Bulls Notebook: Community Invited to Participate in USF Consolidation Task Force Town Hall Meeting at USF Sarasota-Manatee on Oct. 2

Town hall meetings provide an opportunity for members of the USF campuses and local communities to address the 13-member task force that will make recommendations to the USF Board of Trustees as the USF System consolidates its independent academic accreditations under one umbrella by July 1, 2020.  The task force will make recommendations in key areas that include student access, shared governance, academic programs and campus identity.

Town hall meetings were previously held at both the USF Tampa campus (Aug. 22) and the USF St. Petersburg campus (Sept. 11).

“It is so important for members of our community to attend the town hall meeting to share their thoughts about why the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus is so important to the region and how our university can continue to make an even greater impact for families and businesses once we become reunited as ‘one USF’,” said Karen Holbrook, USFSM regional chancellor.

A portion of each town hall meeting will be dedicated to public comment, however, individuals who are unable to attend a meeting in person also can submit their comments online.

“An important part of the process is hearing from students, faculty, staff and community members.  In order to do so in a meaningful way, we invite them to hear a status update on the task force’s work and share their comments,” said Dr. Jonathan Ellen, President of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg and chair of the task force.

The task force is divided into three subcommittees, with each holding a series of public hearings that community members are also encouraged to attend. Prior to the town hall meeting on Oct. 2, the Shared Governance/Transparency Subcommittee will hold a hearing in USFSM’s Selby Auditorium from 1-3 p.m.  A full schedule of upcoming meetings and archives of previous meetings is available online.

Bulls Bistro returns this week

The popular Bulls Bistro program, which pairs students and faculty chefs in an exploration of world cuisine, will return this month with two Thursday events, on Sept. 20 and 27.

Bulls Bistro has attracted a following since its debut two years ago at USFSM’s Culinary Innovation Lab in Lakewood Ranch. Students from the College of Hospitality & Tourism Leadership work with faculty chefs and staff as the college invites the public for an evening of elegant culinary creations.

The events will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Culinary Innovation Lab, 8130 Lakewood Ranch Main St., Suite D104. Funds raised support the lab and its programs. Tickets are $25 and available at usfsm.edu/cil. Also, diners who purchase 10 tickets will get one free.

Each diner receives two glasses of red or white wine or two glasses of craft beer, a tasting of three different hors d’oeuvres and one sweet tapas prepared by our chefs and students from the college’s Restaurant Operations class.

This Thursday will feature “A Taste of Italy,” while on Sept. 27 regional favorites will be highlighted in “A Taste of America.”

For more about the Bulls Bistro, visit usfsm.edu/academics/college-of-hospitality-and-tourism-leadership/bulls-bistro.aspx.

Students, staff, faculty honor Nixon family

USF Sarasota-Manatee business student Miriam Dougherty was in Florence, Italy, this past summer when she learned that her application for a Clyde G. Nixon International Business Scholarship had been approved.

“I was elated that after everything, flying here and focusing on my studies, that I could relay the news back to my mom,” said Dougherty. “Just being able to help with expenses was amazing.”

Dougherty is among 22 USFSM business students who have received a Nixon scholarship since the program was started in 2010. During a luncheon Friday at the Art Ovation Hotel in Sarasota, the 20-year-old junior joined other scholarship recipients, plus staff and faculty, to thank the Nixon family for their support of the scholarship.

Clyde G. Nixon, the former chairman of Sun Hydraulics Corp., believed strongly in the ability of international travel to expand students’ perspective. After his passing in 2007, the Nixon family and several friends formed the Clyde G. Nixon International Business Scholarship to honor his legacy.

“I think it’s wonderful for students to go abroad,” Joan Nixon, his wife, said during the luncheon. “We are becoming one world now, and I just think that the more one experiences the world the more rewarding it is personally and in the larger sense.”

In addition to their travels, she and her husband lived in England for six years with their children, daughters Lisa and Bradley, and son, Scott. The impact of living and traveling abroad helped the family appreciate and enjoy other cultures, she said. Clyde, in particular, had an affinity for travel.

