UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA System
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the USF ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SUMMER 2018
CITIZENS of the WORLD
iFest
Photos: LAURA LYON | Innovative Education
MODELED AFTER THE EPCOT WORLD SHOWCASE and held on the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza lawn at USF, the International Festival (iFest), invites student groups to share their cultures with fellow students. Each year, a parade of flags led by USF’s Herd of Thunder marching band kicks off the festival. It continues through the afternoon with performances, students in cultural attire, posters and displays, providing students with an opportunity to learn from and develop connections with peers outside the classroom.
0:57 USF International Festival Highlights
2 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
First Look
SUMMER 2018 3
WORLD Views TO CELEBRATE DIVERSITY and promote crosscultural understanding, USF World sponsors an annual International Photo Competition. USF students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to share their international experiences through photography.
Here is a sample of 2017’s winners, chosen from 102 entries by a USF panel of judges. Categories included Bulls Abroad; International Landscape, Seascape or Cityscape; Portrait; and Grand Prize.
Recrudesence Grand Prize Winner Mingora, Pakistan By Azad Salee
Quito Crawling with Bulls Bulls Abroad Runner Up Quito, Ecuador By Jared Brown
Mayan Game Sacrifice Bulls Abroad winner Merida Yucutan, Mexico By Kadeem Thomas
Large photo: Southern Lights Silhouette Landscape Winner Hobart, Tasmania By Nikolaj Madsen
The USF Fan Favorite was selected by public voting.
Visit USF World
Online
4 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Untitled USF Fan Favorite Golfode Fonseca, Honduras By Elisa Pulgarin
First Look
SUMMER 2018 5
First Look
6 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Happy Birthday
ROCKY
EACH APRIL OUR BELOVED MASCOT, Rocky D. Bull, celebrates his birthday during USF Week. This year the birthday bull decided to share the spotlight with the inaugural USF Giving Day to promote a cause very close to his heart – student success. Organized by the USF Foundation in partnership with units across the USF System, Giving Day 2018 encouraged alumni, parents, friends, faculty and staff to make a gift of any size to support the USF Foundation Endowed Scholarship. The entire campus took part in the festivities – decorating offices, handing out birthday cake, and wishing Rocky a very happy birthday on social media – all in an effort to raise awareness and spread the word about USF Giving Day. The Foundation’s initial goal of 300 online donors on the USF crowdfunding platform HerdFunder was surpassed early in the day. In all, more than 700 loyal USF donors and alumni around the world joined in the celebration, raising $34,255 toward student success and scholarships. Giving Day 2018 set a record for the most online gifts made in one day in all of USF history! On campus, students showed their appreciation by writing hundreds of thank you notes, which were mailed to Giving Day donors. LaDessa Mitchell, a graduate student working on a doctoral degree in education, knows firsthand the impact of scholarships. She used the USF Foundation Endowed Scholarship to attend a prestigious conference last spring. “The conference was truly an incredible experience that helped me develop as a professional and as a researcher,” says Mitchell. “I made invaluable connections with established researchers, doctoral students and faculty members. I would not have had this opportunity without the benefit of this scholarship.” USF looks forward to celebrating Rocky’s birthday again next year as part of Giving Day 2019 during USF Week and attracting even more donors to invest in student success and scholarships across the USF System. MORE ABOUT
Giving Day
Photo: JULIE BRANAMAN
Online
– MELISSA WOLFE ’13 | University Advancement
PHOTO Students with Rocky from left: USF Ambassadors Kairi Adams, Rhea Bhatt, Taylor Harris and Gabriela (Gaby) Cruz.
SUMMER 2018 7
Photos: TRAVIS PENDERGRASS; PENNY CARNATHAN ’82 | USFAA
HOME RUN Alumni
for
8 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
A RECORD CROWD OF MORE THAN 800 Alumni Association members, their families and friends packed USF’s Baseball Stadium in April for the Association’s annual Member Appreciation Baseball Game. The game also kicked off a weekend War on I-4 series against the University of Central Florida, which the Bulls ultimately won. Former Bulls pitcher Eddie Rocha, ’94, Life Member, and his girlfriend, Maria Kolsen, who attended USF in 1998-99 (both pictured above right), were among the fans who enjoyed food, beverages, USF giveaways at sponsors’ tables and free game tickets. “Attending the member appreciation events is just another way
First Look
we support the USF Bulls,” Rocha says. “We try to make it to as many games as possible, and these type of events give us a way of socializing with other alumni we may not see otherwise. The Association has done a great job allowing us the opportunity to relive the excitement.” Through their dues, Alumni Association members help fund numerous programs, activities and communications that contribute to student success, connect and recognize alumni, and support USF. “Our annual members, Life Members and student
members are all paying it forward, so we want to let them know how very much they’re appreciated,” says Scott Glaser, ’99, associate executive director of the Association and a former Bulls ball player himself. “This marked our eighth year throwing this party and it just keeps growing. I can’t imagine anyone not being a big baseball fan, but we actually have lots of alumni who come out just to enjoy a fun spring evening outdoors with fellow Bulls.” To learn more about Association membership, visit usfalumni.org/membership. – PENNY CARNATHAN ’82 | USFAA
SUMMER 2018 9
Oh so special discount. University of South Florida Alumni Association members could save even more money on GEICO auto insurance with a special discount. Get a quote and see how much you could save.
geico.com/alum/usf | 1-866-496-3574
Some discounts, coverages, payment plans and features are not available in all states, in all GEICO companies, or in all situations. GEICO contracts with various membership entities and other organizations, but these entities do not underwrite the offered insurance products. Discount amount varies in some states. One group discount applicable per policy. Coverage is individual. In New York a premium reduction may be available. GEICO may not be involved in a formal relationship with each organization; however, you still may qualify for a special discount based on your membership, employment or affiliation with those organizations. RCI is indirectly compensated by GEICO for inquiries generated by this insurance program. RCI and related marks are registered trademarks and/or service marks in the United States and Internationally.GEICO is a registered service mark of Government Employees Insurance Company, Washington, D.C. 20076; a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. subsidiary. GEICO Gecko image Š 1999-2018. Š 2018 GEICO
10 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE of the USF ALUMNI ASSOCIATION SUMMER 2018
Photo: ERIC YOUNGHANS | USF
UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA System
Features 30
Citizens of the world USF reaches across the globe in ways that benefit students and faculty, and those with whom they connect.
38
‘We are more alike than different’ Two College of Public Health alumni share the challenges and rewards of Peace Corps service.
Photo: ERIC YOUNGHANS | USF
ABOUT THE COVER: (Above) Each spring, summer and fall semester, the Office of International Services hosts the International Sash Ceremony, to celebrate graduation and gift each student with a sash that represents their home country’s flag. At spring commencement 2018, 675 sashes were given to graduating undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students. (Left) Roger Brindley, USF System vice president for USF World, oversees global engagement.
16 24
30 University
Forever Bulls
2 12 14 24 26 28
First look
42
From your Alumni Association
54
Where’s Rocky?
From the President
43
Meet your 2017-18 USFAA Board of Directors
56
Chapters & societies
44
60
Class notes
Fast 56 Awards
50
Alumna profile: Geraldine McKinnon Twine
University Athletics Advancement Unstoppable
SUMMER 2018 11
Photo: MATT MAY
From the President
WELCOME TO A VERY SPECIAL EDITION of USF magazine. This summer issue offers just a snapshot of the many ways the University of South Florida contributes to, and benefits from, the global community. That commitment is among the reasons Times Higher Education – a leading international publication based in London – asked USF to host the Young Universities Summit 2018 on the Tampa campus June 5-7. USF is the first university in the United States, Canada or Mexico to host this prestigious event, because we are such an innovative and fast-moving young university. It previously was held in Barcelona, Spain, and Brisbane, Australia, among other international locations. We are delighted to welcome colleagues from around the world as we assess strategies for success and discuss challenges faced by younger universities. USF is a global research university dedicated to student success. Innovation, entrepreneurship, best practices and partnerships are at the heart of what we do, and we have a wonderful story to share with our higher education colleagues. At the same time, we look forward to learning from them new strategies that will help us further enhance our teaching, learning and research. With 50,000 students overall, 5,000 of whom come from 146 countries, USF is truly a global community. Our students’ exposure to that rich diversity helps prepare them to be the leaders of tomorrow. In addition to their campus experiences, we encourage all students to benefit from at least one international learning opportunity during their time at USF. The many students who take part in study-abroad or service trips every year serve as ambassadors for our university and our country, and learn valuable lessons about other cultures. In this issue, you will meet several students who have received
12 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
prestigious, highly competitive scholarships to study abroad. Three USF Honors College students who graduated in May – Janine DeBlasi, Justin Doherty and Alejandro Navas – earned the generous Frost Scholarship, which provides funding for top students to study for a full year in master’s courses in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields at Oxford University in the United Kingdom. A fourth student, Kayla Li, who graduates in August, was awarded Oxford’s Medical Sciences Graduate School Studentship, which will fully fund her graduate studies in clinical embryology. In addition, 32 USF students – a record number – will participate this summer in exciting learning opportunities thanks to the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship. This program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, awards students of limited financial means up to $5,000 for study-abroad costs. We also are proud to have 12 faculty members named as Fulbright Scholars for 2018-19, which places us near, if not at, the top of the list of recipient-producing institutions this year. In addition, four USF students have earned Fulbright grants this year. The Fulbright program, also sponsored by the U.S. State Department, fosters international education exchanges. USF also has a strong history of participation in the Peace Corps, and in the pages that follow, USF alumni share stories of their rewarding experiences. This year, the Peace Corps ranked USF No. 3 among graduate schools and No. 19 among large schools on its list of top volunteer-producing colleges and universities. We are proud of the 45 Bulls currently serving as Peace Corps volunteers. There also are wonderful stories of international collaborations – we have 280 international partnerships – across the USF System. Dr. Jean Kabongo, a professor of management and entrepreneurship at USF Sarasota-Manatee, is overseeing a World Bank program in the Democratic Republic of Congo designed to help grow that nation’s agricultural sector. At USF St. Petersburg, a collaborative initiative with academic and cultural institutions in Spain led to the groundbreaking La Florida: The Interactive Digital Archive of the Americas. As you also will learn in this issue, our strong international flavor extends to the athletics department. The 12-member women’s basketball team – which had another outstanding season in 201718 under head coach Jose Fernandez – included eight players from other nations. One of them, standout forward Maria Jespersen from Denmark, was named Outstanding Student in Civil Engineering. The award is given to graduating seniors who have stellar academic records and participation in university, college and student organizations. International student-athletes also have played major roles in the success of our men’s golf team. I want to again welcome our colleagues to our beautiful campus and region for the Young Universities Summit. And I invite our loyal alumni and many friends of USF to enjoy an international journey through this issue of USF Magazine. Thank you for your support of USF and our students. As always, Go Bulls!
Judy Genshaft, President University of South Florida System
PIONEERING SPIRIT
Global higher education summit focuses on opportunities, challenges of younger universities IN THE PAST, YOUNGER UNIVERSITIES – without centuries of history, accumulated wealth and big global reputations that help more established academic institutions excel on the world stage – were often viewed at a competitive disadvantage. That is changing. Newer institutions, including USF, are often at the forefront as academia adapts to new forms of learning and research to produce more technologically savvy, workforce-ready graduates and partners with industry to more efficiently translate discoveries to market. Young universities possess a pioneering spirit that has been vital in making the United States the great economic and research powerhouse it is today, says Phil Baty, editorial director of global rankings for the UK-based Times Higher Education (THE). “In today’s rapidly changing world, these institutions may be even better situated for success than their counterparts that are centuries older.” Assessing strategies for success and debating challenges faced by younger universities will be the focus when leaders of the world’s best and most ambitious young research universities convene at the USF Tampa campus June 5 to 7. The Young Universities Summit 2018, hosted by USF in partnership with THE, will analyze and celebrate top research universities across the globe formed since 1945. USF will be the first university in the United States, Canada or Mexico to host the prestigious three-day meeting, previously held in Barcelona, Spain, and Brisbane, Australia, among other international cities. “Younger universities are eager, dynamic, innovative and collaborative. We are the
future,” USF System President Judy Genshaft says. “USF’s amazing story is similar to those at other young universities, and the summit will help thought leaders from around the world develop networks with like-minded institutions focused on creating positive change in higher education and society.” Founded in 1956 as a regional university, USF in a relatively short time ascended to become a Top-30 public university for research productivity; a model for student success in closing graduation gaps by race, ethnicity and socioeconomic status; and a leader in economic development, ranked No. 11 worldwide among all universities for new U.S. patents generated. “The summit is a wonderful opportunity to showcase USF’s best practices in student success and our advances in growing research and entrepreneurial partnerships, while learning from international peers and how they most effectively leverage ‘youth’ to their advantage,” USF Provost Ralph Wilcox says. University leaders, joined by renowned experts across higher education, research, industry and government, will address opportunities and challenges faced by younger universities, including overcoming limitations of resources and reputation; building collaborations that challenge existing alliances; new methods of translational research; and innovative solutions to student outcomes. Scheduled speakers include Andrew Hamilton, president of New York University and former vice chancellor of the Oxford University, who will share his experience working in established institutions of higher education, and Lynn Pasquerella, president of the Association of American Colleges and Universities. Two special THE rankings will be revealed at the event: the Golden Age University rankings spotlighting the world’s best institutions established between 1945 and 1966, and the Young University rankings featuring the world’s top institutions age 50 or under. Last year, USF was No. 8 among all U.S. universities, public and private, and No. 34 globally among public universities ranked in the Golden Age category.
USF is published quarterly by University Communications & Marketing and the USF Alumni Association for alumni, friends and members of the USF community. USF is a member of the University of South Florida System, which includes USF, USF St. Petersburg and USF SarasotaManatee. University Communications & Marketing Chief Marketing Officer Joe Hice USF Alumni Association Executive Director Bill McCausland, MBA ’96 Communications Director Rita Kroeber USF Content/Design Editor Anne Scott Alumni Content Editor Penny Carnathan ’82 Contributing Editors Anne DeLotto Baier ’78 Sarah Worth ’86 Contributors Matthew Cimitile; Katie Ebner, Class of ’19; Kim FrankeFolstad; Amy Harroun ’05; Joey Johnston ’81; Sandra C. Roa; Dave Scheiber; Rich Shopes; Melissa Wolfe ’13, Eric Younghans; Tom Zebold USF System Administration Judy Genshaft, President Ralph Wilcox, Provost and Executive Vice President John Long, ’82, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Charles Lockwood, Senior Vice President for USF Health Paul Sanberg, Senior Vice President for Research, Innovation & Knowledge Enterprise Joel Momberg, Senior Vice President for University Advancement & Alumni Affairs Martin Tadlock, Interim Regional Chancellor, USF St. Petersburg Karen Holbrook, Regional Chancellor, USF Sarasota-Manatee USF Board of Trustees Brian D. Lamb ’98, MBA ’17, Chair Jordan B. Zimmerman ’80, Vice Chair Michael L. Carrere James Garey Stephanie E. Goforth ’82 Oscar Horton Moneer Kheireddine Harold W. Mullis, Esq. Leslie Muma ’66 John B. Ramil ’78, MCE ’00 Byron E. Shinn ’79 Charles Tokarz Nancy H. Watkins ’82 Contact USF University Communications & Marketing 4202 E. Fowler Ave., CGS 301 Tampa, FL 33620-4301 (813) 974-4014 ucm@usf.edu Contact the USF Alumni Association Gibbons Alumni Center 4202 E. Fowler Ave., ALC100 Tampa, Florida 33620-5455 (813) 974-2100 • (800) 299-BULL (2855) alumni@usf.edu Update your contact information: www.myusfbio.org Reprint policy: USF encourages reprinting articles in their entirety. Permission may be obtained by contacting ascott@usf.edu.
– ANNE DELOTTO BAIER ’78 | USF
SUMMER 2018 13
University ECONOMIC IMPACT
USF in Water Street Tampa creating ripple effect EMAILS ARE COMING IN ABOUT BIOTECH start-ups, applications are pouring in from high-caliber students, powerhouse researchers are inquiring about opportunities, research funding has gone up, property values are on the upswing, and condos and apartments are rising across the urban core. These are tangible upticks attesting that something big is happening in Tampa – even while that something is still under construction. The USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute is building a new facility in the heart of burgeoning downtown Tampa and will be a primary anchor in the $3 billion real estate development – Water Street Tampa – by Strategic Property Partners, the joint venture between Jeff Vinik and Cascade Investment, LLC. When the project kicked off several years ago, talk was hot about the potential a medical school and cardiovascular research institute in the urban core would have on the entire region. Biotechnology, pharmaceutical, biomedical engineering, translational research, biomanufacturing – these are among the forward-thinking buzzwords that painted the vision. But today, talk has shifted from potential to more tangible, offering stronger hints of the true ripple effect expected. University and community leaders shared their insights on some early indicators of success, giving us all a glimpse of the economic impact ahead.
