SARASOTA, Fla. (May 26, 2017) – Nearly 20 years after spending six months in Japan, Dr. Jane Rose is making a return trip this summer as part of a Japanese Studies Institute (JSI) fellowship. The dean of USF Sarasota-Manatee’s College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Dr. Rose said the two-week seminar is part of a larger effort to strengthen ties between U.S. and Japanese universities. The visit will take her and nine other U.S. academics on tours of several colleges and cultural sites, starting with Hosei University in Tokyo. The JSI, based at San Diego State University, is supported by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the Japan-United States Friendship Commission. In addition to Tokyo, the group is expected to make stops in Kyoto, Hiroshima and Kyushu. “It’s very prestigious to be selected for the trip,” said Dr. Rose, who traveled to Japan 20 years ago as a visiting professor at Hosei. Every few years, a small group of former JSI fellows is selected to travel to Japan to interact with academics and tour Japanese colleges, museums and other cultural venues with the aim of broadening academic relationships between U.S. and Japanese universities. Much of Dr. Rose’s trip will be spent in dialogue with professors and university staff as well as touring campuses, lecture halls, classrooms, libraries, temples and museums, she said. “It’s very exciting,” Dr. Rose said. “I have so welcomed opportunities throughout my career to travel and engage with other academics. It’s such a rich experience to see what academic life is like elsewhere, what students and faculty are like, what classrooms and libraries are like. It’s so much richer an experience than being a tourist.” A specialist in literary studies, Dr. Rose said she hopes eventually to create a course at USFSM to deepen students’ understanding of Japan’s multifaceted history and culture through studying its literature. “I am developing a course that will study 20th century Japanese fiction to give students a better understanding of modern Japanese culture. This course will be proposed as a USFSM Pillars course in diversity and engagement,” she said. Not every moment of her trip will be absorbed in academic exploration. Dr. Rose has a son and daughter-in-law living in Tokyo, so the visit will afford an opportunity for a family reunion as well. Also, the couple has welcomed a baby in recent months. “I’ve always had a special affinity for Japan, but this makes it extra special,” she said of the trip. “I’m very much looking forward to seeing them.” Dr. Haner transitions to USFSM faculty Criminology instructor Dr. Murat Haner is now a member of USFSM’s faculty. A visiting professor the past two years, Dr. Haner was officially notified of the change in status two weeks ago. He’ll start his new position in August. “To me, USFSM is a special place because it has offered me the closest experience I’ve had to where I come from,” said Dr. Haner, a former police officer from Turkey. “Faculty, staff and students have been incredibly welcoming and made me feel at home. I am extremely proud to be a part the USFSM faculty, who are among the most talented in their fields. I believe that, as a group, we have a limitless potential to make a positive impact on our students and community.” In addition to joining the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences’ faculty, Dr. Haner will work as a faculty research coordinator, serving as a liaison to the faculty in helping to develop, coordinate and support research and external funding opportunities. “I see my role primarily as being an advocate for faculty in doing whatever is feasible to help them realize their research goals,” he said. “My ultimate goal is to foster a strong research culture in which research is valued in our classrooms with our students and with one another.” Haner studies counterterrorism and received his M.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Cincinnati as a Fulbright fellow. His book, “The Freedom Fighter: A Terrorist’s Own Story,” published by Taylor & Francis, is due out Sept. 21. He joined USFSM in August 2015. USFSM Alumna lands teaching job Kudos to recent USFSM alumna Kera Outsen. The spring Class of 2017 graduate was recently hired to teach first grade at the Jessie P. Miller Elementary School in Bradenton. “It’s exciting and a big weight off my shoulders, especially because it’s somewhere I really like and I feel really supported there,” said Outsen, a graduate of USFSM’s elementary education program. The new alumna is pleased also to remain in her home town. Although born in Chicago, Outsen and her family moved to Manatee County 16 years ago when she was a child. She still lives in Manatee. She credits USF Sarasota-Manatee’s faculty and internship program for preparing her to become a teacher, a lifelong dream. “USFSM is such a tight-knit school and having smaller class sizes, I feel I’ve grown lot,” she said. “Plus, I’ve had an amazing support network. Pretty much everybody has been so open to lending help.” ### |
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About USF Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM) USF Sarasota-Manatee is a regional campus of the University of South Florida system, offering the prestige of a nationally ranked research university with the convenience of a hometown location, including classes in Manatee County, Venice and online. Separately accredited, USFSM is ideal for those interested in pursuing a baccalaureate or master’s degree, professional certification, or continuing education credit in a small, personal setting with distinguished faculty and a dynamic curriculum of over 40 academic programs. Website: www.usfsm.edu. |