PORT ST. JOE — John Holdnak, president of Gulf Coast State College, has a vision for the future of the school and the Gulf/Franklin campus in Port St. Joe will play a vital role.
With a 26-year career with Gulf Coast under his belt, Holdnak was named president July 1.
He previously served roles ranging from student activities specialist to director of wellness and athletics, director of human resources and vice president and dean of administrative services at the college.
His first order of business in his new post was to establish a new five-year plan for the college, faculty and staff.
“Our philosophy has also been to serve the citizens and provide equitable opportunities and skillsets to students,” Holdnak said. “Nothing about it has changed.”
Though based in Panama City, Holdnak said that in order to have a clear vision of the future he spends several days each week traveling to Port St. Joe, Wewahitchka, Apalachicola, Carrabelle and Eastpoint to meet with community leaders in order to get a feel for what GCSC can further add to the communities it supports.
“The Gulf/Franklin campus has been a fixture of Port St. Joe for a long time,” Holdnak said. “I think of the college as a resource or tool to help forward the needs of the community and building economic development.
“The process is very collaborative when identifying those needs, and it allows me to get a lot of smart people together.”
Holdnak said during its 20-year existence, the Gulf/Franklin campus has grown to meet the needs of the community and he hopes to continue the trend.
When the St. Joe Paper Company paper mill closed in 1996, Holdnak said, the college was there to help workers pick up the pieces.
“The mill was the livelihood of many people for generations,” Holdnak said. “The college was able to step in with training activities to help retool people into new careers.
“That opportunity, to have a good facility available locally, was a real deal-changer and kept [the closing of the mill] from being catastrophic to the community.”
As much as he has examined the past, Holdnak now looks to the future.
In the next five years Holdnak said he hopes to be able to reach more people in Wewahitchka, Carrabelle, Apalachicola and Eastpoint by offering specific classes in those areas that will benefit the communities.
“I want to expand our footprint,” Holdnak said. “We have a better chance of people being able to participate if these things are offered closer to where they live, worship and play.”
Holdnak said even if a full slate of courses isn’t offered, simply having a site in those cities for instruction would be a leap forward, and as technology develops he hopes to explore the possibility of connecting satellite classrooms to the Gulf/Franklin campus via video.
Plans are already in motion to secure offices in those communities and have a GCSC academic adviser available one or two days per week. Future students would be able to stop by or make an appointment to have their questions answered by someone versed in GCSC’s various programs and financial aid processes.
Holdnak said re-engaging in economic development is important, and said he’s excited to explore opportunities that will help business owners in Gulf County succeed in ventures outside of tourism and seafood.
He also believes the opening of the Port of Port St. Joe will shine a spotlight on new programs that can be added to the GCSC roster to provide specialized training for port-related operations.
“We want to take the college out into the community a little more,” Holdnak said. “The port is going to make a world of difference.”
Loretta Costin, director of the Gulf/Franklin campus, received nothing but praise from Holdnak. He said that Costin’s background in technology education has played a huge role in the growth of the Gulf/Franklin campus, bringing in new classes like the Farmer’s Market University and the law enforcement training program to help stimulate the local job markets.
“Loretta has breathed new life into the Gulf/Franklin center,” Holdnak said. “She’s done a fantastic job, and the best is yet to come.”