USF Sarasota-Manatee campus kicks off spring Semester
The USF Sarasota-Manatee campus welcomed 2022 and kicked off the spring semester with a monthlong flurry of events to engage and energize students, including Week of Welcome, the Day at the Capitol and the Bullpen Student Engagement Fair.
“I love the energy on campus,” campus student Gov. Riffat Islam said. “Everyone is really excited to get the semester started.”
Week of Welcome did just that with a host of activities to introduce students to campus resources and spur social engagement, including an Outdoor Movie Night, the Student, Staff and Facul-Tea Party and a meeting of Virtual Book Club.
One of the week’s highlights: the Food Truck Rally featuring three food trucks, a smoothie stand, a bratwurst grilling station and a live DJ, all in the Campus Courtyard. Students received tickets to each vendor.
Week of Welcome is celebrated on all USF campuses. A mix of entertainment, social activity and information sessions, the celebration is designed to energize students and introduce them to important USF resources.
The following week, dozens of USF students toured the state Capitol and met with lawmakers to urge support of USF priorities.
About 15 students from the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus joined others from St. Pete and Tampa for the Jan. 18 Day at the Capitol visit, which included tours of the Senate and House chambers and Supreme Court. The students also participated in panel discussions with legislators, lobbyists and journalists to learn more about the legislative process.
“It was an amazing experience, just being here and seeing how bills are passed and getting to meet with the Senate and House members,” said senior Jonah Durst, who helped organize the trip for the Sarasota-Manatee students.
The group drove up a day early. Joining them at the Capitol were USF President Rhea Law and senior leaders from each of the campuses, including Sarasota-Manatee Regional Chancellor Karen A. Holbrook.
The visit, which occurred a week after the start of the legislative session, enabled the students to urge support of bills important to USF, including funding requests connected to the USF Environmental & Oceanographic Sciences Research & Teaching Facility on the USF St. Pete campus and the proposed nursing/STEM building on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.
Separately, students pressed for support of another potential future project, a new residency hall and Student Center to house Student Government and recreation and study areas at the Sarasota-Manatee campus.
“The Student Center is something we’ve wanted for a long time,” said Carter Bedinghaus, a senior at the campus. “In a way, it really was an honor just to be there and support USF and our campus and be a part of something bigger than myself.”
Last week’s Bullpen Student Engagement Fair capped off the busy month.
Eighteen on- and off-campus groups participated in the three-hour fair at the Selby Auditorium to showcase student clubs and other organizations.
Students mingled amid the tables, learning about such groups as the American Chemical Society, Bulls who Believe, the Latin American Student Association and the Office of Veteran Success.
“I like that you can see the different clubs and meet people here,” nursing student Marilyn Latorre said.
While attending Bullpen, Latorre and fellow nursing student Jordyn Sacks discovered that USF offered a Virtual Book Club and signed up immediately.
Each of the clubs set up display tables and loaded them with brochures, signup sheets, food and other free USF swag. The event, which saw a sizeable turnout, is the campus’ premier recruiting activity for student organizations.
Kati Hinds, assistant director of student engagement, helped organize the Bullpen event. She shared that these organizations, clubs and programs are important because they help students make connections on campus and in the community, while also building communication and leadership skills.
Hinds said that “student engagement is the heart of making connections on campus."
Students interested in joining or beginning their own organization can learn more here.
USF Sarasota-Manatee campus celebrates Black Heritage Month
The University of South Florida celebrates the cultures, heritages and ethnicities that comprise its diverse community. To mark Black Heritage Month, Feb. 1 to March 1, USF will host several events on its three campuses.
The USF Sarasota-Manatee campus will kick off the celebration with a discussion, An Evening with John Sims: Art, Activism and Radical Citizenship, scheduled Thursday, Feb. 3, at 6 p.m. in the campus’ Selby Auditorium.
Resident Artist of the Ringling Museum of Art and La Mama Experimental Theater Club in New York City, Sims’ work focuses primarily on interdisciplinary conceptual art.
