By Marc R. Masferrer, University Communications and Marketing
Members of the inaugural Leadership USF class, a group of community leaders from across Tampa Bay convened by President Rhea Law to build new collaborations with the university and each other, visited USF Sarasota-Manatee on Feb. 21 to learn about myriad programs that make the campus unique.
“As you spend time on our campus today, I am confident you will experience glimpses into what makes the Sarasota-Manatee campus a true gem,” said Interim Regional Chancellor Brett Kemker. “In shaping today’s program for you, we selected some of the defining programs that characterize our campus.”
Kemker shared some of his highest praises for the campus’s students, like the student government’s Alexandra Lopez, who described for the visitors how she has developed as a leader during her time at USF Sarasota-Manatee.
USF Sarasota-Manatee Interim Regional Chancellor welcomed the Leadership USF class to the Sarasota-Manatee campus.
“Our students are overachievers,” Kemker said. “They could go anywhere, but they have chosen USF for all the right reasons.”
The Leadership USF class heard from members of the campus’s leadership team, including Marrie Neumer, associate vice president for advancement, who spoke about the scholarships available to students because of the annual Brunch on the Bay fundraiser; and Casey Welch, assistant vice president for external affairs and government relations, who described the internship and other programs he organizes as executive director of USF’s Institute for Public Policy and Leadership.
The group also received a primer on the work of the USF Security Training Collaborative, a joint venture with security consultants Luke and Sarah Bencie’s Security Management International, based at the research annex at USF Sarasota-Manatee, that offers a variety of trainings for governments and businesses from around the world.
During a tour of the campus, the class visited the new Student Center and Atala Residence Hall and learned from campus deans and other officials about the “high-tech corridor” on the second floor of the academic building, which includes the Information Commons, the Muma College of Business’s Bloomberg Lab the College of Education’s Collaboratory, the College of Nursing’s training lab and the Digital Learning department.
The Leadership USF class visited the Information Commons at USF Sarasota-Manatee as part of its tour of the campus.
The class also visited offices of USF World and the Veteran Success & Alumni Affairs Center.
For lunch, the class hopped on a bus for The Circus Arts Conservatory in Sarasota for a performance by students from Sarasota High School and Booker Middle School organized by Denise Davis-Cotton, director of the Center of Partnerships Center for Partnerships in Arts-Integrated Teaching, or PAInT, at USF Sarasota-Manatee.
The concept for Leadership USF began with President Law as a way to introduce people in the community to the range of activities taking place at the university. She was inspired by other leadership programs she’s participated in, such as Leadership Tampa Bay and Leadership Florida.
Eric Eisenberg, senior vice president of the USF Office of University Community Partnerships, said the Leadership USF program is part of USF’s larger goal to be part of the solutions to region-wide challenges in Tampa Bay, such as traffic, housing and health care.leadership_her
“As a university, we want to be an honest broker and convener that brings people together across jurisdictions and municipalities, so we can address pressing problems of our day,” Eisenberg said.