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UCF REGIONAL CAMPUSES U C F C O N T I N U I N G E D U CAT I O N
SPRING 2014
NEWS regionalcampuses.ucf.edu • www.ce.ucf.edu
ADMINISTRATION
SPRING 2014
A MESSAGE FROM THE VICE PROVOST While commuting to work a couple of weeks ago, I heard a story on National Public Radio that caught my attention. It was a first-person recounting by three young women of their experiences in financing their college degrees. One of these three women was Jen McGarvy, a Web editor living near Dallas. Ms. McGarvy had attended a local community college for two years, earning an Associate of Arts degree in art. After achieving her associate degree, Jen decided to enroll in a baccalaureate-degree program in Film and Animation (She did not identify the institution by name.). She said that although the senior institution did accept all of her credits from the community college, it still wasn’t exactly a seamless transition for her. “I had to take courses in a certain order,” said Ms. McGarvy, “and I had to keep going full-time to stay on my parents’ insurance.” It took her an additional four years to finish her bachelor’s degree. We’ve all heard these stories. Fortunately, the Affordable Care Act has addressed the health insurance issue for many students, and Florida and other states are addressing issues of excess hours and time to degree. In addition, federal financial aid regulations are making it harder to take classes that are not necessary to achieve a degree. However, these most telling comments by Ms. McGarvy, a first-generation student, caught my ear. “There really weren’t any counselors at the two-year school to help with the transition to the four-year school, so I felt a little bit lost during the whole process,” she said. “When you are 18, 19, 20 years old, you really don’t comprehend the magnitude of $100,000 and what that looks like.” Although this statement may stun those of us who work with students every day, federal student loan debt now exceeds credit card debt, at over $1 trillion dollars. This is, at best, a tenuous situation. This is how Direct Connect and our other state college partnerships can help us address these issues for the service of our students. The availability of advisors, caring professionals trained to help students navigate the complex maze of higher education bureaucracy is a critical piece in alleviating this crisis. The ability to help a student determine and create an educational pathway that is both effective and efficient is fundamental. At UCF’s Regional Campuses, we do these things well. Can we get better? Of course. We need to continue to do the hard work of collaborating with our partners, aligning our curriculum, helping students understand an educational roadmap and avoid the pitfalls of excess hours and excessive debt. This is an ongoing process—just about the time we feel we’ve made some headway, another student and her parents come along and we start again. This is important work that we do. Let’s continue to challenge ourselves to think of new and more effective ways to improve our students’ experiences. We need to continue to raise our own and our students’ expectations of success. As always, I thank you and commend you for the work that you do to help our students succeed.
Jeff Jones Vice Provost
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STUDENT SERVICES AND ADVISING STRATEGIC INITIATIVES LAUNCHED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR SUCCESS AND RETENTION: DIRECTCONNECT ENHANCED PATHWAY Collaborating with our Consortium partners, the enhanced pathway program is defining quality touch points, developing learning outcomes, and promoting engagement opportunities, which will build “intentionality” into the program. Further enhancements will include digital badging and gamification. VIRTUAL SERVICES Focus groups comprised of students in three regions and in the BAS program have provided input on their preference for use of chat services along with other modes of communication. Overwhelmingly, students preferred chat services which led the Virtual Services team to identify specifications and vendors that meet the needs of our students. A vendor product will soon be selected for pilot use with the BAS Program. ASSESSMENT Pam Brady is leading a team of SSA professionals comprised of Kim Martinez, Beth Larson, Tina Davis, and Melissa Hanbery to develop outcomes and measures of strategic initiatives to develop a culture of evidence of the quality work performed in the unit. STUDENT DISABILITY SERVICES Adam Meyer, Director of Student Disability Services, is partnering with our Student Services team on a variety of initiatives to find more effective and efficient means of meeting the special needs of our students, including seamless transfer process, Digital Audio Recorders for each region, and captioning services for broadcasts to regions. ONLINE ACADEMIC PROGRAMS TRAINING Beth Larson is coordinating a training day for Academic Advisors so they will be well equipped to advise for the new online programs that are available for our students in the region. Welcome to our new Student Services and Advising team member: Lourdes Acevedo, DirectConnect Coordinator, Central Region
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT • Angela Edwards-Johnson has completed the Leadership Enhancement Program. • Angie Jones served as RC representative on the search committee for associate director/FYE. Angie also serves as the VARC ambassador for regional campuses. • Raphel Robinson, Tanya Armstrong and Pam Cavanaugh attended NASPA Conference in Baltimore during March.
UCF SPEECH TEAM NEWS By Jerry Sublette, Instructor and Speech Team Director/Coach The UCF Speech Team has been very successful in parliamentary debate at recent tournaments. On January 17-18, the team of Stephen Sherbin II and Rebekah Waldorff placed 3rd at the North American Forensic Society’s “Continental Challenge,” held at the Caribe Royale Hotel in Orlando. The tournament attracted teams from as far away as New York and the West Coast. In December, Sherbin and Waldorff wrapped up the fall semester with a trip to the University of Miami for a parliamentary debate tournament. The event featured four rounds of debate in which UCF’s team compiled a 2-2 record. Stephen was 6th place speaker and Rebekah was 9th out of 34 debaters representing 17 teams from UM, FIU, Rollins College, College of Central Florida, and Miami-Dade College. Stephen is a senior in Hospitality Management and resides in Port St. John. Rebekah is a junior in Human Communication. She lives in Malabar. On February 21-23 the FIFA (Florida Intercollegiate Forensics Assoc.) state championships were hosted by UCF on our Cocoa campus.
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ACADEMICS
SPRING 2014
ACADEMIC STUDENT HIGHLIGHT May, 2014, will mark a milestone for Jamie Smith. He will graduate with his Bachelor of Applied Science degree, a degree he never thought he would need but one he is thankful he had the opportunity to earn. “I never planned for a bachelor’s degree. But, after completing my AS in Programming from Valencia College, I discovered that job opportunities were limited. Getting a BAS degree in Software Development from UCF is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.” The BAS degree at UCF is designed to allow students like James to reach their
goal. “I did my research. I looked at other state colleges and private institutions; none of them offered the prestige that UCF had. The price was right, and the BAS degree could be completed online. This was perfect for me.” Jamie also took every occasion to expand his experiences while a student in the BAS major. In partnership with the UCF Office of Experiential Learning, Jamie completed an internship with FAZ Technology, a company developing optical technology for sensing and measurement, including design projects for the European Space Agency. “I knew that an internship was one of the most vital things that I could do to make the transition from academia to a career. I was interested in a smaller company where I could establish a relationship with my mentors; I was able to get involved with projects from the very beginning.”