Lee Williams, regional vice chancellor for University Advancement, organized the luncheon and agreed that the importance of global travel can’t be overstated.

“Many of these students who come to our university have never had a passport, so to open their world and provide them with life-altering opportunities and exposure to new cultures enriches their existence, and when they return it enriches our community,” she said. “We are very grateful to the Joan Nixon, her daughters, Bradley and Lisa, and her son, Scott, and to the countless other donors who’ve made this opportunity a reality.”

Amela Malkic, the director of USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Global Engagement Office, said that through study-abroad opportunities “our students receive a once in a lifetime chance to see the world while also furthering their international education. Study abroad prepares them to work and live as global leaders in today’s interconnected world and creates memories that will last a lifetime.”

Global Engagement Office supports a variety of global initiatives at USF Sarasota-Manatee. In addition to study abroad opportunities for students and faculty, it promotes campus-wide global awareness and provides support to international students and visiting scholars.

To learn more study abroad opportunities visit usfsm.edu/academics/global-engagement/index.aspx.

To learn more about ways to support the Clyde G. Nixon International Business Scholarship or other programs at USF Sarasota-Manatee, contact University Advancement at 941-359-4603 or visit usfsm.edu/giving/index.aspx.

Staff Council to hold kickoff event Tuesday

USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Staff Council is set to hold a kickoff event Tuesday with presentations by USFSM Regional Chancellor Dr. Karen Holbrook and Dr. Michael Gillespie, director of USFSM’s Faculty Senate and director of Incredi-Bull Critical Thinking.

The kickoff, which features food by Fuzzy’s, will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the main rotunda.

Job recruiters to visit campus, post openings

An on-campus recruitment day is scheduled Thursday for students to network and learn about internship and job openings at local companies. The event, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., will be held in the rotunda.

Among the employers to visit the campus are Kerkering Barberio & Co., the Longboat Key Club, Ocean Properties, the Westin and many others. Students are urged to bring their resumes.

Hurricane modeling research is published

Kudos to Dr. Joy D’Andrea of the College of Science & Mathematics for her recently published article, Odds Ratio & Relative Risk Ratio of Buoy Conditions for Storms in the Atlantic Basin.

The article, also written by Dr. Rebecca D. Wooten of Florida Southern College (Lakeland) and Wendy A. Pogoda of Hillsborough Community College (Ruskin), was published in the Open Journal of Statistics.

The article discusses binary logistic regression and multinomial regression modeling with respect to hurricane prediction. It examines, among other factors, wind speed, water temperature, atmospheric pressure and other conditions present at a buoy in the Atlantic basin.

According to an abstract, “One of the goals of this paper is to bring new statistical methods to investigate and analyze data, which will create better predictable measures in determining when a hurricane will possibly hit the state of Florida.”

For more visit, https://file.scirp.org/Html/1-1241084_87220.htm.

E-Learning, Microsoft store to debut certification

USFSM’s E-Learning is teaming up with the Microsoft store at the University Town Center on a special program to offer School of Education faculty an opportunity to earn a Microsoft Innovative Educator Certificate.

Five face-to-face sessions will be taught by a Microsoft-certified trainer. The selected courses will help faculty teach current instructional technology skills to their students, which in turn will benefit them after they transition to teaching positions at K-12 schools.

The first session will held Sept. 24 at 2 p.m. in room B235.

For more information or to sign up, contact USFSM Instructional Media Technologist Sarah Gentry at sgentry@sar.usf.edu.

Talk to address English language learning standards

Well-known educator and expert in literacy and language learning Terri Mossgrove will visit USFSM on Tuesday for talk with students, faculty and staff.

Mossgrove will give an overview of the WIDA (World-class Instructional Design and Assessment) Consortium for English Language Learners. She’ll also review the resources that WIDA offers teacher candidates.

