New Member of Campus Board

The USF Board of Trustees approved the appointment of Larry Morgan to our campus board last month, effective July 29. Morgan replaces Rick Davis on the five-member board.

Morgan is the CEO of M2K Holdings, LLC and Chairman Emeritus of Morgan Tire & Auto, Inc.

Morgan graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. He currently serves on numerous boards, including Sun Trust Bank, Morton Plant Mease Health Care, Inc., Morton Plant Hospital, Baycare Health System, Florida Council of Economic Education, and many national tire associations.

Morgan is eligible for a four-year term. For more information on the USF St. Petersburg board, visit www.stpt.usf.edu/board/index.htm.

Journalism Professor Carries Expertise to China

Bob Dardenne, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies, will travel across the globe to China as a featured speaker at the Fourth Annual International Convention of Asian Scholars, Aug. 20 to Aug. 24. He will discuss China's image in the U.S. press since the events of Sept. 11.

During his two-week visit, Dardenne will also lecture and consult at Shanghai International Studies University and other universities and organizations in the province. 

Conference organizers invited Dardenne to speak and update the lecture he gave in China while serving as a Fulbright scholar during the 1999-2000 academic year.  During that time, he taught at Shanghai International Studies University and spoke on a variety of news-related topics at universities throughout the country. One of his most popular lectures focused on China’s image in the U.S. and British press.

>> Read More

Faculty: Mandatory Fall Meeting

Mark Aug. 24 on your calendar for the mandatory meeting for all faculty from 9 am to 5 pm in the CAC.

The meeting will include informative presentations regarding the upcoming academic year by key campus administrators. Plus, breakout sessions will be provided on Blackboard, Powerpoint and the library's new reference system software.

Please RSVP to Myrna Adams in Academic Affairs at 553-4860 or adamsm@stpt.usf.edu.

Office Promotes Statewide Education Initiative

From a modest brick building near the corner of Fifth Avenue South and First Street South on the edge of campus, a two-person staff is furthering a statewide initiative to better serve K-12 students with learning disabilities.

For the past two years, Mike Muldoon has been the program facilitator for the Florida Inclusion Network’s regional office, located in the Special Services Building, Room 108. The office is one of 20 statewide locations that are part of the FIN, which uses the latest research to help teachers, administrators and families work together toward classroom inclusion — the process of including students with disabilities with students that don’t have disabilities.

Muldoon’s office is charged with serving 165 schools in DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Manatee and Sarasota counties. Program Assistant Lee LaVallie handles a wide variety of projects, including the budgeting and scheduling.

By invitation, Muldoon visits schools throughout the region and offers consultations and workshops designed to help teachers, administrators, and family members provide a positive, effective learning environment for students with disabilities.

For example, one workshop focuses on collaborative planning and addresses the philosophical issues of inclusion. Other workshops provide information on ways to support students using research-based practices for effective teaching, focusing on differentiating instruction and cooperative learning.

The office also houses a small library of professional development books that Muldoon often gives to the schools he visits.

Muldoon, a former special education teacher and program specialist with the Florida Department of Education, estimates that he spends about half of his time traveling throughout the region. 

The Florida Department of Education funds the local project with a $260,000 federal grant that is renewable on a yearly basis. Education Professor H. William Heller, EdD, is the grant's designated Primary Investigator and also serves on the region’s advisory committee, which includes teachers, administrators and parents.

According to the FIN, inclusion has numerous benefits, such as the development of social skills and the improvement of students’ academic achievement.

Campus Event: Attend Cirque du Soleil

Reserve your tickets now for a performance by Cirque du Soleil under the tent at Tropicana Field, Dec. 9 at 8 pm. A limited number of tickets have been reserved for the campus community.

Ticket prices:

• $70 - Adults
• $63 - Students 13 and older, and seniors 65 and older
• $49 - Children (ages 2-12)

Please RSVP to DeeLynn Rivinius at 553-4264 or rivinius@spadmin.usf.edu by Friday, Aug. 12 with the number and category of tickets you wish to purchase. Payment must be made at the time of reservation.