ACADEMIC FACULTY HIGHLIGHT Being in the right place at the right time can sometimes make all the difference, as most of us would agree. James Levine, famous American conductor/pianist, put it this way: “I was lucky that I met the right mentors and teachers at the right moment.” The students of Ray S. Sturm are experiencing just such luck as they study and learn with this dedicated and talented teacher. Ray, one of UCF’s own, holds a BA degree in accounting (1989) and a master’s degree in federal taxation (1997) from this rapidly growing university. In 2005, he received his doctorate in finance from Florida Atlantic University. Over the years, Ray has worked in public accounting for local and national firms in the areas of auditing, taxation and business consulting. He has also worked in the field of money management, handling stocks, stock options and fixed income securities. It was his interest in research that led him into an academic career. Students at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels have benefited from his wide and varied knowledge and experience in finance and accounting. His research has been published in numerous academic journals, including the Journal of Investing, the Journal of Behavioral Finance and the Journal of Wealth Management. He has also served as a reviewer for several academic journals. In addition, he is a charter member of the UCF Regional Campuses Faculty Forum. But what really sets Ray apart is his interest in, and involvement with, the students. His level of commitment is reflected in the excellence he brings to the classroom experience. Winner of the prestigious “Teaching Incentive Program” (TIP) and the College of Business Administration’s “Award for Excellence in
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FAZ was also very impressed with Jamie and offered him a full-time position upon his graduation. Jamie acknowledges that his experiences in the BAS major expanded his software development education and foundation. “The BAS program enabled me to acclimate myself to the environment; the opportunities it has opened up for me are everything I had hoped for.” Jamie also credits his wife of 15 years, “she has sacrificed with me on this journey, and I couldn’t have done it without her encouragement.” When asked what he would say to anyone interested in pursuing the BAS major, Jamie responds, “If a potential student is interested, the BAS program will provide the necessary education and the reputation of UCF will help open doors.”
Undergraduate Teaching,” Ray strives to make complex concepts understandable and bring practical application to the area of investing and finance. Nowhere is that more evident than in his receiving yet another award—“Most Engaged Student Organization Faculty Advisor” for the Young Investors Club, 2013-14. In the students’ letter of nomination, they cited his many hours of involvement in getting the club set up, in facilitating the opening of the club’s trading account with TD Ameritrade, and in establishing the club as a 502©(3) unincorporated organization. Ray’s personal involvement includes attending the club’s monthly meetings, conferring with club officers, offering guidance where needed and helping the club win a “campus challenge” contest sponsored by The Motley Fool. He is accessible to the students and willing to do whatever it takes to provide the students with a relevant and challenging educational experience. Students lucky enough to have Ray S. Sturm as their mentor and teacher are indeed in the right place at the right time.
On April 10, 2014, Financial Executives International, Inc. (FEI) held its banquet to honor the best and most promising business students from the fields of accounting and finance in the Central Florida area. All post-secondary institutions in the area were in attendance and the awardees from UCF were as follows: Senior Distinguished Scholar – Marc George; Junior $1000 Scholarship Winners - Casey Field, Joseph Wolf, Julianna Lyle, and Rachel Lyle. Ray Sturm, faculty representative and FEI member, helped present the awards. According to Sturm, “they are all deserving of the award they received.”
ADMINISTRATION
SPRING 2014
ENROLLMENT SERVICES OUT AND ABOUT: Enrollment Services staff from the Cocoa campus attended “Go Higher – Get Accepted” recruitment events with Eastern Florida State College. Several dozen high school students attended presentations about the DirectConnect to UCF program. Schools visited included Rockledge High School, Titusville High School, Space Coast Junior Senior High, Melbourne and Merritt Island High Schools.
RCHQ PRESENTATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS Jeff Jones, Vice Provost-UCF Regional Campuses, was thanked in the acknowledgments of the CASE publication, NET PROCEEDS: Increased Revenue from Enrollment and Advancement, co-authored by Robert M. Moore and Tom Abrahamson.
Enrollment Services staff collaborated with DirectConnect and Advising Services Fall 2013 and Spring 2014 to deliver 120 class room visits across the Palm Bay, Melbourne, Cocoa, and Titusville Eastern Florida State College campuses speaking to nearly 1,849 prospective students. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: The Enrollment Services staff completed “Actions to Prevent Discrimination” offered online for all UCF employees. Nick Pantloni completed Qualtrics Survey Training. Jessica Houts completed Interview Certification training and the Supervisory Skills Series. Many of the Enrollment Services staff attended the Leadership Institute’s Leadership Legacy event held March 21. In addition to several sessions on motivation, mentoring and leadership, two keynote speakers addressed the group: Dr. Valerie King, former director of UCF Diversity Initiatives and Dr. Richard Lapchick, a human rights activist, pioneer for racial equality and expert on sports issues. Angé Peterson and Deborah Bradford attended the annual meeting of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO) in Denver March 30-April 2.
Angé Peterson, Associate Vice PresidentUCF Regional Campuses, published an article on the Central Florida Higher Education Consortium in the judicated online journal, SEM Quarterly, January 2014. The article “Student Access and Completion: A Regional Strategic Enrollment Partnership” is available at http://www.aacrao.org/resources/ resources-detail-view/semq-1-4--studentaccess-and-completion--a-regionalstrategic-enrollment-partnership Kathleen Plinske, President-Valencia College, Osceola and Lake Nona, and Angé Peterson, AVP UCF Regional Campuses, presented “Central Florida’s Regional K-20 Partnership for Access and Success” at the Kentucky annual GO2 Transfer Summit. The summit attendees were the 60 college and university presidents, 62 community college presidents and over 150 vice presidents and deans representing the Foundations of Excellence initiative for the State of Kentucky.
PERSONAL: Congratulations to Jessica Matos (Valencia/Osceola) and her husband Jaime; they are expecting their first baby in early October. Welcome back from Ireland, Melissa, (Valencia/West) and have a wonderful trip to Italy, Jessica H. (Cocoa). HELLO AND GOOD-BYE: Help us extend a warm welcome to our newest Enrollment Services staff—Georgia Kent (Coordinator, Sanford/Lake Mary), Elba Arroyo-Cid (Program Assistant, Valencia Osceola), and Melissa Kors (OPS Admission Specialist, Valencia West). Lisa Leininger left Enrollment Services after one year of employment. Lisa and her family relocated to the Tallahassee area where Lisa will be working at FSU. Best of luck, Lisa! re g io n a l camp u se s.u cf.e d u
Angé Peterson, Deborah Bradford and Jeff Jones present an iPod to Erik Narvaez
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140 Central Florida education professionals attended the 8th College Access Summit. UCF Vice Provost Jeff Jones facilitated the work day after a welcome by Valencia President Sandy Shugart. Keynote speaker Deborah Santiago, COO of Excelencia in Education, was introduced by Valencia Vice President Joyce Romano. Deborah enlightened the conversations of the day with her expertise in both policy and data surrounding the Latino students and their pathways into higher education. Her passion was contagious. Dr. Santiago spent time with both the Work Force and the Data working groups. Prior to the round table discussions, Mike Hampton, UCF Professor and Director of Interdisciplinary Studies, presented an update on Curriculum Alignment. The rest of the day was spent in round table discussions with each table reporting out on one of the action items determined by the conversation.
