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FALL 2015
Celebrating 10 Years!
Our Partners
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A MESSAGE FROM THE VICE PROVOST
DIRECTCONNECT TO UCF – WHAT A SUCCESS! On Monday, November 9, many of us had the opportunity to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Central Florida Higher Education Consortium—the agreement that enabled the formation of our widely-recognized and highly-successful program now known as DirectConnect to UCF. It’s been a banner year for DirectConnect to UCF. We’ve had great national recognition by media such as The Atlantic, Politico, Washington Post, PBS NewsHour, U.S. News and World Report, and more. Our success has been featured in a national case study by Ithaka S & R entitled “Breaking the Iron Triangle at the University of Central Florida.” It is considered our “best practice” contribution to the University Innovation Alliance. All of this recognition is due to one simple fact: Because of the work that you do every day, there is a significant and recognized impact on the lives and livelihoods of the citizens of central Florida, the state, the nation, and the world. The support you offer is increasingly recognized as exceptional, whether provided through face-to-face classes on Regional Campuses, online courses, services provided by DirectConnect to UCF, or our efforts in Continuing Education. But even more important than the impressive statistics that are compiled (e.g., there are currently 16,045 students enrolled at UCF that came through DirectConnect to UCF), it’s the impact on individual students and their families that requires our focus. Each of these 16,045 individual students has a story to tell: sometimes it’s how they overcame adversity to succeed in education, sometimes it’s how they have been lifted up by a caring adult during a time when it would have been easier to quit, and sometimes it’s how interaction with fellow students has helped prepare them for the world of work and for lifelong learning. As President John Hitt stated in his speech on November 9, UCF has now conferred 26,822 degrees to students who have come through DirectConnect to UCF. Another 140,000 students at our state college partner institutions have expressed an interest in DirectConnect to UCF as a means to attain their educational goals. You have had a measurable and valuable impact on the lives of thousands of students to date. There is no end in sight to the increasing interest in the program. That’s a lot of individual stories that will be forever altered. Thank you for the work that you do to help our students succeed!
Jeff Jones Vice Provost
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Congratulations!
JOHNSON SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON
Seminole State College hosted the second annual luncheon honoring the next class of Johnson Scholars. The five foundations—UCF, Eastern Florida State College, Lake Sumter State College, Seminole State College and Valencia College—along with board members from the Johnson Scholarship Foundation were all present. Kelly Dowling, UCF Foundation, acted as the Emcee and welcomed all in attendance. President E. Ann McGee welcomed the new class and guests to the Seminole State College-Oviedo campus and gave a poignant talk highlighting five important questions for the scholars to consider. After their introductions, the scholars were presented with the JSF medallion by their college’s foundation.
THE JOHNSON SCHOLARS CLASS OF 2015 Eastern Florida State College: Brianna Carthen
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Lake Sumter State College: Justin Anduza Lissa Jean Louis
Seminole State College: Daniel Downer Felipe Mireles Cody Tedder
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Valencia College: Kiana Boodram Catalina Gutierrez Kimberly Muniz Dianikha Pierre Kevin Rivera Regina Russell
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Annual Employee Awards Program, October 15, 2015 Congratulations for your service to the university, and UCF Regional Campuses. Five Years: Carolyn Kennedy, UCF Sanford/Lake Mary
AngĂŠ Peterson, Associate Vice President for UCF Regional Campuses, was presented with a national award for outstanding leadership, content and service to the Strategic Enrollment Management profession at the 25th annual Strategic Enrollment Management (SEM) meeting held November 1-3, 2015, in Hollywood, Florida.
Ten Years: Alex Armstrong, UCF Cocoa Darryl Greely, UCF Daytona Beach Waheeda Illasarie, Administration Lauren Miller, UCF Cocoa Nick Pantloni, UCF Cocoa Christy Pasnisin, UCF South Lake Raphel Robinson, UCF Daytona Beach Rosalyn Santana, UCF Daytona Beach Twenty Years: Darlene Kraft, UCF Cocoa Kathi Harris, Administration Marylou Wade, Administration
UCF REGIONAL CAMPUSES AND CONTINUING EDUCATION EXTENDS A WARM WELCOME TO TWO NEW MEMBERS OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM: Dr. Kimberley Cole comes to Regional Campuses most recently from Rutgers Business School with previous experience at University of California, Davis and 14 years of experience in the Florida State University System. Kim has a PhD from the University of South Florida, MBA from Tennessee Tech University and holds an active CPA license in the State of Florida. She and her husband, Gene, were happy to return to Florida.
Ms. Brianna Stack comes to Regional Campus Headquarters from Eastern Michigan where she attained a Master of Science in Accounting. Brie is currently studying for the CPA exam. She and her husband, Adam, have a Golden Retriever named Ferris and are avid travelers.
CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT
Curriculum Alignment (CA) meetings for the fall semester were held during the months of September and October. Under the auspices of UCF Regional Campuses and the College of Undergraduate Studies, College of Sciences Associate Dean Teresa Dorman led the meetings in the areas of biology, chemistry, math and statistics, physics and engineering. The annual conference will be held in the spring 2016 term and will concentrate on academic pathways for student success.
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BUDGET CHALLENGES Reading the past editions of our newsletters brings awareness to all of the accomplishments that Regional Campuses has achieved. What makes these achievements even more remarkable is that our budgets have not increased in proportion to the appropriate level of funding. The university has stabled a budget committee to evaluate different financial models – models that would provide for additional funding opportunities in the future. While this is a much needed effort, it will not provide budget relief for UCF Regional Campuses for this fiscal year. Please share any cost savings measures that you have put in place at your locations. We will need to be even more frugal than we have been in the past.
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RETREAT Several RC teams—Enrollment Services, Web Development and Administrative Affairs, with their new leader Dr. Kimberley Cole (Assistant Vice-Provost, RCHQ)—joined together for a team building exercise at iFLY Orlando. iFLY Orlando is an indoor skydiving experience that creates true free fall conditions, just like skydiving, without having to jump out of an airplane. While most of us work at various locations, it was a great opportunity to come together and do something fun, yet challenging. In the end, it brought individuals together to support, encourage and depend on each other to successfully sustain the flying experience. Over lunch the ES and web team watched a video of the flights and laughed about the experience. Probably the funniest (at least by some accounts)—the flight instructor’s “take down” of Deborah (please don’t ask). To close out the day, the ES team participated in an interactive Customer Service training session presented by Melissa Kors (Assistant Director, Valencia Campuses).