“
They’re saying ... Craig J. Richard, president and CEO of Tampa Hillsborough Economic Development Corporation: “I’m happy to say that, with the announcement that USF is building a medical school in downtown, it has certainly helped us in promoting Tampa’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. When I arrived on the scene a couple of years ago, there was already some buzz. Now the buzz has accelerated. It makes it easier for us as an organization and for our employers to attract top talent. Spin offs that could result from entrepreneurial collaborations at the medical school would have a beneficial effect on our life sciences, health care and technology industries.”
14 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
1:31 USF’s Downtown Expansion in Water Street Tampa
PHOTO USF in Water Street Tampa, taken in May 2018. Located at the corner of Meridian Avenue and Channelside Drive, the downtown facility is expected to open in late 2019.
Judy Genshaft, USF System president: “We are creating a world-class learning, research and training environment. We already know how much this exciting future appeals to the best and the brightest. Since this project was first announced in 2014, applications to our College of Medicine are up by 60 percent. And our incoming students have achieved the highest MCAT scores of all Florida universities. And our Heart Institute is attracting world-class experts. In addition to the outstanding research that will take place there, the Heart Institute is going to have a major economic impact – we expect it to drive between $66 and $73 million in local economic activity annually.”
Photo: SANDRA C. ROA | USF
Charles J. Lockwood, MD, MHCM, senior vice president of USF Health and dean of the Morsani College of Medicine: “We’ve almost doubled the total research grant dollars that the medical school received since I arrived four years ago. Our national rankings have dramatically improved. I also get a sense of the excitement just from the emails I’ve been getting from folks who are very interested in this project, interested in relocating here … It’s really drawing attention nationally … The payoff of this project probably won’t be fully realized for a decade, but the immediate impact is significant. Every $1 of National Institutes of Health funding we can bring to the Heart Institute will generate about $2.60 in local economic activity. That will happen almost immediately. We’re talking about $72 million a year within the next five years being generated in the Tampa Bay area just from the research brought into the heart institute. But that doesn’t begin to measure the impact when we think about the creation of patents, licensing fees, biotech companies, whether we start them or they come in to be part of this project. With that, we’re talking about hopefully hundreds of millions of dollars of economic impact.”
Samuel Wickline, MD, director of the USF Health Heart Institute:
”
“We are already attracting very qualified individuals who are doing very exciting things in many different areas in cardiac research … I’ve been talking to a number of individuals who are interested in getting ideas out of the bench and into clinical practice. It’s fairly early in Learn more about the the game right now. Tampa hasn’t had those sorts of USF Health Morsani College investment opportunities ... I’ve been talking to a large of Medicine and Heart swath of individuals who might be interested in providing Institute’s new facility in those types of funds for biotech start-ups. The heart downtown Tampa institute was meant to be that kind of an attractor.” Bob Buckhorn, mayor of Tampa: “I don’t have to sell often and hard because people now are talking about us. Tampa has become that place that everyone is talking about. Inevitably, when I go tell the story, they come to me and say ‘Hey, what’s going on down there?’ ... People are like, ‘What in the heck are you people doing there, because all we hear about is Tampa?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, we are good. Come on down and see it.’ ”
Online
SUMMER 2018 15
FROST FOUNDATION SCHOLARS
USF prepares young scholars for postgraduate studies at Oxford STUDYING AT ONE OF THE YOUNGEST MAJOR universities in America, USF students are encouraged to participate early and often in undergraduate research and find innovative ways to collaborate across disciplines. This prepares them well for graduate study at prestigious schools around the globe, including the world’s second oldest university, Oxford. USF Bulls have been well represented recently in master’s programs at the University of Oxford, with nine more slated to begin graduate studies there this fall. In the past five years, 12 of these students were able to afford this exceptional education thanks to the generous Frost Scholarship, a program supported by the Phillip and Patricia Frost Philanthropic Foundation. This scholarship
“
Our students are encouraged to connect with the world and become global leaders with cultural understanding, fueling their passion to improve human health and well-being.” – Ralph Wilcox
16 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
provides funding for top students to study for a full year in master’s courses in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields at Oxford. Three graduating Honors College students, Janine DeBlasi, Justin Doherty and Alejandro Navas have been awarded Frost Scholarships. In addition, this year Kayla Li was awarded Oxford’s Medical Sciences Graduate School Studentship, which will fully fund her graduate studies in clinical embryology. Pursuing a MSc in integrated immunology, Doherty plans to attend medical school after completing studies at Oxford. He will do so with global experience and the benefit of studying at the institution named the top university in the world for the second consecutive year by The Times Higher Education Global Rankings. Oxford’s global focus, pursuit of new knowledge, and passion to improve the quality of life for others aligns perfectly with USF’s undergraduate experience. “We encourage our students to connect with the world and become global leaders with cultural understanding, fueling their passion to improve human health and well-being” says Ralph Wilcox, USF provost and executive vice president, Life Member. “This, combined with a dedication to undergraduate research and community engagement, prepares them well for programs at institutions such as Oxford.” The nine new alumni will travel to England this fall to begin their graduate studies and add to the growing tradition of Bulls at Oxford. “Our students are competing at the very highest level internationally,” says USF Honors College Dean Charles Adams. – AMY HARROUN ’05 | Honors College
PHOTOS Above left: New USF alumni, Alejandro Navas, Janine DeBlasi, Justin Doherty and Kayla Li will continue their education at the University of Oxford this fall, having earned full-ride scholarships for graduate study at the world’s second oldest university. Navas, DeBlasi and Doherty were awarded Frost Scholarships, and Li was awarded the Oxford Medical Sciences Graduate School Studentship. Above right: Shane Clark,’17, is completing his graduate studies at Oxford. He and his fellow alumni Razanne Oueini and Luis Regalado were 2017 Frost Scholars.
Photos pg. 16: AMY HARROUN | Honors College; RAZANNE OUEINI; Pg. 17, courtesy of AMY HARROUN
University USF STUDENTS ON SIX CONTINENTS
Pell-eligible students study abroad via a record number of Gilman Scholarships THIS SUMMER, 32 USF students will study or intern around the globe as recipients of the prestigious Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. This scholarship awards students of limited financial means (applicants must be Pell Grant eligible) up to $5,000 for study abroad program costs. Recipients study or intern in their host country for a minimum of three weeks to gain a better understanding of other cultures, languages and economies. “As a global research university with a strategic focus on international engagement and one of the top public universities in the country at serving Pell students, our community is poised for success in this important initiative,” says Roger Brindley, vice president of USF World. The awardees will travel to six of the seven continents (all but Antarctica). “USF students can engage in more than 150 USF opportunities to study abroad each year, including faculty-led and student exchange programs,” Brindley says. “The Gilman Scholarship provides access to these unique and valuable opportunities for students who may not have been able to afford them otherwise.” Five USF students received Gilman Scholarships earlier this
Gilman Scholars, Pell student success
By the numbers
1 6 19
USF is first in Florida
among all universities for Gilman Scholars (only available to Pell-eligible students).
Sixth in the nation
among all universities for Gilman Scholars.
USF Tampa Pell students
graduate at a rate 19 percent higher than the national average of 49 percent.
year and have already completed their international travel. With the addition of the summer recipients, USF’s total Gilman Scholars for 201718 is an impressive 37 students. This ranks USF number one in Florida and number six in the nation for Gilman Scholars. – AMY HARROUN ’05 | Honors College
1
PHOTO Originally from Davie, Fla., Jarie Rawls, class of ’18, studied in Ghana, Africa, as a Gilman Scholar. The College of Arts and Sciences student went on her service learning trip in summer 2017.
USF is the top institution in Florida, and ninth best performing school nationally among public
universities with a high percentage of Pell recipients (37 percent or more).
1 of 2
One of only two public universities in Florida to close
the graduation gap between Pell and nonPell students. USF’s Pell student six-year graduation rate of 68 percent is higher than the rate for non-Pell students (67 percent).
SUMMER 2018 17
HEARTS AND MINDS
Contributing to the Fulbright legacy U.S. SEN. J. WILLIAM FULBRIGHT was once quoted saying “Our future is not in the stars but in our own minds and hearts. Creative leadership and liberal education, which in fact go together, are the first requirements for a hopeful future for humankind. Fostering these – leadership, learning and empathy between cultures – was and remains the purpose of the international scholarship program that I was privileged to sponsor.” The Fulbright Scholarship began in 1946, under the senator’s leadership, to foster an international education exchange in which leaders can gain an understanding of other cultures and reinforce the path of peace and friendship. “The University of South Florida, dedicated to global engagement, impactful research, and campus diversity, is a rich source for such Fulbright leaders,” says Ralph Wilcox, USF provost and executive vice president. “This is evident by our current and recent success with this prestigious award.” Last year, USF led the state for student Fulbright awards and the year before led the nation’s research universities for faculty Fulbright scholars. This year the university is again well represented with 16 USF faculty and students set to travel the globe to research, teach and learn thanks to awards from the Fulbright Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Twelve USF faculty members were named Fulbright Scholars for 2018-19, placing the university near, if not at, the top of the list of recipient-producing institutions this cycle. The faculty will travel to Austria, Belarus, Ethiopia, India, Japan, Kosovo, Morocco, Poland, Slovenia, Taiwan, and Turkey. Among them, Dr. Anol Bhattacherjee was named the Fulbright-Nehru Distinguished Chair. Only a
FACULTY FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS: Anol Bhattacherjee - India Chih-Chin Chou – Taiwan Tara Deubel – Morocco Victor Fung – Japan Timothy Heath – Austria Abdelwahab Hechiche – Kosovo Moez Linayem - Japan John Skvoretz – Poland Glenn Smith - Slovenia
Amy Thompson - Turkey Sajeev Varki – Belarus Solomon Weldegirma – Ethiopia STUDENT FULBRIGHT SCHOLARS: Laura Collins – Mauritius Leslie Gibson – Belarus Kira Harding – India Lauren Madsen – Malaysia
limited number of Fulbright Distinguished Chair positions were available worldwide for the 2018-19 cycle. “Distinguished Chairs are viewed as among the most prestigious appointments,” according to the Fulbright Program. Also receiving a Fulbright award this year is Moez Limayem, dean of the USF Muma College of Business. He will travel to Japan to explore the Japanese higher education landscape and work with both government officials and international education professionals in Tokyo and other cities. “To be among the chosen few to foster communication between universities all over the world certainly will be among the top accomplishments of my life,” Limayem says. “I will work hard during my visit to Japan to knit together more tightly the students and faculty of the Far East with those of USF. Some of the best learning derives from understanding our differences and recognizing our similarities.” All 12 faculty Fulbright Scholars worked with Darlene DeMarie, USF associate professor of education and faculty Fulbright adviser to prepare their applications. DeMarie was herself a Fulbright Scholar to South Africa from 2007-09 and currently serves as president of the Mid-Florida Chapter of the Fulbright Association. In addition to the faculty awards, four USF students have earned Fulbright grants this year. These include opportunities to research in Mauritius, and teach English in Belarus, India, and Malaysia. “Our students are not limited by location,” says Lauren Chambers, associate director of the USF Office on National Scholarships and Fulbright adviser for the U.S. student program. “They find the best place in the world for their research or work and take the steps to make their vision a reality. I am very proud of them all.” During USF Fulbright Day, a recent event held to celebrate the spirit of Fulbright, Heather Theisen-Gandara, manager of outreach and recruitment for the Institute for International Education, which manages the Fulbright US Student Program, participated in a panel discussion about the award. “We’re looking for a wide variety of applicants,” said TheisenGandara. “I want to encourage you all to consider the Fulbright Program this year or in the future … This institution has a great history with the Fulbright program.” Since the university’s founding, 67 USF students have earned Fulbright awards. Just in this decade, 59 USF faculty members have been named Fulbright Scholars. “I look forward to seeing USF’s Fulbright success continue to grow,” Wilcox says. “It is a great honor to contribute to Senator Fulbright’s legacy.” – AMY HARROUN ’05 | Honors College
18 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Photo: AMY HARROUN ’05 | Honors College
University
9 TH GOLDWATER IN USF HISTORY
Microbiology major earns prestigious Goldwater Scholarship USF HONORS COLLEGE JUNIOR MISHA FINI is a 2018 Goldwater Scholar, chosen from among nearly 1,300 nominees across the country. The scholarship, established by Congress in 1986 to honor Sen. Barry M. Goldwater, is the most prestigious undergraduate award for science research and provides $7,500 for educational expenses and research support. Fini, a microbiology major, is currently performing cancer
INSPIRED LITERATURE
Florida history author wins Pulitzer Prize JACK E. DAVIS, ‘85 and MA ‘89, USF St. Petersburg, has been awarded the 2018 history literature Pulitzer Prize for The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea. The book also won the Kirkus Prize and was a National Book Critics Circle finalist. The Gulf tells the story of the Gulf of Mexico’s rich and sometimes tragic history, including amazing “fish stories” and colorful characters. Davis, who graduated from Largo High School, says he was inspired by years living by the water. The University of Florida professor told Tampa Bay Times book editor Colette Bancroft that he learned he was a Pulitzer winner during a meeting with students. His office phone and cell phone started ringing and sounding
research at Moffitt Cancer Center under her mentor and principal investigator Kenneth Wright. Their work investigates the causes of a protein that contributes to non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a cancer that kills about 20,000 people each year. The Goldwater Scholarship, one of only three awarded in Florida’s public universities this year, will help Fini continue her research and pursue a career goal of obtaining a doctorate in cancer immunotherapy and becoming a university principal investigator herself. She began her research at USF working with James Garey in his molecular biology lab. From there she developed a love of scientific research and secured a position in Wright’s lab. “Dr. Garey and Dr. Wright are such wonderful mentors,” she says. “They opened my eyes to undergraduate research and helped me define my career goals.” Fini, who maintains a 4.0 GPA, began her studies at USF with an aim to become a medical doctor. She has since turned her focus to research that could lead to medical breakthroughs. “I’d like to work toward a better understanding of how the human body’s immune systems all work together to eradicate pathogens and how this can be used to defeat cancer,” she says. “This research has the potential to discover new treatments and improve the quality of life for so many.” Fini first learned about the Goldwater Scholarship through the university’s Office for Undergraduate Research and worked extensively with the USF Office of National Scholarships to create and refine her application. “It is wonderful to see Misha’s success,” says Charles Adams, Honors College dean. “Undergraduate research is both valued and promoted throughout our university, and it is great to see how our faculty and staff have supported, and continue to support, Misha as she pursues her dreams.” – AMY HARROUN ’05 | Honors College
text message alerts. “I was like, ‘Leave me alone!’ I finally thought I’d better answer in case somebody had died.” When he read the text notifying him he’d won, he said he was speechless. “I just pushed it across the desk to the graduate student. He said, ‘Congratulations!’ ” Davis is the fourth USF alumnus, and the second from USF St. Petersburg, to win a Pulitzer Prize in recent years. In 2017, Eric Eyre MA ‘98, USFSP, won for investigative reporting. In 2013, Gilbert King – who left school just shy of earning a bachelor’s in English – won the general non-fiction prize for his book, Devil in the Grove. And in 2009, Angie Drobnic Holan, MS ‘10, was part of a journalism team that won for national reporting. – PENNY CARNATHAN ’82 | USFAA SUMMER 2018 19
University
GOING THE EXTRA MILE
Professor and World Bank team to aid Congolese farmers USF SARASOTA-MANATEE’S BUSINESS PROFESSOR Jean Kabongo often advises small businesses in Sarasota as well as his native Democratic Republic of Congo, but now his support has reached new heights: He’s overseeing a World Bank program in Africa aimed at growing profits for impoverished farmers. Kabongo and his assistants are working with farmers, collectives and other groups in the nation, where about 70 percent of workers are engaged in agriculture, most at the subsistence level, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. He’s encouraging them to “think entrepreneurially” and “professionalize their services” while looking for ways to streamline the field-to-market process. He wants to find ways to improve productivity and quality in order to expand profits and create jobs. He’s also gathering material for classroom discussions and for a research paper about emerging economies, and the 20 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
challenges and effects of certain agricultural reforms. “I enjoy doing this work, first of all, because I have a special connection here (in the republic). But I also enjoy this because the work features areas of my profession, the research and data analysis parts, plus the service component, teaching.” A professor of management and entrepreneurship at USFSM’s College of Business, Kabongo started working for the World Bank after attending a conference in San Diego in spring 2016. There he met a World Bank representative who suggested he take on an agriculture-focused project for the institution, which routinely provides loans and other assistance to struggling nations. He started consulting with Congolese businesses and government officials in June 2017. That his efforts may someday lift the standard of living for countless families amazes the 55-year-old professor, who as an undergraduate attended college in the capital city of Kinshasa and still has family in the area. “If this succeeds, it will be expanded across the nation,” he says. The first step, he says, was to study the current agri-
PHOTOS Opposite page: Kabongo speaks with a leader of a cooperative in her rice field in Kinzau-Ngungu. Top: Jean Kabongo, professor of management and entrepreneurship at USFSM’s College of Business. Center: Touring a corn mill in the village of Boko. Bottom: A common scene on the road – transportation of goods for sale.
