “Pre Post Poetic: Hand-Stitched Collages by Debora Greger.”

At 11 a.m., artist and poet Debora Greger will lead a tour of her solo exhibition, “Pre Post Poetic,” which features 28 hand-stitched collages created between 2019-2021. The Gainesville-based artist juxtaposes pre- and post-pandemic themes of the everyday world. The tour will meet in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists on the second floor and is free to attend.

At 2 p.m., the Appleton welcomes back educator, author and photographer Cynthia Wilson-Graham. In a talk titled “Remembering Marion County’s African American Achievements,” Wilson-Graham will discuss the successes and contributions of underrepresented African Americans, highlighting their cultural heritage and resilience. This talk will be held in the Appleton auditorium and is free to attend.

“Thanks to a generous grant-funded sponsorship from Marion Cultural Alliance, we’re happy to continue presenting our Free First Saturday program,” said Victoria Billig, Appleton assistant director. “In addition to offering free admission, we hope you’ll join us for an exciting lineup of guest speakers, films, activities for children and more.”

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit

 

The College of Central Florida has received $17 million to expand its nursing program, including a $6.7 million Linking Industry to Nursing Education grant funded by the Florida Legislature and a $10.3 million commitment from the Citrus County Hospital Board. The LINE Fund was created in 2022 by the Florida Legislature to alleviate the statewide nursing shortage by providing matching funds for nursing education programs that partner with health care providers.

91��Ƭ received the largest share of LINE funds among the 26 colleges and universities that applied for this competitive grant, with an award of more than one-third of the available $19 million and more than 3.5 times larger than the second largest grant of $1.9 million. The $17 million received by 91��Ƭ is one of the largest gift and grant commitments in the college’s history.

“Now, more than ever, we need to recruit and train qualified nurses to meet the growing demands of our local community,” said Dr. Jim Henningsen, president of the College of Central Florida. “The Citrus County Hospital Board’s commitment of $10.3 million in May 2022 made 91��Ƭ eligible for this support from the state, and the combined investment significantly increases 91��Ƭ’s capacity to prepare students for high-demand, high-wage nursing careers. We applaud the insight of the Hospital Board and appreciate the transformational gift that allows 91��Ƭ to lead the way in meeting this critical workforce shortage.

“The $6,718,852 LINE grant will enhance the experience of 91��Ƭ nursing students by providing scholarships, additional nursing faculty and equipment, and labs to expand nursing education,” said Henningsen. “91��Ƭ is one of the most affordable colleges in the country and this unprecedented funding will make a high-quality, high-demand nursing career accessible to even more students in our community.”

91��Ƭ offers an Associate Degree Nursing program, which prepares graduates to become registered nurses, as well as bridge programs for licensed practical nurses and paramedics to become RNs. 91��Ƭ’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing program is designed to prepare RNs for advanced clinical positions and nursing faculty positions. For more information about 91��Ƭ’s nursing programs, visit .

The College of Central Florida Ira Holmes International Film Series will host two screenings this month: “Victoria & Abdul” on Tuesday, Jan. 17, and “Parasite” on Tuesday, Jan. 31.

Starring Academy Award-winner Judi Dench, “Victoria & Abdul” is a 2017 U.K. film that chronicles the true story of an unlikely friendship between an aging Queen Victoria and a young clerk from India.

“Parasite” is a 2019 South Korean film, directed by Academy Award-winning director Bon Joon-ho, that’s been called his “pitch-black modern fairytale.” The story of two families – one wealthy and one who provides luxury services to them – explores topics of generational greed and class prejudice.

Both screenings will begin at 2 p.m. at the Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., and at 7 p.m. at the 91��Ƭ Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road, Building 8, Room 110. Films at the Ocala Campus are free and open to the public. Films at the Appleton are free to all museum and film series members; nonmembers pay museum admission. Films may contain mature content.

For more details, visit

Series Schedule:

Feb. 14 – Scary Movie Date Night: “Get Out”
On Feb. 15 at 12:30 p.m., Dr. Gilbert Rodman will lead a “Get Out” Black History Month film talk at the 91��Ƭ Ocala Campus in Building 8, Room 110. The talk also will be live on Zoom.

Feb. 28 – “Neptune Frost”

March 21 – “La Ciénaga”

In January, the Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, will open two new exhibitions featuring artwork from the permanent collection.

In the Upper Preview Gallery, “The Shape of Things: Op Art and Geometric Abstraction” will be on view Jan. 14-April 9, 2023. Drawn from the permanent collection, this exhibition includes vibrant and visually fun paintings and prints. Short for Optical Art, Op Art began in the 1960s and uses shape, color and repetition to create optical illusions. Related, Geometric Abstraction is a form of abstract art that relies on shape, color and pattern to create nonrepresentational images. Many artists working in this genre look to mathematics for inspiration, each creating their own artistic, visual vocabulary. Highlights include serigraphs by Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930-2020) and a screen print by Victor Vasarely (1906-1997).

In the Lower Preview Gallery, “Focus on the Essence: The Photography of Anne Noggle” will be on view Jan. 28-April 9. Selected from more than 100 photographs donated to the museum by the Anne Noggle Foundation, this exhibition highlights self-portraits and portraits of friends and family, and displays her incredible eye for composition and lighting. A native of Evanston, Illinois, Noggle (1922-2005) learned to pilot planes in her teens and earned her career stripes as a captain in the U.S. Air Force (Women’s Air Force Service Pilot (WASP), Korean War pilot, private pilot instructor, agricultural crop duster and air show stunt pilot. It wasn’t until she was in her 40s that she began taking photos, influenced by the work of photography pioneers like Julia Margaret Cameron (1815-1879) and Diane Arbus (1923-1971).

See these exhibitions for free on Free First Saturdays. Held the first Saturday of each month and sponsored in part by Marion Cultural Alliance, visitors can enjoy the permanent collection galleries, special exhibitions, Artspace, and more — all free of charge. Visit for details about each Free First Saturday.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455 or visit