Five Florida Technical College Campuses Named to President's Honor Roll for Community Service

ORLANDO, Fla., July 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- For the sixth consecutive year, five Florida Technical College campuses have joined a selective group of traditional colleges attaining a coveted post at the President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. This distinction is the highest honor a college or university can receive from President Barack Obama for service-driven initiatives that improve quality of life in communities throughout the nation. FTC is one of only a handful of for-profit colleges to have achieved such honor among more than 4,000 institutions competing for it nationwide.

"Community service is part of the learning process at Florida Technical College," said FTC President David Ruggieri. "Our students learn by doing and part of that is putting into practice, for the benefit of their communities, the skills they are developing in the classroom. We are humbled to have been recognize for that."

Five of Florida Technical College's six campuses –Orlando, Kissimmee, Deland, Lakeland and Pembroke Pines- were named to the Honor Roll in the General Community Service category, while Orlando, Kissimmee and Deland were additionally listed in the Interfaith Community Service category. (A sixth campus in Cutler Bay, Miami, had not been open long enough in 2014 to qualify for a nomination.) Further, of 47 private and public college campuses which made the interfaith honor roll, FTC is the only institution recognized for multiple campus locations. Of the five Florida-based colleges recognized in this category, three are FTC locations.

At Florida Technical College, students, faculty and staff work together to improve their communities in many ways. Hope in the Street, spearheaded by the Kissimmee campus with a local church, is an initiative to feed and clothe the homeless, while providing free haircuts and basic check-ups. Other students, faculty and staff-led initiatives include a back-to-school bash to assist low-income families, career fairs for veterans and thousand volunteer work with organizations serving the physically or mentally disabled. FTC is also a key supporter of Heart of Florida United Way, Central Florida's most comprehensive health and human services charity and the largest provider of funds to the region's most critical health and human service programs.

"Our goal is for students to graduate with more than a diploma," Ruggieri said. "We are developing leaders and problem solvers unafraid to innovate. By encouraging our students to help others, we strengthen the community we all call home and the nation as a whole."

The college serves a majority of minority students and is committed to help them close the achievement gap, so they may obtain gainful employments and succeed in all areas of life. 

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About Florida Technical College: FTC offers associate and bachelor's degrees and diploma programs in a range of professions, including healthcare, computer networking, graphic design, criminal justice, culinary arts and cosmetology.  FTC's campuses are located in Orlando, Lakeland, DeLand, Kissimmee and Pembroke Pines. Founded in 1982 to provide private, post-secondary education in specialized fields, FTC is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools. 

Contact: María Sanquírico
Mobile:  813-420-2922

SOURCE Florida Technical College