HandsOn

DiscoveryUndergraduate Research

Opportunities Abound at USF

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Features

COVER: HANDS-ON DISCOVERYA model undergraduate research program provides opportunities for students across all disciplines to work side-by-side with faculty mentors and actively participate in the creation of knowledge.

A UNIVERSITY ENGAGEDProviding a plethora of services and resources to the Tampa Bay community and beyond,USF is the only Florida university to be recognized by the Carnegie Foundation with a newuniversity classification for community engagement.

FOR THE LOVE OF JAZZJazz is alive and well at USF’s School of Music in the College of Visual & Performing Arts.The school’s recently established Center for Jazz Composition is the only known universityresearch facility dedicated to the field of jazz composition.

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Departments

2 FROM THE PRESIDENT

3 UPDATE

10 COMMUNITY

16 DISCOVERY

36 COMMITMENT

38 ATHLETICS

41 LAST WORD

COVER PHOTO GETTY IMAGES

SCENE ON CAMPUS: FLORIDA WILDLIFE, SUCH AS

THE BARRED OWL (LEFT), ABOUNDS AT USF’S

RIVERFRONT PARK, LOCATED NORTHEAST OF THE

TAMPA CAMPUS ON THE HILLSBOROUGH RIVER.

CANOEING AND OUTDOOR ADVENTURE TRIPS ARE

JUST TWO OF THE ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE TO USF

STUDENTS, PERSONNEL AND ALUMNI AT THE PARK.

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GRADUATE ANTHROPOLOGY STUDENT BRETT MERVIS

TAKES LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM. SEE STORY

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like Pam and Les Muma. These USFalumni have pledged millions of dol-lars to USF to champion medicalresearch and education.

In our Athletics pages, you willmeet Stan Heath, new head coachfor men’s basketball. Stan comes toUSF from the University of Arkansaswhere he guided the program to apair of NCAA Tournament appear-ances in 2006 and 2007.

We have had a great first half of2007, and as you will see in thepages that follow there is so muchmore ahead. I hope you will enjoythis issue and join me in salutingthe countless accomplishments ofso many across our universitycommunity.

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The University of South Florida is accredited by the Commission onColleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to awarddegrees at the baccalaureate, master’s, specialist and doctoral levels,including the Doctor of Medicine. USF is an Equal Opportunity/EqualAccess/Affirmative Action Institution.

s we reach the midwaymark in 2007, there is agrowing sense of prideat USF. We continue tomake great strides in

our quest to become one of thenation’s premier public research uni-versities and a leader in the state.

In this issue you will read aboutan undergraduate research programthat encourages all undergraduatestudents to take part in scientificresearch across a wide variety of dis-ciplines. Currently, more than 500students are paired with faculty men-tors in every college of the universitydoing meaningful research—researchthat could one day change lives.

You also will read about initiativesthat are making a difference through-out the community. These initiatives,and hundreds like them, are the rea-son behind USF’s recent designationas most community engaged by theCarnegie Foundation for theAdvancement of Teaching.

At USF, research comes in manyforms. In these pages you will readabout our Center for Jazz Compositionin the School of Music. The center isthe only known university researchinstitute dedicated to the continuedgrowth, development and appreci-ation of the role of the composerin jazz.

So, too, will you read about thework being done at USF to fight theobesity epidemic facing our nation.And, you will read about an oceanbiologist who is working with theNational Science Foundation on a$331 million project to set up under-water observatories that will lead to agreater understanding of Planet Earth.

Much of our progress at USFwould not be possible without thegenerous support of philanthropists

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USF Magazine is published by UniversityRelations at the University of South Florida.

Editor Ann CarneyAssociate Editor Anne ScottContributing Writers Anne DeLotto Baier,Philip Booth, John Gerdes, Adam Hollen,Sheryl Kay, Scott Kuykendall, Erika Llenza,Susanna Martinez, Barbara Perkins, DavidSteele, Amy Woodruff

Contributing Photographers Joseph Gamble, Aimee Blodgett, Casey Feldcamp,Jennifer Prince, Crystal Totten, Jeane Vincent, Eric Younghans

University AdministrationJudy Genshaft, PresidentRenu Khator, Provost and Senior Vice PresidentCarl Carlucci, Executive Vice PresidentStephen Klasko, Vice President for USF HealthJ. Jeffrey Robison, Vice President for

University Advancement Robert Chang, Vice President for ResearchJennifer Capeheart-Meningall, Vice President

for Student Affairs Karen White, Regional Chancellor for

USF St. PetersburgArthur Guilford, Vice President and

CEO for USF Sarasota-ManateeMarshall Goodman, CEO for USF Lakeland

USF Board of TrusteesLee E. Arnold, Jr.Michael J. Barber, PhDRichard A. Beard IIIMargarita R. Cancio, MD Sonja W. GarciaFrank S. HarrisonRhea F. Law, Esq., Chair Kiran C. Patel, MDJohn B. Ramil, Vice ChairDebbie N. Sembler Jan E. Smith Robert L. SoranSherrill M. Tomasino

Contact USF MagazineUniversity Relations4202 E. Fowler Ave., ADM278Tampa, Florida 33620-6300(813) 974-4014scotta@admin.usf.edu

Contact the USF Alumni AssociationGibbons Alumni Center4202 E. Fowler Ave., ALC100Tampa, Florida 33620-5455(813) 974-2100 • (800) 299-BULL (2855)alumni@admin.usf.edu

Update your contact informationwww.giving.usf.edu

Reprint Policy: USF encourages reprinting articlesin their entirety. Permission may be obtained bycontacting scotta@admin.usf.edu.

FROM THE PRESIDENT

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U P D A T E

Guilford to Lead USFSarasota-Manatee

At the encour-aging of facul-ty membersto submit hiscredentials forconsiderationas vice presi-dent and CEOfor USFSarasota-

Manatee, Arthur Guilford ten-dered his resume, withdrawingfrom the search committeecharged with recommending acandidate for the post.

n The move proved insightful. Lastmonth, USF President JudyGenshaft officially named Guilfordto the post. Guilford had served asinterim vice president and CEO for

USF Sarasota-Manatee since January,when Laurey Stryker retired.

“Dr. Guilford has proven himselfto be the best person for the job,”said Genshaft announcing theappointment. “He has succeeded inearning tremendous respect as wellas the trust of his colleagues duringhis tenure with the university.Once we all saw what a great fit hewas on the USF Sarasota-Manateecampus, going from interim to per-manent chief executive was clearlythe most natural progression.”

Guilford, a respected scholar incommunication disorders, became aUSF faculty member in 1976 afterteaching at the University ofMichigan, where he directed theAphasia Program, and at CaliforniaState University Los Angeles. Overhis 31 years at USF, he moved fromassistant, to associate, to full profes-sor, to department chair for 14years, and to his most recent posi-tion as associate dean.

“You probably won’t find a more-rounded executive with his depth ofexperience,” said Genshaft. “He hasextensive experience with facultygovernance, promotion and tenure,and program development, plus Dr.Guilford brings a strong track recordin grant writing and research. Addto all of this his love of USF and wecan look forward to great daysahead with Dr. Guilford leading theway on our USF Sarasota-Manateecampus.”

– BARBARA PERKINS

Veteran DevelopmentOfficer to Head USFFoundation

J. JeffreyRobison, a vet-eran universitydevelopmentofficer whohas raisedmore than$1.4 billion infour universitycampaigns,

has been appointed vice presidentfor university advancement andchief executive officer of the USFFoundation. He assumes the postJune 11.

n Robison comes to USF from CaseWestern Reserve University, wherehe has served as vice president fordevelopment since 2005. At CaseWestern, he has led a major giftcampaign that is on schedule toraise $77.9 million, a 22 percentincrease over the previous year.During his tenure, the annual fundincreased $1 million, reversing adownward trend.

“Jeff Robison has a truly impres-sive track record and we are veryexcited about his joining the foun-dation’s team,” said USF PresidentJudy Genshaft, announcing theappointment in April. “He hasplayed an integral part in raisingover $1.4 billion in four differentuniversity campaigns. We are confi-dent his leadership abilities willserve USF as we continue to growand move forward.”

Prior to joining Case Western,Robinson served as president of theFSU Foundation from 1994 to 2005.There he oversaw fundraising ofmore than $870 million and twosuccessful campaigns. At theUniversity of Florida, between 1980and 1988, he rose to associate

director of university development,and he spent a significant part ofhis career in the Buckeye state, atOhio State University (1973 to1978), The Ohio State DevelopmentFund (1978 to 1980) and OhioUniversity (1988 to 1994).

“I am very pleased that JeffRobison is coming to USF as vicepresident of development,” saidGus A. Stavros, a successful Floridabusinessman and noted philanthro-pist for whom USF’s Center for FreeEnterprise and Economic Educationis named. Stavros has also served aspresident of the USF FoundationBoard of Trustees and was co-chairof the USF Great Achievements andGreat Expectations fundraisingcampaign.

Robison was chosen upon therecommendation of a comprehen-sive search committee led by USFProvost Renu Khator.

– BARBARA PERKINS

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Murphy’s Robots Goto Washington

USF made its presence knownwhen 15 of the nation’s topresearch groups represented theNational Science Foundation toCongress in February. RobinMurphy, a USF computer sci-ence and engineering professor,was selected to represent theCISE (Computer and InformationScience & Engineering) direc-torate of the NSF. Murphy, alongwith USF researcher JenniferBurke, graduate student KevinPratt, two ground rescue robotsand one aerial robot, demon-strated research conducted byUSF’s Institute for SafetySecurity Rescue Technology.

n The NSF 2008 Budget OpenHouse and Exhibition was held atthe foundation’s headquarters inArlington, Va., where principalinvestigators from across the coun-try showcased research sponsoredby the foundation’s directorates andprograms. Each NSF directorateselected one research group thatepitomized that directorate.

Congressional staffers and thegeneral public were given hands-onlessons showing the value of robotsand the challenges in designing andprogramming intelligent systems.Visitors to the demonstration wereable to control two ground search-and-rescue robots—one at NSF andone 800 miles away in Tampa, viathe Internet—that were used at theWorld Trade Center and in theaftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In avideo presentation, footage of aerialand water rescue robots at hurri-canes Katrina and Wilma was inter-cut with news stories and docu-mentaries about the research thataired on CNN, Discovery Channeland the BBC.

USF was selected as the mostrepresentative of the CISE direc-

(iSSRt) at USF. Among the branches ofiSSRt are the NSF Industry/UniversityCooperative Research Center on safe-ty, security and rescue establishedin partnership with the University ofMinnesota; and the Center forRobot-Assisted Search and Rescue(CRASAR) rescue robot responseteam, led by Murphy. CRASAR is theonly such team in the world. In2004, Murphy was profiled by Timemagazine as an innovator in artifi-cial intelligence.

– PHILIP BOOTH

USF RESEARCHER JENNIFER BURKE PUTS A GROUND SEARCH AND RESCUE ROBOT THROUGH

ITS PACES. THE ROBOT WAS USED AT A NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION DEMONSTRATION TO

CONGRESS AND THE PUBLIC AT NSF HEADQUATERS IN ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA.

torate in part because of the far-reaching impact of the researchbeing conducted by Murphy andher colleagues.

“It (USF’s research) is certainly asocietally relevant aspect of tech-nology,” Murphy says. “But at thesame time it explores deep scholar-ly questions in computer vision,wireless networks, artificial intelli-gence, cyber-security, softwareengineering, distributed control andhuman-robot interaction.”

