Twenty-first century communication calls for new training and knowledge. Today’s professional environment is powered by complex technology, fueled by information, and driven by masterful communication skills. To respond to these and future challenges, the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee has created a Bachelor of Arts in Professional and Technical Communication. “As the field of professional and technical communication becomes a strong career track, it makes perfect sense to have it become a separate degree program,” says Prof. Tod Roberts, instructor of English and director of the Writing Internship Program at USFSM. Roberts and fellow USFSM instructor Dr. Wilma Davidson designed the program, which was approved by USF System Trustees last November and will be first offered in the fall of 2013.

“This will be the only undergraduate program of its kind in the state, offering courses in professional and technical writing with electives in business and information technology,” says Roberts. “Other schools have similar programs, especially at the graduate level, but none has quite what we are offering. This is an exciting opportunity for USFSM students.” He adds that the classes, presented by instructors known for their contributions in professional and technical communication, will be kept small in order to provide “individual attention and pragmatic instruction geared to today’s job market.” In addition, many courses will be offered online, providing access to adult students working and supporting a family while earning a degree.

Davidson notes that the program also offers a strong focus on corporate communication needs in advertising, crisis management, human resources, marketing communications, and public relations. Courses in writing, editing and publishing for a wide variety of formats, including scholarly, technical, medical, non-profit and journalistic, are also part of the curriculum.

Roberts emphasizes that a vital aspect of the new degree program will be partnering with area businesses and non-profit institutions to offer internships to graduates. “This real-life experience will be a requirement for the degree and will give our graduates a strong competitive edge,” he says. “In addition to the degree, we will offer an Undergraduate Certificate in this specialty to enhance the career prospects for students in other majors.”

“Globalization, cross-cultural influences, technical advances, and new ethical and regulatory requirements have changed the communication needs of today’s marketplace,” says Davidson. “This USFSM program gives its graduates the skills they’ll need to meet these challenges and build successful, long-lasting careers.”

For more program details, contact:

Dr. Wilma Davidson • 941-387-8735 • davidson@sar.usf.edu

Prof. Tod Roberts • tr@sar.usf.edu

Recognition is an important part of our culture at USF and this year our Outstanding Staff Award program honors employees who continually work to make USFSM a better place.  

The awards ceremony, held on April 24, included special recognition for Excellence in Teaching, Excellence in Research, Excellence in Service, Length of Service, Outstanding Staff Award, Diversity Honor Roll, Outstanding Professor, Quiet Quality Award, Staff Senate, Administration Council, Faculty Senate Officers and Campus Committee Volunteers.

Award Winners and Special Recognitions

Excellence in Teaching: Dr. Patricia Hunsader

Patricia D. Hunsader, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the College of Education at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee. She has taught graduate and undergraduate mathematics methods courses for over ten years, and her research interests include mathematics curriculum, arts integration and classroom assessment. She has published and presented her research work both nationally and internationally, most recently at the International Congress on Mathematical Education in Seoul, Korea. Dr. Hunsader was named a STaR (Service, Teaching, and Research) Fellow in 2011, a project funded by the National Science Foundation, and was granted the USFSM outstanding professor award that same year. 

Excellence in Research: Kiyoung Chang

Dr. Chang joined University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee in 2010. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His teaching interests are corporate finance, financial management, international finance, and financial institution. His research interests include corporate governance, cash management, mergers and acquisitions, security offerings, international corporate finance, institutional investors, and corporate social responsibility. He served as an executive board member of the Korea America Finance Association in the past and is a member of Financial Management Association and Korea America Finance Association.

Excellence in Service: Dr. Lynn McBrien

J. Lynn McBrien is an Associate Professor in the College of Education at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee. She received her doctorate in Educational Studies from Emory University in May, 2005, where she was the 2004 recipient of the university’s Humanitarian Award, given to students who demonstrate exemplary service in social justice. Dr. McBrien’s service and much of her research focuses on children affected by war, whether they be resettled refugee students and their families in the United States, or children and families who have returned to their home communities following war.

For the rest of the honorees, check out our Storify of the event:

The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s spring commencement exercises will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 5, at the Bradenton Area Convention Center.

Of 297 students that have applied to graduate in spring, 198 are expected to attend the ceremony. This number includes 37 master’s degree candidates, 81 from Arts & Sciences, 40 from Business, 24 from Education and 16 from Hospitality and Technology Leadership.

Regional Chancellor Arthur M. Guilford will represent USF Sarasota-Manatee, and USF System President Judy Genshaft will preside. Stephen Graves, will be the ceremony announcer; Dr. Jody McBrien will bear the University mace; and Sarah Coit, USF College of the Arts, will perform the National Anthem and USF Alma Mater.

Special award recipients at the ceremony include:

Paul Searles Webecke Award: Todd Bolkema, MBA, USFSM College of Business. This honor is given to the most outstanding student in the Master of Business Administration program. Todd earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Dordt College in Sioux Center, IA, and has been employed at Florida Power and Light in Sarasota since 2001. He is currently a senior planning engineer. Personal: He lives in Bradenton with his wife and three sons and volunteers as the treasurer at Bradenton Christian Reformed Church and as a counselor in a youth group. Todd hopes to use the skills he’s gained while at USF Sarasota-Manatee and USF Tampa to start a business. 