Photos: Courtesy of JEAN KABONGO
cultural system. Most Congolese agricultural products are grown on family farms and sold to transport companies, processors and other wholesalers, who in turn sell them to large commercial food packagers and retailers. The process, called the value chain, is routinely vexed by issues involving infrastructure, transportation and production, which can lead to delays and cost increases. Kabongo plans to encourage cooperation along the chain to smooth out these wrinkles and lower costs. For years, he’s preached similar messages of cooperation and entrepreneurship to students at USFSM and in business workshops in Sarasota and Africa. He’s focusing on three commodities: cassava, a potato-like root vegetable; palm oil, which is commonly used in cooking and cosmetic products like soaps; and rice. His 20-member team of Kinshasa-based government-appointed research assistants is concentrating on a province called Bas-Congo. After his June 2017 visit, he returned in August to instruct his team members on surveying the people and businesses along the value chain. He’s pored over that data, analyzing the links between farmers and consumers to identify problems. “We’re looking at the whole chain, from farmer to processor to wholesaler to retailer to consumer,” he says. His work is complicated by the fact that the republic is still developing. Infrastructure is spotty and delays in transportation are routine. Average GDP per capita is $800 per year, and most farms remain independent family operations that lack machinery, storage, irrigation and refrigeration. Also, many farmers adhere to traditional methods of planting, harvesting and transporting goods, which can hinder profit potential. Kabongo sees part of his job as facilitating the evolution of these practices to modern business methods to maximize profits and increase jobs. “I want these farmers to develop an entrepreneurial mindset,” he says. “You cannot work in the modern era, hoping to increase your production, increase your quality or exports, if you’re still operating under traditional beliefs.” Kabongo has outlined a strategy for streamlining the value chain and is now working toward implementing the recommendations. If successful, they might be rolled out to other areas of the country. “I’m not expecting that all of these problems will right away be solved, but that we’ll be on the right track,” he says. “It’s interesting and challenging, but also it’s a really nice project to be involved in from an academic perspective.” – RICH SHOPES | USFSM
SUMMER 2018 21
Photo: SISCO DEEN
University
Above: J. Michael Francis, executive director of La Florida and the Hough Family Endowed Chair of Florida Studies at USF St. Petersburg. Left: Photo preview of one of the many short videos found in La Florida: The Interactive Digital Archive of the Americas, which highlights numerous lives, key events and gripping stories from early Spanish Florida.
Visit LaFlorida
Illustration: Courtesy of EDRIEL Intelligence, Madrid
Online FLORIDA’S MELTING POT
La Florida: The Interactive Digital Archive of the Americas to revolutionize early American history AT RECEPTIONS IN WASHINGTON, D.C., IN MARCH, USF St. Petersburg unveiled the groundbreaking La Florida: The Interactive Digital Archive of the Americas in front of dignitaries, international media and the public. Through short videos, interactive maps and digital reconstructions, La Florida brings to life the diverse melting pot of people that made up early Spanish Florida, from Spanish conquistadors and Native Americans to free and enslaved blacks and Europeans from Germany, Ireland and Eastern Europe. It weaves together in fascinating detail the lives and critical events of America’s earliest beginnings – such as the founding of the first permanent European settlement in the continental United States at St. Augus-
22 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
tine in 1565; the original St. Patrick’s Day celebration that was discovered through this project to have taken place in Florida in 1601; and the first free black settlement anywhere in the colonies at Fort Mose in 1738. “La Florida will provide the details, visuals and stories to present Florida’s unknown history in a compelling and entertaining way that is unprecedented,” says J. Michael Francis, executive director of La Florida and the Hough Family Endowed Chair of Florida Studies at USFSP. “The fundamental philosophy behind this archive is taking the very best in cutting-edge technology and combining that with the very best in humanities research so history is accessible to the fourth-grade Florida history teacher, the college student and anyone who wants to know more about Florida and its important role in American and global history.” La Florida is a collaborative initiative with substantial interest and support from academic and cultural institutions in Spain. Spanish partners include the Spanish Embassy, the Instituto Nauta and EDRIEL Intelligence, which developed the site’s innovative technology. Other technology companies, such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft, will participate through EDRIEL under the direc-
tion of its chief innovation officer Francisco S. Guitard. “La Florida has incredible value because it is a bridge between our country and the United States as well as others such as Cuba, Mexico and Peru,” Guitard says. “Furthermore, the latest technology is allowing us to digitize and interpret these historical documents that in many cases are unintelligible, making them accessible to and experienced by education centers, museums, schools and users all across the world who want to be captivated by this history.” The principal sections of the site are divided into four categories: Exhibits – Explores various themes in colonial Florida history through interactive digital exhibits. The site opens with the first phase of an exhibit entitled Life and Death in Colonial St. Augustine and houses more than 6,000 pages of original parish records dating back to 1594. People – Builds the largest comprehensive and searchable biographical database to draw conclusions on the kinds of people who lived in Florida from the 16th to the 19th centuries. The site will launch with a database of more than 2,000 individuals, and future research will include a comprehensive catalogue of conquistadors who arrived in Florida with Hernando de Soto. Mapping – Creates interactive maps of Florida that reveal insights and the history of towns and structures when clicked on. Florida Stories –Tells stories through short videos and posts about forgotten men, women and events in Florida’s colonial period. Like cold-case detectives, Francis and his team, which includes a number of USFSP students, have spent years combing through thousands of original documents, maps and images to chronicle distant lives and events that gradually formed Florida’s historical tapestry. They have recreated lost lives and events by traveling from Florida to Spain to obtain and study original archival records. The international research provides an educational experience for students as they learn how to decipher 16th century Spanish handwriting and examine documents in one of the most important historical archives in the world, the Archivo General de Indias in Seville. “Having the historical documents in front of me was exciting, but it was finding something interesting and new within a document that was the most thrilling,” says Hannah Tweet, a USFSP master’s graduate and now one of two associate directors for La Florida. The elements Francis and his team have unearthed represent an enormous contribution to the existing body of historical knowledge, spanning Florida’s highly formative period from the early 1500s to the start of the 1800s.
“
La Florida has incredible value because it is a bridge between our country and the United States as well as others such as Cuba, Mexico and Peru. The latest technology is allowing us to digitize and interpret these historical documents ... making them accessible and experienced by education centers all across the world ... .” – Francisco S. Guitard
“Dr. Francis’ research provides us a greater understanding of the diversity of early American history and the valuable contribution of Florida to that story,” says Martin Tadlock, interim regional chancellor of USFSP. “We hope that what he has uncovered will be taught in classrooms throughout the country and given a similar focus that early American history on Virginia and Massachusetts receive.” To date, the USFSP team has identified more than 13,000 of Florida’s earliest colonial settlers, representing men and women from Europe, Africa and the Americas. Contrary to the assumption that most conquistadores and people on the original expeditions came from northern Spain, crew members also hailed from such diverse countries as Portugal, Greece, Italy, Holland, Belgium, France, Germany and even Croatia. In addition, the research team has conducted an intensive study of an 18th-century plan of St. Augustine, doing a complete inventory of all the residences in the city circa 1764. The results were surprising: almost a third of the city’s properties were owned by women. Moreover, the plan reveals an incredibly rich diversity of inhabitants, including runaway slaves from the Carolinas and as far north as New York and Philadelphia, some of whom owned property. “Few people realize that the first ‘underground railroad’ ran south to Spanish Florida. Large numbers of runaway slaves fled the English Colonies hoping to secure their freedom in Spanish Florida,” explains Rachel Sanderson, ’13 and MLA ’17, USFSP, the other associate director of La Florida. The 1764 map is the first of many colonial maps that will be displayed on the La Florida site. For scholars around the globe, the project will serve as a one-of-a-kind database of information. For teachers, the site will function as an innovative educational resource. And for all visitors, La Florida will provide an accessible and engaging window into the formation of Florida. – MATTHEW CIMITILE | USFSP
In addition to Spanish support, La Florida is supported by the Hough Family Foundation of St. Petersburg and Frank E. Duckwall Foundation of Tampa.
SUMMER 2018 23
University // Athletics
From left, Kitija Laksa, Laia Flores, Alyssa Rader and Laura Ferreira.
WOMEN’S HOOPS
Powerhouse ‘melting pot’ HEAD COACH JOSE FERNANDEZ’S globe-trotting mission to find top-level talent has transformed USF women’s basketball into a powerhouse since joining the American Athletic Conference. USF finished the 2017-18 season ranked No. 24 in the USA Today Coaches Poll after booking its fourth consecutive trip to the conference tournament title game. USF (26-8) posted its sixth straight 20-win season and made the program’s fifth NCAA tournament appearance in the past six years with eight of 12 players on the roster hailing from other countries. “I think basketball is a global sport. The city of Tampa being a melting pot with the amount of international students attending 24 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
the University of South Florida is a big selling point,” Fernandez says. “I think we have so much to offer academically along with a top-25 basketball program, the weather and the proximity to Europe all being great selling points.” Years after being sold on becoming a Bull, senior forward Maria Jespersen (Arhus, Denmark) became the second player in program history to earn Associated Press All-America honorable mention honors this past season. Jespersen and senior point guard Laia Flores (Mataro, Spain) made more history by becoming USF’s first graduating class to reach four NCAA tournaments and surpass 100 career wins in four seasons. On top of those prestigious honors, sharp-shooting Kitija Laksa (Riga, Latvia) earned WBCA All-America honorable mention status this past season after leading the Bulls in scoring with 21.1
“
I think basketball is a global sport. The city of Tampa being a melting pot, with the amount of international students attending USF, is a big selling point.” – Jose Fernandez
playing style and the success of our international student-athletes. Besides us recruiting over there, they recruit us.” Fernandez’s annual globe-trotting journey begins each July with The American’s 2017-18 coach of the year traveling overseas for the European and World Championships. “That’s where you really evaluate the talent level because they’re playing against the best competition in the world,” he says. Once September rolls around, Fernandez and assistant coach Michele Woods-Baxter go back to Europe for 10 to 12 days to spend more time with their targeted recruits. “Once I go over there to identify and see how they fit into our system, Michele does a great job recruiting the families and the student-athletes,” Fernandez says. “I think Michele has really developed as an assistant coach. She’s one of the best recruiters in the country, if not the best, and the results show for themselves.” USF’s recent recruiting results included the additions of two more international talents to the 2018 class - guard Elisa Pinzan (Murano, Italy) and wing Iris Tsafara (Athens, Greece). The number of international players could keep growing in upcoming seasons with the way USF has built a strong basketball reputation all over the map. “I don’t think we just have a brand here in the United States, or in The American conference,” Fernandez says. “Our program is known globally.” – TOM ZEBOLD | USF Athletics
PHOTOS: Courtesy of USF Athletics
points per game, which ranked second in The American. Stats aside, USF has prided itself on diversity, welcoming any player from another country into the program with open arms. Fernandez points out that many Bulls from overseas already know each other well, having faced off in past international competitions. “It’s really great to see them interact and interact with kids here from the U.S.,” he says. “The cultures bridge and they make relationships for a lifetime.” Since USF’s debut in The American in 2013-14, the roster has featured talent from Denmark, Kenya, Hungary, Puerto Rico, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and the Ukraine. During that time, 14 international student-athletes have been a part of Fernandez’s USF family. “When we made the change going from the Big East to The American, we needed to get creative with recruiting and tapping into some different areas,” he says. “It just worked out with our
Claudio Correa
SWEET RESULTS
Men’s golf on the upswing RANKED NATIONALLY IN THE TOP 25, USF men’s golf continued to produce sweet results with plenty of international flavor on the roster this season. Head coach Steve Bradley’s Bulls posted their fourth consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship victory in wire-to-wire fashion with a 20-shot win on April 24 at Innisbrook Resort & Golf Club’s Copperhead Course in Palm Harbor, Fla. USF’s international talent was at the forefront with Claudio Correa hoisting the tournament’s individual trophy after securing a three-shot victory at six-under (71-67-69). The senior from Santiago, Chile, has played a key role in each of USF’s four straight conference tournament title wins, and he’s teed off at NCAA Regionals in all of his seasons as a Bull. “For Claudio to win four of these on four teams and now to collect that individual crown is pretty cool,” Bradley says. As a freshman, Correa placed sixth in stroke play at the NCAA Championship in 2015 and helped the Bulls book a trip to the match play quarterfinals for the first time in program history. Correa tied for fifth at the Albuquerque, N.M., Regional in 2016 to help USF return to the NCAA Championship rounds in Eugene, Ore. Priyanshu Singh, another international standout, also had a hand in USF’s past two runs to the conference tournament crown. The senior from Delhi, India, tied for eighth place in the 50-player field at the conference tournament this spring after registering his first collegiate title victory on March 13 at the USF Invitational. Prior to NCAA Regionals, Correa and Singh helped USF match the program season record of five tournament title victories, a feat originally accomplished in 2014-15. That squad featured plenty of talent from around the globe with Correa (Chile), Rigel Fernandes (India) and Ryan Fricker (England) all in the conference championship lineup. – TOM ZEBOLD | USF Athletics
SUMMER 2018 25
Photo: KORYO PHOTOGRAPHY
University // Advancement
A LONG ROAD FOR FIVE BOSNIAN WOMEN LEADS TO USF AND A WLP SCHOLARSHIP TO HELP REFUGEES ON A QUEST FOR HIGHER EDUCATION
Displaced by war, driven to learn EVEN WHEN THEIR WORLD took the harshest of turns, and the varied paths they traveled veered into uncertainty and fear, five girls uprooted by a conflict beyond their childhood comprehension were always guided by the same compass. It pointed them – regardless of the challenges they and their families faced as refugees of the brutal Bosnian War – in the direction of hope and higher education. Little by little, the jagged courses they followed led to new lives as American citizens, and ultimately to USF, with a shared story of perseverance, resilience and giving back. Four are USF alumnae – twin sisters Nevena and Mirna Pehar, Ivana Djokovic Wendling and Maja Lacevic.
26 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
The fifth, Ivana’s younger sister Sanja Djokovic, is a graduate of Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago. And all are bonded in a friendship, a purpose and a passion that bridges any differences that once divided their homeland. “I remember my mother telling me back then that the one thing nobody can take away from you is your education – your knowledge,” Ivana says. “That always stayed with us.” The sentiment could have applied to any of the girls as they and their families were displaced by a devastating war that began in 1992 and lasted until 1995, all growing out of a political crisis that swept through Yugoslavia in the 1980s, following the death of the country’s longtime leader Marshal Tito. In the end, the fighting led to the tragic siege and constant shelling of Sarajevo, more than 100,000 casualties, unspeakable acts of genocide, and nearly 350,000 civilians fleeing
their home to seek safe haven in Germany alone. Wherever they went in search of a new start – whether to Germany, Russia or eventually the United States – the parents in the Pehar, Djokovic and Lacevic families made sure their children applied themselves in school. And, in turn, the girls thrived on mastering new languages, absorbing the nuances of different cultures, and pushing themselves to succeed in whatever pursuits they undertook. War may have forced them from their homes, but could never drive out their love of learning. That mindset sustained them through the seismic disruption of their young lives. And today, their commitment to education connects them in a new, truly meaningful way. They have combined to create the New American Scholarship for Women of Excellence through USF’s Women in Leadership & Philanthropy. The scholarship will provide a financial helping hand to a standout recipient from a refugee or immigrant background, mirroring the merit-based achievements of the five women. Their hope is to assist female students who have excelled in both academics and extracurricular activities and showed strong collegiate promise. But there is a larger purpose as well. “A big part of the reason we are starting this scholarship, more than the financial assistance, is to give an exceptional young woman the opportunity for mentorship and to be a part of the WLP experience and share in the WLP network,” Maja explains. “We selected WLP as the site for the scholarship because we wanted a female student who shares our passion for education. We were also drawn to the opportunities that WLP gives their scholars through training and career development.” Each woman contributed $1,000 to establish the scholarship, and their next goal is to raise the funds to permanently endow the scholarship at $25,000. “They wanted to create a positive example of the benefits of education and living the American Dream,” says WLP executive director India Witte, “but also with the statement of ‘I am a refugee.’ It’s a very important message.” Indeed, that message is undeniable. “In this political climate, the refugee story is a very relevant one to tell,” says Maja, recently honored with a 2018 USF Outstanding Young Alumnus Award. “So often, refugees are talked about as a ‘drain on the economy.’ We disagree. None of us are drains on the economy. We are successful in our careers. And we all feel that giving back is so important, because we were helped by so many along our journeys.” Today, Maja, ’09, is a business transaction attorney for Trenam Law in Tampa; Nevena, ’12, an assistant director of development, in charge of engaging young alumni in USF’s Annual Giving Office; Mirna, ’12 and MCE ’13, a structural engineer for Baker Barrios Architects; Ivana, ’09, an instructional designer for Franklin Templeton Investments and master’s student in instructional technology at USF; and Sanja a designer pursuing architectural licensure at Design Styles Architecture. Yet, some 25 years ago, each was thrust
PHOTOS
into a harsh new reality. Life was a series of unsettling snapshots: Maja, 5, climbing into the family car with her older sister, Nina, and father, wounded months earlier in a shelling attack, while her mother guns the accelerator and makes a daring dash past a heavily armed checkpoint out of Sarajevo; Ivana and Sanja, 5 and 1½, waking up in a basement with their parents as bombs explode nearby; and Nevena and Mirna, just 3, taking a long, anxious bus ride through Europe with their mother – stopped several times to be told she has the wrong papers – before finally reuniting with their father. Yet the girls adapted well to their new lives in foreign countries, immersing themselves in school and always drawing strength and comfort from their parents’ resolve to face countless challenges. Eventually, the parents applied for refugee placement programs that brought them to America, where serendipitous turns of events later brought Nevena and Mirna together with Maja and Ivana at USF. “We’re all just so lucky our parents made this choice,” Nevena says. “No matter how difficult we may have had it, they had it so much harder. We’re just so grateful for the opportunity they gave us to live this life.” A life in which five girls were forced to embark on a refugee’s journey – and became five women paving the way for others to learn and achieve in a new land of hope and dreams. – DAVE SCHEIBER | USF Advancement
Opposite page: Opposite page, from left: Ivana Djokovic Wendling, Maja Lacevic, Nevena Pehar, Sanja Djokovic and Mirna Pehar gathered for a photograph recently at USF Tampa’s Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza. Above, clockwise from top left: Ivana, before the war; Mirna and Nevena’s immigration paperwork; Sanja and Ivana, ages 1½ and 5; Maja’s refugee card.
