Summer course schedules, writing exhibit, & testing; Summer scholarship applications due May 19

PEL Associate Dean of Faculty Dr. Margret Skaftadottir has announced the summer plans for PEL, including course offerings, writing exhibit information, and CLEP/DSST testing services. Summer scholarship applications are due May 19 (see below).

 

Course Schedules for Summer

Online registration is now open for the Summer 2017 term. To view the course schedules, click on the links below. To register for a course, got to www.eckerd.edu/my, click on ECWeb, and log in with your Eckerd College user name and password. Call the PEL office or stop by if you need help.

Summer On-Ground (Face-to-Face) Courses: A number of on-ground courses are being offered on the St. Petersburg main campus this summer at various hours and in a variety of formats, including traditional eight-week format, blended eight-week format, two-meeting blended format (which, for VA purposes counts as a directed study), and four-week residential daytime classes. No courses are being offered in Tampa. 

Summer Online Directed Study Courses: All online directed study courses are taught as 8-week courses during the summer.

Writing Exhibit

Workshop date: Tuesday, May 30, from 6-7:30 p.m. at the St. Petersburg campus.

Submission date: Monday, June 26, by 5 p.m. All submissions must be turned in to the PEL office on the St. Petersburg campus.

CLEP/DSST Testing Services 

Testing is still available Monday through Friday through the Spring term by calling the PEL office at 727-864-8226. Testing begins at 9:45 a.m. and the last testing time begins at 4:30 p.m. (except on Tuesdays when the last testing time begins at 6:00 p.m.). You must have an appointment; no walk-ins.

No testing will be scheduled for the week of May 22-26, as this will be a transitional week in the PEL office.To schedule exams after May 29, please contact Amanda Hagood at hagoodca@eckerd.edu.

CLEP and DSST testing services will be offered in the PEL offices through the Summer term. However, days/times may be limited and testing may be administered by a different department. More information will be coming soon about Summer testing.

Note: [4/25/17] This section was edited to include the second paragraph information.

 

Summer Scholarships and Federal Financial Aid

Federal Financial Aid: Students who used federal financial aid during both Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 are not eligible for federal aid during Summer 2017. Students who used aid only for Fall 2016 or for Spring 2017 may be eligible for summer aid. Contact Eckerd’s Office of Financial Aid (at (727)-864-8334) if you have questions about your eligibility.

For those who cannot use federal aid to cover summer classes, consider these other resources:

Save Your Disbursements: Students receiving financial aid this spring, should receive disbursements around April 11th. If possible, consider conserving some of these funds to pay for any summer courses you need.

Apply for an Internal Scholarship: PEL will be offering another round of scholarships this summer. Applications are due Friday, May 19th, with decisions announced the following week, and the application form can be found here. Please supply all of the information requested on the scholarship form, as it helps the Scholarship Committee determine the awards for which you may be eligible. Finally, to be considered for an award, be sure you have a 2016-2017 FAFSA on file in the office of Financial Aid.

Apply for an External Scholarship: There are many scholarships opportunities available to you outside of Eckerd, and some programs that are specifically designed for adult learners. Fastweb.com is a popular website that can help match you with scholarships for which you might qualify (it’s free, but you have to create a sign-in account). The PEL website lists additional opportunities that may be helpful. Some local organizations, such as Rotary Clubs or houses of worship, may also offer scholarship opportunities for students in their communities, so it may pay to do some research on what is available in your community.

Career Source: Career Source Pinellas and Career Source Tampa Bay offer tuition support for low-income students or for students experiencing financial emergencies (such as the loss of a job). To learn more, or to find out if you are eligible, call the location nearest you and arrange to speak with a career counselor.

Please contact the PEL office (727)-864-8226 with any questions you might have regarding summer scholarships and funding.

Seven PEL students recognized for writing excellence

 Left: (l-r) Writing Excellence Award nominees Trace Taylor, Troy Ippolito, Chrissy Jackson, Matt DiPalma, and Writing Excellence Award winner Jasmine Rothgeb with PEL Director of Writing Services Alaina Tackitt. 

by Craig Anderson

photos by Anne W. Anderson

PEL senior Jasmine Rothgeb was presented with one of Eckerd College's 2016 Writing Excellence Awards at the PEL Celebration Reception held Saturday, May 21, in Cobb Gallery on the Eckerd main campus. Rothgeb, majoring in American Studies with a core discipline in Environmental Humanities, also received a cash award and a notation on her diploma.
 

But, with a newborn baby at home, she almost didn't attend the celebration.

“When I emailed Jasmine to see if she would be at the reception," Tackitt said, "she wasn’t sure she could attend because she has a one-month old daughter. I pressured her to come, because I knew her family would be excited to know that she is no longer a nominee, she is a winner!”

Six other PEL seniors, nominated for Writing Excellence Awards, received certificates of achievement from PEL Director of Writing Services Alaina Tackitt.

Alaina Tackitt (l) with Writing Award nominee Chris Fort.

In addition to Rothgeb, PEL nominees, who came from many disciplines, included:

• R. Matthew DiPalma, majoring in Humanities with a core discipline in History,
• J. Christian Fort, completing a Concentration in American Culture and Society,
• Heather M. Hollister, completing a Concentration in Business Management,
• Troy Anthony Ippolito, majoring in Organizational Studies with a corporate focus,
• Christine A. Jackson, majoring in Organizational Studies with a corporate focus, and
• Trace Carol Taylor, completing a Concentration in Creative Non-Fiction with a minor in Anthropology.

PEL graduates take pride in knowing they have acquired and demonstrated writing competency that sets them apart professionally and prepares them to succeed in graduate and professional advanced degree programs. One way Eckerd College students demonstrate proficiency in writing is through the Writing Exhibit, a selection of papers that show competency in four academic genres of writing: narrative/descriptive, argumentative/persuasive, interpretive/analytic, and an extemporaneous (timed) writing.

While all students -- residential and PEL -- must successfully pass the Writing Exhibit in order to graduate, a small number of students each year are recognized for having submitted outstanding work by being nominated for a Writing Excellence Award.

“I was so proud to have so many PEL seniors nominated this year,” Tackitt said. “And it was great that most were able to be at the reception, so they could be recognized by family, friends, and peers.”

Craig Anderson is the Tampa campus Office Manager and the PEL Academic Writing Coach.