Her talk will be held at Room B206 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Students, faculty and staff are urged to attend.

Biology students, staff to attend science festival

USFSM’s College of Science & Mathematics is urging students, faculty and others to attend this year’s Science in the Sun festival, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at USF St. Petersburg.

Students, staff and faculty from the college’s biology program will be on hand, joining numerous other science programs and vendors at the eighth-annual festival, which will held at USFSP’s waterfront. About 30,000 people attended last year’s festival.

The event is held in conjunction with MarineQuest, the annual open house of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.

For more information, visit stpetescifest.org/.

Applications accepted to PAInT Scholar Program

The Florida Center for Partnerships for Arts-Integrated Teaching (PAInT) is partnering with USF Sarasota-Manatee’s School of Education (SOE) to institute the PAInT Scholar Program.

Under this special program, PAInT will offer five SOE students an opportunity to engage in arts-integrated academic projects while interning with the center’s arts partners. Students who complete the program will be recognized as PAInT Scholars upon graduation from the School of Education.

Participants must complete 100 hours (a minimum of 20 hours each semester of community service and leadership in arts integration) over four consecutive semesters in the School of Education.

With the support of advisors Dr. Denise Davis-Cotton, coordinator of the PAInT Center, and Dr. Helene Robinson, arts-integration curriculum coordinator in the School of Education, students will conduct arts-integrated research presentations as well as a variety of arts-integrated tasks, projects and leadership/service efforts designed to demonstrate scholarship, skill development and experience in arts-integration pedagogy.

Selection priority will be made in consultation with resident faculty and will promote equal representation across a variety of academic programs. The program will accept applications through Sept. 30, 2018. To apply, visit: usf.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2s1zr84QesJmVjn.

Brunch on the Bay tickets, sponsorships available

Tickets and sponsorships for Brunch on the Bay are now available, and this year’s event is shaping up to be extra special as it marks 25 years of local support.

Since 1994, Brunch on the Bay attendees have given graciously to fund scholarships for USF Sarasota-Manatee students while also savoring the finest brunch fare from local restaurants and caterers.

This year, as Brunch celebrates its Silver Anniversary, many special features are planned and the guest list is quickly growing, so don’t delay in securing your tickets and table sponsorships.

The event is set for Sunday, Nov. 4, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

“More than 1,700 local students have received scholarship support from Brunch on the Bay, and we’re thrilled to continue this significant tradition — with a few twists for 2018!” Vice Chancellor for Advancement Lee Williams said. “We’re featuring a Brunch on the Bay Honorary Committee, in addition to the Organizing Committee, and the Honorary Committee co-chairs will be announced soon.”

“Brunch is presented by Mary Kenealy Events of Sarasota, and working with Mary and her talented team has simply been exceptional,” Williams said. “We have a few special guests arranged for the annual gathering; so it’s sure to be memorable. USFSM’s Brunch on the Bay is a fantastic way to spend a Sunday, enjoy wonderful culinary delights and support area students with scholarships.”

Since its start, Brunch has distinguished itself as USF Sarasota-Manatee’s premier fundraising event, adding more than $1.3 million to the university endowment and generating more than $1 million in scholarships, including those to First Generation students, the first in their families to attend college.

“It’s one of the very best events in this community and it’s been around longer than most other events,” said Bob Turner, a USFSM alum and former publisher of the Bradenton Herald. “It’s extremely important to support this event to support the students who need a leg up to further their careers and help our businesses with a workforce that’s ready to go.”

Turner and USFSM graduate Lauren Henry are co-chairs of this year’s Brunch on the Bay Organizing Committee.

“I see so much potential in what this university has to offer in terms of partnering with businesses and leaders in our community,” said Henry, a 2016 graduate. “And so Brunch on the Bay is a culmination of that, where the university and community come together and support the cause of higher education.”

For more about Brunch of the Bay, including tickets and table sponsorships, visit usfsm.edu/brunch or call Pam Gleason at (941) 359-4603.

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