Connection Spring 2015

ALU M N I & F R I E N DS M AGAZINE

S P R IN G 2015

DIVING INTO PENSACOLA’S

MEN’S EMPOWERMENT NETWORK OFFERS SUPPORT AND MENTORING FOR MALE STUDENTS

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UWF FOOTBALL— IMPRESSIVE INAUGURAL CLASS SIGNED

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HANDS-ON LEARNING ABOARD THE R/V BELLOWS

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UWF FOOTBALL!

Connection UWF President DR. JUDITH BENSE STAFF LIST

University Advancement Staff

DR. BRENDAN KELLY, Vice President, University Advancement; President, UWF Foundation, Inc. MARTHA LEE BLODGETT, Associate Vice President, University Advancement MISSY GRACE ’10, Alumni Relations Director, University Advancement

Editorial

Managing Editor JEFF NALL, APR, CPRC ’14, Executive Director, University Marketing & Communications Copy Editors MEGAN GONZALEZ ’09, Director of Communications, University Marketing & Communications MARGARET ROBERTS ’12, Communications Manager, University Marketing & Communications

Graphics & Photography

POLA YOUNG ’02, Creative Director, University Marketing & Communications JENNIFER PECK ’08, Senior Graphic Designer, University Marketing & Communications LAUREN SMITH ’08, Assistant Director of Digital Media, University Marketing & Communications JOHN BLACKIE, Photographer, University Marketing & Communications

Contributing Writers

MEGAN GONZALEZ ’09, MISSY GRACE ’10, CONOR MCNAMARA, AMY MINCHIN, CHRISTIAN PACHECO ’14, MARGARET ROBERTS ’12, MATT ROWLEY, OLIVIA WISE

CONTACT US Web uwf.edu/alumni Email alumni@uwf.edu Phone 800.226.1893 Mail UWF Alumni Association, 11000 University Pkwy., Building 12, Pensacola, FL 32514 TO GIVE Online uwf.edu/give Direct Kenda Hembrough at 850.857.6112 or khembrough@uwf.edu UWF Connection is published semi-annually by the Alumni Relations Department with the assistance of University Marketing & Communications. The purpose of Connection is to communicate and engage with UWF alumni, donors, friends and others interested in the activities of UWF.

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Spring 2015 UNIVERSIT Y o f WE ST FLOR IDA

Antione Griffin II, Wide Receiver, at the first UWF Spring football practice.

Inside 2

PRESIDENT’S Q&A LETTER FROM THE VICE PRESIDENT

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ALUMNI BOARD NEWS ALUMNI GRANT PROGRAM NEWS & NOTES UWF MEN ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT CALENDAR UNDERWATER FIELD SCHOOL ATHLETICS THE BELLOWS DEVELOPMENT SNAPSHOTS CLASS NOTES STUDENT AMBASSADOR

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In history-rich Pensacola, where Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano led Spanish sailors in the first settlement attempt of the New World, stories of voyages past are still being uncovered today. The UWF Division of Anthropology and Archaeology is at the forefront of this discovery.

President’s Q&A WHAT ARE SOME RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT DISPLAY UWF’S COMMITMENT TO PROMOTING ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE? The

traditional classroom setting is only the beginning of a student’s educational journey. UWF is committed to providing hands-on learning experiences that activate the knowledge and thinking that is derived from the classroom.

For example, one of our seniors, Jini Curry, recently received the title of Student of the Year from the National Collegiate Honors Council, while another one of our students, Joseph Smith, recently was awarded a prestigious international scholarship, which grants funding for a study abroad experience.

Additionally, four of our students were recently selected to join the Maximizing Access to Research Careers, or MARC, Scholars Program. The new program was recently funded as part of a multi-year National Institutes of Health grant totaling more than $960,000. This specific program provides students with compensation to conduct research while preparing for graduate school. These kinds of opportunities make it possible for students to be successful academically and set attainable goals for the future.

WHAT OPPORTUNITIES DOES UWF PROVIDE FOR STUDENTS TO ACHIEVE ACADEMIC SUCCESS? At UWF, we are constantly working to

embrace an environment that makes it possible for students to achieve a high level of academic success. As you’ll read in this issue, the UWF Archaeology Institute recently received a grant to explore a Spanish fleet associated with Tristán de Luna from the 1500’s. The archaeological remains of the Spanish ships, located in Pensacola Bay, are the oldest documented in Florida waters. Through this grant, our undergraduate and graduate students are gaining experience in their field by excavating and doing conservation work on this shipwreck.

Our faculty and staff are constantly striving to lead, inspire and mentor students to achieve academic excellence. Their innovative approach to handson learning is one of the many reasons that UWF continues to receive grants for further research and real-world experiences that benefit our students.

HOW DO COMMUNITY PARTNERS PLAY A ROLE IN ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AT UWF? As a regional comprehensive university, we

are focused on continually growing and establishing partnerships in our community to further enhance our ability to support our students, giving them every opportunity possible. Providing experience outside of the classroom gives our students the experiences that set them apart, while benefiting the community at the same time.

Emblematic of that portion of the UWF identity, we were recently selected to receive the 2015 Community Engagement Classification, an honor designated to 361 institutions nationwide by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. This honor demonstrates our commitment to leading our community and utilizing our resources, knowledge and research to make a positive difference in Northwest Florida and beyond.

Letter from the Vice President DEAR ALUMNI & FRIENDS,

The University of West Florida is a growing, dynamic and innovative educational institution that is essential to the economic and cultural development of Northwest Florida. We are constantly infusing the population of the region and beyond with a highly educated workforce and enhancing the quality of life through academic programs and partnerships.

We are continually expanding graduate and targeted research programs, nationally-recognized online programs and extensive community engagement. In fact, UWF was recently selected to receive the 2015 Community Engagement Classification, an honor designated to 361 institutions nationwide by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

This is the first time UWF has received this prestigious classification and UWF was the only public Florida university to receive the designation this year.

UWF has emerged as the institution of choice for the region’s top scholars. The end result is a vibrant campus that has grown in both size and scope over the last decade. More importantly, UWF continues to increase the value of every degree awarded at UWF by enhancing our programs, faculty, staff and various student services.

Over the last half century, the quality of the University has been shaped by gifts and contributions from alumni, friends and the community. Today, as we look with anticipation to our 50th Anniversary in 2017, we need our partners to join us in enhancing the University, increasing opportunities for students and transforming the community through unique contributions that only the University can make to the region.

Thank you for your continued support of the University of West Florida.

Sincerely,

Dr. Brendan Kelly Vice President, University Advancement President, UWF Foundation, Inc.

U NI V E R S I TY o f W E ST F LO R I DA Spring 2015

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A LUMNI RELATIO NS

Alumni Board President’s Message Fellow Alumni, As I write you this letter, my service as your president is coming to a close. I would like to thank my fellow alumni and friends of this great university for the honor and privilege. When I assumed the role of president of the Alumni Association, it was my goal to help increase the level of awareness of the Association, improve alumni engagement through meaningful activities and continue to support the annual gift-giving levels we have achieved.

Reflecting on my term, I am happy to say we have made significant progress towards those goals. The Alumni Association has increased its presence by collaborating with academic departments, community partners, Athletics and the UWF Historic Trust. We have seen alumni attendance at events increase by 300 percent and our alumni continue to financially assist with securing the future of UWF. I am greatly encouraged by these accomplishments but know there is still room to move the Alumni Association forward. I challenge you to get involved with the UWF Alumni Association. Be an advocate for UWF by sharing your story and the story of the University, attending alumni events and offering your support of our alma mater.

Our role is crucial in UWF’s success! Only through the strength of our alumni can the University continue to offer an outstanding experience for both current and future generations of Argonauts.

Go Argos!

Luke van Blaricom, ’00 & ’03

Connect.uwf.edu UWF Connect is your connection to the offices of Alumni Relations and Development at the University of West Florida. Once registered, you can update your contact information, manage your communication preferences and make online gifts with ease. UWF alumni can also find classmates in the Alumni Directory and submit class notes.

As a first-time registrant, you will need your six-digit constituent ID number that can be found above your address on mail from UWF such as event invitations, requests for support and Connection magazine. Visit connect.uwf.edu and click on the first time registration link. Use your last name as your temporary username and your constituent ID number as your temporary password.

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Spring 2015 UNIVERSIT Y of WE ST FLOR IDA

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ALU M N I RELAT I ON S

THE UWF ALUMNI GRANT PROGRAM fosters student personal and professional success.

Investing in Education

How the Alumni Grant Program Expands the Impact of UWF

BY OLIVIA WISE

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efore University of West Florida senior and chemistry student ent research to a national audience. This encourages the community to Carla Staton attended the American Chemical Society (ACS) support trips like these.