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Sheri Newble (Senior Admissions Specialist, UCF Daytona Beach) attended the Florida Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (FASFAA) annual conference held at the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort in St. Augustine, FL. The conference brought together representatives from the U.S. Department of Education, NASFAA, and the Inspector General’s Office, providing attendees timely and relevant information as part of the Opening Session. The theme was “Honoring the Past, Shaping the Present, Treasuring the Future!” Throughout the sessions, information was provided to help prepare the financial aid professionals to overcome the challenges associated with financial aid regulations and the ever-changing student. Examples of what the profession requires to remain strong were provided, including having well-informed people with professional competence as we move into the future—a message that appealed to both the advanced and novice financial aid professional who strives to be effective in the field of Financial Aid. Held in conjunction with the Florida Higher Education Summit, ES staff attended the Florida Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (FACRAO) Annual
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Summit in Clearwater. The conference provided admissions, financial aid and registrar professionals with presentations about Florida legislative initiatives, state budget, sessions relevant to best practices and networking opportunities with colleagues within the state. Rosalyn Santana (Coordinator, UCF Daytona Beach), Jessica Houts (Coordinator, UCF Cocoa), Melissa Kors (Assistant Director, Valencia campuses), Georgia Kent (Coordinator, Sanford/ Lake Mary), and Priscilla Alejandro (Coordinator, Valencia East) attended the Florida Institute for Strategic Enrollment Management (FISEM) for training future leaders in best practices in enrollment management. Pam Williams-Gruen (Assistant Director, Sanford/Lake Mary) attended the annual ACT Enrollment Planners Conference in Chicago, IL, during the month of July. Pam wrote of the conference: The overall dichotomy of the ACT conference in Chicago was that of numbers vs. personalization. Specifically, there were numbers people in admissions whose sole focus was to get admissions numbers up using a variety of statistical analyses and outreach. Conversely, the keynote speakers represented the opposite of the numbers mentality: they were people who were recognized by the admissions representatives as those
STAFF Welcome to the team Richard Satterlee (Coordinator, UCF Valencia West). Richard comes from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York, where he served in the Registrar’s Office and a short time as an academic advisor. In addition, Priscilla Alejandro (Valencia East) moved from an OPS position to the Coordinator of Enrollment Services at the same location. ES Cocoa staff was busy participating in several professional development opportunities over the course of the last several months: • Nick Pantloni attended UCF Online Student Services-customer service training; SFA/Student Accounts Training in Orlando; and FoE: Year 2 Launch Party. • Nick, Jessica Houts, and Autumn Adams attended Examining Disability Barriers. • Nick and Jessica attended Stress Management Training (presented by Melissa Kors) via Skype and NASFA Best Practices in Customer Service. • Nick and Autumn attended the UCF 2015 Diversity Breakfast. Guest speaker was Sonia Manzano who for over 30 years portrayed “Maria” on Sesame Street. having potential, although neither would have been the kind of student a numbers person would approve. Dr. Bertice Berry was a problem child who grew up in storage sheds she and her family squatted in and only got to go to college because of a brand new high school teacher and a special grant. Wes Moore is famous for his book, The Other Wes Moore, and stressed without people in his life who cared about him, he too would have ended up like the other Wes Moore who is in prison for life. It really hit home that what people want is for you to care, an observation backed by the Purdue-Gallop Index. Sometimes in education we don’t. That’s when the Bertice Berrys and Wes Moores slip by, never living up to their own potential and never influencing thousands to do better. That’s on us. The Enrollment Services team participated in almost 70 events this semester. This included classroom visits, application and financial aid workshops, Welcome Back events, Open Houses, DirectConnect to UCF information sessions, Dual Enrollment workshop, Parent Preview night, Career Day, information tables, Degree Expos, Concurrent Nursing information sessions, College Fairs, High School visits with DirectConnect to UCF partners, Grad Fair, DirectConnect to UCF Meet and Greets and Pegasus Palooza.
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ACADEMIC AND STUDENT INITIATIVES What an active Fall 2015 term it has been with the merging and development of this new unit that constitutes Academic and Student Initiatives and its leadership team members, including Pam Cavanaugh, Associate Vice Provost; Angelia Jones, Director of Student Services and Advising, Jenny Sumner, Director of Academic Support Services and Bachelor of Applied Science; Waheeda Illasarie, Associate Director of Academic Support Services; and Kallie Reyes, Assistant Director for Online Student Services. Our team continues to provide leadership for traditional programming and services to our partners and students; however, we are working on numerous strategic initiatives impacting academics, support services, academic support, program delivery, and student success. Did you know that Regional Campuses has more than 92 student success initiatives on our campuses that help to connect, engage, and support the progress and success of our students? Congratulations to all of our team members working so hard to help our students succeed and graduate!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Angelia Jones, Raphel Robinson and Angel Edgecombe presented “Re-imagining, Re-organizing and Re-inventing the Transfer Orientation Experience” at the NACADA conference in October. Waheeda Illasarie is on the planning team for the NACADA - 2016 Region 4 Conference, March 16-18, 2016, in Orlando, Florida. Many of our team members took part in the UCF Transfer Advising Workshop, September 21. It was a great opportunity to network with various UCF colleges and departments along with advisors from our partnering state colleges.
Crystal Flynn with partner/College of Central Florida advisors
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WELCOME NEW TEAM MEMBERS • STUDENT SERVICES & ADVISING Rachel Mankowski, Student Affairs Coordinator, UCF Valencia West Vanessa Delgado, Academic Advisor & International Direct Connect Advisor, UCF Valencia Campuses Sonya Curtis, Assistant Director Student Services, UCF Cocoa and UCF Palm Bay • ONLINE STUDENT SERVICES Charlenne Valere, Success Coach Sylecia Groover, Success Coach • DIRECTCONNECT TO UCF Ginny LaRue, DirectConnect to UCF Coordinator, UCF Daytona Beach Luisa Mejia, DirectConnect to UCF Coordinator, UCF Sanford/Lake Mary Nicole Simms, DirectConnect to UCF Coordinator, UCF Valencia West
FOUNDATIONS OF EXCELLENCE (FoE): LAUNCHING AHEAD INTO YEAR TWO FoE concluded year one of this initiative, which resulted in a very successful and insightful self-study. Over 200 administrators, faculty, staff, students, and external partners dedicated their time to the process, and provided over 118 recommendations on how to enhance transfer student success at UCF. Some findings from our first year include that UCF needs a campus-wide philosophy statement about the transfer experience; UCF offers many services and support for transfer students but there is a need for better coordination, integration, and assessment; UCF needs a more streamlined process for credit evaluation, an expansion of curriculum alignment efforts, and an enhanced orientation experience that prepares students prior to arrival; UCF needs to create a more holistic and engaging experience to assist in developing academic, personal, social, and professional skills; and UCF needs to better involve faculty, staff, and students in transfer student success initiatives. The results from the first year also highlighted Regional Campuses, with particular praise for the DirectConnect to UCF program, the leadership of Curriculum Alignment, the hosting of the annual College Access Summits, and the overall work done to ensure that transfer students are advised earlier and throughout their transfer to UCF. Fall 2015 begins our second year, which is the implementation phase of the FoE process. Five action teams have been established with the goal of implementing the recommendations, which have been themed into the areas of: Philosophy, Communication, Transfer Preparation (including Curriculum Alignment, Transfer Credit Evaluation, and Transfer Orientation) Transfer Engagement, and Academic Success. Through the work that will be done this coming year, we look forward to transforming the UCF environment by offering the best practices and policies that will support the overall success of our transfer students.