To read an extended version of this story, and learn how to support WLP’s New American Scholarship for Women of Excellence, go to bit.ly/ WLPNewAmerican. To lean more about Women in Leadership & Philanthropy visit usf.edu/wlp.
SUMMER 2018 27
University
Unstoppable
Linda Simmons ’75 and husband Randy Simmons visit the Tampa Bay Sporting Clays range, home of the Bulls Blast event they created, with pets Tebow and Rocky. 28 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Blasting off for scholarships LINDA AND RANDY SIMMONS aren’t intertwined with the USF legacy so much as cemented into its foundation. Their company, R. R. Simmons Construction Corp., literally built the majority of the USF Athletics district from the ground up. Starting with the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center in 2004, the Simmons’ firm designed and built the basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, recreation and football facilities and even oversaw the construction of a wing of the Alumni Center. Their work built upon a family legacy begun by Randy’s father in the late 1950s when R. R. Simmons Construction provided the concrete for the first building on the Tampa campus. “My kinship was always with USF,” Randy says. “I grew up with it in my back yard. If the university had offered the degree I was seeking, I would be an alumnus right now.” USF represented a family tradition of another kind to Linda. She was 15 years old when her father died suddenly from heart complications, leaving her stay-at-home mom to provide for three children on her own and with little in the way of savings. Through grit and determination, her mother put herself through school at USF, earning a special education degree in 1971 – the same year Linda graduated from high school. The next few years were a struggle as mother and daughter attended USF without the benefit of financial aid. Her mother taught at a disabilities center during the day and worked on her master’s degree at night. Linda lived at home, going to school full-time and moonlighting at a credit union to pay for tuition. “It was a meager existence. There were no frills, but we managed to make it through,” Linda says. “That is one of the reasons our philanthropy has gone towards scholarships today. An awful lot of what we’ve done is because we want to provide to others opportunities we didn’t have.” Linda graduated in 1975 and began her career in finance. It wasn’t until she moved back to the Temple Terrace area about 20 years ago that she reconnected with her alma mater. A successful professional and business owner, Linda was invited to join the USF Alumni Association Board, which strengthened her involvement with the university. Over the next two decades, Linda emerged as a driving force within USF - helping found and chair USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy (WLP), presiding as chair of the USF Foundation Board of Directors and joining the board of the Gus A. Stavros Center. The Simmonses, both Life Members, became well-known and respected for their community involvement and generous philanthropy. At USF, the couple donated more than $1.7 million to advance areas such as Athletics, WLP, the Gus A. Stavros Center and the USF Research Foundation – but the bulk of their efforts focused on student scholarships. “I’ve seen so many men and women stuck in minimumwage jobs with no education, no options and no way out,” Linda says. “Education can be their way out. These are smart, talented people who just didn’t get a leg up or an opportunity to change their circumstances. We want to help someone
change their lives by gaining an education and taking that step out of poverty. That’s our goal.” Through WLP, the Simmonses created a deferred gift of $500,000 that will fund the Carolyn A. O’Steen Memorial Scholarship in honor of Linda’s mom. This need-based scholarship is intended for single parents, like her mother, returning to the university to pursue an advanced degree in the special needs field. They also established the Linda and Randy Simmons Endowed Athletic Scholarship, which benefits two student-athletes each year – one male and one female – from any sport. “Many student-athletes come from limited financial means,” Randy explains. “The true winners aren’t the one percent that manage to have a professional athletic career; it’s the kids who get a degree and change their dynamics. Maybe they are the first person to graduate in their family, and from a world-class university, too. That is life altering to the legacy of a family.”
“
An awful lot of what we’ve done is because we want to provide to others opportunities we didn’t have.” – Linda Simmons
Augustin Sanchez, better known as “Auggie” the former hardhitting USF linebacker, used the Simmons Athletic Scholarship to earn both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. “That scholarship meant everything to me. If I didn’t have an Athletics scholarship, I don’t know if I would have gone to college,” Auggie says. “I just want to say thank you to them. They gave a kid that didn’t have the means to get to school an opportunity. They are a big part of why I was at USF and why I was successful.” In addition to their personal philanthropy, the couple encourage others to engage with USF through their annual Bulls Blast event. Held at the Tampa Bay Sporting Clays range, Bulls Blast is a halfday fundraiser the Simmonses created and host to grow their athletic scholarship endowment. The first one was held in 2005 with just a handful of teams raising about $10,000. In the 12 years since, Bulls Blast has become a community favorite, capping out at 60 teams. Last year, the sell-out event raised a record $112,050. But what started as a fun way to introduce business people to the university and to grow their scholarship has evolved into much more. “Everyone knows USF football and basketball, but they may not know USF volleyball, sailing or golf teams,” says Randy. “We invite the Athletics staff and coaches to come interact with these business people. We hear all the time people saying, ‘I had no idea! I’m going to take my daughter to a volleyball game.’ It also provides a fun day outing for the coaches and staff. I don’t know too many people that work harder than those in Athletics at USF. It’s not a job for them, it is a lifestyle.” Linda and Randy Simmons, meanwhile, have turned their love and support of USF into a lifestyle, too – one that is sealed in the very foundation of the school. – MELISSA WOLFE ’13 | USF Advancement SUMMER 2018 29
CITIZENS
of the
WORLD BY KIM FRANKE-FOLSTAD
30 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
USF provides a world-class education to students, at home and abroad, through myriad scholarly activities and experiences. Here is a sample.
T
PHOTO Senior Felipe Guell Bernardi visited Taishan Mountain, Jinan, Shandong, China, while studying abroad.
HINK ABOUT AN AVERAGE FAMILY – your family – and how it grows every time it connects with someone new. A friend. A teacher. A neighbor. A co-worker. All the people who bring different perspectives into the household when they visit, or when you spend time with them. Now imagine a family of scholars – a whole university – reaching across the globe in ways that benefit students and faculty, and also those with whom they connect. USF built its strategic plan for 2013-2018 around that concept, with goals that included producing well-educated global citizens while advancing research, innovation and sustainability with programs and projects meant to change the world for the better. The effort has been a success, to say the least. Last year, USF led the nation as the top producer of Fulbright Scholars, and is poised to be a top producer again next year. USF ranks third nationally for graduate student volunteers serving in the Peace Corps, and 19th among large colleges and universities for total undergraduate Peace Corps volunteers. And in 2017, USF Education Abroad received the Excellence in Diversity & Inclusion in International Education (EDIIE) award from Diversity Abroad. “That’s a statement,” says Roger Brindley, system vice president for USF World, which leads the university’s involvement in the international arena. Any student who comes to the USF campus is going to have a global experience, he says, because 12 percent of the Tampa campus’ students are international and it is a global campus. About 1,600 USF students currently take part in study abroad opportunities every year. “The challenge for USF is to continue to build that diversity of thought, that diversity of innovation and entrepreneurial scholarship and learning and research, so that when students graduate, they have a nuanced understanding of their world,” Brindley says. What the global perspective brings to any classroom, in any major, is powerful, he says, from religious studies to political science to history to the performing arts. The experience, he says, is “transformational.”
SUMMER 2018 31
Photo: Courtesy of PETER KIVUVA
Going There Peter Kivuva would agree. Kivuva is certain his semester abroad in London, where he took two courses and was employed by an international firm, was a key factor in landing his dream job in New York City. He’ll soon be working for Goldman Sachs, a leading global investment banking, securities and investment management firm. “I wanted to live in a city that embodies the industry I’m pursuing,” he says of his choice to go to London. “Living among individuals with similar goals and aspirations, coupled with a pragmatic way of thinking, had a significant impact on my development as a young professional.” Kivuva, a finance major who graduated in May, says his time abroad was an investment in his future, adding value to his personal brand. And, yes, it was “life-changing.” Christopher Haynes, assistant director of Student Services with USF Education Abroad, says students never regret going on a study abroad experience. “They learn about themselves and about cultures all over the world.” It’s also good for academic and future achievement. 32 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Both the Institute for the International Education of Students, or IES Abroad, and the American Institute for Foreign Study, or AIFS, found that nearly all students felt their time overseas helped build valuable skills for the job market. Research performed for the U.S. Department of Education found that both GPA and time to graduation are positively affected, especially for at-risk students. An IES Abroad study found that students are twice as likely to find a job within 12 months of graduation, and typically out-earn their peers. Ninety percent who applied got into their first or second choice of graduate school. And AIFS reports that 80 percent of study abroad students they surveyed felt the experience helped them to better adapt to diverse work environments. Students who have international experiences in college have a greater global competency, show empathy and have increased critical thinking skills, Haynes says. And just about anybody can have a travel abroad experience. Just ask any GloBull Ambassador – study abroad students who happily volunteer to share their stories with others who might be interested.
PHOTO Peter Kivuva, ’18, says his semester in London was “life-changing.”
See more student’s stories at the USF World Going Places
Blog
The typical study abroad student is still a white female undergraduate, but that’s changing quickly – especially at USF. The university has generated a 43 percent increase in participation in the past three years, and the racial and ethnic profile closely mirrors that of the campus student population. Diversity series programming – designed by students for students – focuses on reaching out to nontraditional study abroad students to debunk myths and break down barriers, Haynes says. There’s also more diversity in the type of studies available. In 2016, USF created a new position for a curricular integration officer whose job is to find ways to better integrate study abroad into the curriculum across all majors – further contributing to student success.
And travel isn’t just for rich kids anymore. Students can use most student loans, scholarships, grants, Bright Futures or Florida Pre-Paid funds to help pay for their programs. Grants and loans are also available specifically for study abroad, including support for Pell Grant-eligible students. And USF’s many study alternatives are designed with financial needs in mind, Haynes says. Among the scholarships supporting diverse education/ research abroad opportunities for students in need is the Passport Scholars Program started with a $1 million endowment from USF System President Judy Genshaft and her husband, Steven Greenbaum, as well as the Genshaft Global Presidential Scholarship. Traveling and learning as a Peace Corps volunteer is also an option, see story page 38.
Growing International Study
43
Percent increase in
study abroad participation in the last three years
1,600 Going there: Students who study abroad annually
5,000 145 Coming here: Students from around the world at USF
Countries of origin
for international students
Top 10
Nations where students come from, from one to ten: India,China,Saudi Arabia, Oman,Venezuela, Brazil, Pakistan; Taiwan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria.
Top 10
Nations that students travel to, from one to ten: Italy, United Kingdom, Dominican Republic, Panama, Costa Rica, Spain, Canada, Japan, France and Germany. SUMMER 2018 33
PHOTO: ERIC YOUNGHANS | USF
PHOTO Dasha Antipova chose USF after hearing a presentation by USF Muma College of Business Dean Moez Limayem at the American Center in Moscow.
Coming Here
“
Of course, the exchange of knowledge and experience works both ways, and USF continues to increase the number and diversity of the international students enrolling at/learning at/attending USF. “Our students need to learn about the cultures of the world,” says Glen Besterfield, dean of admissions and associate vice president of Student Success and Student Affairs. “And not everyone has the wherewithal to have an experience abroad. We can either send them out to see the world or bring the world to our students.”
I absolutely love it here. The weather. The people. The opportunities it’s providing me.” – Dasha Antipova Getting international students interested in coming to USF isn’t difficult, he says. Many students are attracted by Tampa’s climate – either because it’s completely different from their own or very similar. And even if they’ve never heard of Tampa, Florida is a recognized destination in countries across the globe. And then there’s the price point. International undergraduates pay just over $17,000 a year in tuition, Besterfield says – the same as out-of-state undergraduates. Universities in well-known U.S. cities and regions – New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Silicon Valley – cost much more. International student Daria (Dasha) Antipova looked but didn’t like the educational choices available to her in Russia, so she decided to cast a wider net. At the American
34 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Center in Moscow, where she’s from, she got information about U.S. schools, including USF. And when she heard a presentation by dean Moez Limayem about the Muma College of Business, she knew it was for her. “I absolutely love it here,” says Antipova, who is studying business analytics and information systems and advertising, and expects to graduate in 2019. “The weather. The people. The opportunities it’s providing me. Compared to what I would be doing if I hadn’t come to the U.S. … I was just less excited about life in general.” There were adjustments. She’d been to the United States several times, but she didn’t know anyone at USF. Public transportation wasn’t what she’d hoped, and Tampa was smaller than she’d thought. “My first semester, I focused on school,” she says, “and watched Netflix in my free time.” Then she found a job in campus housing. And that’s when her involvement started. Getting a job helped her get over some barriers, she says, and she made some American friends. She also heard about iBuddy, a campus program launched in 2012 that partners international and domestic students, and encourages engagement outside the classroom with campus events and social programs. In her second year at USF, Antipova applied to iBuddy. Since then, she’s served as president of the International Student Association and as student director of the iBuddy program. “International Services does an incredible job connecting students and getting the resources they need,” she says. That isn’t an easy job, given the sheer number of international students now attending USF. “Our students come from more than 145 countries with very different approaches to higher-level education and the university experience,” says Marcia Taylor, director of USF’s Office of International Services.
Some common concerns include understanding American culture and making true friends, housing, finding food that suits their palate, finances, and finding an internship or a job after graduation. About a third of international students (mostly undergraduates) live in a residence hall. Programs like iBuddy, the Global Citizens Project and some student organizations help. So does early intervention, Taylor says. The staff has three campus locations to provide support and services for students applying to a university program, those in INTO USF programs (which help prepare international students for guaranteed entry into USF by providing academic pathway and English language programs), and those already on campus. “There’s a truly welcoming atmosphere,” Taylor says. “Our international students have been Homecoming king and queen, student government president and vice president, star athletes and top academic performers. They are true student leaders.” Antipova agrees that the campus is open and accepting. People are curious when they learn she’s from Russia. They want to hear what life is like for her there. With nearly 5,000 students from around the world, those kinds of cultural conversations are becoming commonplace at USF. There are more students from India than any other country (1,072 in fall 2017), and those are mostly graduate students. But China isn’t far behind with 850 students enrolled last fall. Saudi Arabia, Oman, Venezuela, Brazil, Pakistan, Taiwan, Bangladesh and Nigeria round out the top 10. The university still does a great deal of recruiting, as well, targeting regions where there’s an interest and high standards. “At the end of the day, we’re just looking for good students that fit this university,” Besterfield says.
Faculty Connections But students don’t get to have all the fun. International travel is crucial for faculty and staff, as well. It puts USF in touch with the world, and that exchange of ideas has resulted in research opportunities and innovations that benefit health care, the environment and more. (See story page 36.) One example is the long-running success of the Leadership Enhancement and Development program, or LEAD, in which USF Health partners with Tampa General Hospital to bring the experience and knowledge of hospital administrators to developing countries, including Thailand, China and Panama. “Medicine is truly global. You can practice it anywhere,” says Dr. John Sinnott, MA ’74, chair of the Department of Internal Medicine in the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine, who created the program in 2000. But what many countries don’t have are administrators with leadership skills, he says. So the program brings doctors to the United States for training in everything from setting up a library, media relations, management skills and patient safety. They might discuss organizing an infection control committee, pulling from the most appropriate specialists
available, and establishing how they will function. Or they might talk about how a pharmacy and therapeutics committee could do a cost-benefit analysis to determine the best-inclass medicines for their hospital. “A number of the people we’ve trained have gone on to become academic deans or hospital presidents,” Sinnott says. As word of mouth spreads, the LEAD program’s prestige continues to grow. And because USF has a large number of international doctors on its faculty, some of whom are interested in working with their country of origin, there’s a lot of insight into what’s needed and who to contact, Sinnott says. Meanwhile, the U.S. doctors learn from their international counterparts, and the health professionals and patients they see when they visit other countries. “It’s been the most amazing growth experience in my life,” Sinnott says.