Meeting and Expedition in Dallas, Texas, she wasn’t sure what path Our students benefit exponentially from attending conferences where she wanted to take after graduation. Today, Staton has been admitthey are given the opportunity to present their research to a national ted to graduate programs at competitive universities such as Yale, audience and network with graduate professors as well as industry and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Georgia Instigovernment research lab recruiters, ” said Molek. “Not to mention their tute of Technology. The opportunity to attend this conference and passion and enthusiasm when they return to UWF is infectious to the realize her full potential was made possible through funding from younger students, which creates more motivation and excitement for the UWF Alumni Grant Program. research in everyone!”

“The funding from the UWF Alumni Grant Program that made it The UWF Alumni Grant Program gives students preparation in the possible to attend the ACS Meeting and Expedition not only allowed job force through learning opportunities and career readiness. The stume to have a broader idea of how my degree is relevant, but also gave dents conduct and present high caliber research that prepares them for me the confidence to reach out to professors from other institutions,” graduate and professional programs or a job. Among the 47 students said Staton. “I realized after presenting who have attended a national ACS Meetmy research among professionals and ing in the past three years, 41 students speaking one-on-one with graduate “The funding from the UWF Alumni have graduated and 32 of the graduates professors that I was a competitive apGrant Program that made it are currently enrolled in PhD, MD or plicant for graduate school.” possible to attend the ACS Meeting MD-PhD programs. The 27 students who The Alumni Board of Directors estabattended the ACS Spring 2014 meeting and Expedition not only allowed me lished the UWF Alumni Grant program are all pursuing PhD, MD-PhD, MD or back in 1999 to provide students like Stato have a broader idea of how my professional graduate programs. ton with the opportunity to represent the degree is relevant, but also gave Each year, the UWF Alumni AssoUniversity, network with professionals, me the confidence to reach out to ciation carefully decides how funds from present research and more. Thanks to a partnership with Pen Air Federal Credit professors from other institutions.” the UWF Alumni Grant Program will Union and the UWF Alumni Association, be allocated to provide opportunities for —Carla Staton, Chemistry Student with each use of an official Pen Air UWF as many students as possible. The UWF Alumni Association credit card, a percentage of the transaction is inAlumni Association strives to fulfill as many grant requests as possible. vested into the educational experiences of UWF students. Trips and Typically these requests, like the ACS Meeting, give students an interacprograms among various departments are funded by the Alumni Grant tive, advanced learning opportunity to showcase their accomplishments program and work dually to positively impact both the University and while representing UWF. its students. The UWF Alumni Grant Program aligns with the UWF “In the 2014 fiscal year, we were able to provide 71 students from 10 Strategic Plan and optimizes students’ prospects for personal and prodifferent organizations with funding to experience hands-on learning fessional success. and programming,” said Missy Grace, director of UWF Alumni RelaStaton was part of a group of 27 chemistry students, led by assistant tions. “The Pen Air credit card offers a great opportunity for UWF supprofessor of chemistry Dr. Karen Molek, who traveled to this meetporters to impact students.” ing. Molek said exposure through these conferences helps attain goals For additional information about the UWF outlined in the UWF Strategic Plan that attract visibility for both the Alumni Grant Program, visit uwf.edu/alumni/ students and the University. Additionally, the program creates wellstudent-programs/alumni-grants. rounded students who are able to network with professionals and presU NI V E R S I TY o f W E ST F LO R I DA Spring 2015

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NEWS & NOTE S

News & Notes

BY MARGARET ROBERTS

Stay informed with the most recent news headlines from the University of West Florida.

UWF receives prestigious community engagement classification from Carnegie Foundation

Office of Economic Development and Engagement announces industry research matching grant program

The UWF Office of Economic Development and Engagement launched a $1.5 million matching grant program, the Northwest Florida Industry Research Matching Grants Program, to connect Northwest Florida businesses with research resources available through UWF.

The University of West Florida was selected to receive the 2015 Community Engagement Classification, an honor designated to 361 institutions nationwide by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Colleges and universities with an institutional focus on community engagement were invited to apply for the classification, first offered in 2006 as part of an extensive restructuring of The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. This is the first time UWF has received this prestigious classification.

New college deans as part of academic reorganization

The UWF Division of Academic Affairs implemented a restructure of its academic departments by transitioning the former

three-college structure into four academic colleges, with four new deans hired. The year-long academic reorganization process was completed to re-energize the Division of Academic Affairs and better align the University’s college structure with the UWF Academic Master Plan.

Dr. Steven Brown was appointed dean of the newly formed College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities and is responsible for oversight and management of eight academic departments and the Division of Anthropology and Archaeology.

Dr. William Crawley was appointed dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies and is responsible for the advancement and support of seven academic

NEW COLLEGE DEANS 1. Dr. Steven Brown College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

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2. Dr. William Crawley College of Education and Professional Studies 3. Dr. Michael Huggins College of Science, Engineering and Health 4. Dr. Tim O’Keefe College of Business

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Spring 2015 UNIVERS IT Y of WE ST FLOR IDA

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N E WS & N OT ES

PROVOST AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT MARTHA SAUNDERS interacts with students on campus.

nior biochemistry major, Kugelman Honors Scholar and president of the UWF Honors Council, was chosen from students enrolled at colleges and universities across the country for the prestigious honor. departments as well as the ROTC programs and several institutes and centers.

Dr. Michael Huggins was appointed dean of the College of Science, Engineering and Health. The newly formed college includes 11 departments and houses the Center on Aging and the Center for Environmental Diagnostics and Bioremediation.

Dr. Tim O’Keefe was appointed dean of the College of Business and is responsible for oversight and management of four academic departments and the Florida Small Business Development Center at UWF.

UWF creates University College to enhance student success, support and professional readiness

The University recently launched University College to enhance the effectiveness of student support services by streamlining programs into one comprehensive unit.

The college consists of academic programs, including the Kugelman Honors Program and General Studies Program, as well as the First Year Advising Center and professional readiness programs. Dr. Gregory Lanier is the dean of University College.

Inc. (HRA) signed a licensing agreement for Next Exit History™ during a partnership celebration event, marking the first agreement signed from a social sciences department at UWF. The event also recognized the grand opening of the HRA Pensacola office.

Provost Martha Saunders appointed as executive vice president

UWF President Judy Bense announced the appointment of Provost Martha Saunders as executive vice president. In her new capacity, Saunders not only continues to serve as the chief academic officer and vice president for the Division of Academic Affairs, but also serves as the chief operating officer with oversight over all University divisions.

UWF partners with Historical Research Associates for Next Exit History™

UWF and Historical Research Associates,

UWF Historic Trust recently hosted the grand re-opening of the 37-acre Arcadia Mill Archaeological site. The event showcased Arcadia’s newly constructed bridge over Pond Creek and an associated boardwalk that connects to the nature trails.

UWF Historic Trust hosts grand opening of Voices of Pensacola presented by Gulf Power

First class of MARC Scholars

Four students at the University of West Florida were selected to join the Maximizing Access to Research Careers, or MARC, Scholars Program. The new program was recently funded as part of a multi-year National Institutes of Health grant totaling more than $960,000.

UWF Historic Trust hosts Arcadia Mill grand reopening

UWF senior named Student of the Year by National Collegiate Honors Council

A UWF student was named Student of the Year by the National Collegiate Honors Council during the Council’s 2014 Conference in Denver, Colorado. Jini Curry, a se-

UWF Historic Trust hosted the grand opening of “Voices of Pensacola” presented

by Gulf Power, a multicultural center highlighting the city’s diverse history. Through a $605,000 gift from Gulf Power Company and Southern Company, the UWF Historic Trust transformed one of its downtown properties, previously known as the Beacon Building, into Voices of Pensacola.

Visit the UWF Newsroom to read more of the latest University news at news.uwf.edu.

U NI V E R S I TY o f W E ST F LO R I DA Spring 2015

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CALENDAR

NOT JUST ANOTHER

BOYS CLUB UWF Men’s Empowerment Network

BY CHRISTIAN PACHECO

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Spring 2015 UNIVERS IT Y of WE ST FLOR IDA

UWF M EN

What is a man?

Ideally, men seek, forge and are driven by academic excellence, quality careers and compassion for their families and others.

College seems to be a perfect launch pad for them to attain this maturity, but some facts suggest otherwise.

Dr. Kim LeDuff, chief diversity officer and associate vice provost for the University of West Florida’s Office of Equity, Diversity & International Affairs, highlighted some factors that currently characterize the male student body.

“One of the things that struck me was the fact that our overall enrollment for men was down,” LeDuff said about de-aggregated data she examined. “Our overall graduation rate for men was lower, and in certain populations, our retention rates were lower.”

Overall, according to “Mysterious Decline—Where Are the Real Men on Campus?,” only 43 percent of men are degree graduates, only 40 percent of Hispanic graduates are male and the ratio of AfricanAmerican graduates female to male is 2-1.