Colleen Scott, Beth Larson and Robin Tinsley with Lake Sumter College Advising team
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THE DIRECTCONNECT TO UCF PATHWAY: BUILDING ON 10 YEARS OF SUCCESS This month DirectConnect to UCF, through the Central Florida Higher Education Consortium, celebrates its tenyear anniversary. During the past decade, DirectConnect to UCF has succeeded in breaking the proverbial “Iron Triangle” by simultaneously increasing access to the University, while also reducing costs and improving the quality of education. But, more than that, DirectConnect to UCF has elevated the traditional transfer experience for over 41,000 students by offering advising, resources, and direction that assists students in successfully navigating their way into the university system. This unique and partner-centered approach has positioned DirectConnect to UCF as a national leading program, and has set the standard for transfer practices. The new DirectConnect to UCF Pathway is building on the foundation and success of DirectConnect to UCF, and is enriching the overall transfer experience by adding more advanced opportunities for student development and success. By expanding on the already proven practices of DirectConnect to UCF, the
BAS NEWS The BAS major has been identified as a part of the University’s growth enrollment strategy, and program leadership is looking to expand both marketing and outreach to potential students, especially those transferring with AS degrees in computerrelated majors from our state college partners. As such, the BAS major has been identified as the first academic program at UCF to fully employ a new adaptive learning platform, RealizeIT, which helps to identify students’ determined knowledge, and thereby help faculty to guide the students through a more individualized learning experience. Students can accelerate through their coursework by allowing them to capitalize on their previous knowledge. Leading this effort are the eight faculty of the BAS major’s IT and Software Development tracks: Colin Archibald, Craig Tidwell, Richard Grant, Jerry Hensel, Benjamin Taylor, Marwan Shaban, Scott LaChance, and Jerry Reed. In partnership with Center for Distributed Learning (CDL) and Regional Campuses, these faculty members are designing RealizeIT to fit into their courses, with plans for full deployment in all courses by fall 2016. Through the work of Regional Campuses’ leadership, faculty, and staff, the BAS major is being positioned to fill the unique needs for both our students desiring a bachelor’s degree and for industry looking for prepared and qualified graduates. re g io n a l camp u se s.u cf.e d u
Pathway provides a tool and a resource for both advisors and students, and offers an innovative way for them to connect and engage. For advisors, the Pathway allows them to work with students inside a learning management platform, thereby offering a more structured way to reach students. Using a host of innovative tools, such as live chat and group conferencing, advisors are able to better guide students and give them ‘just in time’ information. For students, the Pathway offers a unique experience through an engaging and interactive environment; students receive individualized support and direct contact to a team of state college and UCF advisors, access to a wealth of resources and materials related to both their state college and to UCF, and the opportunity to earn digital badges as they complete milestones designed to increase their academic preparation and transfer readiness. Just as DirectConnect to UCF has set precedence, the unique concept of the Pathway has already attracted national attention. This year, the Pathway has earned the 2015 WCET Outstanding Work (WOW) Award given by the WICHE Cooperative for Educational Technologies; the 2015 Advising Technology Innovation Award given by NACADA; and the 2015 Gold Honoree Award in the Careers, Academic Advising and Support, and Related Category given by NASPA. These recognitions are evidence that DirectConnect to UCF, now with its complementing Pathway, continues to grow and expand its influence on the transfer landscape, and that, through partnership and innovation, is successfully forging ahead into its next ten years.
STUDENT SERVICES & ADVISING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
New Initiatives were launched this fall term to provide resources for regional campus students. In collaboration with UCF Health Services, Flu Shot Clinics were available at the UCF Daytona Beach, UCF Cocoa, UCF Seminole, UCF Valencia West and UCf Valencia Osceola campuses. Also, UCF SGA Legislative Affairs coordinated with regional campuses and local county Supervisor of Elections to host voter registration drives at each of the regional campus sites. In an effort to provide more leadership and resources, Regional Campuses’ Student Services (RCSS) professionals are serving as lead ambassadors with SDES departments to intentionally partner with these areas. We also have Advising professionals serving as the Regional Campuses’ Advising Team (RCAT) team lead for specific Regional Campuses’ programs. Student Development and Enrollment Services Career Services Counseling and Psychological Services Diversity and Inclusion Knights Experience Leadership Multicultural Academic & Support Services (MASS) Office of Student Involvement (OSI) Office of Student Rights & Responsibility/UCF Cares Orientation Student Academic Resource Center (SARC) Student Accessibility Services Student Health Services Recreation & Wellness Veteran Services (VARC) Victim Advocacy Program BABA BAS Integrated Business ReConnect STARS
RCSS TEAM LEAD Rachel Mankowski Sonya Curtis Lourdes Acevedo Ashley Squillante, Rachel Mankowski Ashley Squillante Lourdes Acevedo Ashley Squillante Pam Brady Raphel Robinson Pam Brady Sonya Curtis Ashley Squillante Raphel Robinson Sonya Curtis Lourdes Acevedo
RCAT TEAM LEAD Patricia Terrill Tina Davis Jackie West-Lee Vanessa Delgado Lisa Cruz R E G I O N A L
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ONLINE STUDENT SERVICES
ACADEMIC SCHEDULE DEVELOPMENT
UCF Online Student Services launched in July of this year, beginning service to the fully online Master of Social Work track. Located in Partnership II and with two Success Coaches, Charlenne Valere and Sylecia Groover, we are reaching out to prospective students and providing recruitment assistance to the program, as well as, providing student services to newly admitted MSW students. In 2016, we will also begin to serve the UCF Online initiative providing these services to all undergraduate and graduate online programs who are participating. We look forward to a new and exciting time!
The Academic Schedule Development team (Pam Cavanaugh, Mary Lynn Bresette, Denise Devlin, and Waheeda Illasarie) is currently visiting academic departments on the Orlando campus. So much of what we do in our area is behind the scenes and done via email that we often communicate with individuals for years that we have not met face-to-face. The development of the new unit has been an opportunity to introduce our team to Orlando campus partners and connect faces to names. These meetings also assist in finalizing the Spring 2016 class schedule and developing the upcoming 2016-2017 schedule.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT)
CURRENT TECHNOLOGY FEES
Projects utilizing technology fees are well underway and network infrastructure updates are continuing across Regional Campuses: • Multimedia classrooms are receiving updates to current digital standards—South Lake is progressing quickly and Cocoa’s building modifications are being finalized to support the new equipment. Leesburg and Ocala’s updates will follow next year. • WAN tech fee planning is in progress which, once completed, will provide increased speed to the UCF network and a foundation for enhanced shared services to all of Regional Campuses. • The main computer lab in Cocoa is currently receiving renovations. New student use computers have already been ordered and delivered to Cocoa and Palm Bay as part of their student facing technology update. • UCF Apps received an upgrade and interface update during the summer and continues to be well-received by students and faculty. UCF Apps is in partnership with the larger UCF technology community.
PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY FEES
Regional Campuses has proposed five technology fees for funding in the 2015-2016 cycle. We are also actively participating on three additional shared proposals. • As in previous years, multimedia classroom updates were given the highest priority.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
MAYBE YOU’VE SEEN US… Members of our team are often on the road speaking about the opportunities and solutions offered through UCF Continuing Education. We’re engaging the community and recruiting students at chapter meetings for the Society for Human Resource Management, the Central Florida Employment Council, UCF campus events, ArtOberFEST and the Central Florida BBQ Blowout. We delivered CE overviews for Regional Campus Advisory Board meetings, CareerSource Florida events, and a variety of Chamber of Commerce and veteran support program venues. Please contact UCF CE when attending or hosting community engagement events – we’d be happy to support and to listen. MEMBERS IN THE NEWS UCF Continuing Education Graphic Designer Christina Grace was honored at UCF’s Employee Awards Program for her work with UCF’s Live United Campaign. UCF President John Hitt awarded Christina the Leadership Spirit Award for outstanding leadership 8
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• Regional Campuses Libraries have proposed the continuation of an existing tech fee to provide additional check out technology equipment to students. • Valencia West has proposed a collaboration lab to provide students with a technology-enabled working and meeting area. • Cocoa has requested an update to their mobile lab to provide on-demand computer labs/classrooms for faculty and students. • UCF Apps has requested additional updates to support cloud-based storage providers such as BOX, Drop Box, and One Drive; hardware updates for added performance; and co-location to make UCF Apps available even during an outage at the UCF data center. • The College of Education has proposed bringing the Teach Live service out to Valencia. • The College of Nursing, Regional Campuses, and the Office of Research and Commercialization have requested a building network infrastructure update for University Tower. The building has been experiencing network failures and performance problems over the last year. We will be notified if any of the projects are funded by the end of the year.
in the annual Live United Campaign and for her creativity, advocacy, and commitment to our community. UCF CE Assistant Director, Maria Cherjovsky received the “Business and Marketing Innovator of the Year Award” from the Holmes Corporation on behalf of the Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM). Under Maria’s leadership, UCF CE had become one of the top ten SHRM Essentials of Human Resource Management partner programs in the nation. Maria is also president of the Central Florida Region Florida Diversity Council and co-chair of the Annual Florida Diversity and Leadership Conference.Partnering with Florida Solar Energy Center. UCF Continuing Education entered into a partnership agreement with the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) to host online training programs in renewable energy and building energy technology. Under this partnership, UCF CE will make the FSEC programs available to the public through its online education portal accessible from anywhere in the world at any time of the day.
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Barbara Alderman (Palm Bay) was selected as a “2015 UCF Women Making History” by the Executive Board of the UCF Center for the Success of Women Faculty. Min Tong (Valencia/West) and Peggy Nuhn (Sanford/Lake Mary) presented “Do You Know What They Don’t Know? Students, Research Assignments and Librarian Collaboration” at the UCF Summer Faculty Development Conference in May. Min also presented with Carlos Valdez “Bring the cost down, please! Helping students gain much-needed relief through utilizing open educational resources and the UCF library resources.” Andy Todd (Cocoa) presented “Optimizing Your Online Presence: Part 2: Managing Researcher Profiles” as part of the Publishing in the Academy Research Series at the UCF Graduate Student Center. Leah Kriebel (Osceola) presented “Interviewing Skills and The Role of Company Research” with UCF and Valencia colleagues at the second annual Valencia College Career Day.
The UCF Libraries has a brand new website that debuted this fall. The website was designed to meet the needs of our users, and we think you’ll be pleased with the easy access to searching hours, help, and the resources both students and faculty need to be successful.
Michael Furlong (Daytona) took part in the 2014/2015 UCF benefit for the Volusia Literacy Council as a member of the UCF Spelling Bee Team.
If you linked to our old site in your bookmarks, syllabus, Web courses, etc. you will likely need to update your links. Let us know if you need assistance locating a page. Regional Libraries can be found at: About > Libraries http://library.ucf.edu/about/ libraries/
Peggy Nuhn was elected Secretary of the Florida Library Association for a two year term running from May, 2015 to May, 2017.
For faculty a good place to start would be the “Services for Faculty” page, found at: Services > Services for Faculty http://library.ucf.edu/services/services-for-faculty/
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
UCF Librarians raised awareness and dollars in a number of ways. Cynthia Kisby served as the UCF Libraries United Way Advocate Team Captain.
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Peggy Nuhn and her son, Andrew, at the 2015 Orlando “Walk to End Alzheimer’s” at Lake Eola Park, October 17 Andy Todd is serving as Chair of the Florida Library Association Scholarship Committee, which raises funds to help enable Florida library staff to earn their Master’s in Library Science.
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CAMPUS NEWS The Knights Helping Knights Food Pantry – Cocoa is opening soon! The UCF Cocoa Student Services & Advising office has established a pantry. Special thanks to Darlyne Egan, Paula Cepero and Basheka Grant for all of their efforts in making this pantry a success. The Knights Pantry relies on the support of students, faculty, and staff for donations of food, toiletries, or clothing (business professional or casual).
Angie Jones and Paula Cepero in Cocoa’s new Knights Helping Knights Pantry The Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses hosted a school supply drive in July for Brevard County Public School’s Supply Zone for Teachers backpack program. The program provides a fully-stocked new backpack for Brevard County students who qualify for the Free or Reduced Lunch Program. The annual EFSC-UCF Direct Connect to UCF Partnership meeting was held on October 13. Leadership from both institutions shared enrollment and recruitment information, program developments, student services and advising, Pathway program updates and campus security updates. Joint recruitment efforts are ongoing.
Al Davis and Megan Haught packing school supplies.
Multiple UCF Cocoa offices served as one of several hosts for participating students from the YMCA Children’s Summer Program. Approximately 20 students ranging from ages 6 to 15 years of age participated in a tour of UCF Cocoa and other activities that were organized by UCF Cocoa ROS team coordinator, Paige Ellermets.
YMCA summer camp students visit the Cocoa Student Services and Academic Advising office.
STUDENTS The Student Nurses Association at UCF Cocoa served homeless veterans through volunteering at the VA Stand Down in April and completed a sock drive for homeless veterans in May, bringing in 193 pairs of socks. In May and July, SNA held fundraiser car washes to support their NCLEX preparation efforts. SNA sponsored a Red Cross blood drive at EFSC campus in June which brought in 27 pints of blood.
UCF Cocoa student, Paige Ellermets.
In July, SNA in combination with four other nursing schools participated in a beach cleanup at Pelican Beach, Satellite Beach, FL. They also held a Back-to-School blood pressure screening and volunteered with Habitat for Humanity. Shloe Kerness and Katherine Seeley coordinated a professional development day seminar for College of Education interns. Representatives from Brevard Public Schools provided information about acquiring teaching credentials, applying for jobs with BPS and presenting interview tips.
