- The program to be highlighted is the new B.S. Biology Degree within the College of Arts & Sciences at USFSM—our first STEM program. The centerpiece is the partnership with the world-renowned Mote Marine Research Laboratories, where new science labs/classrooms are currently under construction. Beginning in August 2013, students can begin building a strong foundation to prepare for entrance into technical positions in the STEM fields, post-baccalaureate studies in graduate level STEM programs and entrance to professional schools, including medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, etc. Currently, no public institutions in our local area offer a B.S. degree in Biology. This new program will impact local, regional, state and national workforce and economic needs in the burgeoning life sciences, health professions and biotechnology industries. Mote Marine scientists will be actively engaged with UFSM students, teaching, mentoring and giving them real-world experience in research, helping USFSM become an internationally recognized undergraduate research institution, while strengthening the preeminence of the USF system. This program directly supports the 2010 “New Florida” initiative for advancing STEM fields by emphasizing natural sciences and biomedical technology, plus it readies graduates for high wage positions.
- This is an emerging program which has been in the works for a year. Classes begin August 26, 2013.
- We can’t measure success yet, however, this new program does fulfill many of the State University Strategic Planning Goals of 2012-2015, including: Strengthening Quality and Reputation of Academic Programs and Universities; Increasing Degree Productivity and Program Efficiency; Increasing the Number of Degrees Awarded in STEM and Other Areas of Strategic Emphasis; Strengthening Quality and Reputation of Scholarship, Research and Innovation; Increasing Research and Commercialization Activity; Strengthening Quality and Recognition of Commitment to Community and Business Engagement, etc. Fulfillment of all of these goals will make the new USFSM initiative Unstoppable, as we undertake the newest achievement that will showcase the best and brightest people and programs in the USF system. The innovative collaboration with Mote Marine Research Laboratories, creation of the area’s only public Biology degree program, addressing emerging workforce needs in the sciences and health careers, and enhancing the reputation and influence of USFSM are all elements of the community and global impact just on the horizon.
McCracken Bequest Yields More than One Million Dollar Gift to USF Sarasota-Manatee College of Education for Scholarships
Future educators from Manatee County studying at University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM) College of Education will have access to even greater scholarship opportunities thanks to the bequest of the estate of Francis E. and Gaile McCracken. The gifts from the McCracken Estate will bring the lifetime total of their donations to nearly one-point-three million dollars ($1.3 million) to support future educators in Manatee County who attend USFSM.
Francis McCracken (“Mac”) was born in Indiana in 1920, the youngest of seven boys and four girls. He entered training for the Air Force and was certified as a fighter pilot just after WWII ended. Francis attended Purdue on the GI bill, earning a BS in Agriculture and an MS in Education. His wife, Gaile, attended Ball State Teachers College and Syracuse University and taught high school social studies. Francis taught vocational agriculture in Indiana and agriculture and biology in Michigan. He was also adjunct faculty for USF.
Mr. and Mrs. McCracken retired at the age of 55 and enjoyed traveling to most countries around the globe. The couple had no children, and after retiring to Manatee County, lived modestly and invested carefully. In 2007, Francis created the McCracken Educator’s Scholarships at USF Sarasota-Manatee, and was proud to provide a legacy of financial support and access to higher education for Manatee County students attending USFSM. The scholarships contain both financial need and academic eligibility requirements.
When he died last August, Francis left a bequest in his will which added more than a million dollars in endowment to the existing McCracken Educator’s Scholarships Fund for students at USFSM.
“As dedicated educators, the McCrackens believed in the value of creating a steady supply of future teachers, as well as helping Manatee County students offset the rising cost of a quality education,” said USFSM’s Regional Vice Chancellor for Advancement Dennis Stover. “The McCracken Educator’s scholarships in the USF Sarasota-Manatee College of Education ensure a wonderful legacy of generosity that will impact future educators and our region for many years to come.
