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The College of Central Florida’s Teacher Education program recently was recognized as the No. 1 most valuable education degree program in Florida, landing the No. 4 spot in the country as ranked by Research.com.

91��Ƭ’s Bachelor of Science in Early Childhood Education, designed to train teachers who wish to teach children age 3 through grade 3, was recognized for its return-on-investment ratio, and was noted for having a significant majority of students – more than 80% – who receive financial aid. According to Research.com, the ranking is built by selecting the best institutions in a location that “guarantee a good educational experience with the lowest cost possible.” 91��Ƭ’s tuition is about half the cost of a university and 3/4 of graduates leave the college with no student loan debt.

“Our goal at College of Central Florida is to offer a high-quality education with affordable tuition,” said Dr. Jennifer Fryns, 91��Ƭ vice president of Workforce Development and Innovation. “By training students in the high-demand field of teacher education, we are helping to meet Florida’s critical shortage of educators while giving graduates a competitive degree and the skills to enter this high-reward profession. Our strong partnerships with the school districts in Marion, Citrus and Levy counties support our 100% job placement rate and help keep our graduates local. Innovative aspects of 91��Ƭ’s Teacher Education program, such as the use of simulation software to prepare students for the realities of today’s classroom instruction and the Temporary Teacher internship program, provide our students with the tools they need to have a positive early career experience.”

For more information about 91��Ƭ’s Teacher Education programs, visit 91��Ƭ.edu/Education.

The Appleton Museum of Art, College of Central Florida, is pleased to announce “Portraits in Passing: Contemporary Chinese Brush Painting by A.E. Kozeliski,” on view Jan. 31-June 21, 2026.

The subjects in “Portraits in Passing” are the people of the street – those encountered in daily life yet often overlooked: the wanderers, the unhoused and the forgotten. Through Tallahassee-based artist A.E. Kozeliski’s brush, these fleeting figures become thought-provoking reflections of contemporary society. Rather than traditional portraits, they capture a moment in time, revealing glimpses of humanity that might otherwise go unnoticed.

“I have embraced an ancient art form,” Kozeliski said. “And through the depiction of contemporary subject matter, I have made it my own while respecting its traditions.”

Opening in the Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists on the museum’s second floor, each work invites viewers to engage personally and to find their own stories within the faces and gestures portrayed. As subtle details reveal themselves, the once unseen become visible, gaining presence and dignity through the artist’s hand.

Rooted in the ancient traditions of Chinese brush painting, Kozeliski’s process draws on the discipline’s four foundational strokes, techniques that require mastery of brush pressure, water-ink balance, and handmade paper selection. Painting in the Mogufa (“boneless”) style, she captures not physical likeness but the energy, or qi, of her subjects. Composed without backgrounds, these minimal yet expressive portraits allow a simple line or gesture to suggest place, emotion and humanity.

Artist Talk and Demonstration
Saturday, April 4, 1 p.m.

Join Kozeliski in the auditorium on the April 4 Free First Saturday for a talk on the works featured in “Portraits in Passing.” Learn about her contemporary Chinese brush-painting techniques and enjoy a live demonstration. Free; no reservations needed to attend.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. 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. Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month. For more information, call 352-291-4455, or visit AppletonMuseum.org.

The College of Central Florida is pleased to announce the selection of Dr. Mary Ann Begley as its new vice president of Enrollment Services and Student Affairs. Currently the dean of Student Services and Title IX coordinator, Begley will transition to her new role in January. She was selected after a nationwide search of talented candidates.

Begley has served at the College of Central Florida since 2020 in roles including director of compliance and planning and director of institutional research and effectiveness, and she teaches the First Year Seminar course. Begley has more than 30 years of experience in higher education and holds a Ph.D. in higher education administration from Bowling Green State University. Before coming to 91��Ƭ, she worked with students at Florida Gateway College as the director of student life.

“Dr. Begley holds a wealth of knowledge in student affairs,” said Dr. Jim Henningsen, 91��Ƭ president. “I am confident that her vast experience and vision for 91��Ƭ’s future will strengthen our college community for years to come.”

The College of Central Florida Webber Gallery will present “Manifest,” on view Jan. 7-March 5, 2026. The collaborative exhibition features works by two longtime friends and Georgia-based artists, Craig Hawkins and Matt Armstrong. They channel their shared southern upbringing into finding common ground to express their pursuit of a deeply personal faith, imagining how the supernatural may manifest.

Hawkins, a south Georgia studio artist and professor at Valdosta State University, centers his studio practice on drawing and painting. His work delves into a narrative thread of trees, blending chronicles and creativity and using visual art to channel ageless insights.

Armstrong, currently based in Atlanta, finds inspiration in both American southern and international culture and has been a resident artist in Iceland and Germany. His works focus on visual depictions of prayer.

Webber Gallery hours are 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and admission is free. The Webber Gallery is located at the 91��Ƭ Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road. An opening reception, yet to be scheduled, will be announced at 91��Ƭ.edu/Webber. For more information, call 352-854-2322, ext. 1664.

The College of Central Florida invites the public to the grand launch of the Biodiversity Trail at the 91��Ƭ Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, on Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 5:30-7:30 p.m.