Fortunately, male students can change these statistics by taking part in a new program with their personal betterment in mind: UWF MEN. UWF MEN (Men’s Empowerment Network) is an academic initiative sponsored by the Office of Equity, Diversity & International Affairs consisting of four

DR. KIM LEDUFF opens

the Men’s Conference.

levels—one for each undergraduate classification—designed to nurture and develop male students into academically focused and career-driven young men. Specifically, the group promotes the core values of commitment, discipline, responsibility, support and versatility.

UWF MEN, which was launched in April 2014 with an eight-member Junior Advisory Board, has grown to include more than 100 men, recently welcoming 72 new students during their Feb. 11 induction.

“The program was also originally going to

UWF MEN is an academic initiative sponsored by the Office of Equity, Diversity & International Affairs consisting of four levels— one for each undergraduate classification—designed to nurture and develop male students into academically focused and career-driven young men. launch with only the Freshman and First Year Transfer Males level, the other three (Sophomore Mentoring Program, Junior Challenge and Senior Recognition) were to be integrated in subsequent years. However,

UWF MEN took flight with all of the stages due to the high amount of student interest,” LeDuff said.

Student members participate in specialized programs and networking events under the guidance of the Campus Liaison Team and the Advisory Board, a leadership council comprised of local volunteers recognized for their professional excellence and dedication to the community.

“There are a lot of advisors, there are a lot of UWF professional staff, and there are a lot of people in Pensacola…there are a lot of people who are a part of UWF MEN,” said Michael Krueger, UWF MEN’s recruitment executive and one of the original eight members.

Members then progress to the Junior Challenge, where they work with Advisory Board mentors to create a meaningful community service project. The final level of the program—Senior Recognition—encourages the young men to find internships and attend career and graduate fairs, further preparing them for the competitive world outside college.

Even though UWF MEN is only one year old, its members have succeeded in getting the word out and making their presence known.

“With this inaugural year, what they needed to do, and what they achieved, was to create a core group of young leaders to help kick off the program, and they’re just such an outstanding group of gentlemen,” Jay Massey, MEN mentor, said.

Krueger said that making sure people

UWF MEN share knowledge and experiences.

U NI V E R S I TY o f W E ST F LO R I DA Spring 2015

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UWF ME N

NATHAN FORD,

associate director of Career Services, presents a breakout session on career choices at the Men’s Conference.

know about the group has been UWF MEN’s biggest goal this year, and that the next steps are to better inform the University community of their values and upcoming projects, thereby growing an educated network.

“They see the name everywhere. They see people wearing shirts. They see it on social media, but they don’t really know the basics of what UWF MEN is,” Krueger said.

Men in the organization help develop the wealth of knowledge they can impart to each other and the community at large with the UWF MEN Cave, which functions as a forum where they can gather and organize small discussion groups focused on different scholastic and professional subjects.

Members also promote the organization in the University Commons and have even put together a video for freshman orientation.

One of their latest community endeavors was their S.W.A.G. (Students With A Goal) project, where MEN members and a special guest spoke at Pensacola High School to inspire academic success.

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Spring 2015 UNIVERS IT Y of WE ST FLOR IDA

MEN’S CONFERENCE UWF MEN’s pinnacle event is the Men’s Conference, formerly known as the Men of Color Conference, which brings college students and professionals from all walks of life together and features panels and discussions on topics ranging from manhood and masculinity to military education, feminist and LGBT issues, according to last year’s event schedule. The Men’s Conference has also been home to nationally recognized special guests such as Derek Greenfield and Carl Hart.

“We are looking for a very dynamic speaker to come in for the UWF MEN’s Conference next year,” Kali Richardson, Advisory Board member and president of UWF Collegiate 100, Inc., said. “When I mean dynamic, I mean one of a kind. The person we have our eyes on is definitely somebody who’s well-known for their ability to speak on numerous levels.”

The rebranding of the conference and inclusion of cross-gender issues is an outward display of how UWF MEN is dedicated to increased diversity and integrated fellowship.

LeDuff said the group, intends to teach participants to partner with other such individuals in a more multicultural approach.

As a parent, Massey said that things like learning to befriend women helps challenge cultural conventions and don’t make one less of a man, but a compassionate and wellrounded human being.

“Since I’m the father of a son, I want to raise him in a manner that makes him respectful of anybody for any reason, whether it’s ethnicity, whether it’s gender,” Massey said.

Richardson concurred with his fellow MEN brethren, echoing what others have said about what they want UWF MEN to be— not just another campus organization, but a foundation for collegiate and career growth and redefining what a man is.

“I definitely agree,” Richardson said. “It’s about getting the initiative on its feet and getting the word out. I also think a big part of the main goal is putting it on a cornerstone of something that has great purpose.”

To learn more about UWF MEN, visit uwf.edu/men.

ALU M N I SPOT LI GH T

Alumni Spotlight: Paul Bowers UWF Readies Students to be Successful Leaders and Influencers

BY OLIVIA WISE AND MEGAN GONZALEZ

U

niversity of West Florida graduate and Pensacola native Paul Bowers recently returned to UWF as a 2014 Profiles in Leadership Fellow. The Profiles in Leadership Lecture Series introduces individuals with a distinguished record of leadership to the UWF and Northwest Florida communities. It provides an opportunity for leaders to enrich the teaching and learning environment at UWF by sharing their unique knowledge, experience and perspective in their respective career field.

Currently the chairman, president and chief executive officer of Georgia Power, Bowers said that seeing the growth of the University both physically and academically was impressive, but the highlight of his trip was the opportunity to engage with students.

“I encourage students to pursue excellence,” said Bowers. “This pursuit is something that people and organizations respond to, and it leads to greater vision and performance. Going beyond incremental growth each year, this philosophy encourages students to set a precedence that will allow them to achieve greatness.”

After attending UWF and graduating with a bachelor’s degree in political science, he earned a master’s degree in management from Troy University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Business School of Advanced Management. Prior to his current role, he served as chief financial officer of Southern Company, where he was rated by Institutional Investors Magazine as one of the Top Three CFOs in America. Bowers said that the achievements made by his team are vital to his personal and organizational success working in the energy and nuclear industry.

“Successful leaders develop a team that will carry the organization forward after they leave,” he said. “Recently,

we’ve announced a lot of movement among the top leadership of Georgia Power, and this excitement has created the aura of ‘I can do this too’ in our organization. Helping our employees grow into the leaders they aspire to be creates the greatest sense of pride for me as I look at the legacy I want to leave behind.”

His achievements as CEO of the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation’s largest producers of electricity, can be traced back to his performance at UWF. After an injury ended his college foot- “This pursuit is something ball career in Mississippi, Bowers that people and moved back to Pensacola to finish organizations respond to, his degree where his motivation was inspired by personal interac- and it leads to greater vision tions with professors that rein- and performance. Going forced positive decision-making. beyond incremental growth “It’s so important that students each year, this philosophy find an institution that will fit them, and UWF offers many capa- encourages students to set bilities to personalize curriculum,” a precedence that will allow he said. “The small class sizes that are offered at UWF are valuable them to achieve greatness.” because they offer students a plat- — Paul Bowers form to be personally coached by their professors.”

Bowers said he was humbled to return in fall 2014 as an honored guest and have his affiliation with the University recognized. He hopes that through this recognition he can be a role model not only for students, but also for other UWF alumni to start a conversation with current UWF students.

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CALENDAR

Calendar of Events May 2

Spring Commencement

Spring Commencement Join us at the Pensacola Bay Center on May 2 as we welcome the newest members of the UWF Alumni Association. Graduate and undergraduate students will be honored with their respective colleges at both morning and afternoon ceremonies.

Alumni Chapter Events Meet and reconnect with your fellow alumni, hear the latest University news and learn about our new alumni programs and services. Watch your email and mailbox to find out who our special guests are going to be at each event.

For more information on upcoming events in your area, visit alumni.uwf.edu. See event dates below.

April April 30 College of Education and Professional Studies (CEPS) Annual Alumni Showcase Make plans to join us for the 2015 CEPS Alumni Showcase on April 30 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the UWF Conference Center.

The event will feature alumni awards, presentations, prizes, food and beverages.

Come help us celebrate another great year of accomplishments in CEPS.

May May 2 Spring Commencement, Pensacola Bay Center. The morning ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. and will feature students from the College of Business and the College of Science, Engineering and Health. The

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Spring 2015 UNIVERS IT Y of WE ST FLOR IDA

afternoon ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. and will feature students from the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities and the College of Education and Professional Studies.

May 7 Intercollegiate Athletics Argonaut Scholarship Golf Tournament May marks the return of the annual Argonaut Scholarship Golf Tournament. Please join our student-athletes at the course to help us raise money for our athletic scholarships, May 7, 2015, 1 p.m. shotgun start at Scenic Hills Country Club at UWF. For more information or to register please visit GoArgos.com.

