Bulls Notebook: International Education Week returns to USFSM

Co-sponsored by USF World, the two-hour event today will showcase USFSM’s faculty-led, study-abroad programs and Peace Corps opportunities. Then, from 2 to 3 p.m. in room B242, students will learn about international and Foreign Service careers at a special session led by USAID Development Diplomat-in-Residence Carlye Cammisa.

Later today, Dr. Joe Askren and Dr. Ken Caswell will hold a discussion about an upcoming, month-long study-abroad trip to France and Italy. The discussion will run from 4 to 5 p.m. in Room B240.

“Our goal is to promote global culture at USFSM and to support our faculty and students in furthering their international education and collaboration,” said Amela Malkic, director of Global Engagement at USFSM. “Study abroad, in particular, gives our students once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to see the world while learning, experiencing new cultures and expanding their professional and personal networks.”

On Thursday, students can learn about funding opportunities and important deadlines related to study-abroad trips during a discussion from noon to 1 p.m. in room B335.

Finally, on Thursday night, International Education Week concludes with a panel discussion entitled, “Puerto Rico: A Year after Maria.” The discussion runs from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the campus’ Selby Auditorium, 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. It’s free and open to the public.

“Attendees will hear facts and testimonies from individuals who took part in the relief effort and their thoughts about Puerto Rico’s outlook as the island continues to recover from the hurricane’s impact,” said Dr. Carlos E. Jiménez-Angueira, a USFSM accounting professor who will participate in the discussion and serve as moderator.

Other panelists include retired Air Force Col. Evelio “EJ” Otero, Jr., and Deidre Orriola, an instructor at USF’s College of Public Health. For more about the panelists, visit sar.usfsm.edu/event/puerto-rico-a-year-after-maria/.

USFSM’s first ‘reverse career fair’ exceeds expectations

Childhood photos, awards, even a Power Point presentation.

USF Sarasota-Manatee students participating in the campus’ first reverse career fair last week used a range of strategies to distinguish themselves and appeal to employers.

Representatives from more than 60 companies attended the two-hour event. About two dozen students showed up. Along with awards, resumes and other items, they set up tri-fold posters about their background, aspirations and, in some cases, personal journeys.

Marketing student Lukas Oest’s poster chronicled his transition from Germany to the United States through his time at USFSM. He also created business cards and resumes and piled a bowl with peanut butter cups, all part of a strategy to create a lasting impression.

“Hopefully, I’ll stand out from the crowd,” said Oest, who was seeking an internship or full-time marketing job. “It’s so important to get your name out there.”

The fair was unique from the outset. Unlike most job fairs where employers wait behind tables for job seekers, USFSM’s reverse career fair had students behind tables waiting for employers to show up.

In addition to posters, the students brought personal photos, pens, cards and other items. Accounting graduate Vernice Gumbs-Crunk created a Power Point presentation to tell her story. She also brought along a flat-screen TV mounted on a pedestal.

“I may not be good at making posters but I can make Power Point,” she said.

Recent business graduate Yshua Machado offered “fortune cookies” fashioned from disks of blue paper. Each one contained a personal fact about him. He piled the cookies next to resumes and business cards.

“They were easy; my wife and I made them,” he said.

The employers, equipped with lists of students and their specialties, were free to roam among the applicants or focus on those who met their criteria.

Shelly Wilt, a talent acquisition specialist at Tampa-based Bloomin’ Brands, said she was seeking “creative-thinking” marketing students, as well as hospitality students looking for part-time or summer jobs, but she also enjoyed wandering among the tables chatting with the applicants.

“I like that this gives you an opportunity to spend time with the candidates who are qualified for what you’re looking for,” she said. “It’s very organized. At typical job fairs, you never know who’s going to come up to you.”

Jess Moffitt, of insurance holding company Baldwin Risk Partners, came to the fair seeking business management, finance, risk management and accounting students.

“I like that you can see what they’re studying before you come in,” she said. “I like that you can spend time with the students to get to know them better.”

Ben Heins, coordinator of internships and service learning at USFSM, helped organize the reverse career fair with Bart Stucker, coordinator of orientation and recreation programs. The event was held inside the campus’ Selby Auditorium.

“Overall, from both students and employers, the career fair received overwhelming praise,” said Heins. “From 1:45 p.m. through 3:30 p.m., the room was packed with people and bursting with conversation. Bart and I are so incredibly proud of all 26 students; they challenged themselves to be the center of the show, and my goodness, did they do a fantastic job. We will dig through our exit survey data from the students and from our employer guests, and we will be sure to report back on their successes and suggestions.”

Heins heard about the reverse career fair at an educational conference. He and Stucker worked together for weeks screening the students and preparing them for the fair.

“From the interview process to the weekly workshops where participants learned everything from developing a resume to speed networking, Ben and I were able to identify some of the best students and employee candidates that USF Sarasota-Manatee has to offer,” Stucker said.

“The number of employers that packed into the Selby Auditorium to learn more about our students was in large part a testament to the amount of time and effort our students put in,” he said. “We are already having students reach out to us to celebrate upcoming interviews, which is music to our ears.”

USF Sarasota-Manatee to hold Open House for prospective students

USF Sarasota-Manatee will hold an Open House on Saturday for prospective freshman students, transfer students and college graduates seeking master’s degrees.

The session for freshman and transfer students is scheduled at 9 a.m. inside the campus’ Selby Auditorium. The session for master’s degrees will start at 10 a.m. Check-in for that event will be held in the campus’ FCCI Rotunda. USF Sarasota-Manatee is located at 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

Students, faculty and support staff from Financial Aid and Admissions will be on hand to explain all that USFSM has to offer, as well as opportunities for financial aid.

“This Open House is our chance to really show off everything that makes USFSM part of a preeminent university system,” said Brandon Avery, assistant director of admissions.

“Students don’t just hear about the many programs offered here, but learn how to properly finance their education, add value to their degree and move into their chosen career in a timely manner,” he said. “We really hope students learn about all that’s offered at USFSM and enjoy this opportunity.”

To attend the USFSM Open House, visit usfsm.edu/visit.

For more about admission to USF Sarasota-Manatee, visit usfsm.edu/admissions/index.aspx.

New book by Dr. Unnever is published

Kudos to USFSM criminology professor Dr. James Unnever on the release of his book, Building a Black Criminology (Routledge Press).

A description reads, “In light of the Black Lives Matter movement and protests in many cities, race plays an ever more salient role in crime and justice. Within theoretical criminology, however, race has oddly remained on the periphery.

“Evidence exists that blacks and whites commit crimes for both the same reasons (invariance) and for different reasons (race-specific). A full understanding of race and crime thus must involve demarcating both the general and specific causes of crime, the latter embedded in what it means to be ‘black’ in the United States.”

Further, American Society of Criminology President Dr. Karen Heimer said she intends to reference the book during her address this week at the ASC’s conference in Atlanta this week.

For more about USFSM’s criminology program, visit http://usfsm.edu/academics/programs-and-majors/undergraduate/criminology/index.aspx.

To arrange an interview with Dr. Unnever, contact USFSM’s Office of Communications & Marketing at (941) 359-4726.

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