Murphy is director of the Institutefor Safety Security Rescue Technology

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Making Art History

The School of Art and Art Historyin the USF College of VisualPerforming Arts is attracting inter-national attention, thanks to theawarding of prestigious fellow-ships to two members of the arthistory faculty.

n Elisabeth Fraser, associate professorof art history, has been named aNational Endowment for theHumanities Fellow for the 2007-08academic year. Riccardo Marchi, assis-tant professor of art history, has beennamed a Postdoctoral Fellow at theGetty Research Institute, where he willbe in residence during the 2007-08academic year.

Fraser, who joined the USF art his-tory faculty in 1994, was awarded theNEH fellowship to work on her book,Mediterranean Encounters: Travel,Representation and FrenchExpansionism, 1780-1850.

The NEH fellowship is one of themost prestigious awards given to scholarsin the arts: Of 1,398 applications from allhumanities disciplines in 2006, only 153were awarded fellowships.

Marchi, a member of the art historyfaculty since 2004, has received a GettyFellowship to work on his book Lookingat Pure Painting in Berlin: Boccioni,Kandinsky and Delaunay at “DerSturm”, 1912-1913.

The Getty Research Institute is one ofthe world’s leading institutions forresearch in the visual arts, and its resi-dential grants are valued and officiallyrecognized by the National ResearchCouncil, the Top American ResearchUniversities, and the AmericanAssociation of Universities. Marchi is oneof only six scholars who received fellow-ships this year, out of 143 who applied.

Marchi has received numerousgrants for research abroad fromUniversità Cattolica in Milan, Italy, andfrom the University of Chicago. Hewas a Fulbright Fellow to the UnitedStates, a German Academic Exchange

Nursing ProgramEarns Top Honors

The USF College of Nursingjumped significantly in its latestrating by U.S. News & WorldReport, published April 2 in the“America’s Best GraduateSchools” issue.

n The Master’s Program in Nursingat USF ranked 72—up from a rank of115—when nursing graduate pro-grams were last rated by the maga-zine in 2003.

“The college’s success shows thestrength of following a strategic planaimed at true excellence,” saysStephen K. Klasko, vice president forUSF Health.

“The faculty and students of theCollege of Nursing can take greatpride in this achievement,” addsPatricia Burns, dean of the USFCollege of Nursing. “Their hard work

Service Fellow, a Stuart Tave TeachingFellow and a Fellow at the FrankeInstitute for the Humanities at theUniversity of Chicago.

– PHILIP BOOTH

in cutting-edge programs such as theDoctor of Nursing Practice, theClinical Nurse Leader, and the NurseAnesthesia (CRNA) programs havegained USF the national recognitionevidenced by the recent U.S. Worldand News Report rankings.”

USF was rated second only to theUniversity of Florida in the rankingof public and private nursing mas-ter’s programs across Florida.

USF was among 285 schools sur-veyed for the graduate nursing pro-gram rankings, which were based onpeer assessments from deans, otheradministrators and faculty at accredit-ed master’s programs in nursing. Thesurveys were conducted in fall 2006for the 2007 rankings.

The College of Nursing, whichaspires to be in the country’s Top 20for federal research funding by 2010,more than doubled its extramuralfunding to $3.9 million in 2005-06—up from $1.7 million in 2004-05.Research teams are focusing on pal-liative and end-of-life care, cardiacrehabilitation, complementary thera-pies for chronic illness and cancer,systems of care and health careinformatics.

– ANNE DELOTTO BAIER

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USF NURSING STUDENTS TRAIN WITH AN ARTIFICIAL PATIENT.

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SOLUTIONS FOR A GROWING WORLD

oday’s headlines routinelycatalogue the world’sproblems. The search forsolutions cannot fit in anutshell quite so easily,

yet finding answers is an exhilarat-ing and newsworthy process if youask Betty Castor, the new executivedirector of the Dr. Kiran C. PatelCenter for Global Solutions.

“The very name of the center tellsyou we’ve taken on a challengingventure and that meeting our goal issomething of tremendous impor-tance,” Castor says. “We can expectsome good news to flow from ourefforts, the kind of news our com-munity of scholars will welcome.”

No stranger to leadership andchallenge, the former state commis-sioner of education and state sena-tor, who began her career as ateacher in Uganda, East Africa, took

over the helm of the center inJanuary. She is dedicated to its mis-sion, “to identify challenges in devel-oping countries and create viablesolutions for improving the lives ofpeople who live there.”

The center is guided by a faculty

advisory board and a strategic plandeveloped by many faculty membersin the university community. “We’reworking to apply the best, mostpractical and academically soundsolutions to areas of critical concernin developing countries,” saysCastor, who served as president ofUSF from l994 to 1999. “Every proj-ect has the potential to have an

impact far beyond its immediategeographical area.”

The Patel Center was foundedwith the generous support ofdonors Drs. Kiran C. and PallaviPatel. The center has pinpointedthree areas of broad concern—the

natural environment, the social envi-ronment and the economic environ-ment. Within those areas of empha-sis, it is currently developing pro-grams that promote sustainable,healthy communities. Water andsanitation are the immediate focalpoints the center and its interdisci-plinary teams will address.

According to the United Nations

TBY BARBARA PERKINS

“Every project has the potential to have an impact far

beyond its immediate geographical area.” – Betty Castor

BETTY CASTOR WAS NAMED EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PATEL CENTER IN JANUARY.

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2005 Millennium DevelopmentGoals Report, over one billion peo-ple in the world lack access to safedrinking water and 2.5 billion peo-ple lack adequate sanitation facili-ties. The growing shortage of waterand the declining access to freshwater are of particular concern.Nearly half of the world’s popula-tion already lives in urban areas.Adding to the problem, most of thegrowth in urban areas is expectedto occur in developing countries inthe coming decades.

The Patel Center and USF areattracting experts with a global per-spective. An impressive group of vis-itors and scholars have addressedcontemporary issues. Speakers suchas environmental activist WangariMaathai from Kenya, and bankerMohammed Yunus from Bangladeshhave brought their stories of hopeand accomplishment to universityaudiences. Both have received theNobel Peace Prize for their outstand-ing efforts to improve their ownhomelands and conditions through-out the world. Water experts, like

Carlos Fernandez-Jaureguei of theUnited Nations Educational, Scientificand Cultural Organization (UNESCO)and Dr. Richard Meganck, Director ofthe Netherlands-based UNESCOInstitute for Water Education, havehelped to shape the vision of thePatel Center.

One of the center’s priorities isattracting permanent scholars to thefaculty. Thomas L. Crisman joinedthe Patel Center in January 2007 asthe Patel Professor of Environmentwith a joint appointment in theDepartment of Biology. Prior to join-ing the center, Crisman was a facultymember at the University of Florida.He brings a broad scientific perspec-tive as well as 30 years of contactsand global experience. His academicresearch focus has included work inAfrica, South America, CentralAmerica and the easternMediterranean Basin.

The Patel Center is growing andactively pursuing its goals.Additional faculty members will behired by the center. A new home isalso in the works. The site for a $40

million facility near the mainentrance of the Tampa campus wasdedicated last year. Says Castor, “Ilook forward to a day when TampaBay, USF and the Patel Center aresynonymous with solutions to themost pressing problems of develop-ing nations.”

A TEAM OF USF HEALTH STUDENTS

WORKS TO BUILD NEW SANITATION FACIL-

ITIES IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC.

INTERNATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

COLLABORATIVE, A USF STUDENT ORGAN-

IZATION, ORGANIZED THE TRIP THAT SENT

36 STUDENTS TO THE COMMUNITY OF LA

SABANA. BUILDING NEW SANITATION

FACILITIES IS AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO PRE-

VENT CONTAMINATION OF DRINIKING

WATER AND CONSEQUENTLY, WATER-

BORNE DISEASES. THIS SUMMER, SIX

STUDENTS WILL PARTICIPATE IN PATEL

CENTER PROJECTS IN THE DOMINICAN

REPUBLIC AND COSTA RICA.

PHOTO OF BETTY CASTOR: JOSEPH GAMBLEDOMINICAN REPUBLIC PHOTOS: CRYSTAL TOTTEN, FAR RIGHT, JENNIFER PRINCE

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Journalists on theFront Lines

“Let me dispose of the objectivi-ty myth right now. There cannotbe such a thing—all journalistsare human beings. What youreport comes through the filterof your senses and your memo-ry and your experiences,” saidMartin Bell, former BBC corre-spondent, at the Journalists &War Conference at USF St.Petersburg in February.

n Journalists, media critics, aca-demics and a Pentagon spokesper-son gathered for a two-day confer-ence, organized by the Departmentof Journalism and Media Studies, todiscuss the role of journalism inwar. Not surprisingly, students andparticipants from the communityhad many questions regarding thestate of affairs in the war in Iraq.

Corey Flintoff, NPR newscasterand war correspondent, said that

one of the chief differencesbetween previous wars and the warin Iraq is the fact that journalistshave become targets for the opposi-tion, making it more difficult forjournalists to secure sources andseek out information.

“What it amounts to is the securi-ty situation in Iraq is now so badthat civilians of any kind—particu-larly reporters—can’t get around inthe way that Martin (Bell) orBarbara (Crossette) are used todoing,” he said. “The only ways wecan get around are things that willinevitably distort our perception.”

Audience members were capti-vated by the discussion and askedquestions of panelists both individ-ually and as a group.

“Participants were eager to hearpanelists’ perspectives,” said DeniElliot, professor of journalism ethicsand event organizer. “They painteda vivid picture of the special chal-lenges they face when reporting onwar. I’m glad that we were able to

gather panelists of this caliber totalk about such a timely topic.Corey Flintoff flew in after a tour ofreporting in Baghdad.”

Featured speakers included:Flintoff; Martin Bell; BarbaraCrossette, former New York Timescorrespondent for South andSoutheast Asia; Philip Seib, profes-sor of journalism at MarquetteUniversity in Milwaukee and authorof Beyond the Front Lines; NormanSolomon, author of War MadeEasy: How Presidents and PunditsKeep Spinning Us to Death; BryanWhitman, senior Pentagonspokesperson for the U.S.Department of Defense.

The Journalists & War Conferencewas sponsored by the USF St.Petersburg Department of Journalism,Cole Chair in Ethics, Poynter JamisonChair in Media Ethics and Policy andPoynter Institute, a school for journal-ists, future journalists and teachers ofjournalism.

– ERIKA LLENZA

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FROM LEFT: MARTIN BELL, FORMER BBC WAR CORRESPONDENT; JUDITH LICHTENBERG, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PHILOSOPHY, USF ST.

PETERSBURG; BARBARA CROSSETTE, FORMER NEW YORK TIMES CORRESPONDENT; ALBERT PIERCE, PROFESSOR OF ETHICS AND NATION-

AL DEFENSE, NATIONAL DEFENSE UNIVERSITY, WASHINGTON, D.C.; BOB STEELE, NELSON POYNTER SCHOLAR, USF ST. PETERSBURG.

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Genshaft HonoredLocally and Abroad

In recognition of her outstandingcontributions to the improvement,promotion, development andprogress of the Florida HolocaustMuseum, USF President JudyGenshaft was honored with the2007 Loebenberg HumanitarianAward at the museum’s annual“To Life…To Heroes…To Courage”dinner in February.

n Named for museum founders Edithand Walter Loebenberg, the awardrecognizes the recipient’s vision, fore-sight and dedication which have hada significant impact on the museum’smission to recognize the inherentworth and dignity of human life inorder to prevent future genocides.United States Representative C.W. BillYoung received the honor in 2006.