CURRICULUM ALIGNMENT SUMMIT APRIL 11, 2014
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ADMINISTRATION-WEB & SOCIAL MEDIA
SPRING 2014
REGIONAL CAMPUSES WEBSITES Deborah Bradford, Anthony Recascino, Minesh Patel and Marcos Kochman have been working on the new Forms Manager. Many of our current forms are hosted within the University Forms Manager that is being retired as of August, 2014. In the meantime, many accommodations have been made to bring both forms and manager up to speed, with many forms now being introduced to the system as of April, 2014. The new Forms Manager is being hosted by Continuing Education which has allowed for more in-house, web-related form solutions for Regional Campuses. The Work Order form is located at http://regionalcampuses.ucf.edu/workorder
UCF RC Social Media By Anthony Recascino
The RC New Media Team met on February 11, 2014, to discuss its continuing implementation of Social Media throughout the Regional Campuses. Those present at the meeting: Community Advisor - Angela Peterson; Chair Anthony Recascino, Deborah Bradford, Minesh Patel, and Gina Clifton (RCHQ); Angelia Jones and Angel Edgecombe (Cocoa/Palm Bay); Christina Udell and Secretary - Claire Mitchell (Daytona Beach); Tanya Armstrong (South Lake, Leesburg, Ocala); Melissa Hanbery (Valencia Osceola); and Melissa Kors (Valencia West). Many issues were discussed, such as the changing demographics of student users on a variety of social media platforms. For example, Facebook now trends toward an older student demographic as opposed to Instagram which trends toward our younger student demographic. It is important that we be aware of these changes as it can have an effect on how 8
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we engage our students. One thing is for sure, social media is dynamic and constantly changing.
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Get Connected with your campus and fellow UCF Knights!
Other issues discussed at the meeting included analyzing and reviewing what other academic institutions are doing with their fan pages and acknowledging the importance of measures and analytics as it is not just about being “Liked” any longer. Also discussed was the use of Adobe Connect for connecting with team members who don’t have the staffing to be away from the office. The next RC New Media Team meeting is scheduled for early May, 2014.
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ADMINISTRATION-INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
March 2014 USPS Employee of the Month Please join us in congratulating our newest USPS Employee of the Month for March—Chris Dann. Chris is a [Senior] Computer Specialist for UCF [Daytona] Regional Campuses. He has been described by his nominators as “someone who always demonstrates a positive attitude that spreads and has been contagious throughout the campus.” Chris is recognized for his willingness to go the extra mile whether it is during hours or in his off hours. Many recognize Chris for assisting and developing a Standard Operating Procedures Manual for the Daytona IT department. As a Veteran of the US Navy, Chris provided leadership to the UCF Daytona Beach Veterans Day Committee. Lastly, “Mr. Dann is an honorable man who easily earns the respect of his coworkers and students.” We’d like to thank this outstanding employee for his dedication and hard work. We’d also like to recognize those nominators who took the time to recognize outstanding efforts among their colleagues. In addition to a one-time $200 cash award, Chris received a UCF Business Services $25 gift certificate, introduction to UCF’s Board of Trustees, marquee announcement, goody bag, certificate and surprise presentation. Chris is now eligible for the USPS Employee of the Year award which includes a $2500 check and will be announced at the annual Employee Awards program. If you would like to nominate a USPS employee, the EOM nomination packet is available in hard copy format or via electronic submission. On this same webpage, you will also find a complete list of prizes the selected winner will receive.. The USPS Employee of the Month is selected by a committee comprised of staff, administrative, professional and faculty employees. If you have questions about the USPS Employee of the Month process, please call 407-823-0440. Congratulations again to Chris Dann!
TECH NOTES WEBCASTS – Late fall and spring have included several successful Adobe Connect regional broadcasts such as SARC, BFSA Mentoring Breakfast, DiversiTea Breakfast, and DiversiTea Civil Rights in Central Florida. Recordings of many of these events are available at www.rc.ucf.edu on the Recorded Connect Meetings section. A special thank you to Eric for his continued efforts in supporting the Adobe webcasts for the regions. IT LEADERSHIP TEAM BUILDING EVENT – Chris Rose in Continuing Education facilitated a full day, team building event with presenter, Mark A. Toombs, for IT Leadership. Joe Cassella, Calston Llewellyn, Martin Malpica, Jason Mayer, Aaron Misiano, Russ Muller, Sue Sorensen, and Mei Wong were in attendance. The event included three specific activities: Communication Dominos – demonstrating the importance of clear instruction, listening, and asking questions; DiSC – providing tools to help understand different behavioral styles, skills, and methods of interaction with work place personalities; and Emotional Intelligence – providing an overview of the concepts related to emotions in the work place including understanding, interpreting, and responding to others emotions. Based on evaluations, the program was well received with DiSC Profiles being particularly valued by the group. DiSC is an acronym for four styles of work place preference and priorities (Dominance, Influence, Conscientiousness, and Steadiness).
REFRESHING… By Russ Muller The IT Team at Sanford/Lake Mary (Russ Muller, Kaushal Patel, Carolyn Kennedy and Jesse Gruen) recently completed a technology refresh for their faculty, staff, and testing lab. In under two weeks, the team received, configured and installed 75 new PCs, all without interrupting scheduled testing and minimizing interruption to staff and faculty. Two weeks was a pretty small window of time for this project. Why the short turnaround time, you ask? Well… The Sanford/Lake Mary regional campus has a relatively unique relationship with our partner, Seminole State College. Our computer equipment is leased through SSC. When the lease was coming up for renewal, we had a two-week window re g io n a l camp u se s.u cf.e d u
to replace all of the leased equipment. The new equipment was delivered on February 17 and the old PCs, monitors, keyboards and mice needed to be returned to Dell by March 1. We had to “borrow” some space for short-term equipment staging and storage (see below) but, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the IT Team, we made it happen. We would not have been able to meet our deadline without the support and assistance of RCIT at headquarters (Eric Nielsen, in particular) and our partners at SSC. This project was a great example of how partnerships can and should work, and we look forward to enjoying an even stronger relationship with SSC thanks to this project. R E G I O N A L
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CONTINUING EDUCATION
SPRING 2014
ce.ucf.edu
DCE Has a Badge for You! UCF Continuing Education (UCF CE) has launched a new initiative to award digital badges. The badges represent achievements in skills and knowledge obtained from CE courses. A digital badge is available online with links that include data such as the organization that awarded it, skills or achievements it represents, and links to evidence for why it was awarded. Students who earn a badge have the option to share it via social media channels or embed it in their online resume. UCF CE students will receive traditional certificates of completion as well. For a list of courses with available digital badges, visit ce.ucf.edu/Badges. UCF CE plans to add new courses throughout the year.
MOOC AND M.O.R.E.
DCE Conference Services Update DCE Conference Services has been busy this spring with many college programs and conferences, including the Florida Science Olympiad which has wrapped up for the 2013-2014 year and was a great success. In January and February, middle and high school students formed teams to compete in events that ranged the spectrum of science subjects. These students competed in various regions throughout the state with the goal of competing in the state competition held right here at UCF. The state competition took place on March 15, 2014, with CE assisting with team registrations and event coordination.