His works include multimedia projects that span mathematics, text, performance and political-media activism. His main projects are informed by the vocabulary of mathematical structure, the politics of sacred symbols and poetic reflections.
In addition to Sims’ artwork, his talk will focus on the responsibility of citizenship and the pursuit of social and cultural justice. The discussion is sponsored by the Judy Genshaft Honors College.
Cayla Lanier, campus director of the college at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, said she is delighted to welcome Sims. The event is open to students, staff and faculty. Transportation will provided to Honors College students from the St. Petersburg and Tampa campuses to attend the event.
“As we enter Black Heritage Month, a time in which we recognize all of those who struggled to achieve full citizenship for African Americans in this country, it’s important to recognize that ‘full citizenship’ is still a contested idea,” Lanier said. “This year, the Judy Genshaft Honors College is discussing “Engaged Citizenship” through a series of talks and events to encourage students, faculty and staff to grapple with this big idea and come away with some personal reflections.
“We are thrilled to host John Sims as part of this series,” she said. “His work directly addresses the horrors of the past while simultaneously envisioning a brighter future that is only possible if people come together and forge a sense of community through interdisciplinary conversations. Sims’ artwork embodies what we aim to do in the Judy Genshaft Honors College, and I couldn’t be more excited for his talk on our campus.”
The event comes after the campus celebrated a successful Day of Service in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day two weeks ago. Staff, faculty and students at the campus contributed hundreds of personal hygiene items to area homeless as part of the event.
Working at tables in the campus’ FCCI Rotunda, students and staff packed the items – including soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hand sanitizer, razors and deodorant – into more than 150 plastic bags. The items were dropped off at the Turning Points homeless assistance agency on 17th Avenue West in Bradenton and the Salvation Army shelter on 14th Street West in Sarasota.
The campus’ Office of Multicultural Affairs organized the Day of Service.
“The whole campus really came together,” said Darren Gambrell, assistant director of the office at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. “We received more items than I expected, but it doesn’t surprise me. USF always steps up when it comes to reaching out to help others. That’s what this campus is about.”
For more about Black Heritage Month events at USF visit here. Additionally, the USF St. Petersburg campus has scheduled a special Diversity and Inclusion Conference for Feb. 19. For more information, see conference details.
Muma professor oversees new cybersecurity program, blazes trail for women in science, technology
USF Professor Giti Javidi always had penchant for the unexpected, even as a child. When told that few women pursued science, engineering and technology careers, she resolved to make information technology her life’s work.
Later, as she studied for a master’s degree, she served as the only female member of the software engineering team at IBM. Leaving the company to pursue a PhD, she would discover a passion for academia and soon was encouraging other young women to do the unexpected as well and explore careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“There are challenges that cause young women, even those with exceptional talents and abilities, from pursuing or even continuing in STEM careers,” she said. “Through many different initiatives, I have tried to change young women’s perception of STEM disciplines.”
The award represents the highest campus-level honor for faculty, recognizing exceptional accomplishments, leadership and service to the campus and community.
“I am so glad that our students recognized how much I care about them and their well-being, as well as their academic progress,” she said. “It means the world to me to be selected by students as an outstanding professor. It really tops any other award I’ve received in my academic career. I am truly honored.”
Her trailblazing efforts have earned her many accolades. She’s received awards from Google, Microsoft, the National Science Foundation and NASA. Last semester, she received the campus’ Outstanding Professor Award, presented on behalf of graduating seniors from the Sarasota-Manatee campus.
Now Javidi, a professor of Information Systems in the Muma College of Business, is tackling a new role. She’s overseeing an academic program introduced last fall that bridges the gap between business and cybersecurity: the Information Assurance and Cybersecurity Management program (IACM).
While USF offers several academic programs in cybersecurity, IACM is the only program at USF that provides students with necessary interdisciplinary skills in both cybersecurity and business, said Javidi, the program’s director. The program debuted last fall in the Muma College of Business.