The annual fundraising dinnercelebrates the courage of outstand-ing individuals whose heroic actionschanged many lives and oftenaltered the course of history. PaulRusesabagina, whose story was fea-tured in the Academy Award-nomi-nated movie “Hotel Rwanda,” wasthe event’s guest speaker.

Genshaft was also recognized forher contributions to higher educationwith an international award.

In April, in Jerusalem, Genshaft waspresented the Captain of EducationAward by Hadassah College Jerusalem atthe college’s annual commencement cer-emony. The award recognizes Genshaft’svision in developing USF into a leadingresearch institution in the United States.

“Dr. Genshaft is a leading figure inmodern higher education, who pro-motes excellence in education,research and development, diversityand social issues,” said President,Professor Nava Ben-Zvi. “Under theleadership of Dr. Genshaft, USF hasbecome globally inter-connected,including with Hadassah College inJerusalem.”

– ANN CARNEY

Riding with Pride

Drivers making the switch to theUSF Bulls specialty license platecan take advantage of a specialAlumni Association promotion—switch today and the AlumniAssociation will cover the initial$25 specialty license plate fee.

n When you purchase a USF Bullsspecialty license plate, you’re doingmore than joining the 10,000 plusFlorida drivers showing their Bullspride—you’re making a difference.

Since its inception in 1987, theBulls specialty plate program hasraised more than $2.2 million to bene-fit students at USF. Dollars raised fromspecialty plate sales help fund chapterand society scholarships as well asimportant leadership programs.

In 2006, specialty plate sales helpedfund First Generation Scholarships atUSF, giving students who are the firstin their family to attend college theopportunity to earn a college degree.

In addition to helping students real-ize their dreams of a college educa-tion, monies raised from the Bulls spe-cialty plate program support theAlumni Association’s Ambassador

Program. Students in the programacquire valuable leadership skills andnetworking experience serving as stu-dent representatives for important uni-versity functions includingHomecoming, the Alumni AwardsDinner and visits to the university bydignitaries and high ranking visitors.

The Bulls specialty plate programalso helps support the university’snationally recognized legislative pro-gram whichprovides stu-dents theopportunity towork in a vari-ety of govern-ment offices.Funds from the program are addition-ally used to support a Policy Makersclass for up to 60 students, and theUSF Tampa Leadership Forum, whichexposes graduating student leaders tolocal leaders, such as the mayor ofTampa.

Not bad for one of the simplestprograms imaginable to show yourBulls pride and support of USF!

To learn more about the USF Bullsspecialty license plate program, visitwww.bullsplate.org

– ANN CARNEY

USF PRESIDENT JUDY GENSHAFT RECEIVED THE CAPTAIN OF EDUCATION AWARD FROM

HADASSAH COLLEGE JERUSALEM IN APRIL. PICTURED WITH GENSHAFT ARE ZACHI MIL-

GROM, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE COLLEGE, AND DAVID BRODET, CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD.

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anessa Waterson*wanted her 17-year-oldgranddaughter, Lorie*,who has high bloodpressure and predia-

betes, to lose weight for her health.She soon realized that adopting ahealthier lifestyle would need tobecome a family affair.

“It was hard for Lorie to stick toeating fruits, vegetables and leanmeat if the rest of us were eatingpasta and bread, so we all startedchanging our eating habits andreducing our portions,” saysWaterson, admitting she loves tocook Southern style and keep awell-stocked cupboard for her hus-band and four grandchildren.“Doing this together is helping us allbecome healthier.”

This type of family involvement isparticularly important in helpingreverse the growing obesity epidem-ic because lifelong habits of physicalactivity and nutritious eating—orlack of these—are developed inchildhood and adolescence, says Dr.Denise Edwards, assistant professorof pediatrics and internal medicineat USF. “It’s never too late to makethese changes in lifestyle, but theearlier you intervene the better.”

The family-centered approach isemphasized at the USF HealthyWeight Clinic in Tampa, whichEdwards directs. The program treats

a comprehensive array of pediatriceating disorders, from obesity toanorexia and bulimia. In addition tomedical assessment and supervision,the multidisciplinary outpatient pro-gram—one of few in the Tampa Bayarea—includes nutritional counsel-ing, psychological evaluation andbehavior modification, and evenaccess to physical therapy and aYMCA staffer who can help withcustomized exercise plans.

Currently, no weight-loss medica-tions are FDA approved for youngchildren. Although some options areavailable for teenagers, Edwards sel-dom prescribes them. “I think med-ication detracts from the idea thatachieving and maintaining a healthyweight requires lifestyle changes bythe entire family,” she says.

In the long run, 80 percent ofoverweight or obese adolescents willgrow into obese adults. Geneticsplay a role—studies have shown thatchildren with overweight or obeseparents have a greater risk for obesi-ty. But, Edwards says, many envi-ronmental causes of obesity thatinteract with a person’s genetic pre-disposition, like too little exerciseand too many high-calorie foods,can be altered.

Although the prevalence of child-hood obesity has risen dramaticallyin the last several decades (nearlyone in five U.S. children is obese),

the condition is still underdiagnosedand undertreated, Edwards says.

The consequences of avoiding ordelaying treatment can be steep,both physically and emotionally. Asthey develop into teens and youngadults, overweight children are atgreater risk for Type 2 diabetes, car-diovascular disease, joint problems,sleep apnea, asthma, gall bladderdisease and other illnesses usuallyassociated with middle-age or senioradults. Treating these obesity-relatedconditions over a person’s lifetimewill be an increasingly costly propo-sition, Edwards says.

Obesity can lead to lifelong emo-tional distress as well as medicalcomplications and reduced lifeexpectancy. Excess weight has beenassociated with low self-esteem,depression and social withdrawal,

A FAMILY AFFAIR

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particularly in adolescents, says PerryKaly, a clinical psychologist whoworks with families at the clinic.“Studies have shown that kids asyoung as age 4 and 5 exhibit nega-tive biases toward their overweightpeers, identifying them as lazy, stu-pid and undesirable playmates.”

Edwards helps families developweight management plans they canlive with for the long haul, settingincremental goals for a healthierlifestyle rather than focusing on los-ing a specific number of pounds. InLorie’s case, the family decided toinitially work on three areas—reduc-ing carbohydrates, eating lower calo-rie snacks and increasing physicalactivity.

Lorie’s grandmother virtually elimi-nated rice, pasta and bread from thefamily’s diet and started using more

spices instead of butter and salt toseason her meals. She got rid ofcookies and cakes, and stocked therefrigerator with snacks like fat-freeyogurt and low-sugar jello. In addi-tion, Lorie began daily one to two-mile walks with her sisters. Afterthree months, Lorie has lost 18pounds, her blood pressure is drop-ping and she reports having moreenergy. She’s also eager to buy somenew clothes before she leaves forcollege in August. “Now that I seethe weight coming off and other peo-ple are saying ‘you look good,’ I’meven more motivated,” Lorie says.

The healthy weight clinic for chil-dren and adolescents fits into aseries of USF initiatives making theprevention and treatment of obesitya priority. Last year, USF received aone-time appropriation from the

Florida Legislature to educate health-care professionals on early recogni-tion and treatment of obesity. Theuniversity is seeking to establish acomprehensive center that wouldinclude research to better under-stand factors contributing to child-hood obesity and evaluation ofinterventions promoting good nutri-tion, self-esteem and physical fitnessamong children in schools and thecommunity.

* Name changed

DR. DENISE EDWARDS, DIRECTOR OF THE USF

HEALTHY WEIGHT CLINIC, COUNSELS A

YOUNG PATIENT AND HIS MOTHER. THE CLIN-

IC’S MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM USES A FAMI-

LY-CENTERED APPROACH EMPHASIZING

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TO TREAT OBESITY IN

CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS.

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C O M M U N I T Y

STUDENTS WORKING AT TEMPLE CREST PARK IN TEMPLE TERRACE.

MAXON VICTOR AND PRESIDENT JUDY GENSHAFT KICKED OFF THE STAMPEDE.

“Students were out in the

community working on a

variety of projects involving

children, the elderly, home-

lessness issues and

environmental cleanups.”

– Maxon Victor

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or the more than 1,300students who gatheredin the courtyard next tothe Phyllis P. MarshallCenter January 20th,

only one thing was on theirminds—giving back.

The students, representing about100 university organizations, werebused to more than 40 Tampa Bayarea nonprofit agencies and socialservice organizations to take part inthe largest community service proj-ect in USF history. USF’s secondannual Stampede of Service (SOS)was organized by the USF Centerfor Civic Engagement &Volunteerism in conjunction with

USF Student Government. The eventmarked the conclusion of the uni-versity’s 20th Annual Rev. Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. Celebration.

“Students were out in the com-munity working on a variety of proj-ects involving children, the elderly,homelessness issues and environ-mental cleanups,” says MaxonVictor, coordinator of SOS ‘07 andfounder of the campus-wide event.“This is a multifaceted educationalenhancement initiative led by stu-dents and strictly made up of stu-dents.”

Victor says he got the idea forSOS after a 2005 spring break serv-ice trip to Atlanta with 14 USF stu-

dents. “I realized what we weredoing with a group of 14 in oneweek could be accomplished in afew hours with three times as manypeople,” he says. “I was elatedwhen I saw the tears and smiles ofthe families and elderly we helped.I knew then I wanted to leave alegacy of service at USF.”

Stampede of Service is now theofficial day of service for Greek Life,USF Athletics and the ResidenceHall Association at USF. The eventbegins at the Tampa campus with afestive welcome ceremony includingthe Herd of Thunder marchingband, cheerleaders and Sun Dolls.Each group of volunteers is led bystudent site leaders who help facili-tate the various activities.

– ANN CARNEY

STAMPEDE OF SERVICE

FMEMBERS OF SIGMA PHI EPSILON FRATERNITY BUILT A PLAYGROUND AND REPAIRED BUILDINGS AT HOPE CHILDREN’S HOME IN TAMPA.

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C O M M U N I T Y

They Said it at USF

People who have made namesfor themselves in every walk oflife make regular appearances atUSF by way of the UniversityLecture Series and just aboutevery college and departmentthroughout the university oneach campus.

n The big names—civil rights activistRev. Jesse Jackson and PaulRusesabagina, whose inspiring storyis at the center of the film HotelRwanda—made notable visits thisyear as did conservative pundit AnnCoulter and global organizationleader and former politician CarolBellamy. Nobel Laureate ArchbishopDesmond Tutu was one of the high-lights of last year’s lecture series.

Speakers with this kind of name

recognition hardly need an intro-duction. They generate the kind ofbuzz that almost guarantees a fullhouse. Others, once their back-grounds and credentials are publi-cized, attract interested audiences ofall sizes. Each and every one offersopportunities for students, facultyand the community at large tomove beyond the classroom andexercise our “cerebral muscles” in away that keeps us intellectuallystimulated and mentally fit. Best ofall, these events are typically freeand open to the public.

USF’s auditoriums have recently fea-tured filmmaker Mira Nair, cartoonistAaron McGruder, Sopranos star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, author AugustenBurroughs and activist FernandoChavez. A similar broad range ofspeakers have appeared continuouslythroughout the past few decades when

USF hosted writer P. J. O’Rourke,activist scholar Cornel West, documen-tarian Michael Moore, and star Olympicathlete Greg Louganis, to name a few.

