College Activities & Service

Narrative

Institutional Engagement

For me, service is where my technical expertise reaches beyond my own courses: into the decisions committees make, the programs the College offers, and the students and communities around us.

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Committee work has been the steadiest part of that service. I have served on the Online Campus Grade Appeal Committee since fall 2022 and have taken part in more than 20 appeal hearings since fall 2024 alone, often bringing technical expertise to cases involving academic integrity and the improper use of AI, such as reviewing the authorship properties of submitted documents. In 2022–2023 I served on the Online Campus Professor of the Year selection committee, reviewing faculty portfolios and teaching demonstrations, and from 2022 to 2024 I served on the college-wide Digital Divide Committee.

My role has grown from participation to leadership. As chair of the New Initiatives Subcommittee of the Environmental Sustainability Committee, I proposed and helped launch the E-Waste Collection Initiative, working with Information Technology to establish collection points at the Tech Support Centers on three campuses. Since 2024, I have also served as Certification Institute Manager, building and maintaining Broward College Online’s five CompTIA certification course shells and guiding students from coursework to industry certification.

Service strengthens the academic community by connecting instructional work with shared institutional goals.

Ricardo S. Vargas, MS

Much of my service connects directly to students. From 2022 to 2024, I served as faculty advisor to the Latinos in Action student organization. Through the Cybertech NSF ATE Grant, I designed and delivered AWS cloud computing workshops for the Summer and Winter 2024–25 cybersecurity boot camps, volunteering my time for the winter session. Because my online students may rarely be on campus, I bring College opportunities to them through course announcements: the PlutoHacks hackathons, the STEM Career Fair, campus IT jobs, internships, and the new Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking Club. When students have questions, I follow up for them, as when I asked the Associate Dean whether the College’s IT internships were paid. I also attend both annual commencement ceremonies whenever possible.

Beyond the College, I have volunteered at the City of Fort Lauderdale Beach Sweep since October 2025, and I ride in charity and cycling-safety events, including the Bill Bone Giro, the Frank Stark Celebration Ride, and the Ride Against Cancer benefiting 305 Pink Pack. I also support the arts and causes close to me: I sponsored the Eagle Point Elementary Orchestra’s end-of-year concert, I am a longtime subscriber to and donor of the Symphony of the Americas, and I give to the Broward College Foundation and to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Together, these activities reflect a sustained commitment to Broward College and its community that extends well beyond the classroom, documented in my annual evaluations and the evidence on this page.