Dr. Walter L. Smith Guest Speaker at Award & Scholarship Banquet
MADISON, FL – North Florida Community College received seven nominations for the 2016 JENYETHEL MERRITT AWARD FOR CIVIC SERVICE and will announce the winner at a public award and celebration ceremony on Saturday, June 25 at NFCC. The award honors an African-American woman who has made significant contributions within NFCC’s six-county district – Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Madison, Suwannee or Taylor County. Nominees are Sarah Higginbotham (Hamilton County); Dr. Rosalie “Rose” A. Hill (Taylor County/Leon County); Keysha Horn (Suwannee County); Deloris M. Jones (Madison County); Elesta Pritchett (Madison County); Shirley A. Washington (Jefferson County/Madison County); and Flora Woodfaulk (Taylor County).
PUBLIC AWARD & CELEBRATION CEREMONY: The public is invited to the Jenyethel Merritt Award and Celebration Ceremony at Van H. Priest Auditorium at 4:30 p.m. The ceremony will recognize all nominees and end with the announcement of the 2016 Jenyethel Merritt Award for Civic Service winner. Light refreshments will be served.
AWARD & SCHOLARSHIP BANQUET: The Jenyethel Merritt Award and Scholarship Banquet will follow in the NFCC Student Center (Bldg. 9) at 6 p.m. featuring guest speaker Dr. Walter L. Smith, former FAMU president and author of “The Magnificent Twelve: Florida’s Black Junior Colleges.” Tickets to the banquet are on sale now in the NFCC College Advancement Office (Bldg. 32); seating is limited. Proceeds will benefit NFCC scholarships.
The award is named in honor of the late Jenyethel Merritt. Merritt was president of Suwannee River Junior College, an African-American community college established by the Florida legislature in 1958 and located in Madison. SRJC operated from 1959 until 1966 when it merged with North Florida Community College. Merritt was Florida’s first woman president of a public community college. She was reputed to be a strong leader who promoted positive college-town relations.
The award ceremony and banquet are part of NFCC’s yearlong celebration of SRJC and the 50th anniversary of SRJC’s merger with NFCC. Visit nfcc.edu for more information about SRJC’s history and upcoming events and activities NFCC has planned to celebrate SRJC and its alumni in 2016. For more information, contact NFCC College Advancement at 850-973-1613 or email news@nfcc.edu.