Along with the Florida Science Olympiad, DCE Conference Services assisted with the following programs: 13th Annual UCF Community Partners Nonprofit Conference – “Strengthening Communities, Changing Lives”; ”2014 Information Fluency Conference – “The Age of New Media: Literacy in the 21st Century”; Florida Writer’s Conference 2014: Certified Paralegal Workshop; and UCF Urban and Regional Planning Distinguished Lecture Series with Dr. Richard Jackson. Visit ce.ucf.edu and sign-up for our e-newsletter to get updates on upcoming programs. We hope to see you in any of our upcoming events.
CFP® Professionals Highly Satisfied with Certification and Career Choice According to a recent CFP® Board survey conducted with a random sample of 800 CFP® professionals, 91% of those polled are very satisfied with their choice of a career in financial planning and 92% are satisfied with their decision to get their CFP® certification. UCF’s Professional CFP® certificate program prepares those who are seeking the educational requirement to sit for the CFP exam. This seven-course program starts each January. If you are interested in pursuing a career in financial planning and wish to learn more about the requirements to obtain your CFP designation, visit www.financialplanning.ucf.edu. Enrollment is still being accepted for courses FP200 & FP300. Seats are limited.
DCE is supporting a partnership between UCF Center for Distributed Learning and EDUCAUSE to deliver the “BlendKit 2014: Becoming a Blended Learning Designer MOOC,” with the Managed Online Registration and Enrollment (M.O.R.E.) option. The M.O.R.E. option allows registered participants to pursue an official “UCF/ EDUCAUSE Certified Blended Learning Designer” credential. Those who choose this more rigorous option will submit the materials they develop as part of the free MOOC for a portfolio review. This portfolio review is available for an $89 fee. Details regarding the portfolio requirements and a link to the payment form can be found within the course. Those who meet the portfolio review expectations will earn a certificate from EDUCAUSE and the University of Central Florida, along with a digital badge that can be linked to the participant’s EDUCAUSE profile and displayed on professional and social networks. For more information visit: ce.ucf.edu/blendkit
Annual Florida RMA School of Commercial Lending Programs UCF Continuing Education and the Florida Risk Management Association (RMA) are offering two commercial lending and financialbased programs—“ Focusing on Fundamentals” and the “Advanced School”—during the week of May 5-9, 2014. Both programs are designed to strengthen the credit skills of commercial lenders on relevant topics concerning our rapidly-changing economic environment. The Focusing on Fundamentals program is designed for those with a minimum of one year of commercial lending experience and the Advanced School is intended for 10
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participants with five years or more experience. Throughout the week, students in both schools will enhance their banking and financial education and network with other banking and lending professionals. Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion complemented by UCF’s new professional development digital badge. Visit www.ce.ucf.edu/RMA for more details on the schedule and topics being presented.
CONTINUING EDUCATION
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DCE NEWS OF NOTE
DELIVERING OPPORTUNITY...TO ROMANIA! Over the past few months, the DCE has been partnering with the Center for Public and Non-Profit Management and the School of Public Administration in the development and delivery of two non-credit certificate programs for the Romanian Society of Public Administration (RSPA). The first program is a certificate in Public Management, the second a City Manager certificate. Each of these programs is blended, meaning they combine online courses with face-to-face components. DCE is developing and hosting the program website, building a total of ten online courses related to the programs while also providing fiscal services and international contracting services. In addition, DCE will admit students to the courses and track student progress. In July, once the students in the Public Management program have completed their online course components, UCF faculty and content professionals will travel to Romania to deliver the face-to-face aspects of this program. Following completion of the City Manager online content, the RSPA students will travel to Orlando in September for their face-to-face components.
UCF Continuing Education and UCF Alumni Launch the UCF Alumni Professional Development Series UCF Continuing Education and the UCF Alumni Association have partnered to offer a new series of personal and professional development workshops. Catering to alumni at different stages of their careers, this series will offer interactive programs designed to assist alums in developing and enhancing their careers by learning and mastering marketable skills. These engaging workshops will create networking opportunities for UCF alumni as well as increase their knowledge of the various alumni benefits available. The series was developed in response to the alumni attitude survey which revealed that UCF graduates expect more career services and enhancement programs from the alumni association. The first program, “Channeling Your Creative Energy: A Fresh Perspective,� was held on March 6, 2014, at the UCF FAIRWINDS Alumni Center. This program helped individuals identify and overcome roadblocks, channel their creativity traits and learn other valuable professional skills. Participants gained a renewed outlook on how to truly focus on their inner creativity and earned a digital badge for attending the program. Recipients of the badge can boast about their newlyfound knowledge and show off their involvement with the UCF Alumni.
UCF CE is pleased to announce a new partnership with the Central Florida Chapter of the International Society for Performance Improvement. This new relationship will allow us to provide professional development training, both open enrollment and customized workshops, to the ISPI membership and human performance technology professionals in the Central Florida region. - UCF CE is now collaborating with the Volusia/ Flagler Chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management to offer human resources training and certification preparation to HR professionals in that region. - As a result of new marketing strategies with the Volusia/ Flagler Chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management and the UCF Daytona Beach regional campuses staff efforts, UCF CE has successfully launched the inaugural PHR and SPHR Certification Preparation program in Daytona Beach, bringing continuing education training to this campus. - UCF Continuing Education is proud to offer Fiber Optics certification courses approved and recognized nationwide and internationally by the Fiber Optics Association (FOA) and the WorldWide Consortium on Network Cabling Standards (BICSI). Most of the students taking these courses are coming to UCF Continuing Education from different states in the country such as Virginia, Colorado, Texas, Puerto Rico, among others. The program is also gaining visibility internationally with participants from Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Virgin Islands and Santo Domingo traveling to the US to enroll in these programs.
DCE Moves to Canvas...not Kansas! UCF CE hosts many non-credit online in-house programs and supports thousands of online students using Moodle Learning Management System (LMS). UCF CE will be migrating all in-house courses to the Canvas LMS. The University of Central Florida currently uses Canvas for all online credit programs. UCF CE will have its own instance of Canvas to be able to cater to noncredit students who are not registered in PeopleSoft. The Canvas instance will be fully integrated to the CE website and student management system, Aceware, thanks to Marcos Tryzmel (pictured left). This joint effort between the Center for Distributed Learning and the DCE IT team will launch this summer.