Nominate USPS Staff For Quiet Quality Awards

Recognize the hard work of your peers and nominate an employee you think deserves the USPS Quiet Quality Award. The Quiet Quality Awards were implemented in 1996 by the USPS Senate to increase employee recognition based on professional contributions to the University.

Nominations are due the 15th of each month and can be completed online at the USPS Senate Quiet Quality Award Web site. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click the icon to nominate. It only takes a few minutes to make a nomination and is well worth the effort.

If you have any questions, contact Robert Jordan, chair of the Quiet Quality Committee at USF Tampa at (813) 974-6577 or RJordan@admin.usf.edu.

For the latest information from HR, visit: USF SP HR Web site

Employees Get More Access Through GEMS

Human Resources has increased the functionality of GEMS to better suit your needs. Employees can use GEMS Self Service to access a variety of information on their employment with the University, including compensation, leave balances, and insurance benefits.

Employees can also use Self Service to change their W-4 tax information and personal information such as mailing addresses and emergency contacts.

To access this information:

1. Go to the sign-in page at https://gems.fastmail.usf.edu/gemspro/signon.html
   
2. Enter your User ID (your full 11-digit Employee ID) and Password and click on “Sign In.” The first time you log in, your default password is the combination of the last four digits of your Social Security Number, an equal (=) sign, and your four-digit year of birth. Example: 1234=1943.

For security reasons, Human Resources recommends that you change your password after accessing the service. If your password was issued before April 19, 2005 and you have not changed it, the format is the last four digits of your Social Security Number followed by your four-digit year of birth, then a period. Example: 12341943.

The GEMS Self Service Page is located at:

www.usf.edu/hris/self_service/self_service.htm.

Louise C. Bishop, longtime philanthropist, dies at 98

St. Petersburg Times

August 10, 2005

Louise C. Bishop, a philanthropist with a special affection for the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts and widow of syndicated cartoonist Wally Bishop, has died at 98.

Mrs. Bishop, who also was a benefactor of the Florida Orchestra and the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, died Monday (Aug. 8, 2005) at home.

"An era has passed," museum president Carol Upham said Tuesday. "She loved the museum, and we loved her. She helped to found and create the incredible institution we have become."

>> Read: Full Article

Storms and Floods: Will We Ever Learn?

The Ledger

Aug. 10, 2005

As the first anniversary of the first of three hurricanes to hit Polk County in 2004 approaches, I was finishing the recently published "Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams: A Social History of Modern Florida" by Gary R. Mormino, a University of South Florida historian.

Mormino devotes a good portion of the book's final chapter and the epilogue to a discussion of how we Floridians and our political leaders -from Spanish kings to modern-day legislators -- have confronted hurricanes.

>> Read: Full Article

Political Science Professor Quoted Nationwide

August 4, 2005

Political Science Professor Daryl Paulson, PhD, was recently quoted in an Associated Press article on the viability of Rep. Katherine Harris' run for the Senate. The article ran in a number of publications, including Washington Post, New York Times.com, and San Jose Mercury News.

>> Read: Full Article

Tire Dealer, Philanthropist Joins College's Board

St. Petersburg Times

July 31, 2005

The newest member of the board of trustees at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg is Larry C. Morgan, a longtime tire dealer and philanthropist.

On Friday, Morgan, 61, joined the five-member board that oversees the St. Petersburg campus, replacing Pinellas businessman Ricardo Davis.

Morgan is chief executive officer of a holding company for Kuhn- Morgan Toyota, which owns three car dealerships in the Tampa Bay area. Four years ago, he sold his company, known as Tires Plus, to Bridgestone, he said. He has also served on the board of Morton Plant Mease Health Care Inc. and Baycare Health Systems Inc.

Morgan said Friday he hasn't been involved at USF St. Petersburg, but was asked to join the board because of his business experience. He is a 1965 graduate of the University of Missouri.