Golden Bull Service and Outstanding Leadership Award: Ryan Page, USFSM College of Arts and Sciences, Criminology. The Golden Bull Award is sponsored by the USFSM Student Government Association and is presented to a student who has demonstrated excellence in leadership activities, community and university involvement, and academic success. Ryan served as president of the Criminology Club at USFSM for the past two years during which time he organized a club trip to Washington, D.C. to tour the museums and to visit the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at the University of Maryland. In addition to his work with the Criminology Club, Ryan also participated in several community events such as USFSM Freshman Round-Up, USFSM Club Rushes, USFSM Road Clean Up, and Circle K.

Outstanding Graduate Award: Dat Vu, College of Business, Accounting and Finance. This award ispresented by the USF Sarasota-Manatee Chapter of the USF Alumni Association to recognize the graduating senior who embodies leadership, school spirit, community service, character and scholarship. Dat, who will graduate with an overall GPA of 3.70, came to USFSM after attending State College of Florida. He overcame a language barrier and immediately became involved in all aspects of student life. In his time at USFSM, Dat has been a student senator for the College of Business and held the position of vice president for USF Sarasota-Manatee Student Government during the 2011-12 academic year. Dat helped to found and served as president of the Phi Beta Lambda fraternity for the Future Business Leaders of America. He plans to pursue a career in Finance or Accounting.

King O’Neal Scholars Award: Michaela Cerce, College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership, Hospitality Management. The USF Alumni Association presents this award for achieving a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout one’s undergraduate degree. The award was created in honor of charter USF graduates Lucas King and Evelyn O’Neal. Following graduation, Michaela hopes to continue her education by attending culinary school to obtain a degree in baking and pastry arts. She also helps to manage a family business in the restaurant industry in her spare time, and aspires to own her own business after finishing her education.

Spring 2013 Outstanding Professor: Dr. Richard Reich, College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Reich has been at USF Sarasota-Manatee since 2005 after spending several years working at the USF Tampa campus. Reich earned his B.S in Psychology from the College of Charleston in 1994 and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from USF. He has been published in over 10 different journals and publications and has overseen directed studies for undergraduate psychology majors at USFSM since 2006. Dr. Reich is known as an expert for cognitive factors affecting substance use and abuse as well as statistical applications to psychological research. For all this and more, the USFSM students have recognized Dr. Reich as this semester’s Most Outstanding Professor.

The College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee announces new courses in the emerging areas of IT Security and Mobile Applications.

A new era of total connectivity and access to information 24 hours-a-day, seven days a week has created the demand for training in a variety of emerging technical fields, including the latest courses at USFSM in Android Web Apps, Mobile/Wireless Security, and IT Strategy and Entrepreneurship. The assembly of new programs in USFSM’s College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership addresses the needs of traditional and non-traditional students, as well as working professionals seeking formal training in new technologies. The IT curriculum has been designed as a team effort among educators and industry partners, resulting in rigorous content aligned with current and emerging industry needs.

“Students live in a connected world and are bringing these ideas to the workplace,” said Shane Hartman, who will be teaching the new courses on Android Web Apps. “As such, USFSM is bridging the gap between personal and social ideas that students are accustomed to and applying them to the workplace with courses like Software Development for Mobile Apps and Android Web Apps, which shows students how to take business constructs and adapt them to the mobile environment.”

USF Sarasota-Manatee continues to be on the forefront of emerging technologies and areas of study with the addition of these three courses, made timely by the viral story of Nick D’Alosio. D’Alosio, a 17-year-old from the United Kingdom who became instantly famous for selling an app he developed to Yahoo!, for millions of dollars. “The never-ending debate between mobile and native (traditional) web applications is a debate which will undoubtedly grow along with Android’s market share,” said Fred Cavazza, a regular contributor on social and digital media and technology to Forbes Magazine.

The cornerstone of the IT program at USFSM is information security. Shane Hartman is recognized as one of the area’s premier experts on digital forensics and is the founder of the Suncoast Security Society. Hartman is joined by Dr. Bill Murphy, who will teach the course on IT Strategy and Entrepreneurship. Jeremy Rasmussen, Senior Principal Information Security Engineer at CACI, an IT solutions firm, will teach the Mobile/Wireless Security course beginning this summer.

Android Web Apps will be offered beginning in summer 2013 with Mobile Web Apps following as a complementary course starting in fall 2013. Students are advised to take both courses back-to-back.

In developing this IT track, USFSM’s goal is to be nimble and creative in designing practical programs in the field, enabling students to gain valuable training that will help them land careers in a rapidly changing world.

More information is available here.

Each month, we take a look back at all the major news stories about USF Sarasota-Manatee, its faculty, staff and students. For all the latest news about USFSM, be sure to sign up to get the monthly e-News by clicking HERE.