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CAMPUS NEWS Kim Poppert, DirectConnect to UCF Coordinator, attended Eastern Florida State College events: Welcome Back events on all four campuses, VFW Veteran’s event in Melbourne and the Career Expo for High School Students. UCF Cocoa & Palm Bay staff joined with the EFSC “Go Higher Get Accepted” Campaign at Brevard public schools and attended four events and met with over 100 students. Cocoa & Palm Bay staff completed 62 visits to EFSC classrooms in the fall semester and 58 visits so far this semester. Staff, faculty and students participated in International Education Week activities, including daily international trivia quizzes, the UCF International Breakfast, a Global Dessert Party, Study Abroad and Peace Corps sessions, a GoinGlobal seminar, a brown bag “Visions of African Wildlife,” and a World Activity Map. UCF Speech Team and Cocoa & Palm Bay campuses hosted the Florida Intercollegiate Forensics Association State Championship tournament on the Cocoa campus February 21-23. More than 90 competed from universities all over the state, including FSU, UF and FIU. Palm Bay also hosted a one day Parliamentary Debate tournament. Jerry Sublette, Human Communications faculty member, coordinated both events. The EFSC-UCF Cocoa Writing Center conducted over 300 consultations, presented four workshops (two citation workshops with Andy Todd, UCF librarian, and Jill Simser, EFSC librarian, and two grammar and sentence structure workshops) and held a Fall Open House. In the spring semester, the Writing Center held two formatting style and citation workshops. Denise Young, Lauren Miller, and Karen Mottarella, along with students Natalie Eckert, Michelle Mulak, and Rebecca Stanley, were featured in a Brevard Business News article on combining online and face-to-face learning to expand opportunities and reduce completion time of degrees for local students. Staff and faculty donated eight boxes of non-perishable food items to the Central Brevard Sharing Center food pantry. They also supported the Children’s Hunger Project in December by purchasing the goods and packing 140 weekend packs for local elementary school children in need. For the first time, Cocoa & Palm Bay Student Services were able to partner with the Student Academic Resource Center (SARC) in Orlando to offer three workshops to students at the regional campuses via Adobe Connect. The Cocoa & Palm Bay USPS support staff, as part of diversity efforts on campus, have organized three bulletin boards and a film screening/discussion session facilitated by Leandra Preston-Sidler, Women’s Studies, to celebrate Women’s History Month. The staff will also coordinate boards/events for other areas such as anti-bullying, LGBT Pride Month, and Military Spouses Month. The UCF Cocoa campus hosted a webinar, Beyond the ADA: Inclusive Policy and Practice for Students with Disabilities in Higher Education, for UCF and EFSC faculty and staff. UCF Palm Bay Chapter of Psi Chi hosted the Undergraduate Psychology Conference on April 11 at the UCF Palm Bay campus. Posters on research topics such as research engagement, scholarship excellence, academic resources, community involvement and honesty were presented by undergraduate psychology students. The keynote speaker was Dr. Maria Lavooy, former UCF Cocoa faculty member and current president of Psi Chi International. Karen Mottarella (Psychology) organized the event. 12
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PUBLICATIONS/ PRESENTATIONS Donna Malvey (Health Services Administration) has co-authored a book entitled mHealth: Transforming Healthcare with Dr. Slovensky from the University of Alabama-Birmingham. Shelley Park (Philosophy) participated on a panel discussing “The Diversity Problem in Philosophy” at the Florida Philosophical Association meetings. She was also invited as a commentator for a panel on “The Biopolitics of Debt, Reproductive Labor, and Motherhood” at the American Studies Association in Washington, DC. Barbara Alderman (Librarian) helped to organize and participated in the Library Association of Brevard’s Annual Fall Continuing Education Workshop at the EFSC Melbourne campus. The topic was “Seasons Change: Dealing with Transition in Libraries.” Denise Young, along with Tace Crouse, Director, Special Projects for Academic Affairs; Diane Chase, Interim Provost and SACSCOC Liaison; and Heidi Watt, Director for Accreditation and Quality Assurance, presented the workshop, “Clues for Solving The Mystery of the Fifth-Year Interim Report,” at the SACSCOC Annual Meeting in Atlanta.
Business students in Charles Viggiano’s Cornerstone class (GEB 3031) participated in service-learning projects that partnered with two non-profit organizations: Handlebars for the Holidays and Devereux Florida. The Cocoa Future Educators Association committed to the grassroots special-needs charity called The Morgan Project as part of the Teachers in Action project for EEX 4070 (Teaching Exceptional Students). The FEA also joined forces with The Children’s Hunger Project to fight hunger in Brevard. The Cocoa Student Nursing Association took part in multiple community service events: VA Stand Down event, providing basic health screenings for homeless veterans; health screenings at a backto-school event; and 700 flu shots at the VA clinic. SNA also held a car wash
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Faculty and Staff John Lynxwiler (Sociology) was elected to the Editorial Board of the Journal of Applied Social Sciences. Leandra Preston-Sidler (Women’s Studies) won an Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Award and was granted promotion to Associate Instructor. As part of Deborah Rhyne’s efforts to bring “real world criminal justice experience” into the classroom, she has brought in a series of guests to coteach meetings of her Criminal Justice Ethics course. Recent guests were State Attorney Phil Archer, Public Defender Blaise Trettis, Lt. Moose Mosebach (BCSO), Lt. Cleyton Bray (TPD), Lt. Pat Hartselle (RPD), Judge Jack Griesbaum, and Sgt. Steve Feaster (BCSO).
Gerry Deveau and Angel Edgecombe participated in Safe Zone Allies training which promotes an affirming environment for GLBQ persons. Angel Edgecombe attended the Workforce Development Education Fair held at the Brevard Workforce Rockledge Career Center. Angie Jones attended the VARC conference, “Student Veteran Survival Kit: Tools to Engage, Empower, Employ,” and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Florida Drive-In Conference at the UCF Orlando campus. Angie also attended the SDS sponsored program, “What’s Your Ability.” Lauren Miller attended the annual Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) meeting and took part in the workshop, “Clues for Solving the Mystery of the Fifth-Year Interim Report.” She was also asked to serve on the Regional Campuses’ Institutional Effectiveness Committee and provided data for the 2012 plan. Lauren Miller represented the Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses at LEAD Brevard’s Leadership Awards featuring “4 Under 40” recognition, the Ketcham Leadership Icon
Award, and the Distinguished Alumni Award. The UCF Cocoa and Palm Bay campuses are part of a consortium of higher education sponsors with Eastern Florida State College and Florida Institute of Technology.
Wendy Pérez served on the Eastern Florida State Hispanic Heritage Celebration planning committee. She also volunteered with the Space Coast Society of Women Engineers ‘Wow! That’s Engineering” outreach at Bayside High School which encourages girls to pursue careers in engineering and technology. Denise Young was selected as one of the women making history at UCF for UCF’s Women’s History Month. An interview with her is featured on the Center for Success of Women Faculty page: https:// womenfaculty.afia.ucf.edu/profile/deniseyoung-2/
Natalie C. Nazon was recently honored by being named to “Who’s Who Among Students,” a prestigious and long-standing honors program offered nationwide. Students must demonstrate exceptional leadership, service and scholastic achievement to be considered.
STUDENTS to raise money for community projects and participated in the Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk. Emily Edwards’ Honors in the Major thesis, “Preserving the Right to a Fair Trial: An Examination of the Prejudicial Value of Visual and Auditory Evidence in the Context of a Criminal Case,” was selected to receive the first place outstanding thesis award at the 2014 Founder’s Day Honor Convocation and she will receive a $500 scholarship. Emily is mentored by Karen Mottarella. The Cocoa & Palm Bay campuses were well represented at the Florida Undergraduate re g io n a l camp u se s.u cf.e d u
Research Conference (FURC). Nine Palm Bay psychology students presented posters at the conference: Jennifer Wilson, Michelle Esposito, Rachael Wells, Laura Weinberger, Vincent lula, John Clayton Doyle, Sarah Sanders, Angela Vanella, and Alexandra McConnell.
