President Genshaft Formalizes USF St. Petersburg’s Academic Authority

Source: Karen A. White

I’ve committed to you in the past that, whenever possible, it is my intention to share campus news with you as a first priority. This morning President Genshaft formalized USF St. Petersburg’s academic authority over a number of practices we have in place. This means that we now have the formal authority to make undergraduate and graduate admissions decisions, approve new courses, make curricular changes and to process and support sabbatical leave on our campus. As you may know, we have been recommending faculty tenure and rank promotions for some time, but now this and other responsibilities are within our formal authority.

President Genshaft and other members of her team, along with members of our Campus Board, have worked closely with us over a number of months to formalize these responsibilities. I am proud to know of her confidence in our campus and in our work.

While many of the responsibilities will be invisible to the public, I’d like you to know two changes that will be most apparent to our students and our community. My title has changed to Regional Chancellor and USF St. Petersburg now has the authority to confer academic degrees. Consistent with other SACS-accredited university systems, our graduates will receive diplomas from University of South Florida – St. Petersburg.

With this authority, comes great responsibility. I will continue to count on your diligent work as we develop new procedures to deliver new services for our faculty, students and our community. This is an exciting time for USF St. Petersburg, thank you for your commitment to providing a quality and rich campus experience for our students and faculty.

Sincerely,

Karen A. White

>> Read the memorandum (Adobe Reader .pdf)

Keeping Dr. King's Dream Alive

Join the USF St. Petersburg Cultural Diversity Thursday, Feb. 12 at 4 pm for the featured presentation of Black History Month. Darryl E. Rouson, P.A., president of the NAACP in St. Petersburg , will present “Keeping Dr. King's Dream Alive: Revisiting the Past as We Prepare for the Future” in USF St. Petersburg's Campus Activities Center

>> Read the Press Release
>> Read the Flyer (MS Word)

I AM USF ST PETERSBURG: Jackie Jackson

Source: Sonia Helton

Born in Kent, England, Jacqueline “Jackie” Jackson came to the United States after her marriage to her American husband whom she met while working for Her Majesty's Foreign Service in Morocco.  She loves travel and books.  When she began her educational career as an undergraduate student at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, she took several courses from Professor Harry Schalemann.  Jackie was convinced, after taking her first course with him, to major in geography and earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.

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Educational Accountability Work of USFSP Faculty Draws National and International Attention

Source: Judy R. Wilkerson

Judy R. Wilkerson and William Steve Lang, measurement faculty in the USF St. Petersburg College of Education, published an article outlining the potential pitfalls of using portfolios for licensing teachers. Since portfolio assessment is one of the most common strategies now being used in colleges of education, school districts, and state departments of education to assess teachers in high stakes contexts (i.e., certification, licensure, raises, and promotion). In their work, they raise important psychometric and legal issues about this common practice.

The work appeared in Educational Policy Analysis Archives ( http://epaa.asu.edu/epaa/v11n45/ ). It has been cited by the National Center for Teacher Quality (http://nctq.org/bulletin/v4n41.html#story2 ).

'False Promises: How Educators and Policy Makers Mislead Us about Education and Work.'

Source: Dr. Thomas Kellow

Presented By: Dr. Larry Johnson
Assistant Professor of Psychological and Social Foundations College of Education

Examines exaggerated claims that education can solve economic problems such as unemployment. Dr. Johnson will use rhetoric from a campaign to create a community college in a large western city to illustrate how educators and policy makers overstate the usefulness of educational reform in attracting business. He will conclude by examining the ways in which federal policies to control inflation have undercut the possibility that education and training programs could reduce unemployment.

February 27, 2004
Davis 108
12:00-1:00

USFSP CARES -

USF St. Petersburg Recycles And Shares Fountain Inn Materials With Local Social Service Agencies

Source: J.M. (Sudsy) Tschiderer

When the Fountain Inn was closed in late 2003 in preparation for USF St. Petersburg's acquisition of the property, much of the Inn's furniture and accessories were left behind. Recognizing that some of this material was still useful and desirable, the USF St. Petersburg staff developed a pragmatic recycling plan, determining to “waste not.”

>> Read the Press Release

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