“Whether it’s people you agree withor detest, someone you’re thrilled to seeor are just curious about, the opportuni-ty to hear them out is one of the great-est benefits of having a university soaccessible to the community,” saysWilliam Scheuerle, director of theHumanities Institute. With modestbudgets each year, the institute as wellas the Patel Center for Global Solutions,the Institute for the Study of LatinAmerica and the Caribbean,International Affairs, Africana Studies,the Institute on Black Life, the Louis dela Parte Florida Mental Health Institute,Women’s Studies, USF Health, theCollege of Business Administration, col-leges, departments and programs areable to sponsor and co-sponsor lecturesand dialogues with the likes of NobelLaureates, Poet Laureates, Pulitzer Prizewinners, world-renowned experts,elected officials, leaders of movementsand scholars of every stripe.

“Anyone who loves learning and isthrilled by ideas should make it a pointto visit USF’s Web site and events calen-dar,” says Scheuerle. “You could easilyfill your appointment book with someof the most fascinating and informativelectures and workshops imaginable.We’re always happy to see our studentsat these events, but just as thrilled to seepeople from the Tampa Bay area join usin enriching our lives in this way.”

Those looking for interesting thingsto do should not limit their interest tothe famous, however. USF scholarshave built stellar reputations and manyfind themselves in demand to speak allover the country and the world. We arefortunate enough to have them righthere at home on all four campuses.

“Each new semester brings a treasuretrove of speakers that are guaranteed tostir the imagination and satisfy the soulthat is hungry for knowledge,”Scheuerle says.

–BARBARA PERKINS

THE REV. JESSIE JACKSON SPOKE AT THE USF SUN DOME IN JANUARY AS PART OF THE UNI-VERSITY’S WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF REV. DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

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Radio Show Makes(Air) Waves

USF Lakeland doesn’t have aradio station, a broadcast tower,a radio frequency or even ahigh-end sound studio. But itdoes have a radio show, thanksto the talented efforts ofMarshall Goodman, vice presi-dent and CEO.

n At the invitation of Polk County’sown Hall Communications, a groupof four radio stations, Goodmanrecently began hosting his own half-hour talk show, “The Power ofKnowledge.” The program airs onTalk 1430AM WLKF, every Sundaymorning at 11:30 a.m.

Goodman takes a personal inter-est in booking the guests for hisshow and has won praise for thequality of his on-air work and thediversity of his studio guests. “Eachweek,” he says, “we try to exposeour local audience to the ideas andachievements of someone who con-tributes in a significant way to theknowledge economy.”

Sometimes Goodman’s guestshave been from the private sector—entrepreneurs, economic developersor technology experts. Other times,however, the shows have featuredleaders of public higher educationor government. The common themeis the extent to which changes insociety (often relating to technolo-gy) are results of and result inchanges in the education and tech-nology sectors.

“The Power of Knowledge” wasappropriately launched with a veryspecial guest for the premiere broad-cast, as USF President Judy Genshaftjoined Goodman in the studio. “Itwas obviously an honor to interviewthe president,” says Goodman, “andit was a wonderful opportunity tospotlight the impact that theUniversity of South Florida is makinghere in the central Florida region.”

According to one observer, thepair worked the booth like seasonedpros. “The engineer didn’t realize itat first, but both Dr. Goodman andPresident Genshaft have had theirown radio shows in the past, beforecoming to USF. You could tell they

knew what they were doing, and itwas a great way to kick off the newprogram. The chemistry was good,and the information was relevant tothe audience.”

Since that first show, guests haveincluded Polk County’s first appoint-ed superintendent of schools, thePresident of Polk CommunityCollege, the director of the PolkMuseum of Art, a state legislator, acounty commissioner and the headof the Lakeland EconomicDevelopment Corporation.

According to Goodman, “Whileour primary purpose is to enlightenour listeners, I’m proud that ourshow has also been at times enter-taining and at other times inspira-tional. The community we are privi-leged to serve has so much talent,and this show has given us a won-derful way to showcase it.”

Although USF Lakeland may nothave its own local radio station, itdoes have a unique presence on theairwaves in central Florida. Goodmanand “The Power of Knowledge” havemade that certain.

– DAVID STEELE

USF LAKELAND CEO MARSHALL GOODMAN INTERVIEWS JUDITH PONTICELL, ASSOCIATE VICE PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, DURING A RECENTAIRING OF “THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE.”

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D I S C O V E R Y

hildhood obesity is anational epidemic,according to alarmingreports regularlyreleased by fitness

experts at colleges and universitiesacross the country. Video games,according to some studies, are partand parcel of a sedentary childhoodlifestyle that can lead to weight prob-lems and, ultimately, serious healthissues for children.

But is it possible that certain typesof interactive video activities can bepart of the solution, an innovative,effective method of combating child-hood obesity?

That’s what Stephen Sanders, direc-tor of the USF School of PhysicalEducation, Wellness and SportStudies, hopes to determine viaresearch being conducted at theXRKade Research Lab, the nation’sfirst interactive fitness research lab forchildren.

The lab, which opened its doors inJanuary, is the result of a unique part-nership between the USF School ofPhysical Education & Exercise Science(in the USF College of Education) andiTECH Fitness of Denver, Colo.Among the technology driven activi-ties installed in the lab are Dance,Dance, Revolution; Cateye game bikes;X-board; 3-Kick; and Cybex Trazer.

“Some of these activities havebecome part of our American culture,”Sanders says. “Video games are notgoing away. These games require thatchildren must be physically active inorder for the game to work. For exam-ple, the faster a child pedals the gamebike the faster the car will go on thevideo screen. Or, the more a childjumps while wearing the Cybex Trazerbelt the more points he or she can

score in the video game. The physicalactivity possibilities are endless.”

Interactive fitness, also known as“exergaming,” the use of technology-based interactive activities (includingvideo games) in order to raise physi-cal activity levels in children, isincreasingly being used by publicschool systems, YMCAs, recreationalcenters and private fitness clubs acrossthe United States to help children ofall ages increase physical activity lev-els and maintain a healthy weight.Although exergaming has increased inpopularity, little research is availableto suggest the kind or degree ofimpact that these interactive activitieshave on fitness and activity levels.

“We don’t really know the long-term impact of exergaming,” Sanderssays. “The XRKade is really the onlyuniversity lab like this, with 15 differ-ent types of activities that can be usedby children, and observed by

researchers. Other schools mostly havelooked at single pieces of equipment.We’re going to experiment with all ofthe different types of equipment andfind out how children feel about theactivities. Are they fun or not? Whichones are they most excited about?”

The mission of the XRKadeResearch Lab is threefold, accordingto Sanders. First, the lab will be aresource for working elementary andmiddle school teachers, as a place toobtain reliable information onexergaming and its benefits. Secondly,the lab will help to prepare under-graduate education majors to preparefor their roles in the work force, interms of helping future students withphysical-fitness regiments. Finally, thelab will be a center for research, to beconducted by several departmentswithin the College of Education, andin collaboration with pediatric physi-cians at the College of Medicine and

(EXER)GAMING FOR FITNESS

CBY PHILIP BOOTH

“The XRKade is really the only university lab like this, with 15

different types of activities that can be used by children, and

observed by researchers.” – Stephen Sanders

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researchers from other departmentsacross campus.

What are the implications of theincreased use of exergaming equip-ment among children? Does exergam-ing actually increase children’s fitnesslevels? What are the social and aca-demic benefits of interactive gamingactivities? Are there benefits for spe-cial needs students? Which types ofinteractive fitness games are mostappealing to children, and why?

Researchers at the XRKade lab will

investigate these questions and othersover the coming months and years.

“The big picture on all of this isthat as educators, we’re trying to cre-ate a culture of physical activity.Sanders says. “Typically, there is timein schools set aside for children to bephysically active. We want to makesure that qualified teachers are avail-able to help kids reach their fitnessgoals.”

The XRKade lab was fundedthrough donations from iTECH

Fitness and their corporate partners,who together will support the USFlab’s research for a period of as longas five years.

“We are extremely excited to beworking with USF on this project andwe believe that the research will onlyhelp solidify the positive effects wehave seen throughout the country inexergaming fitness clubs,” saidMichael G. Hansen, COO and co-founder of iTECH Fitness.

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D I S C O V E R Y

lzheimer’s diseasedestroys the memo-ries and lives of mil-lions of peopleworldwide, and there

is no cure for the devastating neu-rodegenerative disease.

Four years ago, a clinical trialfor an Alzheimer’s vaccine thatshowed promise in an animalmodel was suspended indefinitelywhen a small percentage of studyparticipants died from brain inflam-mation and bleeding.

Now, USF researchers havetaken the first steps toward devel-oping a new approach to thatolder vaccine—a strategy theyhope will lead to a safer vaccine inthe form of a skin patch or cream.In a study published earlier thisyear in the Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences, theresearchers reported that a trans-dermal vaccine (placed on theskin) was effective and safe inclearing brain-damaging plaquesfrom mice bred to developAlzheimer’s-like pathology.

“While many groups haveshown vaccinating against the beta

amyloid protein (Aβ) can reduceAlzheimer’s-like pathology includ-ing certain cognitive deficits, thisstudy is the first to demonstratethat immunization using the skinmay be an effective way to reduceAβ pathology,” says senior studyauthor Dr. Jun Tan, director of theNeuroimmunology Laboratory atthe Institute for Research inPsychiatry, USF Department ofPsychiatry.

“The beauty is that something assimple and non-invasive as a skinpatch could potentially be a promis-ing therapy for Alzheimer’s disease.”

“As the rate of Alzheimer’s dis-

ease continues to climb withincreases in life expectancy, Dr.Tan and the other researchers inour Interdisciplinary SignatureProgram in Neurosciences arefocusing on creative ways to devel-op viable therapies that will stop,delay or reverse this debilitating ill-ness,” says Abdul S. Rao, seniorassociate vice president for USFHealth and vice dean for researchand graduate affairs at the Collegeof Medicine.

The Alzheimer’s vaccine worksby triggering the immune systemto recognize Aβ—a sticky proteinthat abnormally builds up in thebrains of Alzheimer’s patients—asa foreign invader and attack it.

Rather than injecting the vac-cine’s therapeutic contentsthrough the circulatory system,Tan and his colleagues targetedthe skin as the route of vaccinedelivery. They combined the sameAβ protein and saline solutioninjected in the previous vaccinewith a modified immune systembooster, applying the mixture tothe skin of mice bred to developage-related brain degeneration

PATCH HOLDS PROMISE FORALZHEIMER’S PATIENTS

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mimicking Alzheimer’s. In the earlier clinical trial, the

serious side effects were triggeredby an autoimmune reaction, whichoccurred when immune cellsaggressively attacked the body’sown proteins produced by the vac-cine. In the USF study, transdermal

immunization did not seem to trig-ger the same toxic effects associat-ed with the injected vaccine.

Tan suggests that specializedimmune cells prevalent in the skin,called Langerhans, may direct thebody’s reaction to the transdermalvaccine toward a response that isbeneficial instead of overly aggres-sive and ultimately harmful.

Unlike conventional infectiousdiseases vaccines requiring onlyone or two shots to build up

immune defense, an Alzheimer’svaccine would need to be adminis-tered at regular intervals for therest of a patient’s life, Tan says.“Something simple and convenientfor patients to apply, like a patch,would be more acceptable forwidespread clinical use.”