Tracking it All The number of moving parts – the people and organizations and programs that make USF’s global reach work – is daunting. And it’s exciting, says Kiki Caruson, assistant vice president of Research, Innovation and Global Affairs, who helps track the university’s partnerships, faculty and staff activities, student international mobility and alumni living and working around the world. All that information goes onto USF’s Global Discovery Hub website, www.usf.edu/gdh, where anyone can view it. “The goal of the Hub is to link these pieces together,” Caruson says of the site. “Few universities can say they know as much as we do and back it up with data. We are a national leader in mapping our global footprint.” The Hub also links people, places and projects. Students can use it to see what’s going on in a particular country they’re interested in. Faculty can learn about the projects others are engaging in. Another priority is to use the Hub to identify USF alumni groups in various parts of the world and hold events that are specific to that region. “We want to stay in touch with all of our students,” Caruson says. And the Hub is just one way to help those who are far away feel as though they’re part of what’s happening at their ever-evolving alma mater. According to Amanda Maurer, director of Education Abroad, USF also is establishing an Education Abroad Alumni Society. Alumni who have benefitted from a global experience will be able to reconnect and give back to the current student population by sharing their stories and helping to make study abroad more attainable for all USF students. After all, it’s a point of pride for everyone involved that USF’s global reach has come so far so fast. An institution that many would have labeled “regional” just over a decade ago is now known worldwide for its commitment to student success, high impact research and rigorous academic standards. Global universities are relevant universities, Brindley says. And USF is both benefitting from and giving back to the world. n SUMMER 2018 35
1:13 USF: A World Leader in U.S. Patents
the
IDEA FACTORY RESEARCH THAT IMPROVES LIVES ACROSS THE GLOBE UNIVERSITIES ARE IDEA FACTORIES. They attract talented problem solvers with the intelligence, passion and creativity to improve society, and support the work these people do. A research university with an international view takes it to the next level, with breakthroughs that change the world for the better. USF is committed to using its dynamic resources to turn research into patents and products, and it consistently ranks among the top universities worldwide for U.S. patents granted. Here are just a few of the faculty researchers whose inventions and innovations are improving lives across the globe.
Above: Engineering professor Yogi Goswami inspects a solar array at USF Tampa.
By KIM FRANKE-FOLSTADT
cells, researchers hope to find drugs and vaccines that will someday eliminate the disease. Adams currently holds three patents for this work, and two more are in process. His patents cover his work developing a vaccine candidate for Plasmodium vivax (the major cause of malaria outside of Africa), a mutation method for the genome of Plasmodium falciparum (the more virulent form of malaria mostly found in Africa), and methods for cryopreserving malaria parasites. Adams collaborates with the U.S. military and institutions in malaria-endemic regions of Southeast Asia and South America. He trains scientists from collaborating groups in research methods developed and optimized in his lab.
ERADICATING MALARIA
SOLAR ENERGY
John Adams, PhD, a Distinguished University Professor in the USF College of Public Health, has dedicated his career to eradicating malaria, one of the leading causes of death and disease worldwide. The complex nature of both the malaria parasite and the human immune response have made it difficult to find a way to protect and treat those exposed. The research projects in Adams’ laboratory focus on host-parasite interactions and improving the understanding of the processes of infection and development of Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, two species of malaria parasites that most commonly infect humans. By studying how the parasite invades, develops and exits human
Yogi Goswami, PhD, a Distinguished University Professor and director of the Clean Energy Research Center at USF, has spent a lifetime researching solar energy and developing applications to provide for the world’s environmental needs. It began back in the early 1970s, when he saw long lines of cars waiting to buy gas. The more he thought about finding an energy source that would last forever, the more he was convinced solar energy was the answer. At first, there was some pushback; researchers didn’t think solar energy could ever provide for all our energy needs. But Goswami persisted, and he has played a part in today’s solar revolution. In the early ‘90s Goswami testified before Congress
36 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Photo: ERIC YOUNGHANS | USF
about investing in energy research and storage. He also advised leaders in India on energy policy and the deployment of solar power. And as president of the International Solar Energy Society and editor-in-chief of the journal Solar Energy, he brings the importance of solar research to others around the world. Goswami is also known for the photoelectrochemical oxidation air disinfection technology he invented – based on the principles of solar technology to clean air – to alleviate his son’s allergies and asthma. The technology is now patented, with patents at USF and the University of Florida. Molekule, a company co-founded by Goswami and located in USF’s Tampa Bay Technology Incubator, has commercialized products based on his inventions.
Jeffrey Krischer, Distinguished University Health Professor, is one of the world’s top National Institutes of Health researchers.
MOBILE HEALTH Anna Pyayt, PhD, an assistant professor who directs the Innovative Biomedical Instruments and Systems (IBIS) Lab at USF’s Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, saw a need and found a way to fill it. After working in the field of mobile health for many years, she saw that the number of inexpensive, portable, easyto-use and accurate diagnostic tools was limited. And the need was vast -- especially in low-income countries and limited-resource communities, where a trek to the lab for tests, and then back for results, is sometimes out of the question. So she and her team found a way to turn the gold standard for biochemical testing, ELISA (Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay) into the less expensive and far more portable MELISA – or Mobile-ELISA. This smartphone-based system can be used at a clinic, doctor’s office, a patient’s home, or anywhere it needs to go. A lightweight device is used to incubate the samples, and then an app analyzes them. MELISA can detect and monitor biomarkers of different diseases, which means patients can be diagnosed and treated sooner. Pyayt and her team are now working on making commercial-quality prototypes.
CLEAN WATER Daniel Yeh, PhD, an associate professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, is another USF sustainability superstar. Rapid, unplanned urbanization is becoming a serious threat across the world, putting major stress on critical infrastructure such as water and sewer lines. To help solve growing water and sanitation problems, Yeh and his team of graduate students developed the patented NEWgenerator, which uses microbes to break down waste and turn it into fertilizer, renewable energy and clean water. The solar-powered generator, which mimics a miniature wastewater treatment plant without the same energy intensity, was first field-tested in India in 2016. This April, with the support of a $1.14 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the team installed a new and improved NEWgenerator in Durban, South Africa. The team’s goal is to get the technology into developing countries that don’t have reliable electricity or lack access to clean water and safe sanitation facilities.
LEADING TYPE 1 DIABETES RESEARCH ON A GLOBAL SCALE DISTINGUISHED UNIVERSITY HEALTH PROFESSOR JEFFREY KRISCHER, PhD, coordinates type 1 diabetes and rare diseases studies on an international stage with clinical sites in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. His 2017 National Institutes of Health research funding in the Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research report totaled more than $75.3 million, making him the No. 2 NIH-funded principal investigator in the world. Krischer, an epidemiologist who joined USF in 1993, has a history of attracting record federal research dollars. The USF Health Informatics Institute team he leads coordinates, analyzes and maintains massive amounts of data from NIH-sponsored clinical networks investigating causes and outcomes of type 1 diabetes, with the aim of discovering new treatments or preventive approaches. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s immune system attacks the cells making insulin, a hormone that keeps blood sugar levels stable. The incidence of this lifelong disease, requiring daily insulin injections, has increased globally in children and adults. TrialNet, with 200 sites in nine countries, screens people at genetic risk for type 1 diabetes, following those at early risk to study disease progression. The USF Diabetes Center is one of 18 U.S. clinical centers offering TrialNet studies to learn more about how the disease develops and find targeted ways to delay or stop it. TEDDY, or The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in the Young, seeks to identify environmental triggers of type 1 diabetes in genetically susceptible children. The consortium is following 8,600 newborns for up to 15 years to investigate the role that diet, infections and other environmental factors may play in the disease process. These two projects complement each other, with virtually every major university medical center conducting type 1 diabetes research linked to Krischer’s institute at USF. Key findings have included insights into the co-occurrence of type 1 diabetes and celiac disease autoimmunity, effects of gluten consumption, dietary recommendations on gluten for children in Sweden, and the effect of oral insulin in prevention. Krischer’s work has led to the detection of two distinct patterns of autoimmunity in high-risk children, which give rise to diabetes-associated autoantibodies that are age and genetically linked. Krischer also directs a major NIH data coordinating center supporting the Rare Diseases Clinical Research Network, which studies more than 200 rare diseases, from brain vascular malformations and primary immune deficiencies to bone diseases and neuropathies. During USF’s spring commencement, Krischer received the President’s Global Leadership Award, the highest recognition USF bestows on individuals for their accomplishments in international leadership or global relations. And Lund University Faculty of Medicine in Sweden recognized Krischer as an internationally leading researcher in autoimmune diseases with an honorary doctor of medicine degree in May. – ANNE DELOTTO BAIER ’79 | USF Health SUMMER 2018 37
Photos: Courtesy of Wilnie Merlien
Second from left: Wilnie Merilien ’12, a native of Haiti who grew up in West Palm Beach, served in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, as a community health and HIV/AIDS prevention volunteer.
38 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
‘WE
ARE MORE Alike THAN DIFFERENT’
USF alumni share challenges and rewards of Peace Corps service
T
BY JOEY JOHNSTON ’81
HEY ARRIVED FROM half a world away, filled with a sense of adventure and maybe some trepidation, determined to make a difference on the global stage. They returned enlightened and engaged, forever changed, reminded again that life’s most significant lessons are often experienced beyond the classroom. Wilnie Merilien, ’12, and Stephen Cormier, MPH ’13, used their public health education as a springboard to 27-month stints as Peace Corps volunteers in Africa, becoming two of the 500-plus Bulls who’ve served since the federal agency’s founding in 1961. As a university dedicated to ensuring its graduates succeed in a global environment, USF paves the way for Peace Corps service. The organization’s promotional mantra proclaims, “It’s the toughest job you’ll ever love.’’ And both Merilien and Cormier did face challenges. They experienced frustration, fatigue, exasperation and homesickness. Then came the love. In a land without the everyday conveniences they once took for granted and faced with unfamiliar customs, climates, food and languages, they eventually came to feel like they were among family. SUMMER 2018 39
“
The Peace Corps was a pretty seamless part of my university experience and I’m so thankful for that. Really, USF has made a commitment to helping support students who want to do the right thing.”
Learn more about
USF and the
Peace Corps
Online
– Stephen Cormier, MPH ’ 13
Merilien, who went to Ethiopia to help with HIV/ AIDS prevention, faced an immediate hurdle. “When my community heard ‘American volunteer,’ they expected a white male,” says Merilien, 28, who has returned to Tampa for her master’s in public health and serves as USF’s Peace Corps recruiter. “When they saw a black woman, they wondered, ‘What is this?’ It was almost like I had to prove I was an American. “It was a shock for them to see someone like me, so integration was a big part of my service. They learned how diverse our country is and how many different colors we are. Soon, they began to trust me and we all learned how to work together. Whatever you’re doing in this world, I think that might be the most important thing.’’ Cormier, who went to Cameroon primarily to assist with water projects, says he clearly remembers the most meaningful moment of his service. “When I looked around my village and it finally felt like home to me,’’ says the 31-year-old who now works at the New York Department of Health. “I had been away at the regional capital for two or three days. It was getting dark when I returned and I’m climbing up all these wild hills. And it dawned on me: ‘Ah … home … I’m back.’ “What you come to learn is that we’re all basically
40 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
more alike than we are different. When you truly make that realization — that we’re all supposed to be pulling together — it’s an incredible feeling.’’ Cormier had discovered one of the Peace Corps’ core values. The government-funded nonprofit organization created by President John F. Kennedy exists to promote peace and stability through education and training while establishing understanding and cooperation between Americans and people in other countries. More than 7,000 volunteers currently serve in approximately 70 countries. This year, the Peace Corps ranked USF No. 19 among large schools (and No. 3 among graduate schools) on its list of top volunteerproducing colleges and universities. Today, 45 Bulls are volunteering worldwide. Undergrads can get ready for the experience by enrolling in USF’s new Peace Corps Prep Program. It helps students hone competencies that will serve them abroad, including training in a particular work sector, foreign language and intercultural skills, and professional development. Cormier took advantage of the Master’s International program, which allows USF students to earn their graduate degree while serving in the corps. And the Peace Corps Coverdell Fellows Program at USF awards financial assistance to returned volunteers who pursue a master’s. All Coverdell Fellows complete internships in underserved Tampa Bay area communities. “The Peace Corps was a pretty seamless part of my university experience and I’m so thankful for that,’’ Cormier says. “Really, USF has made a commitment to helping support students who want to do the right thing.’’ Merilien, a native of Haiti who grew up in West Palm Beach, was inspired to serve after hearing USF’s Peace Corps recruiter speak. She arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia — in the nation’s Amhara region — as a community health and HIV/AIDS prevention volunteer. She developed institutional and community partnerships while identifying and addressing public health needs. She worked with orphans, vulnerable children, religious leaders, local/government agencies, commercial sex workers and day laborers. She taught relationship skills, teen issues and communication skills to Ethiopian youth. She also confronted an issue she hadn’t expected, food insecurity. It has become her passion and current career track. “I had never heard of Ethiopia and didn’t know of the images of famine that everyone associated with that part of the world,’’ she says. “I didn’t know what a difficult country it could be to live in. We had a drought and the riverbeds dried up. We had the tools, just no water. That’s what shifted my attention from infectious disease to food insecurity and disaster management.
Photos: Courtesy of Stephen Cormier
“The hospitality was overwhelming,” says Stephen Cormier, MPA ’13, who established sustainable water programs and shared knowledge about HIV/AIDS and nutrition while volunteering in Cameroon.
“If there’s a drought, not having water to plant or grow food, that’s devastating for an agriculturedependent economy. If farmers can’t farm, the people have to migrate. But they have to be careful to avoid going somewhere where there’s armed conflict or warfare. “We are shielded from this (in America), so I acquired a very distinct world view. It has inspired me to do this work and try to help.’’ In the Fundong region of Cameroon, Cormier established sustainable water programs while overseeing nutrition classes and HIV/AIDS workshops. He also taught English and computer skills. Water systems comprised the bulk of his job. The pace of the work — particularly not having the proper tools or infrastructure — taught patience to a man more accustomed to the fast pace of New York. When he returned to visit Cameroon a few years later, the scope of his work hit home. “The water was still flowing in a lot of the taps,’’ he says. “The systems were being kept afloat. Seeing that water still flowing was impactful for me. It felt good. Actually, it felt great.’’ He’ll also remember his Peace Corps experience for the friendliness and generosity of the materially impoverished villagers he lived among. “The hospitality was overwhelming. I’m walking through villages for the first time and people in mud huts,
people who don’t have much, are inviting me to eat rice and stew with them. It was giving, giving, giving, all the time,” he says. “It’s how they live. It’s what they believe. It made an indelible impression on me, and I will carry it always. Talk about an education! I’m grateful to USF for helping to facilitate this. I believe I experienced what the Peace Corps is all about.’’ n
THIS YEAR, THE PEACE CORPS RANKED USF NO. 19 AMONG LARGE SCHOOLS, AND NO. 3 AMONG GRADUATE SCHOOLS, THAT PRODUCE VOLUNTEERS. TODAY, 45 BULLS ARE VOLUNTEERING WORLDWIDE. SUMMER 2018 41
From your
ALUMNI ASSOCIATON our annual events. And yes, there’s more! In the fall, we’re planning a get-together for nearly 200 alumni in Dubai, the largest city in the United Arab Emirates. Those Bulls, too, have expressed an eagerness to connect with fellow alumni, have some fun and make a difference in the community. All of this has come about thanks to a great partnership with USF World, which has excelled in leading the university’s engagement with the world under the direction of its passionate leader, USF System vice president Roger Brindley. In 2015-16, USF World dedicated funds to focus on international alumni relations and we enthusiastically hopped on board. USF World’s international relations officer, Melissa Thammavongsa, has travelled the globe to incite a stampede, and – can you hear it? – the hooves are thundering! Why are we so fixated on connecting you to one another and to USF? • Our extensive Bulls network means that wherever you go, you’ll find people who share a love for USF and for the ideals that guide it. • Bulls connections create opportunities for students to find internships, new graduates to find jobs, and alumni to find great new talent for their businesses and organizations.