At the District VI American Forensics Association Qualifier Tournament, Speech Team members Zavia Menning and Mairim Perez took honors. They are now qualified for the prestigious AFA-NIET, a national
championship tournament. At the FIFA State Championships, held on UCF’s Cocoa campus, Hunter Menning was the top non-advancing novice in Prose Interpretation. Parliamentary Debate team, Rebekah Waldorff and Stephen Sherbin II, won two debates. A number of students presented at the Showcase for Undergraduate Research Excellence: Courtney Roy, Alexah McConnell, Lindsey Whitacre, Robin Thorne, Kim Loeak, Ronald Farah, Dennis Turner, Riley King, Rebecca Stanley, Erin Hudgens, Tiffany Lewis, John Clay Doyle, Michelle Esposito, Jenna Wilson, Racheal Wells, Vincent lula and Laura Weinberger. They were mentored by Dan Ezell (Education), Karen Mottarella, Grace White and Shannon Whitten (all from Psychology).
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Daytona Beach
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CAMPUS NEWS Barbara Thompson will present “The Power and Privilege Diversity” workshop in April. On May 7 we will set up the first Adobe Connect broadcast meeting from HR. They will broadcast the session on “Protecting Personal Information: Identity Theft.” Our IT department and HR have collaborated on this to make it happen. Thanks to Allen Roller for making the suggestion. 18 campus members completed the Safe Zone training partnership with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS).
Faculty and Staff On March 26, 2014, UCF Daytona Beach, in partnership with Daytona State College’s STEM program, invited Erin Myszkowski from UCFs Congratulatio Office of Pre-Health and Pre-Law Professional ns to UCF Em ployee of th Month for Ma e rch 2014 - Ch Advising to present “How to Prepare for Medical ristopher Da Computer Sp nn, ecialist & Other Health Professional School.” Students learned how to prepare for professional school while in an undergraduate program. Myszkowski discussed preparing for professional school by including volunteerism, job shadowing, preparing for program admissions testing (i.e. MCAT, LSAT, GRE), extracurricular activities, and academic preparation. Sue Mahan (Criminal Justice) was invited to exhibit her book, Restoring Justice in Columbia, at a forum on climate change and environmental stewardship at Stetson University in April. Sponsored by Partners of the Americas as part of their 50th anniversary celebration, POA provides links between the U.S. and southern countries in the Western Hemisphere. Mahan’s book describes a voluntary program found throughout Columbia that resolves community conflict. Prior to Vicky Cardullo leaving, Lenora Forsythe and Vicky earned the 2013 National Association of Professional Development Schools (NAPDS) Partnership Award for their work with Friendship Elementary. They also presented at the National Conference about their partnership. Vicky Cardullo, Bryan Zugelder, and Lenora Forsythe presented at the SRATE (Southeastern Regional Association of Teacher Educators) conference about partnership schools.
STUDENTS Photography BS senior, Christopher Boyer, was recently awarded the March student spotlight at Mac on Campus. You can find his spotlight at http://www.mac-oncampus.com/Gallery/Profile/9471.aspx He also won a Purchase Award for being selected by juror Maggie Taylor for inclusion in the “Memory, Bone and Myth” exhibition at the University of North Dakota. His work will reside in the art collection there. Both of these awards were in observance of work he constructed in the Alternative Processes class taught by Laine Wyatt. Michael Furlong gave a poster presentation entitled “Mythbusters: The Digital Native” and gave a lightning round presentation on graphic novels entitled “20 Graphic Novels in 500 Seconds.” Kappa Delta Pi, Omicron Lambda Chapter, raised $350 dollars for Making Strides Against Breast Cancer, and participated in the walk in Daytona Beach. The organization also hosted several HAPPY Hour workshops on the Daytona campus. Topics included: Mock Interviews, TESOL Notebooks, and First Year Teaching. In acknowledgement of Veteran’s Week students were given a “Student Veteran Academic Survival Kit.” Student Services provided gift bags including academic materials and educational supplies.
Maralee Walsh-McDaniel was honored at the Rotary Club of Flagler County and was one of fifteen to receive the President’s Call to Service Award. http://www.news-journalonline. com/article/20130622/BUSINESS/306209973#gsc.tab=0 Raphel Robinson presented at AACRAO recently. She and Sheri Newble Dunn hold executive committee positions with FACRAO. Christina Udell and Claire Mitchell conducted Social Media Incentives presentation to all RC New Media Team members. Anthony Recascino and Christina Udell presented “Social Media Ed” at FACRAO conference. Virginia LaRue (Transfer Advisor) met with DSC students on DSC branch campuses to better serve the community and capture all students. Participating in the local “5-K Color Run” are Tina Magone Howard a UCF Exception Education alumnus and Jeanne Walker, UCF Daytona Beach/Regional Campuses. 14
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UCF Daytona Beach Supporting National Red Wear Day!
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FACULTY AND STAFF Steven Berman, Stacey Dunn, and Bernie Jensen presented recent research findings or participated in professional discussions at the conference; Melissa Fernandez, Mariam Gates-Robin, Rachel Mills, and Mary To (graduate students) also contributed to the professional program. Andrea Velez-Vazquez and Sarah Zoll participated in the Supervisory Skills Series. Lisa Brooks (Education) coordinated a UCF/SSC Faculty Meeting on February 3. The purpose of the meeting was for the faculty members to get to know each other. Staff members participated in a Building Surveys in Qualtrics training session presented by Jennifer Sumner (Special Projects) on campus in March. Peggy Nuhn (Librarian) was one of three UCF faculty members awarded a Faculty Fellowship by the Center for the Success of Women Faculty to develop a series of workshops on an issue which significantly affects work/life balance. Nuhn’s proposal was to explore and share resources and also heighten awareness of the impact of being the primary caregiver for an elderly parent Kerry Purmensky (TESOL) has been selected as a TESOL/CAEP reviewer of programs for the next three years. CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation) has replaced NCATE as the accrediting body for education programs. As a reviewer, Purmensky will review and work with accrediting issues for higher education programs which have an ESOL component.
Campus News The Sanford/Lake Mary campus hosted an Interview Day for applicants to the Clinical Psychology M.A. program in February. 120 applications for Fall 2014 admission were received. 40 finalists from Florida schools and numerous other institutions around the country attended.
Students and faculty from the Clinical Psychology M.A. program attended the meeting of the Southeastern Psychological Association (SEPA) in Nashville during March. The UCF USPS Staff Council held their monthly meeting on campus on February 20. Staff members and a representative from the Student Outreach Services office did a presentation and conducted a tour for the group. The Early Childhood Development and Education program, Careers Track III, has sponsored a workshop series for early childhood professionals. The workshops focused on nonfiction, play, and the integration of technology. One more workshop is scheduled for April and will focus on yoga and storytelling.