Transdermal delivery is a viablestrategy for vaccine delivery, saysSam Gandy, chair of the nationalAlzheimer’s Association’s Medical& Scientific Advisory Council.“Certainly, skin patches would befar more convenient for the elder-ly, since no visit to the physician isrequired, a prescription can befilled by mail and the patchapplied at home. Such ease wouldundoubtedly lead to rapid adop-tion of this new and exciting way

“The beauty is that something as simple and non-invasive

as a skin patch could potentially be a promising therapy

for Alzheimer’s disease.” – Dr. Jun Tan

to modify the course ofAlzheimer’s.”

The USF researchers plan to fur-ther test whether the transdermalvaccine can curb memory loss inAlzheimer’s mice as well as reducetheir “senile” plaque burden. “Ifthose studies show clear cognitivebenefits,” Tan says, “we believeclinical trials to evaluate an Aβ skinpatch or topical cream in patientswith Alzheimer’s would be warrant-ed. Of course, animal studies donot guarantee safety for people, sohuman clinical trials will prove tobe the gold standard here.”

More than five millionAmericans are living withAlzheimer’s disease, a 10 percentincrease since the last Alzheimer’sAssociation estimate five years ago.

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D I S C O V E R Y

For the Children

When children need help,whether they are awaiting adop-tion, negotiating the foster caresystem, or victims of abuse orneglect, the professionals whowork with them know only themost effective measures will suf-fice. And time is usually of theessence. But for those caught upin the day-to-day turbulence ofproviding the actual services,time is either a luxury or nearlynon-existent.

n Enter the USF Louis de la ParteFlorida Mental Health Institute (FMHI)with a revolutionary new resource—the technology to deliver what childwelfare professionals need with speedand efficiency via a computer.

The Florida Department of Childrenand Families (DCF) recently awarded anew grant of $3.7 million to FMHI todevelop Florida’s Center for theAdvancement of Child WelfarePractice, a statewide informationalWeb portal that includes a comprehen-sive database, a variety of training andconsultation options and advancedinteractive components over the nextthree years.

“Child protection and welfare serv-ices are challenged to understand andaddress complex issues with children,families and communities in crisis thatinvolve a number of disciplines andservices,” says Don Policella, centerdirector and project principal investiga-tor. “Our customers require access tothe very best practices. The only prob-lem is this is a fast-paced, constantlychanging field. Our job at the center isto keep up with it, and to provide thecutting edge, high quality informationso critical to developing successfulstrategies and outcomes for children.”

The project got started with a steer-ing committee composed of DCF,community-based care and sheriff’soffice representatives. In March a new,user-friendly Web site was launched,

built around current rules and policiesand including links to relevant Floridastate and federal statutes and rules,recent decision memoranda or policyinterpretations, fiscal requirements,national best practices, research andfrequently asked questions withauthoritative answers.

“Our goal is to help bring synergyamong the varying service agencies, aswell as help take away the labor inten-sive work associated with getting infor-mation,” Policella says.

In July, the collaborative interactivefeature launches. The center will spon-

sor expert national technical assistanceand consultation for its customers onvarious topics either on-site or viavideo teleconference. In this way, DCFprogram and outsourced community-based care and child protective investi-gations staff can all interact with eachother and share documents. This com-ponent also offers video streamed edu-cational and training presentations andother functions designed to facilitatelearning, information sharing and iden-tification of additional training andtechnical issues.

“One of the most wonderful thingsis that once in place, this portal willonly get better and better,” says

Policella. “Plans are to expand theinformation being made available,increase the proficiency and increasethe speed and content.”

As one of the largest behavioralservices research centers in the UnitedStates, FMHI is uniquely qualified,having provided research, training,education and support services tomental health and child welfare pro-fessionals, consumer organizations andbehavioral health advocates for morethan 30 years.

“We are proud to be a part ofFlorida’s efforts to advance the state’schild welfare practice in such a multi-disciplinary way,” says Policella.“Children brought to the attention ofchild welfare services are not alwaysaccommodated by the standard servicearray. Cultural diversity, developmentaldisabilities, and varying degrees oftrauma-related symptoms are amongthe issues that must also be includedin our best practice knowledge base,innovative skill set, and system of carestrategies.

“The Florida Center has beendesigned to take advantage of themost current research and technologyto provide state-of-the-art support toboth our internal and external stake-holders,” says Harry Propper, a DCFoperations administrator and steeringcommittee member. “We are excitedabout our partnership with the univer-sity and look forward to advancingFlorida’s child welfare practice in sup-port of Florida’s children and families.”

– BARBARA PERKINS

Under the Sea

USF Assistant professor and bio-logical oceanographer Kendra Dalyis helping to lead a major transfor-mation in ocean research—fromexpeditionary science to observa-tory science. Daly, on academicleave from USF, was tapped lastyear to be director of a $331 mil-lion National Science Foundation

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program that will set up underwa-ter observatories to study oceanenvironments for decades.

n “Ever since the first oceanographicvoyages,” says the program’sbrochure, “the major obstacle toocean science has been the oceanitself, a medium that we cannot livein, see through, probe with satellitesor even visit for long.”

Thanks to recent technologicaladvances in remotely operated andautonomous vehicles that can traveldeeper than submarines, underwaterinstruments, genomics, telecommuni-cations cables, satellite communica-tion and computer sciences, explor-ing Earth’s largest biosphere is nowbecoming a real possibility.

NSF’s Ocean Research InteractiveObservatory Networks (ORION) pro-gram will build and deploy state-of-the art interactive ocean observatoriesin a number of regions in the Pacificand Atlantic oceans. Scientific instru-ments will be installed on the oceanfloor and in undersea volcanoes andhydrothermal vents. Sensors on profil-ing moorings will obtain measure-ments from the air-sea interface downto the seafloor. And, autonomousunderwater vehicles and gliders willcollect data over larger spatial areas.

Offshore of Washington andOregon, sensor networks will beconnected to a fiber optic cableencircling much of the Juan de Fucatectonic plate and a segment of thecoastal continental shelf. The cablewill provide fast, two-way data trans-fer between sensors in the oceanand users on land to allow adaptivesampling of transient events. In othercoastal and remote deep water loca-tions, data will be transmitted viasatellite to a central location where itcan serve researchers, policymakersand the public.

The data will enable new studiesof ocean systems including processesthat regulate global climate and rain-fall patterns; influence the storage of

anthropogenic carbon; form vast min-eral resources; support major fishstocks; and threaten coastlines withstorms, tsunamis, harmful algae likered tide and hypoxia. It also will pro-vide critical information to answerquestions about the diversity of lifewithin the seafloor.

“We know these processes areongoing,” says Daly, “but we cannotunderstand them without having apermanent presence in the ocean,much like meteorologists have sta-tions to monitor weather conditionsaround Earth.”

“If congressional funding for theproject stays on track, the firstdeployment of some initial mooringscould be as early as 2009 and thesystem will be completed in 2013,”continues Daly. Since January 2006,

Daly has been responsible for leadingscience planning and developmentfor the program, developing scientificpriorities, directing the program’s sixadvisory committees, creating com-munity outreach efforts and acting asthe primary liaison with other obser-vatory groups. Among her most criti-cal contributions, Daly was instru-mental in guiding ORION’sConceptual Network Designs.

Daly will return to USF later thisyear to lead a $1.8 million interna-tional, multidisciplinary researchexpedition to investigate carbon andnitrogen cycling in the CariacoBasin off the coast of Venezuela.She also will continue to work as anadviser to the ORION program.

– ANN CARNEY

The data will enable new studies of ocean systems including processes

that regulate global climate and rainfall patterns and threaten coastlines

with storms, tsunamis and harmful algae like red tide.

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HANDS-ON DISCOMICROBIOLOGY MAJOR LEIGH NATTKEMPER

LEARNS WHILE SHE WORKS IN DR. RON

MERVIS’ NEUROSTRUCTURAL LAB.

A model undergraduate research programencourages and empowers students across alldisciplines to become a part of discovery.

enior microbi-ology majorLeighNattkemperhas been fasci-nated by thebrain for aslong as she canremember. So,

when she heard about the researchher lab partner was doing under thedirection of Dr. Ron Mervis, profes-sor of neurosurgery in the USFCenter of Excellence for Aging andBrain Repair, Nattkemper becameintrigued. Within weeks she hadscheduled an interview with Mervisand was offered an opportunity toconduct research in his lab.

Today, Nattkemper is activelyinvolved in a study observing the liv-ing system of mice in which a partic-ular gene, called Carboxypeptidase E,has been inactivated. By observingthe physical and biochemical charac-teristics of the mice, Nattkemper isgathering important information thatcould lead to a better understandingof what the gene normally does andhow its absence may contribute todisease, such as diabetes and obesity.

Nattkemper is one of about 20undergraduate students working inMervis’ NeuroStructural lab, and oneof more than 500 undergraduatesactively engaged in research at USF.

“I never thought I would beinvolved in anything like this,” saysNattkemper. “Through my major Ihave to take labs, but all the experi-ments have a set outcome. In Dr.Mervis’ lab, we have no idea what toexpect until we see the results. Ihave a purpose to doing the work.”

Providing meaningful researchopportunities early in a student’seducation is the idea behind USF’sundergraduate research program.And, it is among the factors whichhave earned USF recognition as oneof only 63 public universities in thecountry to be named to the highesttier of the Carnegie Foundation forthe Advancement of Teaching.

“Undergraduate research gives stu-dents the opportunity to get involvedwith what makes USF a greatresearch institution,” says NaomiYavneh, director of the Office ofUndergraduate Research at USF. “Itprovides an opportunity for all stu-dents to get involved with the actual

SBY ANN CARNEY

FEATURE PHOTOS BY JOSEPH GAMBLE

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work of the institution—not justhearing about discovery, but being apart of it.”

USF has always provided researchopportunities for undergraduate stu-dents, though it wasn't until 2004, asthe university prepared for reaccredi-dation, that a formalized, funded andpublicized program was put in placeto coordinate the numerous under-graduate research opportunitiesgoing on and available throughoutthe university.

“We saw an opportunity toenhance instruction through a for-malized, university-wide undergradu-ate research program and we put aplan in place,” says Stuart Silverman,

dean of the Honors College, whichnow oversees the Office ofUndergraduate Research. “The plancalled for a program that would con-tribute to the creation of new knowl-edge while providing a challengingintellectual environment. It woulddraw on the expertise of nationallyand internally recognized facultymembers willing to serve as mentorsto students. And, it would be avail-able to all students at the universi-ty—regardless of major.”

With the full support and backingof university administrators, the planwas set in motion. Faculty memberssigned on, and in just three years,the program has achieved remark-able success.

More than 500 students are cur-rently paired with faculty mentors in

THIS FALL, ANTHROPOLOGY MAJOR AHMAD

AL-JALLAD WILL ATTEND HARVARD

UNIVERSITY TO PURSUE A PHD IN SEMITIC

PHILOLOGY. HE WAS THE ONLY DOCTORAL

CANDIDATE SELECTED THIS YEAR BY THE

UNIVERSITY TO TAKE PART IN THE PRESTI-

GIOUS PROGRAM.

every college at the university. Thisyear alone, 40 students received fullfunding to present their research atthe National Conference onUndergraduate Research, up from 18the previous year. Seventy-six stu-dents received funding to attend 84professional disciplinary conferencesand, more than 100 students partici-pated in USF's fifth annualUndergraduate Research Symposium.