“This particular program provides students with a comprehensive set of skills and crucial knowledge and capabilities from a business viewpoint by presenting them the overall organizational capabilities required to ensure and maintain the information assurance function,” she said. “Further, the program focuses on the management aspect of cybersecurity, which is grossly underrepresented in the academic programs of most institutions.”
Currently, 30 students are enrolled; a master’s degree in IACM will be offered in the fall.
IACM emphasizes business processes and data analytics as applied to cybersecurity management. Students in the program gain skills in the business management of cybersecurity, including risk management, incident business response, using analytics to detect, isolate and prevent cybersecurity attacks, and overall management of cybersecurity functions in business enterprises.
Graduates will have opportunities for positions including cybersecurity analyst, information assurance compliance specialist, cybersecurity consultant, cybersecurity incident response analyst, cybersecurity specialist, cyber intelligence analyst, cybersecurity operations analyst, cybersecurity planning SME, and many more.
“The job market is burgeoning in this field,” Javidi said. “Cybersecurity jobs are in high demand and the need for cybersecurity professionals is not going anywhere in the foreseeable future. Therefore, there won’t be a shortage of jobs for our students upon graduation. To better prepare our students, we will help them secure summer internships to gain practical skills.”
The Information Assurance and Cybersecurity Management major has a strong practical focus while being grounded in robust theoretical approaches to develop a solid foundation of knowledge and skills for information assurance and cybersecurity professionals.
She said that many organizations continue to struggle with a communication disconnect between senior management and technical cybersecurity personnel. The IACM degree began with the notion that organizations need cybersecurity experts who have technical and non-technical skills to bridge that gap in communication.
“The degree assumes that cybersecurity management is a business function,” she said. “As a result, graduates with an IACM degree are equipped with vast knowledge and skills rooted in both business and cybersecurity to serve on the front line of support for governments and business organizations. They will gain familiarity with the various metrics to convert a threat into an estimated loss and thus speak the senior management language.”
Donation will assist student veterans and active military students
University of South Florida student veterans will soon have additional resources to assist with professional development and their health and wellness thanks to a $10,000 grant to the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus’ Office of Veteran Success.
“This grant from the Dorothy R. Adams Charitable Fund will make a tremendous difference to our student veterans and military-connected students as they pursue their education at USF and enter into the workplace,” said Carlos Moreira, director of campus engagement for veteran success and alumni affairs at the Sarasota-Manatee campus. “We are very grateful for this generous contribution.”
The grant, awarded in late December, will be administered by the Office of Veteran Success at the Sarasota-Manatee campus but available to assist with programming for students on campuses across the university.
“The beauty of this is that it will help student veterans both in their professional development as they pursue professional certifications and programs to assist with health and wellness,” Moreira added.
Veteran Success Coordinator Chris Nothdurft and the Office of Advancement assisted Moreira in seeking the grant, which is available through the 2022 calendar year.
“We extend our gratitude to Jackie Adams Buckler, MBA ’89, who established the Dorothy R. Adams Charitable Fund in honor of her mother,” said Marrie Neumer, associate vice president of advancement. “Jackie is a steadfast USF supporter and believes in the power of paying it forward. We are very grateful to her family for this generous grant.”
‘Shadow Days’ return to provide opportunity for students to meet local executives
USF Sarasota-Manatee campus students will go behind the scenes and learn what it takes to become an executive as part of two Shadow Day events on Feb. 11 and April 8.
Created four years ago in partnership with the Sarasota and Manatee chambers of commerce, the campus’ Shadow Day event enables students to meet local executives and learn about their companies and day-to-day routine. The program is acclaimed for providing behind-the-scenes access to the students, as well as an up-close view of the executives’ challenges, insights and ultimate career path.
“Each student who is accepted into the Shadow Day program is paired with an executive who matches their major and career interests,” said Jay Riley, senior director of corporate partnerships and external affairs. “This really is a great opportunity for students to meet some top local executives and learn about their careers.”
The Feb. 11 event will involve businesses that belong to the Manatee Chamber of Commerce, while the April 8 Shadow Day will involve companies in the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce.