May 13 Emerald Coast Alumni Chapter Event

May 14 Tallahassee Alumni Chapter Event

June June 16 Orlando Alumni Chapter Event

June 17 Tampa Alumni Chapter Event

June 17 MBA Alumni Event Join us as we welcome the newest cohort of German MBA students on June 17 from 5:30-7 p.m. in the College of Business Atrium. The event will feature MBA alumni presentations, prizes, food and beverages. Come help us welcome our German MBA students and reconnect with your classmates.

Visit the event calendar to ďŹ nd the latest student and alumni events at uwf.edu/calendar.

CALEN DAR

Some go with the flow.

Others make a splash We offer Master’s, Specialist, and Doctorate programs in more than 50 specializations on campus and online. There’s never been a better time in your career to jump right in and make a splash. Online. In person. Refresh your career—classes are offered during the week and even weekends

Make your splash: uwf.edu/graduate

G R A D U AT E

U NI V E R S I TY o f W E ST F LO R I DA Spring 2015

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Spring 2015 UNIVERS IT Y of WE ST FLOR IDA

DIVING INTO PENSACOLA’S

BY AMY MINCHIN

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rom classic novels like Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” to epic movies such as “Pirates of the Caribbean” or “Master and Commander,” tales of adventures on the high seas have delighted us for generations.

History textbooks and documentaries do their part to shed light on famous seafaring explorers. Still, reading and watching these accounts—some fictional, some real—are as close as most people will ever come to the great pioneers and their famous expeditions.

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GREGORY D. COOK, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of anthropology, holding a piece of the outer hull planking of the shipwreck.

In history-rich Pensacola, where Don Tristán de Luna y Arellano led Spanish sailors in the first settlement attempt of the New World, stories of voyages past are still being uncovered today. The UWF Division of Anthropology and Archaeology is at the forefront of this discovery.

Through the University’s Maritime Field School, archaeologists and students have the rare opportunity to explore firsthand the remains of two 16th Century Spanish ships associated with Luna.

Archaeologists call the ships Emanuel Point I and Emanuel Point II because of where they were found in Pensacola Bay. The two ships were part of Luna’s colonization attempt in the 1500s, when he brought 1,500 Spanish colonists from Mexico to Florida. The colony was struck by a hurricane in 1559, and seven ships carrying their supplies were lost.

Each day the UWF Maritime Field School students are in the water, they are salvaging important artifacts that reveal new clues about the colonization.

“The Emanuel Point shipwrecks represent an incredible laboratory for UWF students and archaeologists,” said John R. Bratten, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology. “More than 4,000 artifacts have been recovered from the two Spanish vessels including pottery, food remains and cooking implements.”

The first ship discovered, Emanuel Point I, was found by the Florida Bureau of Archaeological Research in 1992. BAR and UWF archaeologists continued investigations of that ship through 1998 under the direction of Roger Smith, Ph.D., Florida State underwater archaeologist.

During the summer of 2006, Bratten and Gregory D. Cook, Ph.D., assistant professor of anthropology, along with maritime field

school students, were exploring a targeted area of the Bay where magnetic detection tools had led them in their search for a second ship.

“Two students were probing some rock during the last week of the summer field school, and that is when Emanuel Point II was found,” Bratten said. “The two ships are located at a 12 ft. depth, about a quarter mile apart on a sandbar.”

UWF archaeologists have continued to investigate portions of Emanuel Point II during summer field schools in the years since.

Now, thanks to a recent grant from the Florida Division of Historical Resources, funding is in place to support underwater fieldwork year-round. UWF announced the receipt of the special category grant totaling more than $290,000 in January.

Through the University’s Maritime Field School, archaeologists and students have the rare opportunity to explore firsthand the remains of two 16th Century Spanish ships associated with Luna.

“It is wonderful to have a grant like this,” said Elizabeth Benchley, Ph.D., director of the UWF Archaeology Institute and the Division of Anthropology and Archaeology.

“It will enable us to expand the maritime archaeology field school and work relatively continuously as we investigate Emanuel Point II and search for additional ships.”

Bratten agreed, noting that fieldwork is “slow and methodical,” and not having an end-of-summer deadline will allow the archaeology team to “investigate in the best scientific way possible.”

A profile view of the wreck as it lies in Pensacola Bay.

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STEPHEN ATKINSON, UWF historical archaeology graduate student, prepares to explore the Emanuel Point shipwreck.

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“The Emanuel Point shipwrecks represent an incredible laboratory for UWF students and archaeologists. More than 4,000 artifacts have been recovered from the two Spanish vessels including pottery, food remains, and cooking implements.”

—John R. Bratten, Ph.D., associate professor and chair of the Department of Anthropology

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1

1. Hand-made wooden spoons found in the vessel’s cargo hold.

2. Stone cannon shot.

4

3. Rim of a ceramic bowl.

4. The skull of a black rat, the predominant ship rat of this period.

5. An iron spike or fastener

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used in the construction of the ship.

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5

According to the terms of the matching grant, UWF archaeologists will conduct fieldwork, laboratory analysis, artifact conservation and curation, archival research in Spain and public outreach for two years.

Faculty, staff and students from the UWF Division of Anthropology and Archaeology, which includes the Archaeology Institute, Department of Anthropology, Florida Public Archaeology Network and the Marine Services Center, will contribute to the research activities. Dr. Cook and Dr. Bratten will serve as principal and co-principal investigators, respectively.

“When we find artifacts, our students learn to stabilize or conserve them, which can take several years,” Benchley explained.

“We store the collection in our curation facility on campus.”

Helping to connect the dots between the past and the artifacts students and professors are finding today is another area of research supported by the grant. UWF faculty and students will travel to Seville, Spain, under the direction of John Worth, Ph.D., associate professor of anthropology, to examine critical 16th century archives.

While it may be years before some of the newly found Luna artifacts can be displayed publicly, those hoping to catch a glimpse of the recovered items are not completely out of luck. The T.T. Wentworth, Jr., Florida State Museum in Downtown Pensacola houses the anchor from the Emanuel Point I ship. The Archaeology Institute at UWF also maintains exhibits of Emanuel Point artifacts. Located near the main entrance to campus, it is open to the public Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

As for community outreach, Bratten and Cook speak to the Pensacola Archaeological Society each year, providing the public with

updates on their research. They have presented to Florida educators and local school groups as well.

Also, although specific plans had not been determined at the time of this writing, Benchley says she and others are committed to finding ways to expose people to the underwater fieldwork that is being done in Pensacola Bay.

The Maritime Field School Experience “UWF is one of only three schools in the nation offering students opportunities in underwater archaeology,” Benchley said. “We’re proud to be able to offer both undergraduate and graduate students maritime field school experience as part of their academic work.”

Each field school session begins with a week of scientific diver training for the students. Scientific diver training consists of land, pool and open water sessions where supervisors train the students on their underwater archaeology skills, while a dive safety officer reviews general dive skills.

“This vital week not only familiarizes the students with the scientific archaeology skills they will be expected to perform, but it also allows the students to experience the conditions they will be working in,” wrote graduate student Meghan Mumford, in a blog maintained by students to record their experiences in Maritime Field School.

Once training is complete, exploration begins in Pensacola Bay. A UWF barge serves as a dive platform for the students and professors to enter the water each day. Using the methods they’ve learned and specialized archaeological equipment, they uncover new items and information.

“Undoubtedly, the most important artifacts are the ships’ hulls. Continued docu-

mentation of the buried timbers in the form of detailed drawings and photographs permits a detailed reconstruction of this 16thcentury colonization fleet,” Bratten said.

“Funding [from the DHR grant] will also ensure the continued search for the as yet undiscovered vessels, allow for continued artifact conservation, provide opportunities for many students and bring new information to the public about the founding of Pensacola in 1559.”

Updates from the Maritime Field School are posted regularly on the UWF Maritime Archaeology Facebook page. The archaeologists and students share everything from photos of underwater excavations to accounts of how the divers stay warm in cold water.

Documenting maritime history is a unique skill set for students who complete the Maritime Field School – one that isn’t often seen on résumés or curriculum vitae.

“Some students in our master’s program will go on to Ph.D. programs, but many of them want professional careers,” Bratten said.

One career path for students with underwater fieldwork experience is with cultural resource management firms, he says. “Some CRM firms do archaeological surveying offshore before construction or pipeline projects begin in order to meet government requirements,” Bratten explained.

Others may find archaeological jobs on land. Regardless of where their future leads, the experience gained in Maritime Field School is valuable.

It’s one the students – and history – won’t soon forget.