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UCF Cocoa and Palm Bay sponsored the Space Coast UCF Alumni Chapter “Starry Knights V” event. The chapter awarded scholarships to seven students who live in Brevard County.
UCF Space Coast Alumni Chapter members with scholarship winner Sarah Sacra.
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Sarah Sacra, who completed her Bachelor’s in Psychology at the Cocoa campus and was a student assistant in the Cocoa Enrollment Services office, won a Debbie K Phillis scholarship to help fund the continuation of her Master’s in Applied Sociology on the Orlando campus. Sarah is a previous recipient of the Debbie K Phillis Scholarship. Lauren Miller and Jessica Houts attended.
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FACULTY AND STAFF New faculty at the Cocoa campus: Renata Kolodziej-Smith, Communication; Carol Burgunder, Nursing; Nancy Duckworth, Nursing; and Frances Iacobellis, Nursing.
History of Central Florida Podcast.” The award is given each year by the Florida Historical Society for best new media project that promotes Florida history.
Nancy Brasel attended training for the Sanford Harmony program at National University in San Diego and won a $7000 grant from the Sanford Inspire program that will be used for the Early Childhood Development and Education’s Milk & Muffins early literacy program in the Parramore neighborhood of downtown Orlando. She also presented “If you give a preschooler a muffin: building literacy skills in urban poverty communities” at the 27th Annual National Youth-At-Risk Conference with co-author J.N. Levin.
Barbara Kyle presented “Writing Papers for Publication in English” at Tongji University in Shanghai, China.
Robert Cassanello won the Hampton Dunn Internet Award for his podcast series, “A
Instructor Jerome Randall and Deborah Woodward attended the East Coast Human Trafficking Task Force Symposium.
Sam Hyung Park, with co-authors Xinsheng Liu and Arnold Vedlitz, published “Analyzing Climate Change Debates in the U.S. Congress: Party Control and Mobilizing Networks.” in Risk, Hazards, and Crisis in Public Policy. Leandra Preson-Sidler completed her PhD in Texts and Technology. Her dissertation is titled “Watch Me Disappear: Gendered Bodies, Pro-Anorexia and Self-Injury in Virtual Communities.”
Angel Edgecombe, Angelia Jones and Raphel Robinson presented “Re-imagining, Re-organizing, and Re-inventing the Transfer Orientation Experience” at the NACADA Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Sonya Curtis and Gerry Deveau have transitioned into new temporary roles. Sonya has moved to the Cocoa campus and has taken over responsibilities in the Student Services area, and Gerry has taken over day-to-day operations at the Palm Bay campus.
The Brevard Business News interviewed UCF Cocoa and Palm Bay Director Lauren Miller and Advisor Sheryl Schagen about UCF’s new Integrated Business program. The major will train students for work in small to medium-sized firms which make up the majority of business in the nation. The front-page article was published in the August 17 edition and can be read at: http://www.brevardbusinessnews.com/ ArchiveDocs/2015/2015-08-01/BBN-081715.pdf
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Steven Berman, faculty advisor to the Daytona Psi Chi chapter and representative on the Southeastern Region Steering Committee, received an outstanding letter of commendation from Merry J. Sleigh, Vice-President of the regional organization. It read, in part, as follows: “I do not make this statement lightly. Our organization is a success because of faculty members like Dr. Berman. He has been a tremendous asset to us, and we thank you for all that you have done to support his many contributions to our members.” Mark D. Soskin, Associate Professor of Economics in the UCF College of Business, was interviewed in the China Economic Review regarding the question of “How Disneyland Shanghi’s 2016 launch will change Disney—and China.” The interview took place in July, 2015. Below are excerpts from the interview: “Disney obviously gains access and a share of the huge, growing, rising income market,” said Mark Soskin. Soskin, who has co-authored a number of papers on Disney’s growth and business model with fellow professor, Bradley Braun, said the park had effectively been presold with little marketing, thanks to Disney’s global recognition. . . . Soskin added that other Disney parks would likely benefit from the new one (Shanghai Disneyland) as well. “Each new
park spreads the cost (and the lowering Average Cost) of developing and installing new rides and park attractions,” he said. . . . Soskin agreed that cultural issues were critical and said Disney had learned to be flexible without compromising or diluting the brand reputation. But the new park isn’t entirely without risk. “Even a subtle error can offend local sensibilities that virally explode in the age of social media into an international embarrassment that takes months or years to reverse,” he said. “Rival parks and tourism attractions may have an interest in blowing such incidents into an edge via advertising. But, just as often, surrounding parasitical business and entire regional economies have a strong fiscal incentive to protect and defend Disney.” . . . Higher-end domestic competitors could well see their own price points fall in line with Disney’s based on what Braun and Soskin observed in Florida. “It was amazing in our research to discover how precisely tacit price collusion among the Florida theme parks transitioned from a dominant price leader (Disney) to a collusive pricing behavior (Disney, Universal and Sea World).” Soskin said. For the complete interview, go to http://www.chinaeconomicreview.com/how-disneylandshaghais-2016-launch-will-change-disney%E2%80%94-china
UCF Daytona Beach Staff Wearing PINK for Breast Cancer Awareness
President Hitt and Darryl Greeley at the last Employee Appreciation event, Darryl has had 10 years of dedicated service to UCF. The Knight Give Back project was at the PACE Center Girls, where students, alumni and staff volunteer to paint their classrooms. 12
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CAMPUS NEWS Over the summer the Sanford/Lake Mary hosted Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Training classes led by Mark Toombs of Mitsubishi. Public Media Business Association (PMBA). Classes held over the summer at the Sanford/Lake Mary campus included Executive Leadership and Applied Strategy and Business Policy.
Saturday September 12, Valerie Brackman, her husband Paul, along with Jeff Jones and his wife, Pam, participated in the Heart Walk. Go UCF Regional Campuses Ramblers!
Dressing the Bears – Once again the Sanford/Lake Mary campus is participating in the “Holiday Dress the Bears” campaign in conjunction with Seminole State College Honors Program. The bears will be delivered to needy children in the Seminole County area by the Salvation Army. All bears are dressed in various ways to help bring joy and happiness to deserving children. Faculty and staff who want to participate may stop by Val’s office and pick up a bear to dress
David Mealor attended the Good Morning Seminole Breakfast on October 1 at the Lake Mary Community Center. Featured Educational Panel members were Ann McGee, President, Seminole State College; John Hitt, President, UCF; and Walt Griffin, Superintendent, Seminole County Public Schools. On Saturday, October 3, Sanford/Lake Mary students and staff participated in the annual UCF event, “Knights Give Back.” SLM sponsored Families in Transition and met up at Longwood Elementary School. Volunteers were responsible for sorting donated clothing that will be made available to children of families that are homeless throughout the Orlando area. The event was to help prepare for their annual “Day of Magical Connections” held Saturday, November 14, at Winter Springs High School.