The shadowing experience for both events will run from 9 to 10:30 a.m. followed by a networking session from 10:45 to noon, where the students and professionals talk about their experiences in a group setting.
To attend, students must send their resumes and career interests to Riley at jayriley@usf.edu. After the resumes have been reviewed, students will be matched with executives based on their majors and interests.
Elizabeth Lindsay remembered for her passionate support of USF, the arts
Elizabeth Girvin Lindsay, ’83, a powerful voice for the University of South Florida and a longtime champion of Sarasota’s arts community, passed away of natural causes on Jan. 18. She was 96.
Known for her philanthropy and support of the arts, Lindsay was equally passionate about higher education and served for many years on the Florida Board of Regents (now the Florida Board of Governors), overseeing 10 public universities.
Lindsay also played a direct role at USF, her alma mater, serving as chair of the Campus Board at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.
The daughter of college professors, Lindsay moved from Derby, Connecticut, to Sarasota in 1947. Her husband and father-in-law owned the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Her connection to USF began years later, however, when she returned to college in her 50s as part of USF’s inaugural Executive MBA class, earning her master’s degree in 1983.
Lindsay’s support for USF endured for decades. In addition to serving on the Campus Board at the Sarasota-Manatee campus, she was a member of the Executive Advisory Council for the USF Muma College of Business, and she went on to establish a scholarship for Muma students, including those in the hospitality program on the Sarasota-Manatee campus. Ultimately, her service to USF earned her the Alumni Association’s highest honor, the USF Distinguished Alumna Award.
In an interview with the Herald-Tribune, her son, Robert Lindsay, said, “Her biggest passion was education. Her parents were college professors, and that’s something that’s always been important to her all her life.”
Lindsay began her studies at Purdue, where her father taught, and then she transferred to Thomas Edison University in Trenton, New Jersey, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in construction.
Over the years, Lindsay become a powerhouse in Sarasota’s vibrant arts and education communities, serving on the boards of numerous organizations, including Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Selby Botanical Gardens, Ringling College of Art and Design, the New College of Florida Foundation, the Florida West Coast Symphony Association, the Mote Marine Laboratory, the Ringling Museum of Art and the Florida and National Trusts for Historic Preservation.
“Liz was interested in the activities of USF even in recent years,” USF Sarasota-Manatee campus Regional Chancellor Karen A. Holbrook said. “Lee Williams and I connected with her a few years ago when she drove her pickup truck to meet with us for a purely social lunch. Our goal was to keep her in the loop of USF. She was always interested in the university. She was a firm, clear and valuable member of the USF Sarasota-Manatee Campus Board. I know she is greatly missed across the community and state and will be remembered for so much assistance she provided and expertise she leant.”
Accounting student wins annual Bartz Memorial Scholarship
Shawn Sachdeva, a high-achieving senior in the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus, has been named winner of this year’s Robert P. Bartz Memorial Endowed Scholarship.
The scholarship award was announced during the Manatee Chamber of Commerce’s 59th Annual Dinner last Thursday. Attending the event were USF Sarasota-Manatee campus Regional Chancellor Karen A. Holbrook and Marrie Neumer, associate vice president of university advancement. Sachdeva, an accounting student, was not present at the dinner because he is completing an external audit internship at Price Waterhouse Coopers in Chicago.
“We are proud of Shawn Sachdeva for receiving the Robert P. Bartz Memorial Endowed Scholarship this year,” said Jean Kabongo, campus dean of Muma College of Business at the Sarasota-Manatee campus. “This achievement speaks to Shawn’s hard work, discipline, and motivation as well as the value he places in our accounting program. Shawn is an inspiration for students at the Muma College of Business on the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus.”
The Bartz annual scholarship is named for the former president of the chamber, who passed away in 2017. An ardent supporter of higher education and the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, in particular, Bartz oversaw the chamber for 35 years. His son, Jason, graduated from USF and played baseball for the Bulls.
The annual $1,000 scholarship is available each year to a high-achieving USF Sarasota-Manatee campus student to help with education-related expenses.
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