Campus Community Invited to Anniversary Kick-Off

To kick-off the 40th anniversary celebration of USF St. Petersburg, join the campus community for three special events on Wednesday, Sept. 7, a date signifying the first day of classes in 1965.

Mark your calendars for the Anniversary Celebration — featuring campus alumna and St. Petersburg city council member Virginia Littrell reading a proclamation to announce Sept. 7, 2005 as USF St. Petersburg Day. The event, starting at 4 pm in the library breezeway, will also include remarks by Regional Chancellor Karen A. White and faculty and staff representatives. Student Government representatives will lead a ceremonial cake cutting, followed by a cake and punch reception for guests.

"Our 40th anniversary is an opportunity to honor our past, celebrate our accomplishments, and reflect on our aspirations for the future," said Kathy Arsenault, 40th Anniversary chair and dean of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library.

The day begins with two events — a celebration of faculty excellence at Academic Convocation and Campus Showcase, an event for students to learn about USF St. Petersburg. Convocation begins at 11:30 am in the CAC while the Campus Showcase is on the Harborside from 11 am to 2 pm and 4 pm to 6 pm.

For more information about the 40th Anniversary and Sept. 7 events, please contact University Relations at 553-4256.

>> See Sept. 7, 2005 Schedule of Events (.pdf)

Campus Announces Tenured and Promoted Faculty

Last week, as faculty prepped for the start of Fall classes at the annual faculty meeting, a few members were brought to the forefront in recognition of their academic achievements.

Ten faculty members obtained tenure, bringing the total count of tenured faculty members to 43 for USF St. Petersburg.

"Receiving tenure and being promoted are important milestones in the career of an academic. They represent the culmination of many years of effort — often with relatively little feedback along the way. As a result, these are significant achievements and deserve special recognition," Mark Durand, PhD, regional vice chancellor for Academic Affairs said.

The new tenured and promoted faculty are listed below.

Tenured

Thomas Carter

Jamie McHale  

Todd Shank

Tenured and Promoted to Associate Professor

Julie Armstrong 

Karin Braunsberger   

Susan Fernandez              

Scott Geiger     

Melanie Riedinger-Whitmore

Thomas Smith   

Promoted to Librarian

Deborah Henry

For more information about the tenure and promotion process, please contact Academic Affairs at 553-4885.

Show your Bulls Spirit at the Campus' Football Night

As the USF Bulls football season approaches, mark Saturday, Sept. 17 on your calendar for the annual USF St. Petersburg night at Raymond James Stadium.

Join faculty, staff, students, alumni and guests as the USF Bulls take on the University of Central Florida Knights. Plus, the campus will premiere a 60-second video to celebrate our 40th Anniversary.

Each faculty or staff member with a valid USF ID card can receive up to four tickets. Tickets are available in the CAC the week of Monday, Sept. 12 and are available on a first come first serve basis. On Thursday, Sept. 15, remaining tickets will be made available to students.

For more information, please call University Relations at 553-4256.

Fitness Center Celebrates Grand Opening

When the ribbon is cut on Thursday, Sept. 1 at the grand re-opening of the campus Fitness Center, guests will have a lot to see.

The completely renovated fitness center, thanks to $150,000 of student funds, includes brand-new Nautilus equipment for cardio and strength training, plus new floors, blinds and paint to give the center a fresh look.

The center has also extended its weekday hours, opening at 6 am to offer Campus Recreation Pass holders a pre-office workout. Those interested in swimming can take advantage of the new lap swim hours from 6 am to 9 am, Monday - Friday.

Student Life is also working to expand its health and fitness staff — including hiring a new Coordinator of Fitness and Intramurals and a new Health Coordinator, who will be located in the Fitness Center. Plus, a massage therapist is now available by appointment.

Regina Young Hyatt, Director of Student Life, said that they have also expanded their X-tra Ed courses to include salsa, judo, karate, first aid and CPR, plus a full array of sailing courses.

To learn more about the Fitness Center, join the campus community at the ribbon-cutting on Thursday, Sept. 1 at 12:15 pm in the Fitness Center, located at the Campus Activities Center. The event will include free giveaways and snacks.

For more information, please call 553-4589 or e-mail fitdesk@stpt.usf.edu.

>> See: Fitness Center Information and Rates

Journalism Professor Earns Highest Honor for Writing

Mark J. Walters, DVM, associate professor of Journalism, recently received the Charlie Award, the Florida Magazine Association's highest honor for writing excellence. It was awarded for the article "Creation Unfolding" in Forum magazine, the quarterly publication of the Florida Humanities Council.

Columnist Terry Tomalin, writing in the St. Petersburg Times, called Walters'
story "a must read."