The Sanford/Lake Mary campus was pleased to welcome the Summer Reading Program offered through Continuing Education. Classes were offered from June 6-July 8 to students ranging in age from 8-14. This program is designed to enhance reading ability and promote the joy of reading. Russ Muller and Pam Williams-Gruen participated in the seventh “Hidden Artist Art Exhibit” held September 10 at the UCF library in Orlando. Both Pam and Russ displayed art: creative jewelry design and vintage cars, respectively.
UCF Homecoming 2015 Faculty, Staff and Students participated in a 2015 Homecoming event sponsored by SDS. Many students, faculty and staff from Seminole State College enjoyed time spent with advisors and staff. All were treated to goodies ranging from snow cones to popcorn to cotton candy—a good time was had by all.
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FACULTY AND STAFF A new UCF accounting course helps provide business leaders with stronger financial decision-making skills, according to Ray Sturm. “’Accounting for Decision Makers’ provides all of our business students with an understanding of accounting when they enter the workplace,” said Sturm, Associate Lecturer of Finance and the course instructor. “By introducing this much-needed class, we are giving our students the opportunity to learn how decisions affect accounting choices on financial information used by stakeholders.” This brand new course is one of five primary core courses in the College of Business and is delivered via lecturecapture technology to over a thousand students each semester. In an effort to engage students, Sturm held his first volunteer “chat” by the reflection pond on October 30. The students engaged in an enriching discussion about everything from starting their own business to selecting a career to the Apple Watch.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES Milagros Hoyos, Early Childhood Careers major, has been awarded the Knights Success Grant for the summer 2015 semester. She will also be the first Sanford/Lake Mary student to graduate with the Early Childhood Careers bachelor’s degree. Way to go Milagros! Regional Outreach Services provided students with printing supplies, snacks, coffee, and scantrons all semester long for our regional students. The semester kicked off with a “Witches and Wizards” themed welcome back party where students got to try butter beer and pick out their wands. Throughout the semester, ROS planned all kinds of events from “Will You be My Knight?” for Valentine’s Day to the “Zombie Run” obstacle course to encourage students to practice engaging in an active lifestyle. Various events also included collaborations from businesses in the Lake Mary and Sanford communities which encourage students to learn about the resources that are available to them outside of campus. Regional Outreach Services works to create a welcoming environment at Altamonte and Sanford/Lake Mary for our regional students who may miss out on some of the main campus activities throughout the year. Education majors, under the direction of Lisa Brooks, held a bake sale on November 5. The proceeds went towards the purchase of toys to be added to other donations which will be delivered to The Kids’ House in Sanford. Many thanks to Brooks and her students for contributing to the SLM Annual Toy Drive.
Ray Sturm’s manuscript, “Schwab’s Equity Ratings: Value Added or Old News?” has been accepted for publication in Journal of Economics and Finance. Jonathan Matusitz presented numerous papers at the 101st Annual National Communication Association Conference, Las Vegas, NV on a variety of topics: gender communal terrorism or war rape, celebrity manufacture theory, healthcare quality in nursing homes ,an examination of Navy SEALS through cognitive resources theory, information sharing among drug law enforcement, childhood immunization communication, improving cultural diversity in higher education, and sports leadership in higher education. Luisa Mejia joined the UCF Sanford/ Lake Mary team as DirectConnect to UCF Coordinator in August. Luisa comes from Seminole State College. Please join us in welcoming Luisa to our team! Welcome our newest little Knight. Miss Elisha LaShay Youman was born May 1 to Britnee and Eric Youman. Britnee, Program Assistant, works at the Altamonte campus in the nursing program. Congratulations to Britnee and Eric.
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CAMPUS NEWS The Media & Migration Lab located at the UCF South Lake campus (the only research lab on a regional campus) was recently featured in the Central Florida Future. Developed by instructor Chrysalis Wright (Psychology), the Media & Migration Lab provides an opportunity for students to conduct undergraduate research locally. To view the article: http://www. centralfloridafuture.com/news/ The SL campus was a Magna Cum Laude Sponsor for the South Lake Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Teacher Appreciation Breakfast held on August 20. More than 1000 school, business and community guests attended. Several of the teachers who were recognized are UCF graduates. Tanya Armstrong and Stephanie Luke represented UCF.
Tanya Armstrong represented UCF at the first Health Science Collegiate Academy (HSCA) Fall Summit at the Cooper Memorial Library in Clermont. Ninety students from four sites were gathered and provided an agenda that included training on blackboard, a biology faculty presentation and on-campus orientation activity.
The campus was a sponsor for Lake-Sumter State College’s fourth annual Distinguished Alumni & Hall of Fame awards banquet on September 24 at Mission Inn attended by Cecelia Rivers, Tanya Armstrong, Beth and Scott Larson, Danya and Sean Wright. The UCF South Lake Community Advisory Council held its third meeting on October 2. The Council is comprised of more than a dozen key community leaders whose input is valued in SL’s strategic planning process. The Council discussed program updates, the community needs survey, and community outreach/awareness initiatives. On October 28, Cecelia Rivers attended a Sponsors Appreciation Luncheon hosted by the Pig on the Pond “For the Kids” organization. Pig on the Pond raises money to support student scholarships. UCF South Lake received a plaque for its support. Scholarship recipients (all of whom are DirectConnect to UCF students) shared their stories of how the Pig on the Pond scholarship, and the program’s mentoring component enabled them to attend college and pursue their dreams. CeCe Rivers was recognized for initiating the scholarship program changes that are in place today.
“SHINING KNIGHT STUDENT SPOTLIGHT”
UCF South Lake hosted its ninth annual Black & Gold Knight at Graffiti Junction of Clermont in partnership with the Lake County UCF Alumni Club and Regional Outreach Services. Numerous faculty, staff, students and friends came out to celebrate this local UCF Homecoming week tradition. On November 17 UCF South Lake hosted the annual Sport and Exercise-Awards Luncheon. Proceeds from the annual 5K race, organized by S&ES students, will again be awarded to Special Olympics, a local non-profit organization. Also, the parents of the late Patrick Roche, a former Sport & Fitness major at UCF South Lake, will again present scholarships to two deserving students in Patrick’s memory. Nine participants raised $1653 to support local causes in Lake & Sumter County as part of the UCF United Way Campaign.
STUDENTS
Katelyn Oliver and Kali Reynolds Kudos to Katelyn Oliver and Kali Reynolds, UCF Leesburg Elementary Education seniors, who attended the third annual National TeachLivE Conference. During a pre-conference workshop, facilitated by faculty member Cyndi Walters, Katelyn and Kali assisted in modeling a reading mini-lesson on morphemic analysis involving English language learners. The undergraduates then held a Q & A session with the group of Massachusetts educators who are currently working on a Department of Education grant involving the use of the TeachLivE avatars through Mursion. Representatives from Mursion were present and later invited the UCF students to be featured on their new website. GO KNIGHTS!
