Carl M. Kuttler, Jr.
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Carl Martin Kuttler Jr. (born 31 January 1940 in
Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...
) is the former president of
St. Petersburg College St. Petersburg College (SPC) is a public college in Pinellas County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and one of the institutions in the system designated a "state college," as it offers a greater number of bachelor's degrees th ...
in
St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...
, which he headed from 1978 to 2009.


Early life and education

Kuttler was born in Daytona Beach, Florida, to Carl Martin Kuttler and Rema Winona Ellis. His family moved to St. Petersburg, Florida when he was four years old. At St. Petersburg High School, he was told by a
guidance counselor A school counselor is a professional who works in primary (elementary and middle) schools or secondary schools to provide academic, career, college access/affordability/admission, and social-emotional competencies to all students through a school ...
that he was "not college material", so after graduation he planned to work in his uncle's meat supply business. But his father convinced him to enroll in college. He earned his A.A. in management from St. Petersburg Junior College in 1960, his
B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
in business administration from
Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...
in 1962, and his
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from Stetson University College of Law in 1965.


Career

He began his career at St. Petersburg Junior College in 1966 as assistant to the vice president for administration. From 1967 to 1978 he served as dean of administrative affairs. Upon the retirement of college president Michael M. Bennett in 1978, Kuttler assumed the presidency, becoming one of Florida's youngest-ever
community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...
presidents. During his tenure, he oversaw the transition of the college to a four-year institution (now called St. Petersburg College) offering over 20 bachelor's degrees, the expansion of the campus from two campuses to 10 learning locations, and an increase in enrollment from 13,300 to 36,133 students. Kuttler was known as an "entrepreneurial" college president for his efforts to form partnerships between St. Petersburg College and governments, businesses, cultural institutions, and other colleges and universities. These include the development of the $32 million EpiCenter corporate training center in Largo; joint-use libraries for St. Petersburg College and Seminole State; the Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art on the St. Petersburg College campus in Tarpon Springs; and the St. Petersburg College downtown center serving
The Florida Orchestra The Florida Orchestra is an American orchestra based in the tri-city area of Tampa, Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Florida. It was founded as the Florida Gulf Coast Symphony upon the 1968 merger of the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra and the T ...
, American Stage, and Palladium Theater. In 1988, Kuttler leveraged a gift of land and facilities worth $11.2 million from the Allstate Insurance Company with over $30 million in state and federal grants to create a home for the college's Open Campus program, Southeastern Public Safety Institute for law-enforcement programs, and central computer. He also raised money in the public arena. In his first year as president, he put a
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
on the Pinellas County ballot seeking a temporary hike in property taxes to raise $500,000 for college improvements, which passed voter approval. The college also petitioned for and received $6.5 million from the Florida state legislature to purchase and remodel three retail buildings for college use. Kuttler was known for calling and sending a card to each of the college's 1,000 full-time employees on their birthdays. He also sent birthday gifts to Florida legislators – "ties for the men and scarves, pins, or Kmart crystal for the women" – and sent a potted plant to every new community college and university president in Florida. He instituted an employee recognition program and dispatched a congratulatory letter to every St. Petersburg College student who placed in the top 3% of academic achievement.


International relationships

Kuttler formed international relationships and joint educational ventures with
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
,
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
,
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
,
Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
,
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, and other countries. Music, dance, and ballet performances have been part of the U.S.-Russian cultural exchange. St. Petersburg College's police training academy has trained 6,000 of
Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
's 18,000 police officers. Beginning in 1989, Kuttler established a 20-year relationship with the Russian government, supporting educational, political and business initiatives. In 1989 Kuttler hosted his first Russian delegation at St. Petersburg College and embarked on a 10-day exchange program in which
Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
, then an associate vice president at
Saint Petersburg State University Saint Petersburg State University (SPBU; russian: Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет) is a public research university in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in 1724 by a decree of Peter the G ...
in St. Petersburg, Russia, was his daily host. Kuttler made another two visits to Russia over the years, giving interviews on Russian national television and receiving invitations and several awards from Russian universities and institutions. For two weeks in the fall of 1990, Kuttler served as honorary rector of Leningrad State University (formerly Saint Petersburg State University) as part of an exchange that brought that university's rector, Stanislav P. Merkuriev to St. Petersburg College, where Merkuriev was named honorary president. In May and June 1993, Kuttler was sent to Russia by the
United States Information Agency The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...
to be the technical advisor for the creation of a national community college system. After that he was named "Father of the Russian Community College System". Kuttler welcomed a total of 300 Russian leaders to the United States during his presidency, including heads of automobile manufacturing companies and airlines, journalists, state
Duma A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions. The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
officials, and judges. He met with President Putin and Russian ambassador Yuri Ushakov during Putin's visit to
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
in October 2001; one result of that visit was Kuttler's establishment of a
scholarship fund A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...
named after Putin and Ushakov to benefit Russian students in the United States. In April 2003 Kuttler was invited by Putin to attend an international law panel in St. Petersburg, Russia together with 25 world leaders, including French President
Jacques Chirac Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
and German Chancellor
Gerhard Schroeder Gerhard is a name of Germanic origin and may refer to: Given name * Gerhard (bishop of Passau) (fl. 932–946), German prelate * Gerhard III, Count of Holstein-Rendsburg (1292–1340), German prince, regent of Denmark * Gerhard Barkhorn (1919–19 ...
. In June 2004, he was named Honorary Consul of the Russian Federation to the State of Florida upon the recommendation of Russia's Prime Minister and the Russian ambassador to the U.S.; the appointment was approved by the United States State Department.