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ATHLE TICS

UWF Football Signs Inaugural Class

BY MATT ROWLEY

P

ete Shinnick was introduced as the first football head coach at the University of West Florida in a press conference on Feb. 6, 2014, one day after the college football world turned its attention to the annual tradition known as “National Signing Day.” “That’s going to happen here,” Shinnick said at the press conference. “All that excitement that was around all of the football programs yesterday, that will be us 12 months from now.”

The excitement arrived for UWF on Feb. 4, 2015, as Shinnick kept his promise nearly a year later and signed 32 high school seniors to join the first UWF football team.

The paperwork came in early, and the first official signing was Mike Beaudry, a quarterback from Hagerty High School in Oviedo, Florida. That email came in at 6 a.m. and was the first of many.

The next wave of signings came from student-athletes from the central time zone starting at 7 a.m. Devin Gibson, an offensive lineman from West Florida High School and the first Pensacola native to become an Argonaut football player, was among the group.

The final signing became official in the early afternoon, before Shinnick addressed the media at a press conference in the Argonaut Athletic Club.

“We were looking for special young men who could catch the vision of what we were going to do and what our future would be like,” he said. “Someone who could catch that vision and say, ‘This is where I want to spend the next five years.’ We challenged each one of them, saying ‘In four or five years, we want to see a degree with the University of West Florida’s name on it hanging in your office.’”

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The group’s collective athletic accomplishments are impressive. Of the 32 signees, 13 earned all-state honors. The group includes 21 young men from Florida and 11 from Alabama. Not only are they athletically gifted, but the group also works hard in the classroom. The class will come in with a combined grade point average of 3.4 and an ACT score of 22.

“We were looking for special young men who could catch the vision of what we were going to do and what our future would be like. Someone who could catch that vision and say, ‘This is where I want to spend the next five years.’”

—Pete Shinnick, UWF Head Football Coach Argo Spirit continued to grow as day turned into night and a large group of UWF fans, faculty, staff, alumni and students gathered at Seville Quarter in downtown Pensacola for a celebration. UWF President Judith Bense addressed the crowd and handed the microphone to Shinnick, who highlighted the accomplishments of each of the 32 signees.

“As Dr. Bense said, we’re not going to be anything but a contender,” Shinnick said to the crowd. “We are going to be a program that represents this University in a firstclass manner and also is extremely successful on the football field.”

Important Dates for UWF Football Sept. 4, 2013: President Bense announces team will begin playing in 2016 Sept. 18, 2013: UWF announces agreement to play home games at Maritime Park Stadium Jan. 31, 2014: Pete Shinnick hired as first head coach March 20, 2014: First assistant coaches hired Sept. 9, 2014: UWF receives $250,000 legacy gift from Burr family as lead gift for football Dec. 19, 2014: Team announces first two transfer student-athletes Feb. 4, 2015: Team signs 32 high school seniors to join team in fall Fall 2015: First signing class enrolls at UWF, starts full season of practices and scrimmages Fall 2016: Team begins inaugural season

AT H LET I C S

GO ARGOS! Tyrone Jones, Quarterback/Defensive Back, from Pine Forrest High School at the first UWF Spring football practice.

PRESIDENT JUDY BENSE with one of our

newly signed Argos, Devin Gibson, and a friend at the Signing Day Event at Seville Quarter.

HEAD FOOTBALL COACH Pete Shinnick

addresses those gathered for the Signing Day Event.

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BELLOWS Generations of Stronger Science at UWF

BY CONOR MCNAMARA

For more than twenty years, the R/V Bellows, a seventy-one foot, state-owned, research vessel, has played a key role in the success and development of UWF’s Department of Biology.

Students of varying levels, including high school students taking part in dual-enrollment courses, have the opportunity to experience life at sea via instructional days on the Bellows.

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B ELLOWS

Typically, students take six trips on the Bellows in their four years at UWF. Second only to the University of South Florida, UWF is the primary user of the Bellows, which costs approximately five thousand dollars per day. Reserving ship time and prepping for trips is no small feat, given the ship is housed at the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) headquarters on USF’s St. Petersburg campus. However, the costs and scheduling efforts pale in comparison to the educational value that time on the Bellows has for students and researchers. Providing students with this type of experience, where exposure to their trade extends beyond the classroom, is invaluable and a testament to part of the Florida Institute of Oceanography’s objective to leverage and integrate existing physical and intellectual resources within the State University System.”

Dr. Wade Jeffrey, professor in the UWF Department of Biology, first encountered the Bellows as a University of South Florida graduate student in 1982 and was at the center of the decision, as a UWF faculty member, to bring the ship to Pensacola. He believes the key to successful science is hands-on learning and points out that many universities have access to research ships, but there are few used to teach research. Dr. Jeffrey’s belief in hands-on learning correlates with UWF’s value of high-impact practices; those experiences in and out of the classroom that lead to essential learning outcomes. At the center of this type of learning is the Bellows.

“If you’re interested in marine sciences, it’s imperative to get out on the boat and do it. Many students, set on careers in ocean

sciences, don’t realize until they work on the Bellows, that they get seasick.” explains Jeffrey. “Again, allotting students time, space and resources to exist as workers within their field, as opposed to just students, is priceless. The Bellows and the UWF Department of Biology do what every collegiate program should: prepare students for the world beyond the classroom.”

Over the years, the Bellows has not only aided in research and training for students, but has also functioned as a recruiting tool.

Heather Barineau, UWF biology major, is one of many students fortunate enough to spend time on the Bellows prior to her time at UWF. Charlene Mauro Fearon, director of the Navarre Beach Marine Science Stations, nominated Barineau to spend four days on the Bellows as part of a course directed by Dr. Jeffrey. Although Dr. Jeffrey believes it’s important for young people to leave home for college, he’s grateful the Bellows served as a kind of “deal-sealer” for local students passionate about marine biology and oceanography.

“This program pushed me to stay in Navarre and attend UWF, ” Barineau said.

“While I was sitting on the bow of the Bellows watching the sunset after a long day of collecting and filtering phytoplankton samples, I told myself that this is where I want to be.”

The Bellows acts as a floating laboratory for all types of scientific exploration.

Scientists and students examine our state coastlines and estuaries, collect data and utilize the Bellows floating classrooms.

The vessel, equipped with the basics, and more, gives students the chance to engage in the type of high-impact learning that is

relevant in modern education. According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, high-impact learning experiences lead students to more thorough and applicable reflections on their learning processes. The research and data analysis collected on the Bellows help students to fulfill requirements for their degrees, but more importantly provide a foundation for their future careers.

Katelyn Houghton, former UWF graduate student, was able to use data collected on the Bellows for her master’s thesis. The kind of research she was doing, running radioisotope experiments (to track bacterial and phytoplankton production) and other shipboard activities demonstrate and support the FIO’s Vision Statement -- “facilitate and support Florida’s emergence as the preeminent state in the nation for understanding ocean processes.” In order for appropriate and thorough examinations to take place, the next generations of ocean scientists require the exposure to sea life that the Bellows has to offer.

“Such hands-on and in-depth field training is often rare for institutional programs,” Houghton said.

For Dr. Jeffrey, and countless others, the Bellows has been a way to experience life at sea as a scientist. Keeping in mind Dr. Jeffrey’s words and high-impact practices, it is safe to say the best way to learn marine biology is going out on the sea. The Bellows is a symbol, a familiar fixture at the center of a thriving biology department. In a competitive, ever-changing culture, where emphasis is put on field-based, experimental learning, having access to the sea, via the Bellows, is an undeniable advantage.

“While I was sitting on the bow of the Bellows watching the sunset after a long day of collecting and filtering phytoplankton samples, I told myself that this is where I want to be.”

— Heather Barineau, UWF Biology Major

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BELLOWS

R / V B E L LO WS

BUILT AS A RESEARCH VESSEL to work in the Bahamas, the seventy-one foot vessel is housed at the Florida Institute of Oceanography headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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DEV ELOPME NT

FOOTBALL COACH PETE SHINNICK, Foundation Board Chair John Hutchinson, Dean Michael Huggins, President Judy Bense, Vice President for University Advancement Brendan Kelly and Athletic Director Dave Scott with Tim Burr and family at the gift announcement.

Legacy Gift

Local Family Leaves Legacy Gift to High-Impact Learning Experience and UWF Football

BY MEGAN GONZALEZ AND MARGARET ROBERTS

W

hen you truly believe in something, a piece of yourself stays with it forever. This is true for John Thayer and Joan Ames Burr, who left a legacy gift totaling more than $770,000 from their estate to the University of West Florida.

Of the total gift, $250,000 is being allocated to UWF athletics and more than $500,000 will create an endowment to support undergraduate research opportunities in the College of Science, Engineering and Health.

The son of John and Joan, Tim Burr said his family has a long history and passion for supporting higher education in the Northwest Florida region.

“My parents believed that higher education creates opportunities for people to improve themselves and the community,” Burr said. “They also really loved Pensacola, Gulf Breeze and the entire Northwest Florida region, so there was no better way to give back to the community than by supporting the University.”