My fellow Bulls, IMAGINE – EVEN AS YOU READ THIS, your fellow Bulls in Chicago and Shanghai, Dallas and Dubai, may be reading the exact same thing. USF magazine is one of the many ways your Alumni Association connects our 332,000 graduates in nearly 100 countries and all 50 U.S. states. And just like our great university, we’re constantly expanding our global reach. I’m excited to report that our very first Shanghai Alumni Chapter is off and running, and has already hosted two events (see Chapters & Societies, pgs. 5659). We’re in contact with more than 300 alumni in China, including China nationals and ex-patriates from the United States and other countries. Bonded by their shared experiences at USF, these Bulls are thrilled at the opportunity to engage with like-minded individuals and tap the many professional opportunities those connections offer. We’re also closing in on creating a London Alumni Chapter. We’re in touch with more than 100 alumni in England, many of whom have enthusiastically attended
42 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
• Our pride and support elevate the stature of our great university, which helps USF attract the best faculty and students. We’re finding solutions to our world’s biggest problems and, with every success, the value of your USF degree increases. Thanks to the dedicated leadership of our professional staff and countless volunteers, we’re not only a top-ranked global research university, we are a Bulls Country that spans the planet. Please join me in thanking our hard-working and dedicated 2017-18 board of directors, including chair April Monteith, as they end their terms this month. These tireless Bulls have volunteered countless hours on behalf of USF and have made a difference. We all seek to make a difference and to have a lasting impact. Through your Alumni Association, you can, no matter where your academic journeys have taken you. We are a Bulls world, and that makes me proud!
Bill McCausland, MBA ’96 Executive Director, USF Alumni Association Life Member No. 2331
Forever Bulls
2017-18
Your USF Alumni Association Board of Directors The USF Alumni Association’s board of directors includes alumni who’ve demonstrated a firm commitment to USF’s success and are Association Life Members and Circle of Excellence donors. It also includes two students: the student government vice president and the USF Ambassadors president. Non-voting, ex-officio directors are the USF System president; the senior vice president for USF Advancement and the Association executive director. The board sets policy and guides the direction of the Association as it builds mutually beneficial relationships between USF and its alumni.
Officers clockwise from top left April Monteith, ’01 and MBA ’03 Chair Merritt Martin, ’04 and MPA ’06 Chair elect Jim Harvey, ’88 Past chair Monique Hayes, ’01 Secretary Vicki Ahrens, ’73 and MA ’75 Treasurer
Directors
Student representatives
Phil Amuso, ’73, MA ’75 and PhD ’00 Braulio Colon, ’03 and MPA ’10 Maggie Fowler, ’93 Justin Geisler, ’04 and MBA ’06 Glen Gilzean, ’05 and MS ’09 Brian Goff, ’13 Fadwa Hilili, ’13 and MAcc ’15 Eddie Litton, ’87 Bill Mariotti, USFSM ’15 Arian Marquez, ’01 Ruben Matos, MPH ’92 Chi Chi Okpaleke, ’08 and MS ’10 Michael Perry, ’81 Sandy Pettit, ’94, ME ’10 and PhD ’14 Zach Pietrzyk, ’11 Jose Valiente, ’73 Bruce Van Fleet, ’73
Shaquille Kent, Student Government vice president Juan Oropeza, USF Ambassadors president
Ex-officio directors Dr. Judy Genshaft, USF System president Joel Momberg, USF Advancement and Alumni Affairs senior vice president, CEO USF Foundation Bill McCausland, MBA ’96, USF Alumni Association executive director
SUMMER 2018 43
Meet the Top 10 Bull-led businesses of the
2018
USF Fast 56
THE 56 FASTEST-GROWING BULL-LED businesses of 2018 represent the construction, engineering, tech and health industries, entertainment, financial, hospitality and retail sales. Their Bull leaders feel strongly about being good corporate citizens by encouraging volunteerism (often on the company dime) and charitable giving, and they nurture a culture where employees feel valued and empowered. The 77 founders, owners and executives became the newest class of Fast 56 Award recipients in April during a dramatic countdown to the No. 1 – Onicx Energy, LLC. This year, the awards’ sixth anniversary, one company held a unique honor: Flatwoods Consulting Group became the first sixtime Fast 56 recipient under the leadership of its president, Shannon Gonzalez, ’98 and MS ’04, Life Member. The Accelerator Award, recognizing the business with the largest percentage of cumulative growth and more than $50 million in annual revenue, went to Harmony Healthcare and CEO Christian HG Brown, ’87. For the second year in a row, RIPA & Associates took home the Apex Award for the business with the highest annual revenue of all 56 companies. The site development company is led by CEO and owner Frank P. Ripa, ’73. New this year, the Alumni Association announced a scholarship fund created to recognize the achievements of all Fast 56 inductees and to encourage students to dream big. Applications for the Fast 56 Scholarship will begin in the fall, and recipients will be selected based in part on their original business ideas. (To make a gift to the fund, visit usfalumni.org/scholarships.) The Fast 56 Awards identify, recognize and celebrate the fastest growing Bull-led businesses; the number represents USF’s founding year, 1956. Here are snapshots of the top 10 Fast 56 businesses and their leaders. Find the complete list of inductees on page 46.
44 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Onicx Energy, LLC
ComplianceQuest
Tampa
Tampa
onicxenergy.com
compliancequest.com
Bull Leader: David Magrisso, ’94, CEO
Bull Leader: Prashanth Rajendran, MS ’90, CEO
Onicx provides turnkey LED lighting upgrades for commercial facilities and multifamily communities. In-house lighting engineers use a proprietary application to create custom lighting solutions for clients.
VIBE St. Petersburg vibengineering.com
Bull Leaders: Sara E. Calhoun, MS ’98, president, and Jay Calhoun, MBA ’87 vice president VIBE offers services in transportation planning, traffic engineering studies, traffic operations design and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) planning, design and construction engineering inspection.
ComplianceQuest is a highly flexible, cloud-based enterprise quality management software built using the Salesforce platform. It streamlines quality, compliance, content and collaboration management workflows across company and supply chain networks.
Boomtrux, Inc. Tampa boomtrux.com
Bull Leaders: Carlton C. Calfee, ’72, founder/president, and Erik Mikkelsen, ’85, general manager Boomtrux is a buyer and seller of certified pre-owned and new boom trucks, also known as crane trucks. It can customize trucks to meet each client’s individual needs and uses a 250-point inspection to ensure safety and quality.
1 2 3 4
The Joint, The Chiropractic Place Tampa Bay
Palma Ceia Semidesign, Inc.
Intex Builders, LLC
Tampa
Tampa
Tampa pcsemi.com
intexbuilders.net
Bull Leader: Roy E. Jewell, ’77 and MA ’80, Life Member, CEO/president
Bull Leader: Shantell McLean,’03 managing member
thejoint.com
Bull Leader: Dr. Eddie Leonard, ’02 president The Joint Chiropractic is the nation’s largest network of noninsurance, private pay chiropractic clinics. The modern, consumer-friendly clinics are served by individually selected doctors of chiropractic who deliver care to the highest standards.
Palma Ceia SemiDesign, Inc. is a provider of communication IP and chips for next-generation WiFi and cellular applications. PCS supports the design of high-performance devices for broadband, wireless, medical and automotive applications.
Founded in 2009, Intex is a general and roofing contractor specializing in multi-family housing renovations. The company offers complete interior and exterior renovation services.
Lukos
Leverage Digital
Tampa
Tampa
lukos.com
Leveragedigitalmedia .com
MyArea Network, Inc. Tampa
Bull Leader: Garth Arevalo, MS ’13 CEO and co-founder Lukos provides training, technology and medical support to the military and federal government, with a focus on expertise for the special operations community. Specialties include acquisition, procurement, IT, operations and engineering
Bull Leader: Jay Taylor, ’04 and MBA ’08, managing director Leverage is an award-winning digital marketing agency that partners with brands to successfully engage their audiences and achieve measurable results. The agency is a Certified Google Partner and its work has garnered numerous industry accolades.
Myareanetwork .com
Bull Leader: Scott Conlon, ’07, CEO MyArea is a digital media company operating in more than 75 markets across the United States. Through its online platform, it connects local residents and businesses through relevant local content to enrich their daily lives.
5 6 7 8 9 10 SUMMER 2018 45
Forever Bulls
The 2018
Fresh Legal Perspective, PL
MyArea Network, Inc
Gigante Productions, Inc.
Onicx Energy, LLC
Global Safety Management
Optimal IdM, LLC
Harmony Healthcare
Palma Ceia Semidesign, Inc.
Health Mutt
Park Family & Cosmetic Dentistry
Hydra Engineering & Construction, LLC
Patel, Greene & Associates, PLLC
Identity Fusion, Inc.
PracticeForces
Accelerated Waste Solutions, dba JUNK SHOT App
Intex Builders, LLC
Quantum Peak Consulting, LLC
Anglin Medical Family and Sports Medicine
JVB Architect, LLC
Radiant Hands
AspirEDU, Inc.
Karen Tillman-Gosselin & Renynold Gosselin, Smith and Associates Real Estate
Raney’s Inc.
Belleair Market
Kinney Engineering
Sea Level Solutions, LLC
Boomtrux, Inc.
Kirkpatrick Price, Inc.
Square Foot Advisors
Cardinal Roofing
Kuhar Surveying & Mapping, LLC
TeleVoIPs
ChappellRoberts
Lair Services
Tenzer Commercial Brokerage Group, Inc.
Chris Black Insurance
LeBel Landscaping
The Getaway Tampa Bay, LLC
ComplianceQuest
Leverage Digital
The Grow Group INC.
Curant Health
Little Greek Franchise Development, LLC
The Joint, The Chiropractic Place Tampa Bay
Diamond View Studios
Lukos
VIBE
Dynamic Communities, Inc.
McCormick Stevenson Corporation
VirTex
Element Engineering Group, LLC
McKay Advertising + Activation
Flatwoods Consulting Group Inc.
McManus Microwave
Fast 56 Atlas Professional Services
RIPA & Associates
UNIVERSITY BEAT with Mark Schreiner
WUSF 89.7 Tuesdays at 6:46 am, 8:45 am & 5:44 pm
46 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Please Drink Responsibly. 1814059
A Service of the University of South Florida
Please Drink Responsibly. 1814059
NEWS JAZZ NPR CLASSICAL WUSF.ORG
Times Photos
JOURNALISM THAT MATTERS
Proud sponsor of the USF Fast 56 Awards – congratulations to the 2018 recipients
SUMMER 2018 47
USFFCU
Forever Bulls Congratulations to the Fastest Growing Bull Businesses
Cherry Bekaert, proud supporter and partner of the USF Alumni Association.
Tampa Bay Practice
cbh.com
401 East Jackson Street Suite 1200 Tampa, FL 33602 813.251.1010
Atlanta | Austin | Charlotte | Fort Lauderdale | Hampton Roads | Miami Nashville | Raleigh-Durham | Richmond | Tampa | Washington D.C.
Who’s the boss? Growth, liquidity and exit strategies for business owners The latest issue of UBS Investor Watch reveals that the favorable economic environment is spurring some business owners to cash out. At the same time, nearly 60% of wealthy investors would consider starting their own business. Whatever your own position is, your UBS Financial Advisor has the resources and tools to help you and your business with a growth, liquidity or exit strategy. Read the1Q 2018 Investor Watch Report, Who’s the boss—Business ownership: Who’s in, who’s out and who’s holding back, at ubs.com/investorwatch. To connect with a UBS Financial Advisor, visit ubs.com/branch/tampatm. UBS Financial Services Inc. 100 South Ashley Drive Suite 1800 Tampa, FL 33602
As a firm providing wealth management services to clients, UBS Financial Services Inc. offers both investment advisory services and brokerage services, which are separate and distinct, differ in material ways and governed by different laws and separate contracts. For more information visit our website at ubs.com/workingwithus. © UBS 2018. All rights reserved. UBS Financial Services Inc. is a subsidiary of UBS AG. Member FINRA/SIPC. USF 41132_R1B
SUMMER 2018 49
Forever Bulls
BLAZING TRAILS
Geraldine McKinnon Twine, ’78, MA ’81 and MS ’88, broke down barriers as one of Florida’s first African-American ARNPs.
G
ERALDINE MCKINNON TWINE didn’t set out to be a trailblazer. She and her husband, John, just wanted to earn a good living, she says, so their three children could be safe and successful in school and life. So, although she’s honored, Twine, 82, a retired advanced registered nurse practitioner, says she’s also a little embarrassed by the attention she’s getting now for breaking down barriers at a time when much of the South was still segregated. In February, Twine received the League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County’s Lifetime Achievement Award for her efforts to provide proper health care to the disadvantaged and to foster opportunities for minorities. In 2017, she was inducted into the Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame. “I wasn’t thinking about it,” she says of the years she spent working as a nurse, taking care of her kids, and going to college in the 1960s and ‘70s. (She holds three degrees from USF.) “I still don’t think about it. I thought everybody was doing the same thing to feed their children.” Growing up in tiny Milton, a city in Florida’s western Panhandle, Twine knew early on that she was meant to take care of others. Her mom was a beautician, her dad a mechanic, but nursing was her calling, starting with tending to the babies born to poor and rural mothers in her community. In school, she joined the Red Cross club, the homemaking club, the health club and Girl Scouts.
50 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
BY KIM FRANKE-FOLSTAD
She married young (“Which may not have been the best thing to do,” she says with a smile), and soon had three children of her own: Barbara, Dirk and baby Debra. Even so, she managed to take a licensed practical nursing course in Tallahassee to improve her skills. She was six weeks from graduating when John, a teacher, got a job in Tampa, and the family moved south. Nursing classes were segregated in Tampa, as were the hospitals, and the closest LPN course was for whites only, Twine says. So she and three other women carpooled to Gibbs Junior College in St. Petersburg, which served African-American students. Twine finished her coursework and in 1961 got a job at Clara Frye Memorial Hospital in Tampa – for many years the only hospital in Tampa that treated black patients. Meanwhile, she and John had enrolled Barbara and Dirk, and later Debra, in St. Peter Claver Catholic School. “We’re Christian, but not Catholic,” Twine says. “But we heard the nuns were strict. Gentle and kind, but strong.” It cost more than they could afford, though, so John would often finish his teaching day, bring the kids home to her and head off to a second job as a waiter. Twine was determined to improve the situation by moving up in her profession. In 1967, Twine became the first black nurse to transfer from Clara Frye to Tampa General Hospital when it officially integrated. Of course she was tested, she says, mostly by patients who were “astonished” by some of the things she could do. “They didn’t know that when you’re trained and
Photo: Courtesy of the USFAA
educated, you could do anything a white person could do. I was aiming to please, and it worked.” She also noticed that when she walked into the hospital cafeteria and sat down for lunch, some black workers – housekeepers and others – would follow. Before she came, they told her, they ate in the boiler room.
People today might not realize the indignities that were “hurting to the soul” for minorities back then, she says. “You just say ‘it is what it is’ to yourself and work to make things better. You support those things that can propel you forward.” And so she did.
SUMMER 2018 51
Photos: Courtesy of the USFAA
“
She found time to mentor other ambitious nurses, tutoring them for their board exams. And she continued to pursue her own education. After graduating from a threeyear program at Hillsborough Community College and receiving her registered nurse’s license, she learned that new standards were being put in place requiring RNs to hold a bachelor’s degree. So when USF started its nursing program in 1973, she was among the first to enroll.
You just say ‘it is what it is’ to yourself and work to make things better. You support those things that can propel you forward.” – Geraldine McKinnon Twine
Again, she attended classes part-time while working full-time, and she remembers the support she received from faculty, supervisors and colleagues along the way. They helped with scheduling so she could make her plan work, and they encouraged her to keep going. “I think the Lord helped a lot, too,” she says. Twine received her bachelor’s degree in nursing in 1978 and just kept going, earning her master’s in technology
52 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
education in 1981 and a master’s in nursing in 1988. And, yes, her determination and belief in hard work and a good education caught on with the Twine kids. Both Barbara and Debra received their bachelor’s degrees from USF, and Barbara went on to earn her juris doctor degree from the University of Florida. She is now the Honorable Barbara Twine Thomas, a judge in Hillsborough County’s 13th Judicial Circuit.
Forever Bulls Dirk Twine earned degrees from the Georgia Institute of Technology and Rollins College. He is the founder of the Imani Wholistic Health Institute in Atlanta. Debra Twine Williams, who passed away in 2007, was an employee of the Hillsborough County Sheriff ’s Office for more than 20 years. Service runs in the family, Twine says, but not necessarily nursing. Maybe because her children saw how hard the work was, and the crazy hours. “They probably said there’s a better way to do this,” she says with a laugh. But they were supportive and proud. So proud, Thomas recently established the Geraldine Twine Endowed Scholarship, providing financial support to a full-time undergraduate student studying within USF Health. Preference will go to nursing majors and members of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. “I still don’t know that I was all that special,” Twine says, shaking her head over the fuss. “I’m just thankful that somebody else was able to benefit from the things I did.” n
Far left: When USF started its Nursing program in 1973, Twine, far right, was among the first to enroll. Center left: College of Nursing Dean Victoria Rich congratulates Twine
at the League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County event. Above: Members of Twine’s sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, attended the event to honor and support Twine.
