EFSC Looks Ahead with Time Capsule Burial

View more time capsule photos in our Facebook photo gallery.

The future of Eastern Florida State College was celebrated Wednesday with the burial of a time capsule that includes student ideas on what education will look like in 50 years.

The capsule was buried on the Cocoa campus to help mark Eastern Florida’s move to state college status and its new mission to offer Bachelor's Degree programs in fast-growing career fields.

The project was the brainchild of Kris Hardy, program director and instructor in the Medical Assistant Program, who asked the college community to contribute essays, items and memorabilia.

The result was an eclectic mix that should prove enlightening when the capsule is opened in 2064.

“I kept thinking this is really a new direction for the college, for students and for the community we serve,” said Hardy.

“It takes real vision with creative minds, dedication and teamwork to create programs for new careers, and I thought a time capsule would be a great way to let people know a half-century from now how proud we were in launching this important effort.”

The capsule contains materials that range from an essay titled “What EFSC, Education and the Space Coast will look like in 2064” to a letter from John Glenn, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts and the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.

There are class pictures, program patches, drawings, medical equipment, books and thoughts on the rapid acceleration of technology in today’s world.

There is also a current college catalog with the names of all faculty, staff and course offerings, along with a list of distinguished alumni and a DVD that features the last graduating class in 2013 from Brevard Community College, which was Eastern Florida’s former name.

In all, about 50 items were squeezed inside the capsule which was buried in a grassy area between the Student Services Building and Library on the Cocoa campus.

The capsule and metal sign, which sticks out of the ground so the box can be located, were created by students in the EFSC welding program. The burial process was carried out by the EFSC facilities team.

The time capsule project was co-sponsored by the faculty Professional Development Committee and the EFSC Center for Teaching Excellence which strives to strengthen teaching across all campuses by connecting faculty with the latest resources, technology tips and teaching ideas.

“I’d love to be here when it’s opened in 2064,” said Hardy. “That generation will see how much times have changed but also how the work we’re doing now helped create a brighter future.”