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The portion of the gift designated for the College of Science, Engineering and Health will be used to establish the John Thayer and Joan Ames Burr Undergraduate Research Endowment.

“It is our family’s hope that this gift furthers the University’s stature in the education community and attracts high-quality students, so that together we can achieve something for the greater good.”

—Tim Burr “It means a lot to us to know that our family has again contributed to education,” he said. “It is our family’s hope that this gift furthers the University’s stature in the edu-

cation community and attracts high-quality students, so that together we can achieve something for the greater good.”

Legacy giving at UWF not only impacts the existing University community, but especially generations to come. The $250,000 designated for UWF Football constitutes the largest gift to date. In recognition of the Burr’s gift, the UWF Field House Lobby will be named in their memory.

“Legacy giving provides and an opportunity for families to contribute in a way that most of us cannot while living,” said Dr. Brendan Kelly, vice president of University Advancement. “Whether it’s creating a scholarship fund, naming a building or classroom after a loved one or creating an endowment that will last forever, the impact is transformational. This gift from the Burr family will greatly enhance the UWF experience for future generations.”

For additional information about legacy giving, visit uwf.edu/give.

D E VELOPM EN T

Alumni Giving College of Business Poised to Enhance Student-Learning Opportunities through Gift from Two Accounting Alumni

BY MEGAN GONZALEZ AND MARGARET ROBERTS

Brian and Kim Pennington, two UWF Master of Accountancy alumni, believe that supporting higher education paves the way for the future of many individuals.

Through their generous gift to the UWF College of Business, students will have the opportunity for need-based scholarships that will enhance their college experience and create opportunities that may otherwise be seemingly impossible.

“Too often I have seen students who plan to attend college but are unable to do so,” said Brian Pennington. “The passion and desire is there, but the financial requirements necessary to make it happen are not. We’ve supported higher education in our family since 1991 because we know too many people who weren’t able to afford it, and this gift can help them meet their goals.”

In February, students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered in the College of Business Education Center for a celebration highlighting the Pennington’s transformational gift and to see firsthand what their gift will accomplish. Students from various organizations and clubs within the College

of Business had the opportunity to meet with Brian, Kim and their children Laura and Mark to share more about how the gift would personally impact their lives.

“As accounting alumni, Kim and I both understand the need for more accounting professionals in the industry, and this is the best place to start,” said Brian Pennington.

“When we were going through school, we didn’t have these types of programs. We believe this gift will give students the opportunity to pursue higher education and learn real-world skills and expectations of employers before they get into the professional world.”

The gift will establish The Brian and Kim Pennington College of Business Professional Readiness Initiatives, allowing students to participate in professional readiness activities that provide students with skills to prepare them for their careers. The College of Business will be able to expand its programs that allow students to learn their trade outside of the walls of a classroom.

Additionally, the College of Business Education Center Atrium was named in the their

MARK, BRIAN, KIM AND LAURA PENNINGTON at the College of Business Education Center Atrium, which has been named in their honor.

honor, allowing future generations of College of Business students to recognize this life-changing gift.

“If students are able to gain experience while obtaining a degree, they will already have a step up in the workplace,” said Kim Pennington. “The size of UWF truly benefits the students due to the personalized programs and practices. At UWF, students get these preparation activities in addition to an excellent degree.”

Aside from the real-world opportunities that students will encounter, the gift will also establish the Brian and Kim Pennington Accounting Scholarship Endowment to provide need-based scholarships. Preference will be given to undergraduate upper-division students who have declared accounting as their major or graduate students who are seeking a master’s degree in accounting.

The Pennington family anticipates a new coalition of well-trained, educated professionals who are ready to enter the industry right after graduation.

BRIAN PENNINGTON

addresses students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered at the College of Business during the gift announcement.

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SNAPS H OTS

Philip DeBoer and Bret Smith at the Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund alumni workplace event.

UWF’s logistics students tour the Lewis Bear Company with David Bear.

Chemistry students Tashiema Wilson, Xuan Tran and Sheneika Jackson at the 2015 Chemistry Scholars Symposium.

Robert Hoyt, MD FACP and Ann Yoshihashi, MD FACP with UWF nursing students during the Nursing Lab ribbon cutting.

Smile!

Whether we gather at a grand opening, recognition dinner, chapter event or Homecoming, our events provide the perfect opportunity to show our appreciation of your continued support. They are also a wonderful chance for you to socialize with fellow alumni, current students, staff, faculty and friends of the University.

Dr. Ranga Rao Krothapalli with 2015 recipients of the Professor Emeritus Swarna Krothapalli Endowed Scholarship for Clinical Lab Sciences.

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Don’t miss out! We continue to add new events to the mix. For a look at upcoming events, visit alumni.uwf.edu.

S N APSH OTS

Alumni attend a Wine & Spirits event held at the T.T. Wentworth Museum.

Mary and LuTimothy May in front of the late Theopholis May’s display during the Voices of Pensacola opening.

UWF’s Innovation Institute Grand Opening.

UWF celebrated Homecoming 2014 at Downtown Pensacola’s Gallery Night.

CoderDojo Pensacola—Teaching kids how to code.

Free, collaborative, youth-centric and fun learning at UWF’s Innovation Institute.

UWF students with Dr. Judy Bense at Homecoming 2014 U NI V E R S I TY o f W E ST F LO R I DA Fall 2014

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SNA PS H OTS

Dr. Brendan Kelly, Dr. Judy Bense, new Foundation Fellow Nancy Fetterman and Foundation Board Chair John Hutchinson at the Annual Donor Dinner.

Grand opening celebration at the Voices of Pensacola, presented by Gulf Power.

THANK YOU TO OUR ANNUAL UWF ALUMNI GOLF TOURNAMENT SPONSORS GEICO Pen Air Federal Credit Union Chartwell’s Morette Company UWF Bookstore Florida First Capital Finance Corporation Evergreen Printing

Mrs. Ann Belleau receives the 2014 Presidential Medal of Honor from President Judy Bense and Board of Trustees Chair Lewis Bear, Jr. at the Annual Donor Dinner.

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Spring 2015 UNIVERS IT Y of WE ST FLOR IDA

The UWF Bookstore team playing in the 2014 Alumni Classic.

Hong Tran speaks to a guest at the 2015 Women in Leadership conference on UWF’s campus.

C L ASS N OT ES

Class Notes 1970s ’72 John “Jay” Thornton, Jr., MPA, has published his second book, “You Make Me Strong.” It is a companion volume to “Believed to Be Alive,” a book co-authored by Thornton’s father, John W. Thornton, Class of ’74 & ’76, Political Science and Master of Public Administration.

’78 & ’90 Gerri MacDonald, BA & MA Elementary Education, is the Perdido Middle School Teacher of the Year. She has taught for a total of 33 years. ’79 Clifford Vannoy, BS Management, is the new LSU alumni association executive vice president and chief operating officer. ’71 Kerry C. Williams, MS Aeronautical Systems, has been chosen for inclusion among the 2015 Best Lawyers in America. Williams is an attorney in construction law and litigation in Houston, Texas.

1980s ’81 Karen Hall, BA Elementary Education, has been appointed to the Escambia County Extension Council. ’81 Capt. Jerry C. Patee, USN (Ret.), MS Sports Science, has been appointed to the Escambia County Extension Council. ’82 Charles Thorton, BS Management, has been named the new president of the Pensacola Chapter of the NAACP. NAACP is fighting for the civil and voter rights against voting suppression and civil rights violations.

Thornton

’72 Robert Ericson, BS SystemsScience/Business, is a retired software engineer. Ericson is a part-time actor for the San Francisco Opera and has appeared in over 20 productions. ’72 Donald Willmon, BA Accounting, has been appointed chief financial officer of John Daugherty Realtors in Houston, Texas. ’74 & ’76 Samuel R. Mathews, BA & MA Psychology, received an honorary doctorate from Tallinn University for significant contributions to the development of teacher education in Estonia.

’83 Patricia Bitar, Master of Accounting Information Systems, is the chief financial officer of TRACON Pharmaceuticals in San Diego, California.

’88 Cindy Marihart, MA Psychology, has been hired as director of the Aging Services Division of the State Department of Human Services in Minnesota. ’89 Carrie Smith, BA Elementary Education, has been appointed as supervisor of special education in the Department of Special Education in St. Mary’s County Public Schools in Maryland.

1990s ’90 & ’99 Natalie Sommer, BA English Education & MEd Educational Leadership, has a business called Natalie Crafts, which was selected as a finalist in the 2014 American Made Awards by Martha Stewart. ’90 Colonel Charles Stein, BS Physical Education, is the project manager for Defense Communications and Army Transmission Systems (PMDCATS) of the 1st Signal Brigade in South Korea.

Colonel Stein says he owes his start to the UWF ROTC program.

