Tossing Mortar Boards at Commencement 2004

Family, friends and loved ones packed the Mahaffey Theater Sunday to celebrate a shining moment in every student’s academic career: Commencement. USF St. Petersburg had 333 Fall 2004 graduates and 204 attended Commencement to receive their diploma.

Regional Chancellor White shared a quote from Mark Twain: “Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do… Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore, Dream, Discover.”

“One of my hopes for each of you is that you will use and enjoy the knowledge base, critical thinking skills, and intellectual curiosity you developed during your years of study at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg and continue in your intellectual development as lifelong learners,” Karen A. White, regional chancellor said.

During the ceremony, graduating senior Rene Llewellyn was recognized as a King O'Neal Scholar for maintaining a 4.0 cumulative GPA throughout her undergraduate studies. She received a Bachelors of Arts in anthropology and plans to attend graduate school at the College of Public Health at the University of Louisville.

Gene Haines, president of the Pinellas County Alumni Chapter, presented the Outstanding Graduate Award to Lisa Matzner. She is graduating with honors with a bachelors in ISS. Haines said, “Lisa embodies the spirit of excellence required to be the outstanding graduate and embodies the skills we desire within our students."

After Commencement, graduates and guests filled the CAC for a reception recognizing USF St. Petersburg's Outstanding Graduates and Outstanding Seniors. Graduates could also sign up to become USF Alumni Association members and pose for a graduation photos.

Search for the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs

The Search Committee for the Regional Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs has selected four finalists from a pool of 42 applicants that will be invited to campus to interview in January.

"The process utilized by the committee included canvassing of administrators of major universities for nominations, advertisements in national academic publications, conversations with references and current employers, and telephone interviews with six candidates," Vivian Fueyo, PhD, search committee chair and dean of the College of Education, said.

Representatives of all campus constituencies will be involved in this important process and open forums will be held campus-wide, Fueyo said.

The four finalists are:

Mark Durand

Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences                        

USF St. Petersburg

Jeanne Gerlach

Dean of the College of Education and Associate Vice President of K-16 Initiatives

University of Texas at Arlington

V.K. Unni

Vice President for Academic Affairs

Bryant University, Smithfield, Rhode Island

Greg Weisenstein

Dean of the College of Education, Health, and Human Development

Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana

>> Read More

>> Visit the Academic Affairs Web site

Professor Asked to Speak at Nigerian Conference

The Nigeria Union of Journalists has invited Bob Dardenne, PhD, associate professor in Journalism and Media Studies, to speak at the 145th Anniversary of Journalism in Nigeria in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Dec. 23.

Dardenne will be a guest of the Union of Journalists and the Nigerian government for six days and will present the lecture, “Journalism and Governance: The Interface.” He will also participate in several activities during the week-long event and speak to local media.

Dardenne joined the USF St. Petersburg faculty in 1991. In addition to teaching, Dardenne researches and writes on news forms including narrative, the nature and history of news and journalistic practice and theory.

Dardenne can be reached at dardenne@stpt.usf.edu or 553-4613.

Last Days to Recognize Staff Members

Time is running out to nominate staff members for the USF St. Petersburg USPS Excellence in Service Award and A&P Outstanding Service Award that recognizes employees who consistently take pride in their work.

Any member of the campus community can initiate a nomination and all nomination forms and letters of endorsement must be sent to Human Resources by Friday, Dec. 17.

Awards will be presented at the campus Faculty and Staff Luncheon Thursday, Jan. 20, 2005. There will be seven recipients for the USPS Award and two recipients for the A&P Award. Each recipient will receive $500 (net) and an engraved plaque.  All nominated individuals will receive a special recognition certificate. 

These campus awards are in addition to the system-wide Outstanding Staff Award Program initiated by USF Tampa. Campus employees can be nominated for these through a separate process.

For more information, visit the USF SP HR Web site. If you have any specific questions, please contact Barbara Fleischer at 553-4115.

FWRI to Sell Calendar to Raise Money for Research

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute is selling 2005 manatee-themed calendars to raise funds to support the state manatee research program.

All photos were taken by FWRI staff and volunteers. Each photo has a caption that includes the location as well as additional educational information about the photo. For a limited-time only, calendars will be on sale for $10 and the regular price will be $15.

Calendars can be purchased at FWRI by contacting Michelle Mitchell or Janis Magee at 727-896-8626 or by visiting the Wildlife Foundation Web site at http://wildlifefoundationofflorida.com/index.htm.

Toy Donations Top $1000 for Underprivileged Children

Local underprivileged children will have a happier holiday season thanks to the more than $1,000 worth of toys that were donated by the campus community to the USF St. Petersburg Ambassadors annual toy drive, Operation Giving Tree. Ambassadors dropped off the toys Tuesday to the YWCA Family Village and the ASAP Shelter. 

“I have a lot of fun each year participating in the drive,” Indira Bachoo, USF St. Petersburg Ambassador and chair of Operation Giving Tree, said. “It's rewarding to know that we helped children in our own backyard have a great holiday season.”

The USF St. Petersburg Ambassadors serve as student representatives and provide assistance to the USF Alumni Association and the campus community.  Ambassadors also help welcome visiting dignitaries and guests. For more information, contact Sue Bebernitz at 553-4561 or sbebern@spadmin.usf.edu.

Volunteer at Downtown's New Years Eve Bash

Downtown St. Petersburg's New Years Eve family arts celebration, First Night St. Pete, is looking for volunteers to help with music, dancing, and celebration venues. There are different shifts and a variety of opportunities available. Please call 727-823-8906 or visit www.firstnightstpete.org to receive a volunteer form.

Celebrate the Holidays at the Ronald McDonald House

USF St. Petersburg will prepare and serve dinner at the Ronald McDonald House Tuesday, Dec. 21.  Volunteers are needed to help prepare and serve the meal.  

The campus is also collecting supplies and small gifts to present to residents. For more information, contact Barry McDowell at 553-4990 or mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu.

The Arts Connection

Creative Tampa Bay Newsletter

USF St. Petersburg is offering “Art Connections,” a new course where students will experience art in action throughout the city’s various artistic venues. During class, students will be exposed to personal insights from visiting artists, actors, musicians and dancers.

There will be no textbooks, quizzes or exams. Instead, students will write response papers on their arts encounters at concerts, plays and museums.

This three-credit course satisfies a general requirement for fine arts and will be held Thursdays from 11 am to 1:50 pm.

>> Read: Creative Tampa Bay Newsletter

35 Years of Setting Campus Rhythm

St. Petersburg Times

December, 15, 2004

Monday brought 50 degrees, but the morning dawned golden bright. An ascendant sun warmed the Snell House porch. On a bench, a cream-colored tabby, striped caramel, lingered in dreamland. At 7:45, Sudsy Tschiderer walked up the steps. Sensing a presence, the cat snapped awake and began meowing. Tschiderer's smile opened like a flower. To a visitor, she said: "Coffee?"

Okay, the nickname. Tschiderer got it as a 12- or 13-year-old. A character named Sudsy on television's My Three Sons had a "little Beatle haircut," she said. So did she. A classmate noticed the similarity. Her real first name is Joan, after the French saint.

>> Read: Full Article

The USF St. Petersburg Calendar of Events can advertise to faculty, staff, students and the general public. Events may include lectures, conferences, ceremonies, concerts, sporting events, scholarship events, fundraising events and exhibits. 

Submit information at the central news form: http://www.stpt.usf.edu/news/submissions.htm.