Other activities

In 1974, Kuttler ran for the office of state education commissioner. He was defeated by Ralph Turlington by a 2–1 margin. In the 1980s, in partnership with the American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, Kuttler developed a series of annual Presidential Leadership Seminars on current issues, first with former President
Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...
at the
Carter Center The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn Carter partnered with Emory University just after his defeat in the 1980 United States presidenti ...
in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
and then with former President
Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...
at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in
Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...
. In 1988 Kuttler was nominated by President
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
to be a member of the National Advisory Council on Educational Research and Improvement, and was re-nominated as vice-chair of that council by President
George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...
in 1992.


Honors and awards

Kuttler has been honored by many prominent organizations as an outstanding community college president, including the Florida Association of Community Colleges, Phi Theta Kappa, the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, the National Association of Community College Trustees in America, and the School of Education at the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
. Other awards include the
American Bar Association The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Founded in 1878, the ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of acad ...
’s Liberty Bell Award; the 1997 Werner O. Kubsch Award for Achievement in International Education; the 2006 Pioneer Award of the Community College Baccalaureate Association; the 2009 James L. Wattenbarger Award of the Florida Association of Community Colleges; and the 2009 Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and Arts Award. Kuttler is listed in a number of Who's Who directories. In 1996 Kuttler was named one of nine worldwide judges for the
Templeton Prize The Templeton Prize is an annual award granted to a living person, in the estimation of the judges, "whose exemplary achievements advance Sir John Templeton's philanthropic vision: harnessing the power of the sciences to explore the deepest quest ...
in Religion. The St. Petersburg City Council proclaimed 31 January 2005, his 65th birthday, as Dr. Carl M. Kuttler, Jr. Day.


Retirement

Kuttler surprised his staff and trustees at the end of a routine board of trustees meeting in July 2009 by announcing his retirement. He was succeeded by Dr.
William D. Law William D. "Bill" Law is an American academic and former community college administrator. He resigned as President of St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida effective July 1, 2017. Biography Law graduated with a Bachelor's degree in En ...
, formerly president of
Tallahassee Community College Tallahassee Community College (TCC) is a public community college in Tallahassee, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. As of fall 2017, TCC reported 24,639 stu ...
.


Personal

Kuttler married Evelyn Elise Flathmann, also an alumna of Stetson University College of Law, on 29 June 1963. She is an
estate planning Estate planning is the process of anticipating and arranging, during a person's life, for the management and disposal of that person's estate during the person's life, in the event the person becomes incapacitated and after death. The planning inc ...
attorney at Harris Barrett, Mann and Dew in St. Petersburg. The couple had three children: Cindy Kuttler Mercer, Carl M. Kuttler III, and Erika Kuttler Shannon. In September 2010, Kuttler filed for divorce, citing "unhappy differences" that had arisen between himself and his wife of 47 years, and providing the judge with a statement of division of property which he and his wife had worked out. In April 2011, the Kuttlers' 43-year-old son, Carl M. Kuttler III, founder of Kuttler Kitchens in
Pinellas Park Pinellas Park is a city located in central Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 53,093 at the 2020 census. Originally home to northern transplants and vacationers, the hundred year old city has grown into the fourth largest ...
, committed suicide by jumping off Tampa Bay's Sunshine Skyway Bridge. In November 2011, Kuttler married St. Petersburg College staff member, Violetta Sweet.


Selected bibliography


Books

*


Articles, book chapters


"Why Do We Need Ethics Courses?"
in ''Higher Education and National Affairs, Volume 36'' (1987). American Council on Education, p. 27''ff''. *"Vision and Vitality" i
''Conceptualizing 2000: Proactive Planning''
(1991). American Association of Community and Junior Colleges, chapter 5. . *"Partnerships: The Parlaying Principles" i
''The Company We Keep: Collaboration in the Community College''
John E. Roueche, ''et al.'', ed. (1995). American Association of Community Colleges, chapter 7. .
"St. Petersburg College: An e-spirited institution"
in ''The Entrepreneurial Community College'', John E. Roueche and Barbara R. Jones, ed. (2005). American Association of Community Colleges, pp. 37–50. . *


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kuttler Jr., Carl M. Heads of universities and colleges in the United States Florida State University alumni St. Petersburg College alumni Honorary consuls of Russia People from Daytona Beach, Florida 1940 births Living people People from St. Petersburg, Florida American Presbyterians Stetson University College of Law alumni St. Petersburg High School alumni