By Jamie Zimchek, Editor
Dr. John Holdnak, Gulf Coast State College’s president, has Panama City roots so deep he was delivered at Lisenby Hospital on 11th Street by a doctor who sat on the college’s board of Trustees when he was originally hired in 1982. Lisenby Hospital has long since closed, but Holdnak, at the helm of GCSC since 2014, through a major hurricane and equally daunting pandemic, is still going strong.
Like most career paths, Dr. Holdnak’s has had a twist or two. A Bachelor of Science in Leisure Services from Florida State University in Tallahassee set him on the general road toward administration, first as an intern at a commercial resort, then in a position running the college’s student activities programs. He detoured from these more administrative roles to finish a Master of Science from Florida State University Panama City in Psychology, and spent some time teaching before really locking in on his calling. Equipped in 2005 with a Doctor of Education from the University of West Florida in Pensacola, Dr. Holdnak continued to take on more administrative responsibilities, including time spent as an academic department head, Director of Wellness and Athletics, Human Resources Director, and the Dean and Vice President of Administrative Services, at GCSC, with a sum total of 26 years at the college on his first watch. Subsequently, over the next six years, he manned the position of Vice Chancellor for Fiscal Policy, and later the Executive Vice Chancellor, for the Florida College System.
The Florida College System includes 28 Florida community/state colleges – and though Gulf Coast State College might be one of the smaller in enrollment size, it plays an outsized role in the community, offering not just a two year Associate of Arts degree, but also associate degrees and certifications in a variety of occupational fields, and a handful of options for full four year degrees, like a Bachelor of Science in Digital Media, or in Organizational Management. Holdnak also notes that GCSC boasts the lowest tuition and fees fees of all 40 public institutions in Florida, including both public colleges and the state’s public universities. Better still, you can finish an Associate of Arts degree here for far less than at a traditional university, and then transfer over to one of Florida’s 12 universities, where you are guaranteed acceptance to the university as a junior. Limited access programs at the university may require a separate application and the completion of specified prerequisites, also typically taught at Gulf Coast. In other words, this is a state college with its community and the needs of its students at its core.
What take-aways does he have from his many years of experience? “Perspective is everything,” he says. “Every second we have with students is so precious.” This approach guides decision making for the college, where the focus on impact to students is paramount. He relates that this is relevant even in thinking about school closures due to inclement weather. “Closing is not a simple decision,” Holdnak explains. It’s particularly crucial near the end of a term, when the remaining time spent in class is even more limited. Though major storms have fortunately been less of an issue these past two years, GCSC has not been immune to the changes necessitated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Because growing evidence suggests that student academic performance often drops with online learning, Holdnak has worked to make faculty more accessible and provide more online and supplemental resources. For classes that, out of necessity, involve in-person learning, like lab classes, clinicals, or fire fighting training, they’ve done things like reducing class frequency by making class sessions longer, and reducing class sizes so that students can spread out more in existing facilities. Thanks also to close adherence to CDC guidelines, and a flexible approach to classes that includes virtual or hybrid options when possible, there have been “zero transmissions of the disease that occurred on campus related to college events,” he says. Which is impressive, no matter your degree.
Head to Gulf Coast State College’s website, www.gulfcoast.edu, for more information on degree programs and to register now online for spring 2021.