USF Sarasota-Manatee ‘In The News’
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.
|
Erica Earl of the Bradenton Herald writes about the Thank You for Your Support During the 36-Hour Giving Challenge!
USF Sarasota-Manatee is so appreciative of the recent gifts that were given to the University during The Giving Partner’s 2013 “36-Hour Giving Challenge” on March 5 and 6.
The participation in this community-wide fundraiser helped USFSM gain exposure and additional funds for scholarships and programs, and happily, we have learned that a total of 16 donations were eligible to be matched by The Patterson Foundation!
Before the matching dollars ran out at 7:05:37 on March 5th, the first morning of the Challenge, we were able to receive $6,600 in matching funds provided by The Patterson Foundation.
Our wonderful partners at the Furniture Warehouse also had 70 sales during the Challenge period that each qualified for a $25 dollar gift to USFSM, courtesy of the Richmond family. The first $1,000 of their donation was matched, so their gift total was $2,750.00. That qualifies them as our largest single donor during the Challenge! Thank you again to The Furniture Warehouse for being our business partner. Please remember to shop at the Furniture Warehouse throughout the year and mention that you are a USFSM supporter!
Overall, the total raised for USF Sarasota-Manatee during our first year with the 36-Hour Giving Challenge was $16,175 from 45 donors (including matching dollars).
Thank you all for being a part of our success!
Also, we would like to thank the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Patterson Foundation, the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Manatee Community Foundation, Charlotte Community Foundation and the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation for encouraging our community to “unleash its inner generosity” and raise $2.78 million from 17,626 donations made from all over the country and the world.
Andrew Sink, Student
Andrew Sink is an incoming junior who will begin taking classes in Summer 2013. Andrew is a transfer student from State College of Florida and will be majoring in English with a concentration in Business and Technical Writing.
What would you like to do for a career upon graduation?
I enjoy working in Research and Development; working on new ideas and projects is something I have a great time doing.
Why did you choose the major that you chose?
I chose Business and Technical Writing because I wanted to stay involved in the technology industry.
What are some of your interests?
I recently purchased a 3D printer, and I’ve been spending a lot of time making things with it.
What is something about you that people wouldn’t normally know about you?
I recently competed in a weightlifting meet in Tampa.
Why did you choose USF Sarasota-Manatee?
After visiting the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus and meeting some of the faculty and staff, I knew that this was a great college. Everybody was very happy and helpful, and seemed genuinely excited to meet new students.
Would you recommend USFSM to someone else?
Absolutely.
Dr. Marie Byrd-Blake, Faculty
Marie Byrd-Blake is an assistant professor in the Department of Childhood Education and Literacy Studies at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee. A native Floridian, she received her BS and MS in Elementary Education from Florida State University and Florida International University, respectively and her EdD in Educational Administration and Supervision with a minor in Curriculum and Instruction from Florida International University. Marie has a strong background in urban school education with 15 years of service in the Miami Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Florida as a teacher, Title One Curriculum Specialist, and Assistant Principal. Prior to arriving at USF Sarasota Manatee in fall 2007, Marie held the title of assistant professor in Educational Administration at the University of Memphis and at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
What made you come to USFSM?
I sought a University in my home state as well as a position that allowed me to focus on teacher education.
What special projects/research are you involved in?
- WHAT I CAN BE WITH A COLLEGE DEGREE
- February 22, 2013
- Emma E. Booker 5th Grade Students will present their artwork that is currently being displayed in the College of Education Hallway. The event will highlight the “What I Can be With a College Degree” theme as it promotes higher education among students from diverse backgrounds. The Educators’ Alliance Student organization here on campus is has worked hard to sponsor this event.
- I am president-elect of SRATE (Southern Region Association of Teacher Educators) and of FATE (Florida Association of Teacher Educators). SRATE will hold the 60th Annual Conference October 10-12, 2013 here at USF Sarasota Manatee. The theme of the conference is Teacher Effectiveness: Brilliance in the Making. As president-elect of SRATE, I am planning the conference. It will involve teacher educators from the following southern states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Maryland
- On February 2nd, FATE will hold is winter meeting here on campus. At that time, FATE state representatives from Florida will participate in planning for the upcoming SRATE Conference.
