Florida State College at Jacksonville welcomed its new president this week, and Thursday she welcomed questions from local reporters about her background and her goals for the future. Dr. Cynthia Bioteau says she was well aware of the problems FSCJ was struggling to overcome when she agreed to take the job. It was a case of good outweighing bad.
“You know, the foundation is good. And so I looked forward to joining a college system statewide that is highly, highly respected and valued.”
The question now is — how do you fix an institution whose reputation has been tarnished by widespread fiscal irresponsibility and mismanagement? Bioteau says you start by repairing old relationships and forging new ones. And that, in turn, builds trust.
“Trust begins any kind of organizational change for the better," she said. "It’s not the only thing but I believe it’s probably your fundamental baseline to begin. And it takes time.”
She estimates it will take at least two years to win back the community’s respect and goodwill.
In the meantime, she says, she’ll focus on her other priorities, things like reducing the high school drop-out rate, improving FSCJ’s graduation and job placement rates.
“Florida State College at Jacksonville is here to be a partner in the economic vitality of our community. We are your training and workforce partner," she said.
"What do you need from us? And that’s what I care about. Tax incentives are great but just as important, if not more important, is the guarantee of a skilled workforce, and that’s what we are here to do.”
FSCJ’s new $10,000 bachelor’s degree program in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, she says, fits perfectly with Jacksonville’s goal of becoming a major transportation hub.
You can follow Cyd Hoskinson on Twitter @cydwjctnews.
