DSC faculty and staff shine at AFC annual convention

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Nov. 5, 2014) – From quality faculty and leadership to exemplary practices in marketing and communications, Daytona State College (DSC) earned high accolades during the Association of Florida Colleges’ (AFC) 65th annual convention held Oct. 29-31 in Destin, Fla.

The college’s head librarian, Mercedes Clement, was elected AFC’s 2015 Vice President-Elect for Regions and Chapters. The 33-year Daytona State veteran had served as Region III Director, which includes DSC, Valencia College, Seminole State College, College of Central Florida, Lake Sumter State College and Eastern Florida State College. As the incoming vice president, she will support collaborative and professional development activities within all five AFC regions during her three-year term.

Region III, for which Clement served as director this year, also earned Region of the Year honors, and Daytona State’s AFC Chapter advanced two chapter levels, from silver to platinum designation, based on increasing its membership by five percent and leading various fundraisers throughout the year. English Professor Kathleen Lazarus serves as chapter president.

Sharon Crow, who served Daytona State for 39 years prior to her retirement this fall, most recently as senior vice president of governmental relations, received the association’s Honorary Life Membership Award.

Dr. Trey Orndorff, a political science professor, earned runner-up status as Professor of the Year. The Miami University of Ohio graduate joined Daytona State in 2011 and has quickly become one of the college’s most regarded professors by students and faculty alike.

Daytona State’s Director of Equity and Inclusion Lonnie Thompson was elected to lead AFC’s Equity Commission for the coming year. And School of Student Life Skills chair Charlene Latimer retained her seat on the AFC Board of Directors.

The college also had a strong showing in AFC’s Communications and Marketing Commission’s Awards of Excellence competition, taking home 10 awards, including Best of Show and four first-place awards.

Best of Show went to a series of short videos or “vines” the Marketing Department produced as part of its Get there Faster campaign. The six videos also earned the association’s first-place Trendsetter Award.

The college also took home first place in Specialty Advertising, Radio Advertising and Print Brochure categories, second place in the Outdoor Advertising, Viewbook and Student Handbook categories, and third place in the Website and Story Resulting in Publication categories.

All totaled there were 277 entries submitted by 20 institutions in 34 categories.

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