What other positions have you held before this one and what were your roles?
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Leadership, School of Education
- The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee
Assistant Professor, Department of Leadership, College of Education
- Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Miami, Florida
Assistant Principal, Reading Curriculum Specialist, Public School Teacher
If you were selling USFSM to an incoming student what would you say?
USFSM personalizes the higher education experience.
How has USFSM made you a better professional/person?
It has allowed me to grow professionally through service, scholarship and teaching.
What are some of your goals for the future?
My goals are to continue to bridge theory and practice in teacher education as well as further establishing myself nationally in my field.
What is the best part of USFSM?
The supportive climate of the campus is the best part of USFSM.
Rocky Does the ‘Harlem Shake’
Join USFSM in the 36-Hour Giving Challenge next week, when Southwest Florida unleashes its inner generosity!
You can help USFSM qualify for thousands of dollars in donations and grants that support our scholarships and programs. Please plan to CLICK, SHARE & SHOP during The Giving Challenge, from March 5 at 7 a.m. to March 6 at 7 p.m.
Here’s how:
1. CLICK on our “USF” profile on The Giving Partner website with this shortcut: www.USFSM.edu/click. Every unique visitor gets us closer to winning a $5,000 grant.
2. SHARE your love of USFSM by visiting www.USFSM.edu/share, search for “USF” and make a secure donation of $25 or more.
3. SHOP at The Furniture Warehouse, where you’ll not only get a discount during the 36-Hour Giving Challenge, but the store will make a donation to USFSM for every sale!
Please share this message with all of your friends and encourage them to support USFSM during the 36-Hour Giving Challenge!
Sponsored by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, the Manatee Community Foundation with support from The Patterson Foundation.
Dr. Wilma Davidson, Instructor
Dr. Wilma Davidson, Instructor of Business and Technical Writing
What made you come to USFSM?
We moved to Florida and I wanted to contribute in my area of expertise in academic as well as corporate classrooms, where I have been working across the globe for several decades.
What special projects/research are you involved in?
Tod Roberts and I have built the Professional and Technical Writing Program here at USFSM over the past few years—and in 2012 successfully presented a proposal to Tampa to make our concentration in Professional and Technical Writing a separate B.A. degree program (B.A. in Professional and Technical Communication). It will begin in Fall 2014.
What other jobs have you held before this one and what were your roles?
I am still the president of Davidson & Associates Communications Consultants, Inc., a corporation devoted to helping executives and professionals manage their writing and speaking challenges in the workplace.
If you were selling USFSM to an incoming student what would you say?
Come here! You will find professors who care, classes that are small, and an opportunity to get a quality education in a place where you can be counted.
How has USFSM made you a better professional/person?
It has allowed me the opportunity to blend my work in corporate classrooms with my work in academic classrooms. Each informs my teaching and research.
What are some of your goals for the future?
To continue to help students succeed: to help them feel good about themselves and to give them the tools they need to write and speak professionally in the workplace. To help them stand above the crowd. (I plan to contribute to write and publish as well.)
Regina Oykherman, Student
Regina Oykherman, President of Bulls on Parade
What would you like to do for a career upon graduation?
My ideal career after graduation would be working as an investigator for the Medical Examiner’s office in Sarasota County.
Why did you choose the major that you chose?
The Criminal Justice Field is fascinating to me, not only do you get the ability to learn why criminals may commit crimes and what their motives are, but you are also able to learn how to better help the community and society as a whole stay better protected, and how to help those individuals that may have turned to crime at one point in their life and how there are various programs that may help them get ‘back on their feet.’
Why did you choose USF Sarasota-Manatee?