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Crystal Flynn represented the UCF Ocala campus on the August and October episodes of the Higher Education Happenings talk radio show aired on WOCA 96.3 “The Source,” along with other University Center partner representatives. Topics, respectively, were, “College to Career” and “Paying for College.” Links to the YouTube recording can be found here: https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=hTWKrXS_ RHk&feature=youtu.be https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy D9zEfspE4&feature=youtu.be
Kudos to Natasha Vashist (Psychology, Class of 2014) who recently had her Honors in the Major thesis accepted for publication in UCF’s Undergraduate Research Journal. The thesis is on “Misogynistic humor on television and its impact on sexism.” GO KNIGHTS! UCF alumna and Sawgrass Bay Elementary School teachers, Sarah Couch, Randi Meinhart, Christine Palmer, Leah Thurber and Allison Love participated in the Integrating Reading into Different Content Areas workshop held for Early Childhood and Elementary Education majors on July 30. Cyndi Walters (Elementary Education) facilitated the meeting with the UCF alumna and students in the College of Health and Human Performance.
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FACULTY AND STAFF WELCOME TO UCF REGIONAL CAMPUSES:
On June 8, Tanya Armstrong and CeCe Rivers joined Jeff Biddle (Sport & Exercise Science), who presented the South Lake Hospital Human Performance Lab with a kinematics analysis system. A UCF flag will also be displayed in the lab to highlight UCF South’s support.
Charlotte Hartley-Ocala, Office Assistant Danya Wright-South Lake, Program Assistant Prentice Fields-South Lake, Computer Specialist
On July 23 the Western Region’s Annual Team Retreat was in downtown Orlando. The theme of the retreat was “A Creative Village of Endless Possibilities: Using Our Brainpower as Sustainable Energy.” Session topics included a presentation on The Creative Village by McKenzie Parker of Ustler Development, Inc., and a webinar – “Rolling with the Punches: Adapting to Change at Work,” facilitated by Erica Hanlon from UCF’s Employee Assistance Program. Congratulations to Chrysalis Wright who will serve on UCF Faculty Senate, representing Regional Campuses on the University Honors Committee. Additional information on committees: http:// facultysenate.ucf.edu/committees/ Congratulations to Chrysalis Wright andJessica Brandt (Class of 2013) on the recent publication of their article, “Music’s Dual Influence on Dyadic Behaviors,” in the Marriage & Family Review Journal. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2015.1060285 Congratulations to Chrysalis Wright and Michelle Craske (Class of 2014) on the recent article, “Music’s Influence on Risky Sexual Behaviors: Examining the Cultivation Theory,” published in the Media Psychology Review. This is an interactive, online journal in media studies that allows researchers to include media content (images, videos, etc.) in their articles. The link to the article is: http://mprcenter.org/review/musics-influence-on-risky-sexualbehaviors-examining-the-cultivation-theory/
Congratulations to Michael McCombes, who was recognized at the UCF Annual Employee Awards Program on October 15. This recognition was for his being honored as Employee of the Month October 2014. Congratulations to Christy Pasnisin for 10 years of service at UCF and UCF Regional Campuses. Lisa Dunn learned ways to help boost team morale by attending a workshop sponsored by UCF Human Resources on September 16, entitled “Motivating Your Staff and Improving Morale.” Kudos to Christy Pasnisin who volunteered with Sole Hope, a non-profit that provides aid to African children living in impoverished communities. Christy collected donations of old jeans from RC colleagues, which will be used to make shoes—yesshoes--for the children For more information about this organization, please visit: http:// www.solehope.org/ about/ CeCe Rivers and Kim Hardy represented UCF at the West Orange Chamber of Commerce Annual Legislative luncheon on September 9 in Winter Garden. They heard updates from the local legislative delegation on the central Florida legislative issues, including the UCF Downtown project.
UCF AND THE LITTLE FREE LIBRARY On October 29, 2015, Robbie Ergle and her students in EDE 4223-Integrating the Arts into the Content Areas class donated 56 books for a Little Free Library located in a city park in Ocala, FL and specifically dedicated to children, ages birth through 8th grade. Several weeks before, Ms. Ali Cretal, founder and creator of this library, came to speak to the UCF pre-service teachers and explain her inspiration and work (http://www. theoutsideandin.com/our-little-free-library/). The LFL is an organization (http://littlefreelibrary.org/) and has a goal, “To promote literacy and the love of reading by building free book exchanges worldwide and to build a sense of community as we share skills, creativity and wisdom across generations.” This partnership was a fabulous way to inspire our future teachers to believe they each can make a positive difference in their classrooms and communities.
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CAMPUS NEWS OPEN HOUSE
The UCF Central Region hosted Open Houses for Valencia College faculty and staff in September, who were invited to learn about the resources and services DirectConnect to UCF offers Valencia students. Everyone was afforded the opportunity to network with their colleagues, ask questions, and understand how best to integrate our services to facilitate students’ transition from the state college to the university.
@OSCEOLA
DirectConnect to UCF students were invited to participate in @Osceola on September 28, an event focused on the UCF programs, resources, services, and student organizations available at the UCF Valencia Osceola campus. The event included information from representatives of UCF’s Enrollment Services, Advising, and Students Affairs areas, as well as regional campus faculty who provided students with tips for academic/transfer success.
SUCCESSFUL EARLY EXPLORATION (S.E.E.) UCF PROGRAM
Hosted by UCF Transfer and Transition Services and Student Development and Enrollment Services, in partnership with Valencia College, S.E.E. UCF provided 239 students the opportunity to visit UCF’s Orlando campus to meet with advisors, explore majors, and learn about ways to get involved at UCF. The all-day event occurred on October 2 and included a brief career assessment, tabling and information sessions, campus tours, and a housing presentation, as well as a group lunch and raffle. This was the first time the event was offered in the fall semester and Valencia College’s Student Government Association graciously sponsored the Osceola campus bus. A similar offering is tentatively scheduled for February 19, 2016.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH CELEBRATION
UCF and Valencia College staff, faculty and students participated in the Hispanic Heritage Month Kick-Off Celebration at the Osceola campus beginning with the annual potluck luncheon. This year, in conjunction with the luncheon, Barbara Thompson, Associate Director for the UCF Office of Diversity and Inclusion, started a 9-hour Diversity Certificate Series entitled, “Latino Americans,” based on the PBS material by the same name. Fifteen UCF and Valencia students, staff, and faculty completed the training. This brand new Diversity Certificate Series was only available in fall 2015 at the UCF Orlando campus and the UCF Valencia Osceola campus. Future viewings are planned for both Orlando and other regional campuses in upcoming semesters.
Jim Smith, Assistant Director, UCF Valencia Osceola campus, introduces members of the Young Alumni Panel to the audience at the 2nd Annual Career Day @ Osceola. Panelists included: Jamie Vega, President, Insight Spectrum; Laura Teeter, Founder, Stributek Network Security; Mary Guidone, Public Information Officer, Toho Water Authority; and Chris Leo, Lead Faculty, UCF College of Business – Department of Integrated Business.
