DIGNITARIES HONORED BY RAO MUSUNURU, M. D., AT WINTER COMMENCEMENT Pasco-Hernando State College’ s winter commencement, held on December 14, included presentations of two $ 10,000 donations to scholarships provided by Rao Musunuru, M. D., chair, PHSC District Board of Trustees and renowned local cardiologist. The two scholarship donations were given to the PHSC Foundation in honor of Florida Senator Wilton Simpson and Pat Mulieri, Ed. D.
Florida Senator Wilton Simpson, speaker for the morning ceremony, was recognized for his efforts in supporting PHSC students. Dr. Musunuru contributed $ 10,000 to the Gloria and Wayne Simpson Endowed Scholarship fund that Sen. Simpson established in 2014 in honor of his parents. Sen. Simpson also was inducted into PHSC’ s Legislative Hall of Fame, designed to recognize the distinguished members of the district’ s legislative delegation supportive of PHSC and its open door policy.
Simpson is a 1996 PHSC alumnus and former PHSC trustee. He was elected to the senate in 2012. In 2016, he was appointed to serve as the Senate Majority Leader of the Republican Caucus.
From left: PHSC President Timothy L. Beard, Ph. D., Patricia Mulieri, Ed. D, PHSC Professor Emerita, and Rao Musunuru, M. D., PHSC Chair, District Board of Trustees.
Patricia Mulieri, Ed. D., PHSC Professor Emerita and the afternoon commencement ceremony speaker, also was recognized for her dedication to PHSC and the residents of our district by Musunuru with a $ 10,000 contribution to the newly established Patricia Hans Mulieri and James Mulieri Endowed Scholarship fund. Mulieri, and her husband, James, contributed an additional $ 15,000 for a $ 25,000 total scholarship fund reserved for PHSC students, 30 years of age or older with an interest in pursuing a degree in education.
Mulieri earned Professor Emerita status after retiring from her 26-year career at the College. Elected to the Pasco County Commission in 1994, she successfully juggled her responsibilities as a professor and her duties as commissioner until she retired from PHSC in 2005. She served as a commissioner for 20 years.
From left: PHSC President Timothy L. Beard, Ph. D., Senator Wilton Simpson, and Rao Musunuru, M. D., PHSC Chair, District Board of Trustees.
22 PHSC Perspective