Trustees Praise EFSC President s Performance, Extend Contract

Eastern Florida State College President Dr. Jim Richey was praised Monday for his leadership and performance by the Board of Trustees who extended his contract to 2022.

The trustees took the action during Richey’s performance review for 2016, which is the fifth since he became president in 2012.

They were unanimous in lauding his accomplishments, including not raising tuition, adding more new Bachelor’s Degrees and Associate’s Degrees and constructing new academic buildings.

They also said he has changed the college’s culture and instilled a new sense of pride in Eastern Florida among students and the community.

“Dr. Richey is a top-notch performer and leader who exemplifies the highest standards of service to the students, faculty and staff,” said board Chair Moses Harvin, Sr.

“He works exceptionally well with the Board of Trustees, community leaders and the Florida Legislature to secure much-needed funding for new programs and facilities for our students. We are very proud to have this highly motivated, energetic leader as our president.”

Said Vice Chair Alan Landman: “Jim is a great leader and great president who is not afraid to make hard decisions. We are very fortunate to have him leading this institution.”

Richey thanked the trustees for their “support and vision in moving the college forward.”

He also credited faculty members for their “dedication and passion. You are unmatched among your peers.”

He went on express gratitude for the college’s staff and “the continued strong support from the community that is essential to our success.”

Richey’s many accomplishments in 2016 included:

• Did not raise tuition for the fifth straight year since he became president.
• Added more new Bachelor’s Degree and Associate’s Degree programs in Business, Health Care and Computer Technologies.
• Made major increase in the number of online courses and the number of degrees that can be earned completely online.
• Maintained the college’s high national ranking for awarding Associate’s Degrees, ranking 36th in all disciplines.
• Opened a new Health Sciences Institute on the Melbourne campus; new Fire Training Center on the Palm Bay campus; new Advanced Manufacturing Center on the Cocoa campus; new Education Center at Patrick Air Force Base.
• Received funding from the state Legislature to build a new Student Union on the Melbourne campus.
• Continued growth in the Core Scholar program that provides tutoring and coaching to improve student success.
• Further strengthened college security to better protect students, faculty, staff and the public on all four campuses.
• Career Planning and Development Center passed major milestone with more than 53,000 students served, providing valuable training to make students job-market ready upon graduation.
• Grew the EFSC Foundation with a number of important new initiatives that saw contributions increase and the Foundation’s endowment reach $21 million.