The Biodiversity Trail is a hybrid open-air/digital museum dedicated to the biodiversity and ecology of Citrus County and the Nature Coast of Central Florida. With 32 permanent physical exhibits, each paired with a unique digital exhibit, this STEAM museum incorporates music, photography and visual arts to teach visitors about the science of the community. Exhibits include animal and plant diversity, fire and wetland ecology, and economic impacts of local ecosystems on Citrus County residents.

The grand launch event will begin at 5:30 p.m. with refreshments and exhibit viewing, with the keynote presentation at 6 p.m. Steve Schenk, 91��Ƭ associate professor of biological science and the Biodiversity Trail creator, will present “The Stories I Could Tell,” which will focus on the trail’s origin, the contribution of students, staff and community members, and the importance of storytelling in education and our shared community experience. The multimedia presentation will feature music, videography and photo highlights from the trail.

“I call it BioDiT (pronounced ‘bye-odd-it-ee’) for short,” Schenk said of the Biodiversity Trail project he’s been developing since 2023. “At the heart of BioDiT Citrus is a collection of photography and artwork, mostly submitted by 91��Ƭ students and staff. This means that BioDiT Citrus allows 91��Ƭ students to build up their resumes and develop professionally useful skills while aiding in construction of an educational community resource.”

For more information about the Biodiversity Trail, visit .

The College of Central Florida will offer the state’s first Associate in Science degree in Precision Agriculture beginning in the Fall 2026 semester. The new curriculum, developed by 91��Ƭ faculty, was approved by the State Board of Education at its Nov. 13 meeting.

“The College of Central Florida is proud to be leading the way in agriculture education that prepares students to succeed in today’s high-tech agriculture industry,” said Dr. James Henningsen, 91��Ƭ president. “This new Precision Agriculture degree was developed to support Florida’s growing need for skilled professionals in our state’s second largest industry.”

While 91��Ƭ currently offers an associate degree in Agribusiness Management that focuses on agricultural operations and management, the new Precision Agriculture degree is meant to prepare technician-level practitioners of precision agricultural practices who employ cutting-edge technology including drones, sensors, robotics, artificial intelligence and automated equipment and harvesting in order to improve production and conserve natural resources such as land and water. Graduates will be well prepared for immediate employment in roles such as precision agriculture specialists, agronomic consultants, farm data analysts, drone operators and equipment technicians.

The new curriculum was developed by Tavis Douglass, 91��Ƭ associate professor and program manager for Agribusiness Management, with input from 91��Ƭ’s partners including University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the Florida High Tech Corridor.

“91��Ƭ is emerging as a major partner in efforts to boost rural economies through agricultural technology innovation, technical assistance, entrepreneurial training, workforce development and business recruitment,” said Scott Angle, the University of Florida’s senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and head of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. “91��Ƭ appreciates and supports the need to integrate technology into traditional production if agriculture is to remain the state’s number two industry. The new degree will make 91��Ƭ a stronger partner than ever in these efforts.”

91��Ƭ, which was designated a National Institute of Food and Agriculture Non-Land-Grant College of Agriculture last year, gives students the unique opportunity to learn hands-on at the 103-acre 91��Ƭ Vintage Farm Campus, the only working farm campus in the Florida College System.

For more information, visit 91��Ƭ.edu/Agribusiness.

The College of Central Florida invites anyone thinking about college to an open house on Monday, Dec. 1, from 3-6 p.m. at the Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, Lecanto.

Future students are encouraged to tour the campus and learn about more than 170 academic pathways, including 70 job-training programs. Attendees can receive assistance with the application process and financial aid, and can register for the spring semester, which starts Jan. 7.

Students interested in the Respiratory Care program are invited to attend an information session at 4 p.m. to learn more about this high-demand health care career path.

Everyone who completes an admissions application at the event will have the $30 application fee waived and will be entered to win tuition for a 3-credit hour class at 91��Ƭ’s standard tuition rate.

Additional open house events will be held Tuesday, Dec. 2, 3-6 p.m. at the Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, 15390 N.W. Highway 19, Chiefland, and Wednesday, Dec. 3, 12:30-3:30 p.m. at the 91��Ƭ Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road.

For more information, visit 91��Ƭ.edu/OpenHouse.

The College of Central Florida invites anyone thinking about college to an open house on Tuesday, Dec. 2, from 3-6 p.m. at the 91��Ƭ Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, 15390 N.W. Highway 19, Chiefland.

Future students are encouraged to tour the campus and learn about more than 170 academic pathways, including 70 job-training programs. Attendees can receive assistance with the application process and financial aid, and can register for the spring semester, which starts Jan. 7.

Everyone who completes an admissions application at the event will have the $30 application fee waived and will be entered to win tuition for a 3-credit hour class at 91��Ƭ’s standard tuition rate.

Additional open house events will be held Monday, Dec. 1, 3-6 p.m. at the Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus, 3800 S. Lecanto Highway, Lecanto, and Wednesday, Dec. 3, 3-6 p.m. at the Ocala Campus, 3001 S.W. College Road.

For more information, visit 91��Ƭ.edu/OpenHouse.