In addition, USF introduced aseries of programs called ResearchExperiences for Undergraduates(REUs). The instructional programsteach students about the researchprocess within a given field, matchstudents with mentors and allow stu-

dents to conduct actual research.USF currently offers five REUs (inengineering, geology, computer sci-ence, interdisciplinary hurricane stud-ies and behavioral and mentalhealth) sponsored by the NationalScience Foundation. USF has usedthe NSF model to develop a varietyof REUs in nontraditional fieldsincluding humanities, sociology,anthropology, peace studies, theatre,women’s health and chemistry. EightREUs are planned for Summer 2007.

“I think we are creating a modelfor the state,” says Yavneh. “Whatmakes us special is we provideundergraduate research experiencesfor any student who wants to getinvolved and that is something ofwhich we are really proud.”

What also makes the program spe-

cial is the broad definition ofresearch which opens opportunitiesto pursue discovery in a wide varietyof fields.

“Traditionally, research has beenthought of as what is done in thelaboratory or library,” says Yavneh.“Here, we view research as any cre-ative endeavor designed to create orproduce an original project. We workwith individual disciplines to creatediscipline-specific norms for eachstudent project.”

For Daniel Stephens, a senioranthropology major, research comesin the form of spatial analysis tech-nology—hardware and software tostudy and evaluate cultural resourcessuch as national park sites. Using aportable GPS, Stephens locates andmaps archaeological pinpoints andgathers critical environmental data atvarious cultural sites. He recentlypresented his work at the Society forAmerican Archaeology Conference inAustin, Texas.

“This is the future of anthropolo-gy,” says Stephens, who first becameinterested in the new technologywhen he took a class with his currentmentor, Lori Collins, a visiting instruc-tor and undergraduate advisor in theDepartment of Anthropology.“Research is an integral part of thefield,” he says, adding that his worktrekking through the mangroves atDeSoto National Park is a steppingstone to learn what it takes to workin archaeology, the area of anthropol-ogy in which he hopes to specialize.

“Undergraduate research provides an opportunity for all

students to get involved with the actual work of the

institution—not just hearing about discovery, but being

a part of it.” – Naomi Yavneh

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For many of the university’sundergraduates, research experiencesfall outside their field of study.

Since coming to USF’s HonorsCollege in 2003, anthropology majorAhmad Al-Jallad has been delving intothe science of historical linguistics. Todate, he has published two papersand has one in review; he’s authoreda textbook for second-year Arabic stu-dents and presented at two nationalconferences this year. Though hisresearch is largely self-directed, Al-Jallad is grateful for the advice andsupport he gets from his faculty men-tor, assistant professor JacquelineMessing, an anthropological linguist.

“I really want to get into academiaand my research has opened a lot ofdoors,” says Al-Jallad. This fall Al-Jallad will attend Harvard Universityto pursue a PhD in Semitic Philologyin the Department of Near EasternLanguages & Civilizations. He was

the only doctoral candidate selectedthis year by the university to takepart in the prestigious program.

“Research has allowed me to par-ticipate in the debate going on in thescholarly community,” says Al-Jallad.“Research is the thing that keeps

“Research transforms students from passive learners

to active participants in the learning process. When a

student engages in a mentored research project, that

student learns to frame meaningful questions in a

thoughtful manner.” – Stuart Silverman

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society moving.”Creating new knowledge that con-

tributes to the advancement of socie-ty is the true benefit of the under-graduate research experience, saysSilverman.

“Research transforms studentsfrom passive learners to active partic-ipants in the learning process. Whena student engages in a mentoredresearch project, that student learnsto frame meaningful questions in athoughtful manner. Scholars havelong known that the nature of thequestion is critical in finding theanswer.”

Honors College junior Elisa

McQueen, a microbiology major,understands the commitment thatcomes with undergraduate research.She started doing research duringher freshman year as an assistant inan immunology lab at Moffitt CancerCenter and Research Institute. Thenworking under the direction of facul-ty mentor Dr. Julie Djey, McQueenconducted research to understandthe molecular mechanisms of a drugcurrently used to treat multiplemyeloma. Today, she is involved inresearch that will enable engineersto manipulate mobility devices, suchas a wheelchair, to further open theworld of performing arts to the

physically disabled.“Research promotes a higher level

of thinking,” she says. “It brings myeducation to a new level.”

McQueen is currently president ofthe Undergraduate Research Board, astudent organization formally estab-lished in 2006 to support studentresearch efforts and get the word outto students about the wide array ofresearch opportunities available toundergraduates at USF.

As research opportunities andREUs continue to expand at USF, sotoo does the commitment to supportundergraduate research initiatives.Among the efforts are continuedwork by the Office of UndergraduateResearch to design undergraduateresearch experiences, course workand programs; expanded grantopportunities for students engaged inprojects with faculty mentors;increased funding for student travel; a“Mentors-in-Residence” program tobring scholars with exceptional expe-rience working with undergraduatesto USF; and a mentor training pro-gram to assist graduate students whowork with undergraduates.

“Think of what an advantage thisis for our undergraduates,” saysYavneh.

But it’s not just the students whobenefit.

“Research is the pot of gold atthe end of the rainbow,” saysSilverman. “Our students are creat-ing knowledge.”

SENIOR ANTHROPOLOGY MAJOR DANIEL

STEPHENS USES A PORTABLE GPS TO

GATHER CRITICAL ENVIRONMENTAL DATA

AT DESOTO NATIONAL PARK, ACCOMPANIED

BY HIS FACULTY MENTOR, LORI COLLINS.

hen a group of40 representa-tives from USF,local communi-ty colleges,business, non-

profit organizations and publicschools met during a regional plan-ning session seven years ago, theyidentified a serious shortage of quali-fied mathematics and science second-ary school teachers. The groupquickly formed a partnership and setout to fill the gap by attracting pro-fessionals in business and industry toteaching, and assisting them in mak-ing the transition.

Helping to solve problems in thecommunity is nothing new for USF.And it’s not just a local phenomenon.Community engagement at USF hap-pens at the state, regional, nationaland international level. In fact,through enormous efforts that spanfaculty, students and communities,USF recently earned the CarnegieFoundation for the Advancement ofTeaching’s new “community engaged”distinction.

USF, the only Florida university toreceive the honor, is one of only 10public research universities, includingthe University of North CarolinaChapel Hill, UCLA, the University of

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USF’s extensive history of community engagement has been recognized by the Carnegie

Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching with a new university classification.

A UNIVERSITY ENGAGED

Minnesota, Arizona State University,and Michigan State University, thatwas accorded this prominent stand-ing. The award coincides with anoth-er key recognition of USF by theCarnegie Foundation a few shortmonths ago when USF was chosen asone of only 63 public research univer-sities named to the foundation’s high-est tier—“Research University withVery High Research Activity.”

“We are proud of USF’s extensiverecord of community engagementand eager to expand and sustain ourpartnerships with the local andbroader communities we serve,” saysUSF President Judy Genshaft. “Ibelieve that the role of a metropoli-tan research university is to be part ofthe fabric of our communities.”

Community engagement is a broadterm describing cooperative projectsbetween universities and their largercommunities that result in the equallyadvantageous exchange of informa-tion and resources, says KathleenMoore, associate vice president ofAcademic Affairs and EducationalOutreach.

USF has already become an enor-mous community resource providinga plethora of services and resourcesto Tampa and beyond, includingtutoring K through 12 students, non-

credit continuing education, fourregional campus libraries, culturalofferings and athletics. Engagementprojects, says Moore, build on thiswell-established foundation betweenthe university and the community.

In judging the various schools’applications, the Carnegie Foundationlooked at some very concrete factors.Is community engagement part of theschool’s stated mission? Does theschool recognize students and facultyfor their roles in such projects anddocument that in marketing materialsand publications? Are there specificfunds allocated by the institution forcommunity engagement projects?

USF’s response is affirmative on allfronts, says Moore.

And there is a voluminous numberof projects at the school. After 17years at USF, Moore, who wasresponsible for analyzing dozens ofsuch projects and then selecting arepresentative few when applying forthe Carnegie award, says she had noidea of the depth and breadth ofsuch projects in which USF is nowparticipating.

The key for successful communityengagement projects is that the rela-tionship between university and com-munity is a partnership, notes Moore.

“This is a two-way street,” says

BY SHERYL KAY

FEATURE PHOTOS BY JOSEPH GAMBLE

USF GRADUATE STUDENT BRETT MERVIS

HELPED ORGANIZE THE CENTRAL PARK

YOUTHFEST, AN EVENT DESIGNED BY USF

ANTHROPOLOGY FACULTY AND STUDENTS TO

AID DISPLACED RESIDENTS. HE CONTINUES

TO WORK WITHIN THE COMMUNITY, COACH-

ING A LOCAL SOFTBALL TEAM.

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Moore. “The university benefitsbecause it provides us with learningexperiences that we could not havehad otherwise, and the communitybenefits because the university gener-ates knowledge and solutions.”

Consider, for example, the Math &Science Teacher Recruitment,Alternative Certification and Induction(MASTRACI) program to address theshortage of qualified math and sci-ence teachers in the secondaryschool system.

To draw in such candidates,explains Gerry G. Meisels, professorof chemistry and director of theCoalition for Science Literacy, thepartnership, which included repre-sentatives from the university, theHillsborough County School Districtand the Museum of Science andIndustry, jointly planned promotionaland marketing activities to enlargethe pool of career-change individuals.

For those that are hired, a collabora-tive effort between the district andthe university assists the new teachersin adapting to the classroom byrefreshing their knowledge of thesubjects they will be teaching andmaking up for their lack of training inhow to teach these subjects.

“This shows that USF is committedto helping the community address itsmajor problems and that it has theinsights and perspective to see long-range issues that cannot be solved ina few months but take deliberate, con-tinuing investment with results neverclearly and simplistically measurableby short-term outcomes,” says Meisels.

One longtime proponent of com-munity engagement initiatives at USFis Susan Greenbaum, professor ofanthropology. For the past severalyears, Greenbaum has served as chair-person to the Ad Hoc Committee onUniversity Community Engagementand has become the central coordinat-ing point for all such projects.

Because anthropology focuses onthe development of people, societies,and cultures, Greenbaum explains, itwas a natural for her and the depart-ment to become so involved with

community engagement projects. Infact, in January, USF’s Department ofAnthropology was named second inthe nation in public engagement,according to a ranking by the Hawaii-based Center for Public Anthropology.

“We think we can get a betterunderstanding if we are actually outthere involved in what our disciplinetheorizes about rather than in justrepeating what others say aboutthose theories,” she says.

In one of the principal engage-ment projects that Greenbaum herselfoversees, students and faculty fromthe Anthropology Department havebeen working in collaboration withthe Tampa Housing Authority whoare developing a plan for relocatingfamilies out of the Central ParkVillage housing project and into newhousing. The partnership provided ahands-on experience and researchopportunity for the students and fac-ulty members in evaluating andassisting in the creation of public pol-icy for the relocation of low-incomefamilies and children.

Specialized maps were created forall those who would be relocateddenoting places of interest in the

MELANIE BROWN-HARRIS MOVED FROM

A CAREER IN LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT

TO TEACHING MATH AT FREEDOM HIGH.

THROUGH THE MASTRACI PROGRAM, SHE

IS HELPING SOLVE THE SHORTAGE OF

SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS.

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new neighborhoods, especially tofamilies with children; and a youthfest organized by graduate studentsBrett Mervis and Kalfani Ture washeld to help children understand andbecome comfortable with the upcom-ing move.

