All 3 Bay County colleges receive major donations this week. See where the money is going

Samantha Neely, The News Herald
·4 min read

BAY COUNTY — Christmas is coming early for Bay County colleges and their students.

All three of the county's colleges received large donations from prominent leaders and institutions within the community during the week.

Haney Technical College

Haney Technical College officials received $100,000, the largest single donation in its history.

Panama City officials on Tuesday donated funds from the American Rescue Plan to the college. The funding is intended to help train a workforce needed in the city's recovery and to build its economy for the future.

Rich Musgrave, president of the Haney Education Foundation board, said it was heartwarming to see Haney students recognized for their hard work.

Haney Technical College electrical student Evan Suggs works on pulling wire in class in February.
Haney Technical College electrical student Evan Suggs works on pulling wire in class in February.

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"It shows that there are organizations and governmental entities in our area that certainly understand the crucial nature of workforce development," Musgrave said. "This particular grant aspect certainly does have economic development all over it, because that's what we're doing is developing the workforce. ... It was very gratifying to see that being the culmination of all the effort that we put forth in trying to achieve that."

The donation will fund scholarships for students. Angela Reese, Haney's new director, said it's unknown how many students will benefit.

"Our most lengthy program, which is the aviation program, that is still less than $10,000, so when you think about that per student, that money will stretch," Reese said. "We are thrilled to have (this donation). Over 80% of our students are on some type of financial aid.

"The city's plan for that money was to be able to use it to help bring the city back to life again after Hurricane Michael so primarily they're looking at the construction trades for that but they have opened it up for any one of our programs," Reese said.

Florida State University Panama City

Lexi Rodriguez and Mia Bennett talk about the inspiration for a pair of new murals on the campus of Florida State University Panama City. The murals were painted by artist Taylor Shaw in May.
Lexi Rodriguez and Mia Bennett talk about the inspiration for a pair of new murals on the campus of Florida State University Panama City. The murals were painted by artist Taylor Shaw in May.

Florida State University Panama City also received $100,000 from the city's American Rescue Plan funds on Tuesday.

FSUPC Associate Dean Irvin Clark called the moment "transformative" when city officials handed college officials their checks. He said having government officials think about the local colleges and invest in their education sends an important message to the community.

"People don't know how much you care until you show how much you care. ... What a great way to demonstrate to the citizens of Bay County to have the city of Panama City to allocate $100,000 to FSU Panama City and to Haney Technical College to make sure that its citizens can get a credential beyond high school," Clark said.

The donation will go to FSU Panama City's PC Promise Scholarship program which provides free tuition and fees to students who are residents of Northwest Florida and whose combined family and student income is less than $60,000 or are Pell Grant eligible.

"If you come here, we promise to be your partner but we also help you to understand within your chosen major, all of the different pathways that you can take," Clark said. "If you want to go understand engineering, not just not the engineering major, but all the pathways, we do that through internships and co-ops."

Partnering with area military installations, industry leaders, and other FSU departments and colleges, FSU Panama City tailors the educational experience to make higher education more accessible to Northwest Florida residents. FSU Panama City is home to FSU’s 16th college, the College of Applied Studies, which was established to create programs that support and anticipate the needs of businesses and industry in Northwest Florida, preparing work-force ready students to meet the region’s economic demand.

Gulf Coast State College

The Gulf Coast State College Foundation announced on Wednesday that it is receiving a $200,000 donation from Charlotte Newby, owner of Newby’s Trading Company, LLC.

The donation will support The Gulf Coast Guarantee program to assist all high school students graduating from the GCSC service district with their tuition and fees.

“Gulf Coast State College provided me the college experience on a smaller scale and helped give me the confidence I needed to attend a much larger university. It is a major step leaving home where one feels safe and secure. Relocating to a new world of learning can be overwhelming to a small-town young woman,” Newby said. “I will always be thankful to Gulf Coast State College for the opportunities it allowed me to pursue as it prepared me for a wonderful career path. I am very pleased to be able to give back so that others may benefit while on their incredible journey toward success.”

Ethan Caskey, a dual enrollment student at Arnold High School, walks to a class at Gulf Coast State College in 2021.
Ethan Caskey, a dual enrollment student at Arnold High School, walks to a class at Gulf Coast State College in 2021.

Foundation officials said they are honored for Newby to give back to her alma mater as a prominent business leader.

“The gift from Mrs. Charlotte Newby represents a significant contribution from a beloved local Panama City Beach business leader,” said Sean Preston, executive director of the GCSC Foundation. “Mrs. Newby’s contribution to the Gulf Coast Guarantee directly supports high school graduates from Bay County and advances the college’s commitment to support local workforce development.”

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Haney Technical College, FSU PC, GCSC in Bay County get huge donations