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S T O T H E
Meet these accomplished and innovative BULLS age 35 and younger in the Fall issue of USF magazine.
Hannibal L. Baldwin
R. Grant Baxley
Vincent Terrell Jackson
Maja Lacevic
Reuben Pressman
Joel Raney
Dr. Venessa Walker
Finance ’11
Management Information Systems ’07
Management ’16
English and International Studies ’09
Entrepreneurship ’11
Civil Engineering ’11
Biomedical Sciences ’04
Thank You to our Generous Sponsors
SUMMER 2018 53
Where’s
Rocky?
a
Rocky trades in Castor Beach for the Namib Desert in Namibia with Oliver Emberger, a pharmacy manager at the USF College of Pharmacy. The two of them scaled Big Daddy, which is the highest dune in the Sossusvlei area at about 1,066 feet.
b Rocky escapes the Tampa heat for cooler air and fabulous views in the Great Smoky Mountains with Connie Johnson-Gearhart, ’00 and MCE ’12, Life Member. c Rocky coordinates his green and gold with Lady Liberty for his tour of New York City’s iconic landmarks with Julie Wernicki, ’07, Life Member. d Steven Mazza, ’78, and Rocky kick around at the Estadio Municipal Paulo
Machado de Carvalho, the landmark soccer stadium in São Paulo, Brazil.
e Rocky and Denise Kurt, ’78, Life Member, pause at Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, N.M., during a tour that included a hike on the Turquoise Trail, a visit to Camel Rock Monument in Sante Fe and Tinkerton Museum in Sandia Park – “a must see,” Denise says. f
A group of College of Education grads check out El Morro Fort in Havana, Cuba. From left, Nancy Griffing Tokarz ‘78; Diane Hancock McCaffrey ‘63; Brenda Turlington Swanson ‘86; Arleen Mariotti ‘82; Patti Griffing ‘77; and Joyce Multog Carroll ‘88.
b
54 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
a
Thanks to his many globe-trotting friends, Rocky goes places no bull has gone before. Catch him sightseeing, showing off his Bull pride, or sampling the local cuisine to help chart his journey through the year.
Forever Bulls
c
d
e
f
Email your high-resolution photo (300 ppi) and details to Penny Carnathan at pcarnathan@usf.edu or mail them to her at USF Alumni Association, 4202 E. Fowler Ave. ALC100, Tampa, FL 33620-5455.
SUMMER 2018 55
a
Chapters & Societies Bulls stay connected
Alumni Association chapters and societies help create a mighty Bull network by connecting alumni and friends through professional, social and service events.
a Shanghai alumni celebrated a first when they met for dinner and to share favorite Bull tales. The American and Chinese Bulls, which have formed the first official USF Shanghai Chapter, followed up with a May brunch. b New York City Chapter members roll out a Bull welcome for USF World vice president Roger Brindley, rear center, who was visiting. The chapter organized a meet-and-greet networking event at the Moxy Times Square. 56 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
c Chicago Chapter members celebrate their two hometown hockey teams – the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Chicago Blackhawks – during a game at the United Center in Chicago. The Bolts took it 2-0. d USF Mass Communications Society members get a tour of Cigar City Brewing in Tampa during their Alumni Happy Hour. The event included “Rocky Talks” – an open mic for 2-minute speeches on topics “both obscure and important.” e Edward Mierzejewski, PhD ’96, right, “Challenges the Master,” College of Engineering instructor Ajit Mujumdar, in a chess speed match at the Engineering Society’s 22nd annual Bullarney fundraiser. The society has raised more than $500,000 through the evening of fun, games and giving, and provided scholarships to more than 500 students.
Forever Bulls
b
c
e
d SUMMER 2018 57
Chapters and Societies No matter where you live, you’ll always be a Bull! The USF Alumni Association has alumni chapters all over the country. We also have college and special-interest societies for like-minded alumni. It’s easy to get involved. Just email the contact person of the group you’d like to visit.
INTEREST-BASED GROUPS Anthropology Alumni Brian McEwen bmcewen@cachillsborough.com Architecture Alumni David Hunter David.Hunter@morganstanley. com Bulls Varsity Club Abby Ritter abritter@usf.edu
Entrepreneurship Alumni Jordan Casal jcasal@ardentandbold.com
Mass Communications Alumni Janet Scherberger USFmasscommalumni@gmail.com
Geology Alumni Mike Wightman mwightman@geoviewinc.com
Medicine Alumni Catherine Warner cwarner1@health.usf.edu
History Alumni Sydney Jordan sydneyjordan@mail.usf.edu
Music Society Arupa Gopal Tanya Bruce usfmusicalumni@gmail.com
Kosove Scholarship Alumni Justin Geisler justingeisler@hotmail.com
Black Alumni Verlon Salley usfblackalumnisociety@gmail. com
Latino Alumni Society Melizza Etienne Luz Randolph USFLatinoAlumniSociety@ gmail.com
College of Behavioral and Community Sciences Patty Cleveland cbcs@usf.edu
Library and Information Science Society Megan O’Brien usflisalumni@gmail.com
College of Business Alumni Beth Herman beths38@hotmail.com
Lockheed Martin – Oldsmar Brent Lewis brent.a.lewis@lmco.com
Engineering Alumni Connie Johnson-Gearhart Connie.gearhart@gmail.com
Patel College of Global Sustainability Julie Cornwell Arnel Garcesa pcgsnetwork@gmail.com Pharmacy Alumni Patti Shirley pshirley@health.usf.edu Psychology Alumni Kim Read usfpsychba@gmail.com Public Administration Alumni Mike Rimoldi mike@rimoldiconstruction.com
Get UnBULLievable benefits Get UnBULLievable benefits with FiOS by Frontier ! with FiOS by Frontier ! ®
®
®
®
FiOS Quantum TV Incredible recording and storage so you never have to miss your favorite show again! FiOS Quantum TV Incredible recording andNetflix storage so you never have to miss your favorite show again! Integrated Access your Netflix just like you do any other channels – right from your channel guide. Integrated Netflix Access your Netflix just like you do any other channels – right from your channel guide. Video On-Demand An extensive Video On Demand library of over 150,000 titles every month. Video On-Demand An extensive Video On Demand library of over 150,000 titles every month. Blazing-fast Speeds No network is better equipped than FiOS to support Blazing-fast multiple devices and usersSpeeds simultaneously. ®
®
No network is better equipped than FiOS to support multiple devices and users simultaneously.
1.855.408.1954 frontier.com/usfalumni 1.855.408.1954 frontier.com/usfalumni Netflix streaming membership and FiOS Quantum TV service required to access Netflix. Additional monthly service and equipment fees for Quantum TV service apply. The FiOS marks are owned by Verizon Trademark Services LLC and used under license. ©2017 Frontier Communications Corporation. Netflix streaming membership and FiOS Quantum TV service required to access Netflix. Additional monthly service and equipment fees for Quantum TV service apply. The FiOS marks are owned by Verizon Trademark Services LLC and used under license. ©2017 Frontier Communications Corporation.
58 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Forever Bulls Public Health Alumni Natalie Preston-Washington npreston@health.usf.edu
Chicago Alicia Rosenberg usfchicagoalumni@gmail.com
Indianapolis Rasheite Radcliff USFIndyAlumni@gmail.com
Pasco County Phil Kupczyk usfpasco@gmail.com
Shanghai, China Melissa Thammavongsa thammavongsa@usf.edu
USF St. Petersburg Heather Willis hlwillis@usfsp.edu
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas Will Cyrus Dustin Eldridge usf.dfw.alumni@gmail.com
Jacksonville Kayona Williams usfjax@gmail.com
Philadelphia Mike Waterhouse usf.tri.state.alumni@gmail.com
Tallahassee Alexa Mitsuda usfalumnitally@gmail.com
GEOGRAPHICAL GROUPS
D.C. Regional Genevieve Borello usfbullsdc@gmail.com
Los Angeles Janet Foster usfbullsnla@yahoo.com
Pinellas County Gary Crook usfpinellas@gmail.com
Tampa (Greater Tampa) Casey Plastek USFTampaAlumni@gmail.com
Miami-Dade County Carlos Rodriguez USFmiamialumni@gmail.com
Polk County Richard Weiss polkalumniusf@gmail.com
Nashville, Tenn. Melinda Dale nashvilleusfbulls@live.com
Raleigh, N.C. Benjamin Wadsworth bwadswor@mail.usf.edu
New York City Arian Howard usfalumniny@gmail.com
San Diego Josh Vizcay josuevizcay@gmail.com
Orlando Erik Hansen usfbullsorlando@gmail.com
Sarasota-Manatee Hannah Veitkus hmveitkus@mail.usf.edu
Palm Beach County Rennette Fortune USFbullspbc@gmail.com
Courtney Hawk cfhawk@mail.usf.edu
Asheville, N.C. Chad Johnson USFAshevilleBulls@gmail.com Atlanta Lara Martin usfalumniatlanta@gmail.com Austin, Texas Brett Bronstein usfaustin@gmail.com Broward County Ruth Rogge ruthrogge@gmail.com Alan Steinberg usfbrowardalumni@gmail.com Charlotte, N.C. Marisa Varian usfcharlottebulls@gmail.com
Denver Matt Sprigg Msprigg24@gmail.com Fort Myers/Naples Andrea Paulet ftmyersusfalumni@gmail.com Greenville, S.C. Mike Nascarella Michael.nascarella@gmail.com Hernando County Heather Agatstein hwa2@usf.edu Houston Angela Beeson usfbullshouston1@gmail.com
Tampa’s Most Convenient Self Storage Facility Proudly Supports USF
GET 1 MONTH FREE RENT WITH THIS AD *one coupon per person
Family Owned and Operated by USF Lifetime Alumni USF Boosters and YMCA Supporters for over 25 years
Centrally Located
(813) 575-2660 • SeminoleHeightsStorage.com 1011 E. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd • Tampa, FL. 33603 SUMMER 2018 59
Class Notes ’60s
JEFFREY LAHURD, History ’69 and MA Rehabilitation Counseling ’75, received the 2018 Historical Research award from the History and Preservation Coalition of Sarasota County. LaHurd has published 15 books on Sarasota history. SUZANNE RHODENBAUGH, English ’66, donated her literary papers to USF Libraries’ Special Collections. The donation includes her books, publications in periodicals and anthologies, correspondence with other writers, and writing memorabilia.
’70s COL. GARY W. BRADLEY, Microbiology ’74, was posthumously inducted into the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Energy Hall of Fame for exceptional leadership, service, dedication to duty and contributions to the DLA mission. Bradley, who was commissioned after completing ROTC training at USF, saw his son, Chad, follow in his footsteps. Chad, Criminology ’97, also trained in the ROTC at USF and rose to the rank of Army captain. JOSEPH P. CALLAN, Psychology ’72 and MSW ’85, received the Marquis Who’s Who Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his professional achievements and leadership. Callan is in private practice as a clinical social worker and psychotherapist in New Port Richey, Fla. He also teaches at USF as an adjunct professor. DR. SYLVIA CAMPBELL, MD ’77, was inducted into the Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame. She was the first female surgeon in Hillsborough County, serves on the Advisory Council of Operation Giving Back of the American College of Surgeons, and is board president of the Judeo Christian Health Clinic, a free clinic in Tampa. ROBIN W. DELAVERGNE, MS Audiology ’74, received the 2017 Parke Wright III Award from Leadership Tampa Alumni in
60 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
recognition of her exceptional leadership and the impact she has made in the Tampa Bay area. She is the executive director of the Tampa General Hospital Foundation and a member of USF Women in Leadership and Philanthropy. MATTHEW B. GRISHAM, Biology ’75, received the 2017 Distinguished Alumni Award from the USF Department of Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology. He is a professor and chair of the Department of Immunology and Molecular Microbiology and the Vernon and Elizabeth Haggerton chair in gastroenterology at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. JULIANNE HOLT, Finance ’77, Life Member, was inducted into the Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame. She has served as the elected public defender of the 13th Judicial Circuit since 1993 and is an adjunct professor at USF. MILLARD JAMES “M.J.” JOSEPH, English and Philosophy ’78, published The Lübecker, a historical fiction novel about life in Europe leading up to World War I. DENISE THERESE MILLER, Special Education ’79, MA ’82 and PhD ’91, was named 2018 District Principal of the Year by the Florida Department of Education. She is the principal of James B. Sanderlin PK-8 in St. Petersburg. EDWARD PAGE, Criminology ’78, was appointed to the Federal Judicial Nominating Commission for the Middle District of Florida by Sens. Marco Rubio and
Bill Nelson. He is a shareholder in the Tampa office of Carlton Fields, P.A. ROGER L. YOUNG, American Studies ’78, was recertified in civil trial law by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education. He has chaired the 12th Circuit Grievance Committee and was a member of the 12th Judicial Circuit Nominating Commission.
Send us your class notes!
’80s
Send Class Notes submissions and high-resolution (at least 300 ppi) photos to pcarnathan@usf.edu or mail to Penny Carnathan, USF Alumni Association, Gibbons Alumni Center, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., ALC100, Tampa, FL 33620-5455
DAVID B. BOHL, Finance ’82, Life Member, released his memoir, Parallel Universes: A Story of Rebirth. He is an independent addiction consultant. DR. RICHARD BOOTHBY, MD ’80, joined Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s First Physician Group network. He previously worked at Lakeland Regional Health Hollis Cancer Center. JACK E. DAVIS, Political Science ’85 and MA History ’89, USF St. Petersburg, received the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for history literature for his book The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea. He is a professor at the University of Florida. DR. PHILLIP DECUBELLIS, Interdisciplinary Natural Sciences ’83, Life Member, has been promoted to chief of podiatric surgery for the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, S.C. GORDON GILLETTE, Mechanical Engineering ’81 and MS ’85, Life Member, was named CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Hillsborough County. The former CEO of Tampa Electric Co., he serves on the USF Foundation board of directors and is a 2016 USF Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
Forever Bulls
ZIAD HABAYEB, General Business Administration ’85, was recognized on Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors list. He is the senior vice president and senior financial adviser with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management. STEPHANIE HERNANDEZ, Accounting ’84 and MAcc ’86, was promoted to CFO of LifeLink Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to recovering organs for transplant. She previously served as controller. JON HULL, Geology ’80, Life Member, received the 2018 USF Geology Alumni Society Award. He is the principal geologist at A-C-T Environmental & Infrastructure Inc. in Bartow, Fla. KEVIN HYDE, Political Science ’84, is interim president of Florida State College at Jacksonville, Fla. He is a partner at Foley & Lardner LLP. RICHARD KING, Art ’80, won his fourth Oscar at the 90th Academy Awards for his sound editing work on Dunkirk. He set a record for most wins in the sound editing category. DEBORAH KRUEGER LUM, Mass Communications ’85, Life Member, released her fifth novel, I CAN HANDLE HIM, a romantic suspense tale set in San Antonio, Texas. MARGO MCKNIGHT, Zoology ’86, is the new president and CEO of Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm Beach, Fla. She previously was the senior vice president at Tampa’s Florida Aquarium. CHUCK MICCOLIS, Electrical Engineering ’88, was promoted to vice president of commercial lines at the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, a nonprofit research organization based in Tampa.
MERLE O’CONNOR, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences ’86, joined real estate firm Keller Williams in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. J. MICHAEL PEPPERS, Accounting ’85 and MAcc ’90, Life Member, served as 2017-18 global chairman of the board for the Institute of Internal Auditors. He works as chief audit executive at the University of Texas System in Austin, Texas. Peppers is a former USF Alumni Association board member. VALERIE L. PETERS, Mass Communications ’87, was named business development associate of Lehigh Valley LaunchBox business accelerator at the Lehigh Valley, Pa., campus of Penn State University. She is also principal of VLP Communications. ANN PORTER, Political Science ’85, was inducted into the Hillsborough County Women’s Hall of Fame. She was the first director of Hillsborough County’s Head Start preschool program.
PAUL HUTCHINS, MA Adult Education ’94, is the new president of Martin Community College in Williamston, N.C. He was previously president of Sampson Community College in Clinton, N.C. BARBARA KARASEK, MA Mass Communications ’95, is the new CEO of Paradise Advertising and Marketing, a travel and tourism agency based in St. Petersburg. She received the USF Zimmerman School of Advertising and Mass Communications Outstanding Alumnus Award in 2008. GABI LORINO-TYNER, Journalism-Magazine ’96 and Economics ’07, Life Member, had two of her books featured at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. A Magical Time Called Later is a recently released novel set in Tampa and Made in L.A.: Stories Rooted in the City of Angels is an anthology that includes her short stories. M. LEIGH MACDONALD, Marketing ’91, joined Young Clement Rivers, LLP as an associate attorney in Charleston, S.C.
’90s
GEORGE W. MAHAFFEY, MBA ’98, was appointed as president, CEO and director of Clarify Medical in San Diego, Calif. He has more than 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry.