Another highly successful exampleof community engagement at USFcomes through the USF Collaborativefor Children, Families and Commu-nities. Since its inception in 1996, theCollaborative has worked to increasethe quantity and quality of connec-

Kinship Care Center, which startedafter a Collaborative-funded study ofgrandparents raising grandchildrenand the subsequent forming ofstatewide grandparents groups, thatdemonstrate USF’s strong commit-ment to community engagement onall levels.

“Our faculty has become recog-nized for their efforts and accepted asvalued partners, bringing a strongreputation to USF and more value inthe eyes of community leaders hereand nationally,” says Jetson.

Some engagement projects produceprofound neighborhood results byhelping to change the actual geo-graphical landscape. That’s the case forthe East Tampa Ponds Revitalizationprogram originating in the School ofArchitecture’s Florida Center forCommunity Design and Research. Atthe request of the community, facultyand students have been working withthe residents of East Tampa to devel-op plans to revitalize three existingstorm water retention ponds—that is,transform them into park-like openspace amenities for the neighbor-

“We are proud of USF’s extensive record of community engagement and eager to

expand and sustain our partnerships with the local and broader communities we

serve. I believe that the role of a metropolitan research university is to be part of the

fabric of our communities.” – President Judy Genshaft

tions between USF and the commu-nity. Serving as a central point ofcontact between USF faculty andfamily-based community organiza-tions, the Collaborative offers confer-ences, workshops, training, anewsletter, a Web site and financialresources.

According to Director Judi Jetson,of the 132 grants totaling about $1.6million that the Collaborative hasawarded since 1996, an additional $9million has come in to sponsorresearch. Jetson points to nationallyrecognized projects, such as USF’s

hood, thereby adding value to theadjacent houses and providing asense of enhanced character to theneighborhood.

“This project is an example of theuniversity taking an active role inpartnering with the community inaddressing an issue that has a directimpact on the quality of life forneighborhood residents,” saysTheodore Trent Green, associate pro-fessor of architecture and urbandesign. “Many residents have saidthat we’ve really earned their trustand feel more confident in theirneighborhood revitalization effortsknowing that the university and theSchool of Architecture will be therewith them on a consistent basis.”

In addition, notes Green, studentsworking on the project have beenintroduced to a “real world” situationand have played a role in its resolu-tion, providing them an invaluablelearning experience.

When all parties benefit, saysGreenbaum, that is when communityengagement projects are working attheir finest. Even professors whohave never been exposed to suchprojects can reap vast benefits oncethey participate.

“You can take things we are learn-ing in the field and turn it into thecurrency we all value with producingpublications on the project, professorprestige and getting additionalresearch funding,” she says.

With continued institutional sup-port, more faculty development, andadditional financial resources, com-munity engagement projects willkeep on flourishing at the University,says Greenbaum, and “USF will moveinto the number one position of lead-ership in the nation.”

FOR THE LOVE OF

JAZZ

BY PHILIP BOOTH

azz is alive and well atUSF’s School of Music inthe College of Visual &Performing Arts. Andnowhere is that more evi-dent than at the recentlyestablished Center forJazz Composition, bymost measures the onlyfacility of its kind affiliat-ed with a major American

research university.The center’s second-floor home is

not spacious. But the impact of itsvarious programs is large and grow-ing, with recent media attentionthroughout Central Florida and inter-nationally, in jazz magazines DownBeat and Jazziz, and other musicpublications.

Locally, the Center for JazzComposition has reached out to areamusic lovers, with the JazzMasterworks Series, connecting ChuckOwen and the Jazz Surge, the center’sresident professional 17-piece bigband, with a variety of high-profilejazz artists, including singers NnennaFreelon and Karrin Allyson, pianistChick Corea and bandleader GordonGoodwin. In the spring, trumpeterRandy Brecker, brother of late saxo-phone great Michael Brecker, played“A Tribute to Michael Brecker” withthe Jazz Surge in Tampa, St. Petersburgand Orlando, and met with jazz stu-dents on campus. Saxophonist BobMintzer and pianist Russell Ferrante,both with the popular jazz group theYellowjackets, also appeared with theJazz Surge during the 2006-07 season.

The group serves a vital artistic need,says Chuck Owen, the center’s artisticdirector and a longtime jazz studiesprofessor at USF. “It’s really importantfor jazz to have a major jazz orchestrain the Tampa Bay area—an anchor ten-

J

BEN JAFFE, DIRECTOR OF PRESERVATION HALL

AND SON OF ITS FOUNDERS, PERFORMS WITH

THE JAZZ SURGE AT USF TAMPA.

FEATURE PHOTOS BY JOSEPH GAMBLE

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ant, like the Florida Orchestra is for classical music,” says Owen, an accom-plished composer and arranger whoalso writes pieces for the Surge andserves as president of the InternationalAssociation for Jazz Education (IAJE).“It’s a focal point that really helps bringaudiences together. I think jazz haslacked that in our part of the country.”

The center, too, has extended itsreach internationally with two majorcompetitions. The 2006 JazzComposers Symposium attracted 140participants from around the world toUSF for workshops, concerts and otheractivities. For this year’s firstInternational Jazz ArrangingCompetition, more than 40 composers,representing six countries and threecontinents, submitted arrangements of

have access to 20,000 jazz recordingsfrom the 1930s and ‘40s, donated byRobert Drapkin. The scores andrecordings will allow USF music stu-dents and visiting researchers to pur-sue in-depth study of jazz composition.

“We want to be a place that willallow people to compare Oliver Nelsonwith Duke Ellington and BobBrookmeyer,” Owen says. “To do that,we need to be inclusive and extensive.”

The next major step for the centeris the development of a Web site thatwill allow access to downloadablerecordings and scores as well as asearchable database of compositionsand an online composers journal.Ultimately, the site has the potential tobe an invaluable resource for scholars,composers and working musicians.

“The Web component lets us inter-nationalize our ability to do researchand gives us a chance to take what’sreally been a sleepy area of researchand blow the lid off of it,” Owen says.Adds Stamps, “We are filling a void,providing a tool that a lot of peoplehave been looking for.”

The Center for Jazz Compositionalso is expected to have a positiveimpact on the number and quality ofjazz students attracted to the School ofMusic, which offers bachelor's andmaster's degrees in jazz studies, withconcentrations in performance andcomposition. Approximately 30 stu-dents are pursuing undergraduate andgraduate degrees in jazz studies at USF,and other students participate in thejazz ensembles.

A variety of small combos and bigbands at USF regularly perform con-certs on campus and around theTampa Bay area. Student and facultyjazz groups also collaborate with thenotable guest artists who perform atthe long-running Monday Night JazzSeries. Pianists Dick Hyman and DanHaerle, bassist Ben Jaffe and trumpeterVincent DiMartino are among the

TOM BRANTLEY, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF MUSIC, CONDUCTS USF JAZZ ENSEMBLE I.

THIS SUMMER THE GROUP WILL PERFORM AT JAZZ FESTIVALS IN ITALY AND FRANCE.

Michael Brecker compositions, and thetwo winning pieces were performed atthe Michael Brecker tribute concerts.

“We really want to reach out to thewhole university community, and tothe music community at large,” Owensays. “Our mission is all about educat-ing not only within the university, bycollaborating with other artists in theSchool of Music, but beyond USF. Wewant to be the focal point for buildingknowledge and understanding within avery specific area—the field of jazzcomposition.”

Toward that end, Owen and centerManaging Director David Stamps haveworked to amass a collection of 3,000scores, penned by everyone from JellyRoll Morton to contemporary com-posers. The center’s researchers also

USF Jazz Ensembles’ invitations to acclaimed summer jazz festivals

demonstrate the jazz studies program’s growing reputation for excellence.

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guests who played the series in 2006-07, and gave master classes at theSchool of Music, as did the JazzMasterworks artists.

“Bringing in well-known jazz artistshelps our students to understand thetruth and reality of life as a jazz pro-fessional. They really have an advan-tage over other students who don’t getthat kind of exposure to working pro-fessionals,” says Jack Wilkins, USFdirector of jazz studies. “Getting tomeet these guest artists allows them tohave a better understanding aboutwhat it takes to achieve a career injazz.” Wilkins, a saxophonist, hasreleased several CDs and has gained anational reputation as an expert in theart of improvisation, through his par-ticipation in Jamey Aebersold’sSummer Jazz Workshops.

The jazz studies program has alsofacilitated cross-campus arts programs,collaborating with USF Libraries for“Looking at Jazz, America’s Art Form,”a six-part series of concerts, films andlectures—some of which coincidedwith the Monday Night Jazz Seriesand the Jazz Masterworks Series—thatwas funded in part by the NationalEndowment for the Humanities, theAmerican Library Association and Jazz

at Lincoln Center.USF student jazz ensembles have

made an impact globally, through per-formances at prestigious internationaljazz festivals and at IAJE conferences inAtlanta and Miami. This summer, theUSF Jazz Ensemble I, the top big bandin the jazz studies program, will take a10-day trip to Europe for performancesat Umbria Jazz and the Valdarno JazzFestival in Italy and two major musicalevents in France—the Nice JazzFestival and the Antibes Jazz Festival.

The invitations demonstrate the jazzstudies program’s growing reputationfor excellence, also affirmed by thesuccess of such recent graduates asguitarist Corey Christiansen, whose CDwith six-string greats Jimmy Bruno andVic Juris topped the jazz-radio chartsat the beginning of 2007; and saxo-phonist Kim Bock and pianist SilaCevikce, both of whom released CDson the SteepleChase label. JeffFairbanks was selected to participatein the prestigious BMI Jazz ComposersWorkshop and won an ASCAP YoungComposers Award, and one of hiscompositions was premiered at arecent conference of the IAJE.Saxophonist Eric Darius, who pursuedjazz studies at USF, recently signed to

Narada Jazz, part of the Blue Note LabelGroup.

The international trips additionallyafford students more opportunities forclose-up views of working jazz musi-cians, Wilkins says. “They get to experi-ence life as a professional touringartist—from the travel to the set-up tothe anxieties and joys of playing in frontof large, knowledgeable jazz crowds.”

The European travel, available as afor-credit class through the StudyAbroad program, allows students toserve as American cultural ambassadors,and also helps them better prepare fortheir role as professionals, competingwith others around the world for workin a global economy.

“Some of these students have neverleft the country and this gives them anopportunity to meet people from othercountries as well as using a foreign lan-guage to order lunch in Italian andFrench and carry on other activities,”Wilkins says. “They have a chance tobecome immersed in other world cul-tures, and it helps them to becomeworld citizens.”

DAVID STAMPS AND CHUCK OWEN HAVE COLLECTED 3,000

SCORES TO OFFER MUSIC STUDENTS AND RESEARCHERS

AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF JAZZ COMPOSITION.

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C O M M I T M E N T

PAM AND LES MUMA A PROFILE IN LEADERSHIP

hen USF alums Pamand Les Mumareturned to Floridain 2005, they hadmore than a peace-

ful retirement in mind. Theyplanned to continue their long tra-dition of giving back.

To those who know this gener-ous couple, it came as little surprisewhen on December 6, 2006, theyannounced one of the largest giftsever in Florida to championresearch and care for newborns.Their gift, $6 million to USF Healthin partnership with Tampa GeneralHospital, was a gift from the heart—a gift in memory of their daughter,Jennifer Leigh Muma, who died in aneonatal nursery.

“When we moved back to theTampa Bay area, we wanted to ful-fill our dream to bring neonatal careto another level at Tampa GeneralHospital,” says Pam. “We challengedSteven Klasko, vice president ofUSF Health and dean of the USFCollege of Medicine, to build aworld class neonatal care unit atTampa General Hospital and tomaximize the dollars we couldapply to it.”