2ND ANNUAL CAREER DAY @ OSCEOLA GROWS EXPONENTIALLY On Thursday, October 22, the UCF Valencia Osceola campus, in partnership with Valencia College, hosted the second Annual Career Day @ Osceola. Between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., more than 280 UCF and Valencia students visited with 48 local employers, service agencies, and UCF and Valencia departments to inquire about full-time, part-time, and seasonal jobs; internships; and volunteer opportunities. There was a 50% increase in agency participation and student attendance increased by more than 300% from the previous year! They also hosted four workshops and two panel discussions covering the topics of networking, financial literacy and your job search, interviewing skills and company research, and social media. The two panel discussions focused on Young Alumni (UCF graduates in the last five years) and Experienced Professionals who discussed their career fields, education, successes, and failures, as well as offering advice for job seekers. Collaboration between UCF Valencia Osceola and Valencia College Student Development allowed for a unified marketing campaign to local agencies beginning in July 2015. Corporate sponsors including Papa John’s Pizza, Firehouse Subs, and Toho Water Authority, who provided food and drinks for the agencies, staff volunteers, and students throughout the event. A spring 2016 Job Fair also is being planned with Valencia College.
KNIGHTS EXPERIENCE
UCF has a strong focus on how the university can best utilize its resources to address the transitionary issues that transfer students face. One of the ways in which we address the transfer concerns is by offering a transfer student seminar, Knights Experience, at the Regional Campuses. The 2 ½ hour seminar delivers an engaging experience for students and addresses areas such as financial literacy, internships, externships, research, and staying well, in addition to focusing on faculty expectations and student involvement.
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Local employers including Hudson’s Furniture, a family-owned retail operation, meet with UCF and Valencia students to discuss employment opportunities at the 2nd Annual Career Day @ Osceola on Thursday, October 22, 2015. R E G I O N A L
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DEGREE EXPOS
The UCF Central Region hosted two excellent Degree Expo events at UCF Valencia East (October 7) and UCF Valencia Osceola (October 13). A huge thank you to all faculty and staff who helped make these experiences such a wonderful success for our DirectConnect to UCF students, and a special acknowledgement to Lisa Cruz and Melissa Kors who coordinated these events. We had record attendance, with over 300 students attending the East campus expo and over 400 students attending the Osceola campus event! Students were very appreciative of the opportunity to speak directly with faculty and advisors from 26 colleges and departments. Both UCF and Valencia College were represented, including UCF’s Office of Prestigious Awards, UCF’s Continuing Education, and Valencia College’s International Student Services.
FACULTY AND STAFF
Kimberly Aldana-Ortiz was awarded the USPS Staff Council Alumni Scholarship and the $100 Barnes and Noble Book Award for fall 2015. Kimberly was recognized by the Annual Employee Award Program sponsored by the UCF Human Resources Department and currently is pursuing her master’s degree in social work. Librarian Min Tong’s poster proposal was accepted by the 14th Annual National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students Conference, which will be held February 3-5, 2016. in Atlanta, GA. The title for the poster proposal is “Transfer students are lagging behind native counterparts in information literacy proficiency—myth or truth?—Information Literacy Assessment of Transfer Students at University of Central Florida.” UCF Valencia West campus welcomed Richard Satterlee Jr., Enrollment Services Coordinator,in August. Richard came to us from The College of Saint Rose located in Albany, New York, where he was the Senior Associate Registrar. Richard holds a master’s degree in College Student Services Administration and has more than 10 years of experience in higher education. He is a student advocate who has created many student-centered processes.
Melissa Choinski serves as the new Coordinator for the Architecture Bachelor of Design program at the UCF Valencia West campus. She has a bachelor’s degree in Art History and History from the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown in Pennsylvania. Melissa is a native of New York and a recent transplant to Orlando. We would like for you to join us in welcoming Rachel Mankowski as the new Coordinator of Student Affairs for UCF Valencia West. Rachel comes to us from the UCF Office of Student Conduct and has experience in residence life, orientation, leadership development, first-year advising, and testing and placement in Florida and Pennsylvania. Rachel earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and will graduate with her master’s degree in educational leadership from UCF this fall.
Welcome Vanessa Delgado as the new the Coordinator II, Academic Support Services for the UCF Valencia Campuses. Vanessa will work with new and current students, as well as serve as a liaison for Valencia College international students interested in the DirectConnect to UCF program. Vanessa attended Valencia College, where she earned an A.S. in Business Administration, and then an A.A, in 2010. She earned her bachelor’s degree in the BAS program at UCF and completed her graduate work in the Health Care Informatics (HCI) master’s program. Jeet Singh joined UCF in August of 2015 as a full-time, tenure-earning faculty member of the Bachelors of Design in Architecture Program in the School of Visual Arts and Design. He teaches architecture courses with a focus in the area of design, theory, and history. Jeet graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelors of Design in 2002 and a Masters of Architecture in 2004, after which he spent the last 11 years practicing as a full-time professional in the architecture and construction fields.
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STUDENT NEWS
National Read for the Record Day: As part of Cyndi Walters’ RED3012 course, UCF West Campus junior David Foresman organized seven UCF Veterans and seven UCF Golden Key International Honor Society members to read to 170 preschoolers at the Kids R Kids Learning Academy in Waterford. The kiddos loved it and both UCF organizations voiced an interest in participating again next year. David is one of many Elementary Education students who participated in this record-breaking day and UCF junior Brandi McMurtry read Not Norman A Goldfish Story to Scout Pack 922.
Three student organizations have started and/or completed the initial registration process recently with the UCF Office of Student Involvement in Orlando. The Professional Development Association (PDA) recently received approval as a registered student organization. PDA primarily includes business majors, but all students are invited to meetings and events, as the organization sets up their first year calendar of events. PDA has two faculty advisors, Carlos Valdez and Chris Leo, and they plan to rotate their meetings between both the UCF Valencia Osceola and UCF Valencia West campuses on a regular basis. Their mission is “to provide a platform
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where regional campus students from the University of Central Florida can develop, enhance and excel their professional capabilities.” You can link to their site here: https://ucf.collegiatelink.net/organization/ ProfessionalDevelopmentAssociation
approval before completing the new student organization process with UCF. Psi-Chi members collaborated recently with members of the PsychKnights at UCF Valencia Osceola on a fundraiser to finance their national application submission.
Another new student organization in the process of initial recognition is Psi-Chi at UCF Valencia Osceola. Beginning in the spring 2015 term, Widaad Zaman, faculty advisor, began working with interested students on the initial recognition process. To date, Psi-Chi has submitted their national application with the Psi-Chi International Honor Society and is awaiting
PsychKnights at UCF Valencia Osceola is in transition for 2015-16, with new leadership being elected in fall 2015. Meetings are held weekly at the UCF Valencia Osceola campus for anyone interested in joining this organization. For more information and meeting days and times, please contact the PsychKnights faculty advisor, Jason Chesnut, at Jason.Chesnut@ucf.edu.
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U C F R E G I O N A L C A MP U S E S 12201 Research Parkway · Suite 101 · Orlando, FL 32826 Phone: 407.823.4547 regional@ucf.edu regionalcampuses.ucf.edu