’86 Mitzi Shanholtzer, BA Communication Arts, has been appointed as executive assistant to the publisher and special projects manager for the Pensacola News Journal. ’86 & ’94 Sharee Rich, BS Management & MBA, was promoted to MYFree Taxes national trainer and support center supervisor. She is training call centers and specialists across the nation.

’78 Dennis Goodspeed, MA Psychology, was elected to the executive boards of the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association and the Florida Council for Community Mental Health. ’78 Kenneth Walker, BS Systems Science, has been appointed as pastor of Trinity United Methodist Church in Martinsburg, West Virginia.

’87 Jose R. Rodriguez, MS Systems Analysis, has been appointed to the president of Rodriguez Financial Strategies. Rodriguez is a retired United States Air Force Colonel, who is now a financial advisor guiding professional and business owners on developing financial roadmaps.

Roberson & Stein

Walker

’91 Col. Carol Tschida, BA International Studies, assumed command of the 419th Contracting Support Brigade in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

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CLASS NOTE S

’91 Murburak Al-Mansouri, MBA, is the chief executive officer of Emirates Investment Authority, a federal investment fund. He is the new central bank governor in the United Arab Emirates. ’91 Colonel Arvesta Roberson, BS Tech Voc, is the 30th Commander of the 1st Signal Brigade in South Korea.

As a UWF student Colonel Roberson was in the ROTC Department. ’92 T. Allen Culpepper, MA English, recently received a teaching excellence award and stipend from Tulsa Community College. He is also a poet; his work “An Apparition and a Refuge” recently appeared in This Land, and another poem has been accepted for the next issue of Red Truck Review. ’92 Jeff Brazwell, BS Marketing, has been appointed as director of sales for Spanco, Inc. ’92 Jefferson Edgens, MPA, has been named associate vice president for academic affairs at Thomas University with faculty rank as associate professor of Political Science.

Jacksonville, Florida. The technology company founded in 1994 designs and develops websites. ’95 Jennie Kinsey, BA Theatre, is a former assistant state attorney who is now a judge in the First Judicial Court in Escambia County, Florida. ’96 John Bartoszewicz, BS Marketing, is the new Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. Adrian Area Chamber of Commerce will continue their mission of enhancing the quality of life in the greater Adrian area under Bartoszewicz leadership.

’92 & ’94 Allison Hill, BA Accounting & Master of Accountancy, was promoted to the newly created role of chief operating officer for the Lakeview Center in Pensacola, Florida. ’92 Sherry Marcolongo, BA English Education, is now the director of corporate communications for TSA Consulting Group. ’93 Carol Trivett Britton, MBA, has been named the director of marketing and communications for the Waterfront Rescue Mission in Pensacola, Florida. ’93 Adnane Khalil, BS Computer Science, has been named director of applications development at QS/1. ’95 Donald Lamey, BS Business Administration, owns DiscoverTec in 31

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’01 Heather Peacock, BA Mathematics, has joined the faculty of Faith Christian School in Port St. Joe, Florida as the elementary/middle school teacher of science and math.

’96 Shawn Keenan, BS Finance, has joined RE/MAX on the Coast in Gulf Breeze, Florida. ’96 Robert Cutter, BA Criminal Justice, is the new vice president of sales for the Hardware Retailing magazine. ’97 Tanya Stabler Miller, BA History, focused on a 13th century French religious movement that connects female spirituality and labor in her book, “The Beguines of Medieval Paris: Gender, Patronage, and Spiritual Authority.” ’97 & ’01 Thuy Nguyen, BS Microbiology & BS Computer Science, has been promoted to technician supervisor for Sacred Heart’s Pharmacy Department. She will now oversee 25 technicians and the externs from Virginia College’s pharmacy tech program.

Hill

Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Health Authority. Young writes a series of science fiction books in her free time.

She lives in Salem, Oregon with her husband and four children.

’97 Tara Nolan, MBA, a member of the Ninety-Nines, an international organization of women pilots that promotes advancement of aviation, was featured during a Zonta Club meeting on January 7, 2015. ’99 Harrison Anthony Peters, BA Elementary Education, was named as chief high school officer for the Houston Independent School District in Houston, Texas.

2000s ’00 Nicole Huffman, BA Legal Administration, has a new job as vice president of litigation at Consulate Health Care/Dias & Associates in Tampa, Florida. ’00 George Willard, MA Clinical Teaching, joined St. Joseph’s Prep School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as their new swimming coach. ’00 Dawn Young, BS Business Administration, is the cash management accountant for the

Wakefield

’01 Jennifer Wakefield, BA PR / Advertising, the vice president of marketing and communications for the Orlando Economic Development Commission, has been selected as a winner in the economic development profession’s 40 Under 40 awards, the only award of its kind recognizing young talent in the economic development profession. ’02 Ben Stubbs, BA English Literature, earned his Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Tennessee, and his dissertation, More Myself: Exploring Students’ Perceptions of Self-Authorship Development, was named 2014 Dissertation of the Year by the Southern Association of College Student Affairs. Stubbs is currently the associate director for student involvement at UWF. ’02 Lara Burnside, BA Communication Arts, has published a book entitled “Believe in the Journey of Your Dreams: Simple Steps to Create the Life You Imagine.” It was released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. ’03 Gregory Clay, MBA, is the new marketing manager for the Pensacola News Journal. ’04 & ’10 Jason Crawford, BS Management & MBA, is the chief executive officer for Intelligent Retinal Imagining Systems (IRIS), a Pensacola, Florida company with a mission to end preventable blindness through early detection and better preventable care.

C LASS N OT ES

’04 Jared Jones, BA International Studies, is the new director of the Downtown Improvement Board of Panama City, Florida. ’05 Kyle Hudson, MSA Educational Leadership, has been appointed to the Chipola College District Board of trustees. Hudson was previously the Holmes County Clerk of the Circuit Court and is currently a board member of the Holmes County Fair Board. ’05 Megan Hames, BS Biology, married Justin Pollack on September 20, 2014 during an outdoor ceremony at The Hermitage, former home of Andrew Jackson. ’05 Carrie Morris, BA Art History, joins Coldwell Banker Caine as the experience coordinator for Residential Property Service.

Beach, Florida. Griffin will focus her practice on labor and employment law. ’08 Jill Lavender, BS Environmental Studies, joined the West Florida Regional Planning Council as a regional planner/special projects coordinator in the transportation planning program. ’08 Debra Lollie, BA Education, was named “Teacher of the Year” at Jackson Alternative School for the 2014-2015 school year. Lollie has been with the Jackson County School Board for a total of 29 years. ’08 Dr. James Henderson, MSA Administration, has been named the new president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. ’09 Savannah King, BA Journalism, has been promoted to digital and social media specialist at The Times in Gainesville, Georgia. ’09 Christopher Meissner, BS Accounting, was presented the Defense Travel Management Office Icon Award as part of the Naval Sea Systems Command Warfare Center Travel Team.

2010s Ley

’05 & ’07 Emily Ley, BA English & MS Administration, won Best New Product Award in the desktop category at the National Stationary Show in New York City. ’07 Karen Burch, BA Education, was announced as the Santa Rosa County ‘Teacher of the Year” for 2016. Burch will represent the county in the statewide competition in May. Burch has been teaching at S.S. Dixon Primary School for eight years. ’07 Captain Chris Williams, BS Information Technology, of Fish Happens Charters in Pensacola, Florida recently filmed a “Big Water Adventure” episode with Mark Davis. ’07 Wesley Meiss, BA Psychology and ’08 Lauren Basford, BA History, got married on December 20, 2014 at St. Luke United Methodist Church in Pensacola, Florida. Mr. Meiss was recently elected mayor of Milton, Florida. ’08 Holly Griffin, BA Pre-law, has joined the firm of Gunster in West Palm

’10 Edward Murray, BA Communication Arts, has been named the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce 2013-2014 Ambassador of the Year. ’11 Heidi Yefremov, BA Legal Studies, has been announced as the first vice president of the executive board of the Northwest Florida Paralegal Association for 2014-2015. ’11 Sarah Darden, BA Public Relations, has joined the SMG staff at the Pensacola Bay Center as the new interactive marketing and sales manager. ’11 Christina Copeland, BA Communication Arts, joined the Destin Getaways and Crye-Leike Coastal Realty team as marketing director. ’11 Larry Williams, BS Nursing, has been named the nurse navigator in the Care Assure Program for West Florida Healthcare. The program cares for the follow-up care for patients with cardiovascular disease.

11 ‘Brenton McMahon, BS Digital Media /Information Tech, has joined the staff of WSRE-TV as the manager for online media technologies and web content. ’12 Xynn Tii, BA Communication Arts, is the leader of IX Inc. Tii’s company was featured in Business Climate Magazine.