STUDENTS Kaylin Ratner was one of three finalists for the SEPA Graduate Student Research Award, and she presented a summary of her research conducted under the direction of faculty mentor, Steven Berman. SARC hosted a Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Skills workshop for students in March.
The Sanford/Lake Mary Student Outreach Services Office (S.O.S.) has been busy providing lots of fun activities and treats for our students and still have many events planned before the end of the semester. Events have included: cupcake decorating, caricature drawings, tye-dye t-shirt event, resume workshops, dessert tasting, Mardi Gras mask decorating, to name a few.
A Major’s Fair was held on March 20. Faculty and staff participated highlighting the majors and student services offered on campus.
Showing office school supplies
Major’s Fair - March 2014
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South Lake-Leesburg-Ocala
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“KNIGHT FACULTY SPOTLIGHT” Cynthia Walters (Elementary Education) is the recipient of the “University Excellence in Undergraduate Faculty Advising Award.” This award recognizes the outstanding efforts that UCF’s advisors play in retaining students, improving communication of information to peers and to students and helping undergraduate students realize their full potential. The award was presented at the UCF’s Founder’s Day Convocation on April 2, 2014. Cyndi has served as faculty advisor since she joined the Western Region in Fall 2007. Some of the ways Ms. Walters contributes to student success: She facilitates “Welcome to UCF Advising Sessions” at the beginning of each term to help ensure students start each semester off right. She also hosts H.A.P.P.Y. Hour workshops throughout the year to provide professional development opportunities for the teachers in training. For the past two years, Ms. Walters worked closely with other faculty in the region to bring the first Undergraduate Research Showcase to the Western Region. Thanks in part to her leadership and involvement, 2014 attendance doubled to 80 students who presented research projects. Besides advising, Ms. Walters serves as Internship Coordinator for Clinical Experiences for Lake and Sumter Counties and as an Honors in the Major thesis advisor. She is indeed a dedicated professional who is most deserving of this prestigious award. Jeff Biddle (Sport & Exercise Science) presented “ The Education Doctorate, A Degree for Our Times: Understanding Ed.D Diversity and Commonalities Across Borders, a Carnegie Project on the Education Doctorate & AERASIG 168 Doctoral Education Across the Disciplines.” He served as a panelist at the American Educational Research Association (AERA) conference held in Philadelphia on April 4.
Chrysalis Wright (Psychology) and 2013 UCF Ocala alumnus, Jessica Brandt, co-authored an article that has been submitted to the Marriage and Family Review journal for publication. They anticipate acceptance of the article and should hear soon. Colleen Scott (South Lake) presented at LSSC’s annual Counselor Breakfast on February 5. She gave a very informative overview and update on UCF’s DirectConnect program and partnership with Lake Sumter State College to Lake and Sumter high school guidance counselors. CeCe Rivers was the guest speaker at the Kiwanis Club of Clermont’s February 11 luncheon. The audience learned about UCF’s most recent accomplishments, the DirectConnect program and UCF’s partnership with Lake Sumter State College.
Stephanie Luke (Elementary Education) co-presented with Melissa Broker, Innovative Learning Specialist Lake County Schools and UCF Senior, and Heather Simpson, at the Florida Council of Teachers of Mathematics State Conference in Orlando. The title of their presentation was “iPads in the Mathematics Classroom.” Congratulations to Junie Albers-Biddle (Early Childhood Education), who was promoted to the rank of Associate Instructor beginning Fall 2014. 16
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UCF South Lake staff showed their support for the American Heart Association-National Wear Red Day on February 7, 2014. The UCF Western Region was a scholarship sponsor of the 16th Annual Pig on the Pond “For the Kids” Festival in Clermont on March 7-9. The Pig on the Pond Education Fund provides educational scholarships through the Community Foundation of South Lake. Many of the scholarship recipients become DirectConnect students at Lake Sumter State College. More than 15 UCF staff, faculty and alumni staffed the UCF table over the 3-day event which was attended by over 40,000 people. Crystal Flynn represented UCF Ocala on 96.3 FM/1370 AM- WOCA News Talks Radio (“The Source”). She joined other University Center partners as a panelist for the “Higher Ed Happenings” live broadcast. Crystal shared information about the UCF Ocala campus programs and resources available to local citizens of the Marion County area. Three additional broadcasts are planned for 2014 in which the UC partners will participate. The March 12 episode can be viewed at http://www. ustream.tv/recorded/448066622.
Welcome: Gladys Pickett, OPS Office Assistant (South Lake). Gladys is providing reception support while a teammate recuperates from surgery. Manuelita Reyes gave her final farewell to UCF Western Region after serving for more than 5 years as Administrative Assistant to the region. We wish Lita all the best! A search is underway for Lita’s replacement.
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The Western Region (South Lake, Leesburg, and Ocala) achieved a 47% participation rate for the UCF “I Believe” Campaign. Go Knights!
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STUDENTS “SHINING KNIGHT SPOTLIGHT” STUDENT OUTREACH SERVICES held a Knights Karnival at the UCF South Lake campus on March 12, featuring a bounce house, airbrushed t-shirts, and pizza for students on the campus.
Michelle Craske is our “Shining Knight” for this edition of the RC newsletter. A U.S. Army veteran student, wife and mother of two, Michelle courageously juggles multiple roles as she pursues a degree in psychology at the South Lake campus. In addition to her studies, Michelle works as an Assistant in the office of Student Outreach Services (SOS) and is a volunteer Senior Research Assistant in the Media and Migration Lab at the campus. Michelle is also the current President of the Western Region Psychology Club. A DirectConnect student from Lake Sumter State College, she will graduate with honors in spring 2014. In March, Michelle successfully defended her Honors in the Major thesis, “Music’s Normalization Influences on College Students Risky Sexual Behavior.” She will present her thesis findings at the 26th Association for Psychological Science’s National Research Convention in San Francisco in May. This study, as well as two co-authored research projects—“The Effects of the Big Five on College Performance and GPA” and “Peer vs. Parental Influence on the Acceptability of Profanity”—was also presented at the Florida Undergraduate Research Convention and UCF SURE Conference this spring. Michelle is actively involved in professional psychology organizations and was recently recognized by the Association for Psychological Science Observer, an international publication, for recruiting the most new members during the 2013 Fall Rally Weeks. Her research work was recognized in 2013 and she was awarded the $1,000 Honors in the Major Western Region Scholarship. Michelle has a ‘go big or go home’ attitude that radiates in all that she does. After graduation, she plans to continue her education in psychological research and ultimately receive her doctorate in social and behavioral psychology. She epitomizes the UCF Creed: Integrity, Scholarship, Community, Creativity and Excellence—core values that guide her conduct, performance, and decisions. Michelle is indeed a Shining Knight! Seven psychology students presented their research at the Florida Undergraduate Research Conference in Miami in March. Kudos to: Stephanie Rosales (SL), Ledalis Zamora (SL), Michelle Craske (SL), Amanda Small (SL), Jessie Schafer (SL), Heather Lopez (SL), and Benjamin Finch (Ocala Alumni 2013). Many of these same students presented their work at the SURE Conference at the Orlando campus, also in April.