Walter's story describes his childhood by the magical waters of the Indian River and Sebastian Inlet and his relationship with his father.

"There are sharks here," he would warn, motioning me higher on the rocks as he gestured without bemusement toward the inlet with the tip of his fishing rod. "Man eaters."

"Child eaters?"

"Yes, those too."

To read more of Walter's article, located in Forum Magazine's Winter 2005 issue, download Creation Unfolding (.pdf).

A message from the Campus Police Department

As the Fall semester gets underway this week, the Campus Police Department asks for your cooperation to maintain a safe environment. The department has outlined multiple ways to ensure your safety while on campus, such as use of the campus escorts, emergency phones, and utilizing parking lot and personal safety tips.

Campus Escorts

Your campus Safe Team is here to provide you a safe escort to and from your vehicles Monday through Thursday, from 6:30 pm to 10 pm. If you need a ride from Safe Team, please call 553-4723. Plus, when possible, parking patrollers and police officers, who are on duty 24 hours a day, can also provide escorts. 

Campus Emergency Phone Locations

• University Police Station, outside main entrance on Fifth Avenue South
• CAC, outside main entrance on Second Street South
• Parking lot #2, across from Davis Hall
• Marine Science Lab, on east side near handicap ramp
• Lot 17, across from USGS on Sixth Avenue South
• Children’s Research Institute, lot 18 on Sixth Avenue South

Emergency phones are open to all campus guests, and, like 911 calls, the phone rings directly to the University Police Communications Center. The primary purpose of the phone is to report suspicious persons, vehicle crashes, sick or injured persons, or crimes on campus, but they can also be used in non-emergency situations. You can use the phone to request assistance with a dead battery, or if you have locked your keys in the car

or need a safe escort to your vehicle.

Read: Campus Safety Tips

Academic Success Center Opens Doors to Students

The timing is perfect. As students filed back into classes and started getting assignments this week, members of the campus community gathered to celebrate the opening of the highly anticipated Academic Success Center.

The student funded Academic Success Center, once located in a small area of the library, is now located in Terrace 301, where it houses books, video resources and an open computer lab with 10 Internet-ready computer stations. Students can also take advantage of workshops and seminars on topics such as Time Management and Test Anxiety, as well as get one-on-one academic counseling and tutoring.

“Students come here to do better in school and the earlier they start, the more they will benefit from our resources,” Diane McKinstry, director of the Academic Success Center, said. She said that the goal of this center is to “help students improve the quality of their work and improve overall in their educational pursuits” — now made easier with the new and improved facility.

The ceremony featured remarks and a ceremonial ribbon cutting by Karen A. White, regional chancellor, Charles Brown, Ph.D., regional vice chancellor for Student Affairs, Debbie Sembler, campus board chair, Diane McKinstry, director of the Academic Success Center and Tom Piccolo, Student Government president. 

For more information about the Academic Success Center and its services, please visit www.stpt.usf.edu/success, call 553-4632, or stop by the center.

Watch the Bulls Play in St. Pete This Season

You don't have to travel across the bay to cheer on the Bulls with a group of fans this year. Join USF Athletics for football watch parties in downtown St. Pete this season.

Faculty, staff and students, and all Bulls fans are encouraged to meet at Midtown Sundries for all televised USF football games on the road. The first watch party is Saturday, Sept. 3 at 3:30 pm against Penn State.

There is no charge to attend and USF Athletics will have door prizes. For more information, call Eric Soncrant from USF Athletics at 813-974-3481 or e-mail Soncrant@admin.usf.edu.

>> See: Watch Party Flier (.pdf)

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

Automated Leave Tracking System

USF has developed a new automated online leave tracking system to make calculating and maintaining accurate leave balances more efficient.

The new system, set to go live on Oct. 1, 2005, will manage leave requests, leave approvals, accrual of leave earned, and will record leave taken.

To preview the tracking system, please visit http://usfweb2.usf.edu/hr/A&L/AutomatedLeave/AuotmatedLeave.htm.

Find Out how to Get Involved at the Volunteer Fair

Learn how to get involved in the community at the Fall Volunteer Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 7 from 10:30 am to 2:30 pm in DAV130. Several non-profit agencies will be on-hand with displays about their organizations and information how to volunteer. Agencies encompass mentoring programs, the arts, the environment, and helping the needy.

For more information, please contact Barry McDowell at 553-4990 or mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu.

Learn about Eldercare

Are you interested in learning about eldercare issues? If so, please contact Volunteer Services Coordinator Barry McDowell at 553-4990 or mcdowell@stpt.usf.edu. McDowell plans on coordinating workshops based on campus community needs.