’12 James Moretz, BA Criminal Justice, was recognized by Florida Governor Rick Scott as an educator who formerly served in the military. Moretz teaches at Northview High School in Northern Escambia County, Florida. ’12 Phylicia Pearson, BA English & Liberal Arts, was named best advocate at the Florida Bar Trial Lawyer Section’s Chester Bedell Mock Trial Competition in West Palm Beach on Jan. 24, 2015. ’12 Sean Reynolds, BS Exercise Science, Reynolds was signed as a defender for the new USL Pro team Louisville City FC. ’13 Katherine O’Neil Bollone, BA Theatre, wed John Michael LaRosa on July 19, 2014. ’13 Dr. Susan Turner, MPH, has been hired as the new health officer for the Kitdsap Public Health District. Kitdsap is located in Washington and Turner began her new role December 1, 2014. ’14 Ramon Sealy, BS Information Technology, was voted the top keeper for cricket at a tournament in New Zealand.

In Memoriam ’68 Dorothea Holmes Adams, BA Studio Art; died August 22, 2014. ’69 Henry Mammarelli, BS Management; died September 29, 2014. ’69 Jack C. Hord, BA Psychology; died August 30, 2014. ’69 Kay Spearman, BA English; died December 3, 2014. ’69 Peter Comeaux, BA Psychology; died January 12, 2015. ’69 & ’96 Dorothy Kendall, BA Elementary Education & Master of Educational Leadership; died August 31, 2014. ’70 Kenneth Stoutamire, BS Marketing; died September 20, 2014. ’70 & ’73 Frances Dyson, BS & MS Biology; died July 12, 2014. ’70 & ’72 Margaret Eady, BA Psychology & MA Psychology; died August 22, 2014. ’71 Cynthia Cox, BA Social Work; died August 30, 2014. ’71 Ronald Irlbeck, BS Systems Science; died September 22, 2014. ’72 John Hampton, BA Sociology; died October 13, 2014.

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CLASS NOTE S

’72 & ’80 Wallace French, BA Accounting & MBA; died December 11, 2014. ’72 Winston Moore, MBA; died December 24, 2014. ’72 & ’78 David Rohan, BA Social Science & MEd Educational Leadership; died December 18, 2014. ’73 Henry Seely, BA Criminal Justice; died December 8, 2014. ’73 Capt. Alious Casey, Master of Educational Leadership; died August 29, 2014. ’74 Brenda Westmoreland, BS Health, Leisure & Exercise Science; died July 15, 2014. ’74 Dona L. Denton, MA Psychology; died July 31, 2014. ’74 Dorothy Himes, BA Elementary Education; died September 26, 2014. ’74 & ’75 Kathleen Armstrong, BA English Education & MA English; died July 30, 2014. ’74 & ’78 Kent Murray, BA & MA Communication Arts; died June 20, 2014. ’75 Larry Alan Bevins, BS Arts, died July 27, 2014. ’75 James Lamar, BA Social Science; died January 3, 2015 ’76 Roberta Moore, BA Elementary Education; died August 16, 2014. ’76 Allan Andreasen, BA Accounting; died August 16, 2014.

’76 & ’78 Kathryn Goller, BS Technical Vocational Studies & MEd Educational Leadership; died July 14, 2014. ’77 Rhonda Osborne, BA English Education; died August 30, 2014. ’78 Paula Jean Hendrieth, BA Elementary Education; died October 17, 2014. ’80 Kurt Birdwhistell, BS Chemistry; died November 2014. ’80 Lt. Col. Robert Schaefer USAF (Ret.), MS Systems Analysis; died July 28, 2014. ’85 Catherine Washington, BA Elementary Education; died August 27, 2014. ’85 Charlene Hargraves, BS Management; died October 8, 2014. ’86 Kermit Baker, BA Accounting Information System; died December 31, 2014.

’94 Nancy Novak, BA Elementary Education; died August 9, 2014. ’96 Elizabeth Peaden, BA Political Science Pre-Law; died November 2, 2014. ’97 & ’99 Jerry Aldridge, BS Technological Vocational Studies & MEd Educational Leadership; died September 30, 2014. ’99 Anna Mae Mastrili Maano, BS Nursing; died July 6, 2014. ’99 Marvalee Welch, BA Journalism; died December 1, 2014. ’01 Eric Doelker, BS Engineering Technology; died November 23, 2014. ’05 Greg Place, BA Interdisciplinary Social Science; died September 29, 2014. ’05 Vicki Kramer, BA Public Relations; died January 9, 2015.

’86 & ’88 James Vreeland, BA Political Science & MPA; died September 11, 2014.

’10 & ’14 Samantha Rodzwicz, BA Communication Arts & Master of Strategic Communication & Leadership; died August 20, 2014.

’89 Barbara Clayton, BS Nursing; died September 27, 2014.

’13 Mary Grace, BA Communication Arts, died September 19, 2014.

’89 Mary Jane Dailey Wood, BS Marketing; died November 19, 2014

’13 Jarvis Jerrell Williams, BS Business Administration/Marketing; died October 7, 2014.

’90 Vivian Hughes, BS Management; died December 26, 2014. ’94 Nicholas Berry, BA Anthropology; died June 25, 2014.

Stephen Fluharty, UWF employee; died May 6, 2014.

Professor Emeritus Swarna Krothapalli, 1942 – 2014 Swarna Krothapalli, the founder and former program director of the Clinical Laboratory Sciences (CLS) Program, passed away on March 2, 2014. She joined UWF in 1986 and served until her retirement in 2009.

Krothapalli

Krothapalli was credited for developing the CLS program, which has performed in stellar fashion over the years. Under her leadership, the program experienced increases in enrollment, increases in the number of clinical rotations and five successful accreditation reviews. During her UWF tenure, Krothapalli’s strength and effectiveness in teaching and high standards for performance were recognized with four UWF teaching awards. Additionally, her dedication and commitment to students resulted in UWF graduates achieving a more than 90 percent pass rate in the national certification and state licensure exams.

In recognition of her service to UWF and her commitment to student success, her surviving spouse, Dr. Ranga Rao Krothapalli, and their two adult children have established the Professor Emeritus Swarna Krothapalli Endowed Scholarship for Clinical Lab Sciences. The award will be made by the department to a meritorious student who has been admitted into the clinical year of the program, has a minimum 3.0 GPA and displays the ability to successfully complete the CLS program.

For those desiring to do so, memorial gifts or gifts to the endowment may be made to the UWF Foundation, Inc.

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Spring 2015 UNIVERS IT Y of WE ST FLOR IDA

M EET A ST U DEN T A M BASSADOR

Representing UWF Personally and Academically Student Ambassador Austin Burkhard

BY OLIVIA WISE

U

WF junior Austin Burkhard has learned how to use the connections he has made on campus to become a face of the University, while simultaneously bettering himself both personally and professionally. The Telford, Pennsylvania native, who is dual majoring in maritime studies and anthropology, has already completed two internships with the Fish and Wildlife Service at the Chicoteague Wildlife Refuge in Virginia and has taken advantage of every opportunity to be involved on campus that has come his way.

After joining University Student Ambassadors in fall 2013, Burkhard realized how valuable the connections he was making with University officials, such as President Judy Bense and Dr. Kevin Bailey, were for his future. These connections not only enriched his student experience, but also helped him cultivate some of the skills he used during his internships.

“Not a lot of students can say they are on a first-name basis with the president of their University,” Burkhard said. “The guidance from President Bense, along with other University officials, has helped me achieve a new level of professionalism and ambition.”

With a new football program kicking off at UWF, Burkhard has been heavily involved with the recruitment process, working firsthand with UWF football head coach Pete Shinnick and giving campus tours to football recruits. Burkhard said that being involved with this program has been his favorite experience as a Student Ambassador.

Austin Burkhard

U W F ST UD ENT AM BASSADO RS

est.

1987

“I’ve really enjoyed being able to be one of the people showing UWF’s football recruits what student life is like here on campus,” he said. “I’m able to talk to them on a professional level as a Student Ambassador, but I can also be personal with them as just another student.”

77,000 414 SA students have earned more than

SERVICE HOURS

STU D ENTS I N T H E P ROGRAM

Since 1987

U NI V E R S I TY o f W E ST F LO R I DA Spring 2015

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Connection

University of West Florida 11000 University Parkway Pensacola, FL 32514 uwf.edu/alumni

I UWF Last fall, when we asked UWF students why they love UWF, their answers were inspiring: Small Classes Amazing Professors Endless Opportunities

Beautiful Campus Diverse Student Body Great Campus Events

Quotes shared by UWF students in the Fall of 2014 during “I Love UWF Week.”

It doesn’t take much to make life-changing experiences like these possible. If every UWF graduate gave just $25, students would benefit from $1.6 million in support.

Give to your favorite scholarship, department, program or athletic team today at uwf.edu/ShareTheLove.