ALUMNI in the News! Josh Molino (Sport and Exercise Science, Class of 2011) is coaching tennis in Michigan at Detroit County Day High School. His boys’ varsity tennis team has won 2 consecutive state championships, finishing #1 overall in the state in back-toback seasons.
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Congratulations to Michelle Craske (South Lake) and Deedra DeKemper (Ocala), both psychology majors, who successfully defended their Honors in the Major theses this semester. Josh Cordero (Sport & Exercise Science) was featured recently on the Sommer Sports website; Josh (runner #622) is pictured front and center on the home page, http://www.sommersports.com/.
Cindy Murray, Elementary EducationLeesburg, Class of 2011, was one of three finalists for Lake County Rookie Teacher of the Year. She is a kindergarten teacher at Eustis Heights Elementary school. Cindy’s quote to the local media: “I’m inspired by my children every day. I love my students. They all deserve the very best I can give them.”
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FACULTY AND STAFF Carrie Moran (Librarian) was awarded the Information Fluency (IF) Grant in the amount of $1000 for her project entitled “Information Literacy Assessment of Transfer Students.” Harry Coverston (Philosophy) will present a College Colloquium in April under the title, “An Uncomfortable Liberty: America’s History of Religious Intolerance.”
Members of the PsychMind Club have been busy this spring with a number of activities: volunteering at a soup kitchen, hosting a Movie Knight (Black Swan), and participating in a “Keep Brevard Beautiful” beach clean-up. According to Valerie Taylor (president), “a number of health/ wellness events are planned as well as another Movie Knight.
CAMPUS NEWS The next time you visit the Osceola campus, take a look at the new signage on the inside and outside of Building 4. Our partnership with Valencia College is lighted with logos for both UCF and Valencia. Students, staff and faculty have participated in a number of workshops this spring covering a wide range of topics: Black Faculty & Staff Association Mentoring Breakfast, Rise & Fall of Jim Crow, Multicultural Conflict Resolution, Male/Female Relationships, and Experiential Learning and You.
Congratulations to Paris Greene, a student at Valencia College Osceola Campus for winning the Parking Pass given away for the DirectConnect to UCF Basketball game vs. Cincinnati on Wednesday, February 19, 2014.
Osceola students have been big winners this spring. Paris Greene won the Parking Pass given away at one of the UCF basketball games. Thalia Rios won the UCF Spirit Pack, including an UCF car pennant and a Bright House Networks Stadium replica, given away at the Degree Expo.
Some of the 113 Valencia students who participated in the UCF Valencia Osceola Campus Spring 2014 Degree Expo held on Tuesday, February 20, 2014, in the Atrium of Building 2.
ALUMS -The newly-formed Osceola County Alumni Club hosted an “AlumKnight Out” at Buffalo Wild Wings in March. Jim Smith, Assistant Director, and Allen Dunn, Faculty Support, co-hosted this event for UCF alumni, current staff and faculty and students. The UCF Alumni Association assisted with mass mailings. Additional activities are being planned for this spring and summer.
Jessica Matos, Coordinator and Elba Arroyo-Cid, Program Assistant for UCF Valencia Osceola Enrollment Services are ready to greet students and provide assistance.
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UCF Valencia West RN Lecturer and Concurrent Nursing Program Coordinator, Julie Hinkle, discusses program requirements with a future UCF Nursing Knight.
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DirectConnect advisors have been reaching out to the community through various events: Valencia Open Houses, College Prep Day, Counselor Day, and STEM Open Houses at all three campuses—Valencia, Osceola and Lake Nona. Monthly visits by counselors are being made to the Lake Nona and Valencia campuses as of November, 2013.
Min Tong (Librarian) was awarded an Information Fluency (IF) Grant in the amount of $1000 for her project entitled “Information Literacy Assessment of Transfer Students.” Nathan Holic (Writing/Rhetoric) will have his novella entitled “The Things I Don’t See” published by Main Street Rag Publishing in Fall 2014.
In February, DirectConnect students had the opportunity to visit UCF’s Orlando campus to meet with advisors, explore majors, and learn about ways to get involved at UCF via the S.E.E. (Successful Early Exploration) program. Hosted by UCF Transfer & Transition Services, Student Development and Enrollment Services in partnership with Valencia and Regional Campuses, the all-day event included a brief career assessment, tabling and information sessions, campus and housing tours, and a group lunch/prize drawing. Of the 150+ SLS students who attended, 46 Osceola students and 23 West students participated. Response was very positive. Clothesline Project – To address the issue of sexual violence against women, a group of UCF students brought the Clothesline Project which is held annually on the UCF main campus to the West Valencia campus. Partnering with Valencia State College, the program was designed to bring awareness of all types of violence to students and employees. T-shirts were decorated and displayed. Valencia’s student government invited UCF students to partner in a similar project in April. Degree Expo – In February, 113 Valencia students visited the Osceola campus for the Spring 2014 Degree Expo. Over 40 UCF faculty, staff and students participated in this event. Offices represented included: Enrollment Services, Student Services, Academic Advising, DirectConnect to UCF, Affiliated Housing, Student Outreach Services. Faculty members from nursing, business, psychology, legal studies and biomedical sciences participated.
STUDENTS Four teams of research students from Valencia West will participated and competed in the UCF Palm Bay Chapter of Psi Chi Undergraduate Psychology Conference by developing and presenting professional posters focusing on research engagement topics. All are students in Paula Reynoso’s Directed Independent Research course. • James Hammond—an investigation of methods used by clinicians and researchers to assess psychopathy • Larissa Miranda and Ross Petrifrere—a study of the nature versus nurture issue re g io n a l camp u se s.u cf.e d u
in the development of psychopathy. • Natashia St. John and Heather Nembrandt—an investigation of the wide spectrum of symptom clusters used to diagnose psychopathy. • Chelsea Suriel and Melissa Melendez— an investigation of the degree of responsibility that psychopathic acts can warrant based on etiology. It’s that time of year—our UCF Architecture Pin Up 2014. For the third consecutive year, students seeking admission to the architecture program present their work before a panel of judges.
Iryna Malendevych (Criminal Justice) is a volunteer correspondent for Euromaidan, a social media source that broadcasts current news in English from Ukraine’s capital and territories. She also worked with Sergey Jakimenko on the documentary, “The Price of Freedom,” which was broadcast in April on the Ukrainian independent news station. Paula Reynoso (Psychology) has launched a multi-faceted research project on psychopathy. She has been training in the Magnetoencephalography Lab (MEG) at Florida Hospital to learn state-of-theart imaging techniques which will enable the research team to decipher both structural and functional changes in the brain as a function of cognitive changes in psychopathy. Lourdes Acevedo has joined the Central Region as the DirectConnect Coordinator. Lourdes served as Assistant Director in Undergraduate Education at Florida International University.
Signing up for DirectConnect to UCF!
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UCF Regional Campuses Administration 12201 Research Parkway, Suite 101 • Orlando, FL 32826 Phone: 407.823.4547 • Fax: 407.823.1399 regional@ucf.edu