I chose USF Sarasota-Manatee not only because it is close to home, but also because USF is a great school to attend. USF Sarasota-Manatee not only has a beautiful campus, but also allows you to have small class sizes giving you the ability to work closely with your professors. What I say to any student interested in attending USFSM is that this campus is a ‘public school with a private school atmosphere’ and that all the instructors are not only teaching in the classroom, but are also working in the field, bringing valuable knowledge and experience into the classroom.
Would you recommend USFSM to someone else?
Yes, I have already recruited my brother to attend USFSM.
How has USFSM prepared you for your career goals?
USFSM has not only prepared me through the classroom, but has also allowed me to get involved and hold leadership positions within the campus so I can grow as an individual. The knowledge I have gathered from my studies, and the experiences I have had through my involvement on campus will allow me to better understand, work and problem solve in the field.
What was your favorite class at USFSM and why?
Alternatives to Incarceration – This would have had to be my favorite class because it not only helped me understand why persons commit crimes, but also informed me of various ways to better discipline individuals through means other than incarceration/jail etc. I also enjoyed this class because not only did I learn about these types of alternatives in the classroom, but I was also given the opportunity to visit the Sarasota County Jail and do a walk-through with the rest of my class. This experience not only allowed me to see what goes on in the inside of a jail, but also allowed me to learn about various programs and activities that individuals housed there can partake in while serving their time. This class was not only informative but also eye opening, letting me know that in order to reduce re-incarceration rates, there is a major need for alternatives to incarceration and transition programs that allow persons to ‘smoothly’ or ‘more easily’ transition back into society.
What is the best part of USFSM?
There is no single good thing about USFSM. USFSM as a whole is a great campus and great school. With extremely knowledgeable professors, small class sizes and great opportunities that USFSM provides to get involved on and off campus, USFSM is indeed the whole package!
Tourism Industry Leader’s Planned Gift to Benefit USF Sarasota-Manatee College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership
The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee announces a generous planned gift by Robert Purzycki of Ipswich, MA, a renowned expert on travel, tourism and the cruise industry. Bob, who graduated from USF in 1968 with a degree in Geography, created this deferred gift of $650,000 to support operations as well as need- and merit-based scholarships benefitting graduate students in the USF Sarasota-Manatee College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership (COHTL).
“This wonderful donation from someone who knows the tourism industry so well from the inside will help develop our College of Hospitality and Technology Leadership into one of the top-10 programs in the country,” said Dr. Cihan Cobanoglu, dean of the college. “We are proud to know that Bob Purzycki values our role as a unique resource for future leaders in global hospitality and technology education, innovation and research.”
Bob and his late wife, Jeanne, were world travelers and avid cruisers who spent their careers training professional travel agents, hotel administrators, airline managers and members of the travel, hospitality and cruise industries in innovative sales, marketing and customer service techniques. The couple met when Jeanne hired Bob to work for Garber, one of the largest travel agencies in Boston. In collaboration with Jeanne, who died in 2011, Bob co-authored five highly regarded books, as well as college curricula for schools in the Boston area. Dr. Cobanoglu and several USFSM students are currently helping revise and update the Purzyckis’ book “Sails for Profit”.
A native of Schenectady, New York, Bob put himself through college working as a radiologic technician before entering the travel and tourism field where he indulged his love of geography and foreign cultures. After being drafted into the US Navy during the Vietnam War, he learned Arabic and Spanish, taking advantage of postings to Spain, Greece, the Middle East and North Africa.
Having traveled to 120 countries and experienced 43 cruises, Bob says his favorite destination remains the Canadian Rockies. In addition to his passion for travel, Bob volunteers at the Ipswich Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. In memory of Jeanne’s long battle with breast cancer, he supports the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization, and a nonprofit for the prevention of animal cruelty. He visits Sarasota frequently, and particularly enjoys sharing his vast knowledge and global travel experiences with USFSM students. “The education I received at USF, nearly a half-century ago, has constantly guided and helped me navigate through the various tangents that have come my way while pursuing careers,” Bob said. “I’m proud to support the COHTL program, giving future students a chance to live their dreams.”