JODI AVERY, Marketing ’92, has won Keller Williams Realty’s 2017 Top Individual Agent award for the fifth consecutive year. She is in the top 1 percent of Realtors in Pinellas County.
DR. KENNETH PLUNKITT, MD ’94, Life Member, was named to the advisory board for HealthLynked Corp., an online platform developer for healthcare providers. He specializes in cardiology.
RUSSELL BOBBITT, English ’91, was named president and CEO of Purmort & Martin Insurance Agency, LLC, based in Sarasota. Bobbitt has been a longtime partner and agent at the company. KENNETH GINEL JR., Accounting ’95, is the new CFO and treasurer at Raymond James Bank, the largest bank headquartered in Tampa. He was previously senior vice president and controller.
MARIA ROSE, Elementary Education ’93, received a Golden Apple Teacher Award from the Lee County (Fla.) School District and the Foundation for Lee County Public Schools. She is a first-grade teacher at Edison Park Creative and Expressive Arts School in Fort Myers, Fla. DR. ASEEM SHUKLA, MD ’95, was named an assistant secretary for the American Urological Association. He is an attending urologist and director of minimally invasive surgery in the division of urology at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
SUMMER 2018 61
Class Notes CRAIG STEIN, Accounting ’92 and MAcc ’93, Life Member, was promoted to senior vice president and CFO at McNichols Co. in Tampa. He began working at the organization in 2004.
’00s KERRY ABNER, Mass Communications ’08, was featured in Huffington Post’s 17 Top Black Influencers You Should Partner With in 2018. He is a partner at Intecoo Group marketing firm in Atlanta. REP. DANNY BURGESS JR., Political Science ’08, was recognized as Legislator of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars for the State of Florida. He is a 2017 recipient of the USF Outstanding Young Alumni Award and represents District 38, which includes Pasco County, in the Florida House of Representatives. DANA BURTON, Accounting ’00, was promoted to managing director at CBIZ and Mayer Hoffman McCann P.C., a Tampa Bay tax, accounting and consulting provider. She serves on the USF Accounting Circle board of directors. SUSAN COOPER, Nursing ’06, was named director of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit and trauma stepdown unit at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson, Fla. DR. GARY E. DECESARE, MD ’05, joined the surgical team at Halifax Medical Center in Daytona Beach, Fla. He specializes in plastic, reconstructive and hand surgery. ELODIE (JONSSON) DORSO, Political Science ’01, was named president and CEO of Community Health Centers of Pinellas, Inc. She has served the not-forprofit health-care 62 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
organization for almost 20 years. REP. JOSEPH RYAN GRUTERS, MBA ’02, was named to Amtrak’s board of directors by President Donald Trump. He is a CPA and owns Paoli & Gruters Certified Public Accountants. He represents District 73, which includes Manatee and Sarasota counties, in the Florida House of Representatives. DR. TOMAS J. KUCERA, Biology ’05, joined Crovetti Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine in Henderson, Nev., as an interventional pain medicine specialist. LESLIE-ANN PAGÁN, Biomedical Sciences and Sociology ’05, joined NorthBridge Commercial Real Estate Group as a retail leasing specialist at the company’s Lutz, Fla., location. She previously worked at Premier Realty of Tampa. WILLIAM T. POWERS, MEd ’06, was named the 2018 Jim King Missouri Middle Level School Principal of the Year by the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals. He is the principal of Cherokee Middle School in Springfield, Mo. GREGORY ROSS-MUNRO, Psychology ’03, MBA ’07 and MS ’08, Life Member, was named one of Florida High Tech Corridor’s 2018 Faces of Technology. He is the CEO of Sourcetoad, a cruise industry technology consulting and software development firm based in Tampa. DR. ENEIDA O. ROLDAN, MPH ’03, joined the First National Bank of South Miami’s board of directors. She is the CEO of the Florida International University HealthCare Network and serves as associate dean for international affairs. JASON SALEMI, Biology ’00, MPH ’05 and PhD ’14, was elected president of the National Birth Defects Prevention Network. He is an assistant professor at Baylor University College of Medicine in Waco, Texas. LARRY SCOTT, Communication ’00, was named the University of Florida football team’s new tight ends coach. He previously coached at
USF and the University of Miami. He also played offensive lineman for the Bulls while obtaining his degree. NICOLE SEALEY, Africana Studies and English ’01 and MLA ’07, received the William H. Scheuerle Distinguished Humanities Graduate Award from the USF Humanities Institute. ANDRE SESLER, Finance ’07, was named partner at the Pennington, P.A. law firm, with offices throughout Florida. He is a member of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division, Hillsborough County Bar Association and American Bar Association. NICOLE “NIKKI” STOKES, Psychology ’03 and MPH ’07, was named managing director of Northwestern Mutual’s new office in New Tampa. She was previously district director of the company’s Westshore office. MICHELLE TURMAN, MA Art History ’00, has published a new book, Jumping the Queue: Achieving Great Things Before You’re Ready, a career and professional leadership guide for millennial women. CANDACE WEBB, MPH ’06, received the USF College of Public Health 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award. She is a senior state health policy analyst with the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute, Center for Children and Families in Washington, D.C. MIAO YU WHITESIDE, Management Information Systems ’05, joined the Sarasota office of Berkshire Hathaway Florida Realty. SHELBY WILLIS, Psychology ’03, joined the Ogden City Fire Department in Ogden, Utah, as deputy fire chief. She was previously fire chief for Largo Fire Rescue in Largo, Fla.
’10s ASHLEY BELL BARNETT, MPA ’10, was appointed to the Polk State College district board of trustees by Florida Gov. Rick Scott. She is a community advocate in Lakeland, Fla., and development chair of Polk State’s Foundation board.
USF (USPS #025203) Number 44 USF is published quarterly in the spring, summer, fall and winter as a benefit of membership in the USF Alumni Association, 4202 E. Fowler Ave. ALC 100, Tampa, FL 33620-5455. Periodicals Postage Paid at Tampa, FL 33634-9651 and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to USF, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., ALC 100, Tampa, FL 33620-5455.
Forever Bulls NEIL COLLISON, Criminology ’10, joined the Siesta Key, Fla., office of Michael Saunders & Co. He previously worked for Keller Williams Realty.
Thank you
MIA CULBERTSON, Graphic Design ‘15, USF St. Petersburg, will have three designs and one photograph published in Creative Quarterly, an international journal for art and design. Her Cigar City Brewing branding/package design earned a winning design distinction. She is an academic program specialist at USF St. Petersburg.
BRAHMAN BASH 2018
a touch of green & gold
CHEYENNE HERRON, Mass Communications ’17, is the newest Oscar Mayer Hotdogger, a goodwill ambassador for the cold-cuts company who travels the country in the famed Weinermobile, making radio and TV appearances, military visits and attending charity functions.
We would like to thank everyone who joined us for 2018 Brahman Bash. It is because of you that this event is able to connect alumni and help USF Bulls make an impact on USF and student success. It was an exciting night and we appreciate your support of USF and the Alumni Association.
ERICA HOUSEMAN, MBA ’17, USF St. Petersburg, joined Lumina Analytics as a senior intelligence analyst.
Special thanks to the amazing Brahman Bash Committee and the following event sponsors: Jim & Sonya Harvey • Edmonson Electric USF Women in Leadership & Philanthropy Nielsen • Vicki & Timmer Ahrens Phil & Jean Amuso • Myra & Dug Cooley Angie & Jim Brewer
Lorem ipsum
Pics @ usfalumni.org/BrahmanBash2018
Other Sponsors: BreakThru Beverage • Tito’s • Yuengling Southwest • Frontier Communications On the Mark Catering
Be part of the USF Alumni Association. Join now at www.usfalumni.org/membership or 800-299-BULL.
SUMMER 2018 63
Class Notes DANIELLE HUTCHINS, Mass Communications ’14, was featured in Fit Small Business’s Top 40 Press Release Examples from the Pros. She is the senior content manager at Ensurem in Largo, Fla. RYAN JUSTICE, Mass Communications ’11, co-wrote, co-produced and directed a film, Followers, that opened in theaters around the world this spring. He is a director at Justified Films. DR. SHARAD MALAVADE, MPH ’10 and PhD ’15, received the USF College of Public Health 2018 Outstanding Alumni Award. He is a resident in internal medicine at Brandon Regional Hospital in Brandon, Fla. SUE MCCANN, MS Nursing ’15, has joined Sarasota Facial Aesthetics as partner and certified aesthetic provider. EVAN MCCULLOUGH, Management ’14, USF St. Petersburg, joined the USF College of Arts and Sciences as a development officer. He previously worked with the American Cancer Society as a community development manager.
LUIS MORALES, Finance ’15, USF SarasotaManatee, joined Caldwell Trust Co. as a trust associate in the firm’s Sarasota office. He previously worked at Northern Trust. DANIELLE OLIVA, Psychology ’11, was named director of human resources at Franklin Street, a commercial real estate firm serving the Southeast. She previously worked as director of human resources at Pegasus TransTech. ALICIA PETERSEN, History and Biomedical Sciences ’14, was accepted into the Yale University doctorate program for history. DANIEL-JOHN “DJ” SEWELL, Economics ’16, received the 2018 Florida Bar Scholarship. He is a law student at the University of Florida.
ASHLEY SOUZA, MPH ’15, joined USF College of Nursing as its assistant director of annual giving and alumni engagement. She was previously the assistant director of alumni and parent relations at the University of Tampa. SHAWNTEL WILLIAMS, Biomedical Sciences and Sociology ’17, has been accepted into the Peace Corps as a health extension volunteer. She will spend two years in Tanzania promoting health awareness and education.
What Will Your USF Legacy Be? Making a gift can help secure the future success of USF while providing potential tax and income benefits to you. Download our free Estate Planning Guide at usfgiving.org to get started.
A few easy ways to give:
· · ·
Designate the University of South Florida Foundation, Inc. as a beneficiary in your will or trust Contribute to USF from your IRA or other retirement plan assets Donate appreciated assets such as stock or real estate to USF
University of South Florida Foundation, Inc. 4202 E. Fowler Avenue, ALC100, Tampa, FL 33620
P: 813-974-8761 F: 813-974-8855 E: Planned_gifts@usf.edu
64 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Forever Bulls In Memoriam Alumni JOHN ROSS ALFORD, Interdisciplinary Social Sciences ’07, Jan. 16, 2018
CMDR. JOHN D. “JACK” RODDA, MEd ’79, Feb. 15, 2018
OLNEY ARNOLD IV, MA Elementary Education ’70, March 1, 2018
MARIE H. SANDS, International Studies ‘90, Feb. 5, 2018
JAMES R. BOWMAN, Biology ’89, Feb. 24, 2018
JOYCE R. SAVELL, English Education ’67, Jan. 14, 2018
ROLAND BRUECKNER, French ’78, Jan. 18, 2018
CARRIE CYNKAR SOLAZZO, Mass Communications ’09, Jan. 24, 2018
MARY CAROL CREWS, Elementary Education ’70, April 14, 2018
HENRY I. SOUTHWICK III, Engineering ’73, March 3, 2018
EVERETT “BUTCH” DEESE JR., Elementary Education ’76, March 24, 2018
CARLOS MANUEL STEVENSON, Management ’79, Jan. 17, 2018
VIRGINIA J. DESHAZO, MA Elementary Education ’69, Feb. 1, 2018
EDWARD C. STOCKTON, Finance ’84, Feb. 23, 2018
CHRISTINA (GREENBAUM) DRISKO, English ’16, April 9, 2018
HARRY BRUCE STRAIGHT, English ’75, March 10, 2018
HEATHER C. DUNGER, Elementary Education ’98, March 11, 2018
SUSAN A. VOEGE, MEd ’89, March 10, 2018
ANNETTE L. DUNLAP, Sociology ’66, Jan. 20, 2018
WILLIAM GERALD WADE, Music ’86, Feb. 26, 2018
CHARLES TERRY EVANS, Management ’70, Jan. 22, 2018
CLARENCE WICKHAM, History ’80, Feb. 18, 2018
KIRK FISHER, Economics ’90, Feb. 17, 2018
MARGUERITE S. WURSTER, MA Library & Information Science ’72, Jan. 26, 2018
VIOLET P. GIOVENCO, MA Guidance & Counselor Education ’77, Feb. 19, 2018
STEPHEN V. YOVINO, English ’72, Jan. 22, 2018
ROBERT C. GRAEFF, EdS Reading Education ’75 and PhD ’92, Feb. 20, 2018 DORA GREENOUGH, MA Special Education ’68, Jan. 30, 2018
Faculty and Staff
TAMMY (BEST) GUAYASMIN-O’DELL, Elementary Education ’90, Jan. 20, 2018 LISA J. HAGERMAN, Management ’83 and MBA ’86, Jan. 27, 2018
CAROLYN ANN (WELSH) BODO, MA Library & Information Science ’73, librarian, Feb. 27, 2018
HARRISON H. HICKINBOTHAM, History ’65, April 1, 2018
JOHN AUBREY GRANNAN, MA Rehabilitation Counseling ’78, mental health
MELANIE JANELLE HOITT, MEd ’09, Feb. 23, 2018
JOHN M. HOLBROOK SR., Mass Communications English Education ’73, March 15, 2018
FRAN T. HILL, Office of Admissions, March 6, 2018
DR. NANCY A. HUDSON, MA Special Education ’74, April 1, 2018
THOMAS A. JUSTICE, Information Technologies technical support, April 3, 2018
ROBERT WAYNE JERNIGAN, Mathematics ’73, MA ’75 and PhD ’78, Jan. 16, 2018
PETER KARES, Professor, College of Business, March 29, 2018
JOAN R. (NEVINS) JERNSTROM, Business Economics ’77 and MEd ’82, Life Member, Feb. 27, 2018
JOHN KNEGO, Professor Emeritus, Library & Information Science, Feb. 10, 2018
B. DANIEL “DAN” LARISCY, Special Education ’68, Feb. 25, 2018 PATRICIA A. LOONEY, English Education ’71 and MEd ’76, March 1, 2018 JANICE (HOWE) LYDON, Special Education ’77, April 13, 2018
counselor, Jan. 31, 2018
DR. DAVID S. HUBBELL, Professor Emeritus, Thoracic Surgery, Jan. 11, 2018
HENRY “HANK” LAVANDERA, Political Science ’73, associate general counsel, March 15, 2018 JOHN A. MCCROSSAN, Professor Emeritus, Library & Information Science, Feb. 2, 2018
BRIAN MCEWEN, MA Guidance and Counseling Education ’79 and PhD ’03, Life Member, March 25, 2018
DR. RAFAEL MIGUEL, Professor and former chair of anesthesiology, Feb. 25, 2018
ROBERT T. MURRAY, Engineering ’77, March 3, 2018
FRANKLIN HOLLOWAY SPAIN JR., first director of admissions and registrar, April 16, 2018
CAPT. ANDREAS O’KEEFFE, Political Science ’02, March 15, 2018 MELIDA PEREIRA, Early Childhood Education ’77, March 8, 2018 CHRISTOPHER R. PIKE, Psychology ’10, April 4, 2018 THOMAS E. RAZZOUK, Finance ’13, March 28, 2018
DONNA J. RODGERS, police captain, Jan. 25, 2018
JAMES F. STRANGE, Professor, Religious Studies, former dean of the College of Arts and Letters, March 23, 2018 ERIC L. WALDEN, first treasurer, Jan. 25, 2018 DR. ARTHUR WALTZER, College of Medicine, Feb. 17, 2018
SUMMER 2018 65
Homecoming 2018 Save the Date | Oct. 15 - 20
Oct. 18 - Distinguished Alumni Awards Ceremony | Oct. 19 - Alumni Welcome Home Party and Running of the Bulls Night Parade Oct. 20 - USF vs. UCONN @ Raymond James Stadium and Pre-game Spirit Tent T:8.25”
MORE FOR YOUR
Customers may temporarily experience slower speeds during busy times. Add’l charges, usage, speed & other restr’s apply. Visit att.com/unlimited for details. Screen images simulated. ©2018 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. All marks used herein are the property of their respective owners.
66 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
Customers may temporarily experience slower speeds during busy times.
THING
Proud Sponsor of University of South Florida Athletics
T:5”
AT&T unlimited plans give you more data so you can stream, share, and surf everything USF.
Reward Yourself ...and show your Bull Pride
Switch to the USF Rewards Card Low Rates | No Balance Transfer Fee No Annual Fee | Point-Per-Dollar Rewards
APPLY ONLINE TODAY
bullscard.com
SUMMER 2018 67
USF Alumni Association Gibbons Alumni Center University of South Florida 4202 E. Fowler Ave., ALC100 Tampa, FL 33620-5455 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA System
Travel with the Bulls 2019 Alumni Tours Now Booking
68 UNIVERSITY of SOUTH FLORIDA
www.USFalumni.org/travel
PERIODICALS