The Mumas’ gift, eligible for astate match of $5 million and aninternal match of $3 million fromUSF as well as salaries and physi-cian support, will transform neona-tal care in the Tampa Bay commu-nity and give new hope to the par-ents of newborns in critical need ofspecialized care.

“To be fortunate enough to makelife better for someone else is spe-

cial,” says Les, who was co-founder,president and chief executive officerof Wisconsin-based Fiserv, Inc., aFortune 500 company providingtechnology products and services tomore than 17,000 financial institu-tion clients worldwide. “When youstop and think about what you aregoing to accomplish it is veryrewarding.”

For more than three decades,Pam and Les have been changinglives. Each year the couple, whomet at Winter Haven High Schooland began dating at USF, funds fourfull-tuition scholarships to WinterHaven students pursuing a degreein business or technology at USF. In2003, they pledged $500,000 tobuild the Pamela and Leslie M.Muma Teaching Auditorium in USF’sCollege of Business Administration.But often their generosity has comewithout their name attached.

“We never believed in givingmoney with our name involved,”explains Pam. “But at some pointwe realized to teach other people togive, people should attach theirname to gifts,” adds Les.

It is one of many beliefs theyhold in common—like leading byexample.

“In the early years we didn’t havemoney to give, so we gave time,”recalls Les. “It got us into the mind-set of giving back. When we werefortunate enough to have money togive back, it was a natural thing.”So, too, has it been a natural thingfor Pam and Les to pass on theirphilosophy about giving back totheir daughter, Lisa Muma Weitz,

who lives in Charleston, SouthCarolina with her husband and twochildren, and will one day run thefamily foundation.

“It starts with the children,” saysPam. “It is a responsibility in a lot ofways; you have to expose them toit.” But, she adds, you don’t have togive money to make that happen.

“People should be generous—whether it’s picking a bouquet offlowers for the neighbors or bring-ing a meal to the family of someonein the hospital. It’s about being acaring human being.”

And caring is what making a dif-ference is all about say the Belleaircouple, whose philanthropy hasbeen largely focused on children inneed, children’s health and educa-tion.

In 2006, Pam became a foundingmember of USF Women inLeadership and Philanthropy. The

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program is designed to empowerUSF women students, faculty andfriends to become leaders and phi-lanthropists who will impact theuniversity and their communitiesthrough leadership and generosity.

It is one of many causes Pam hasembraced since returning to Florida.In addition to their involvement withUSF, Pam serves on the TampaGeneral Hospital Foundation Board,the Moffitt Cancer Center FoundationBoard of Directors and JuniorAchievement of West CentralFlorida. Pam was active in theMilwaukee community as well, serv-

ing as chairman of the board ofChildren’s Hospital of WisconsinFoundation, and the boards of theCancer Center of the MedicalCollege of Wisconsin, the NationalMultiple Sclerosis Society, UnitedWay, the Milwaukee Art Museum,the Task Force on Family Violenceand others.

In addition to the couple’s owngenerous philanthropy, Les hasagreed to co-chair a major fundrais-ing initiative at USF with fellow USFFoundation board member FrankMorsani.

“I always intended to get more

involved with USF as I moved tothis phase of my life,” says Les, whocredits the university with teachinghim the value in learning, not tomention finding his wife of 42years. “It’s a great time at USF.”

While they show no signs ofslowing down in their commitmentto giving back, Pam and Les dolook forward to more internationaltravel and time on the golf courseduring this new phase in their lives.And, they look forward to thedevelopments in newborn care thatwill come from their latest gift tothe university, particularly walkinginto the new Jennifer Leigh MumaNeonatal Intensive Care Unit atTampa General Hospital in 2009.

“In the early years we didn’t have money to give, so

we gave time. It got us into the mindset of giving

back. When we were fortunate enough to have money

to give back, it was a natural thing.” – Les MumaJO

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A T H L E T I C S

New Era for Men’sBasketball

On March 27, 1999, Stan Heathsat as an assistant coach amongthe Michigan State Spartans ona Final Four team bench in St.Petersburg’s Tropicana Field. Itwas the first of three straightFinal Fours for Heath with theSpartans, including a nationalchampionship in 2000. But eightyears and seven days after thatfirst Final Four appearance in St.Petersburg, Heath found himselfback in Tampa Bay, this time ata podium on the USF campuswith President Judy Genshaftand Director of Athletics DougWoolard, as he was named thenew men’s basketball coach.

n Heath, 42, arrives at USF afterserving as head coach at theUniversity of Arkansas for each ofthe previous five seasons. Whilewith the Razorbacks, Heath guidedthe program to a pair of NCAATournament appearances (2006,2007) and an overall record of 82-

71. Arkansas posted 20-win cam-paigns in each of the previous twoseasons and 2006-07 was highlightedby a run to the championship gameof the Southeastern ConferenceTournament and subsequent partici-pation in the NCAA Tournament.

“I couldn’t be more pleased tointroduce Stan Heath as our men’shead basketball coach,” Woolardsaid. “He has had tremendous suc-cess at every level of college bas-ketball. During his five years as anassistant at Michigan State, theirteam went to the NIT, Sweet 16,Final Four twice, and won a nation-al championship.

“During his one season at KentState, he led what many peopleconsider to be a mid-major schoolto a 30-6 record and an Elite Eightappearance,” Woolard added.“During his five years as a headcoach at Arkansas, his recruitingclasses were ranked in the top 15-or-better three times. Additionally,the last two seasons his team won20-or-more games, made the NCAATournament, and played againstFlorida in the SEC Tournament

championship game.”Everywhere he’s been—both as

an assistant and as a head coach—Heath has played a significant rolein the program’s success. Perhapsthere is no better judge of that thanTom Izzo, head coach at MichiganState, who has been ultimatelyresponsible for building that power-ful program, and yet is quick topass along credit to others, includ-ing Heath.

“I think Stan will do an incredi-ble job at USF,” Izzo said. “He hasbeen a part of a lot of successfulprograms at various levels and hasexperience working with estab-lished teams as well as those hehelped develop into winners. Hehas recruited some of the greatestplayers we have had at MichiganState and has always been aroundsuccess. Stan’s ability to recruit andcoach and the outstanding peopleskills of he and his family will helpto breed success at USF.”

An outstanding recruiter through-out his career, Heath has attractednationally recognized signing class-es. National media outlets rankedhis efforts among the top 15 in thecountry in 2003, 2004 and 2006. Inhis six years (Arkansas and KentState University) as a head coach,he has directed a total of six play-ers to all-league accolades on eightoccasions and his rosters have fea-tured a pair of freshman All-Americans, two conference defen-sive players of the year and onesixth man of the year.

“Today, we are here to celebratethe beginning of a new era for theUSF men’s basketball program, thehiring of Stan Heath,” Genshaftsaid. “The entire university commu-nity is excited about the selectionof Coach Heath as he has encoun-tered tremendous success already inhis career and we look forward tothat continuing in the future.”

- SCOTT KUYKENDALL

STAN HEATH WAS NAMED HEAD COACH OF MEN’S BASKETBALL IN MARCH.

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Making HistoryWith 27 seconds remaining in herfinal regular season home appear-ance among four seasons as aUSF basketball player, JessicaDickson was doing somethingquite ordinary on February 26.She was standing at the freethrow line—something she hadalready done 544 times in herUSF career. But after hitting eachof two free throws, the Ocala,Fla., native had accomplished theextraordinary. She had scored her2,320th and 2,321st career pointsto become the most prolific scor-er—male or female—in USFschool history, eclipsing CharlieBradley’s 2,319 points for the USFmen from1982-85.

n Extraordinary is the only way todescribe Dickson’s career at USF. Sheled the Bulls to an unprecedentedfour straight postseason tournaments,including the schools first-ever NCAAberth in 2006. The team won 20games in two of her four seasons,the only two times that has hap-pened in the program’s history; andas Dickson entered her senior sea-son, she was named the Big EastConference Preseason Player of theYear and was named a candidate forthree separate National Player of theYear Awards, including the Woodenand Naismith Awards and the WadeTrophy.

Dickson leaves USF with 2,402career points, and is third among allcollegiate women’s basketball playersin state history. In addition, Dicksongrabbed 746 rebounds to rank sixthon the schools all-time list, and sheis the all-time leader in career gamesplayed and career starts.

Dickson continues to representUSF even after her eligibility hasexpired. On April 4, she became thefirst-ever USF women’s basketballplayer drafted by a WNBA team,when she was the SacramentoMonarchs’ first selection.

- JOHN GERDES

JESSICA DICKSON NOW HOLDS THE

RECORD FOR HIGHEST SCORER, MALE

OR FEMALE, IN USF HISTORY WITH

2,402 CAREER POINTS.

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A T H L E T I C S

Women’s SoccerProgram Scores

As Denise Schilte-Brown headsinto her first season as headcoach of the USF women’s soccerprogram, she looks forward tothe success she found leadingVirginia Commonwealth (VCU) tothe NCAA Women’s SoccerCollege Cup in 2004 and 2005.Brown was named to her newposition with USF in December2006.

n “Coach Schilte-Brown bringstogether everything we were lookingfor in a coach to lead our women'ssoccer program,” says DougWoolard, director of Athletics. “Hercoaching success, her knowledge ofthe college game and her familiaritywith soccer in Florida and up anddown the Eastern Seaboard will ben-efit our women’s soccer student-ath-

letes tremendously. We’re extremelyexcited about the future of USFwomen’s soccer.”

During her seven years at VCU,Schilte-Brown led the Rams to a 77-51-17 record, including back-to-back Colonial Athletic Associationchampionships in 2004 and 2005and a third-place finish in 2006.

“This is a great personal and pro-fessional opportunity for me, I’mextremely excited about the futureof USF soccer in the Big East,” saysSchilte-Brown. “There are amazingsoccer resources in the Tampa areaand I look forward to using theseto take the program to a newlevel.”

In 2005, Schilte-Brown’s Blackand Gold was unbeaten in the con-ference, posting a 9-0-2 record, andmade their second-consecutiveappearance in the NCAA Women'sCollege Cup, earning their first-everNCAA tournament victory, a 3-1

win over Clemson. In 2001 Schilte-Brown was recog-

nized as the CAA Coach of the Yearand in 2002 she was the runner-upfor the Soccer Buzz Coach of theYear for the Mid-Atlantic region.

After graduating from UMBC in1996 with a bachelor’s degree ineconomics, Schilte-Brown served asan assistant coach at both EckerdCollege (1997) and the University ofTampa (1998) before returning toher alma mater. While in Florida,she was head coach of the TampaHeather U-13 and U-19 youth soc-cer club.

Schilte-Brown and her husband,Chris, have two-year-old twins,Ethan Lake and Kenza Madison.

- AMY WOODRUFF

DENISE SCHILTE-BROWN WAS NAMED

HEAD COACH OF USF’S WOMEN’S SOCCER

PROGRAM IN DECEMBER.

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L A S T W O R D

Dan Bagley III

USF advertising professor DanBagley III always figured he’dretire to teaching one day. But,after encouraging a business asso-ciate to step up the timetable andfollow his dreams, Bagley decidedto do the same. He left his family’spromotional products business inLakeland to earn a PhD andbecome a university professor.

n Bagley joined the faculty at USF in1979, and has been teaching in theSchool of Mass Communications eversince. Earlier this year, he received thepromotional products industry’s high-est honor—induction into thePromotional Products Hall of Fame.Bagley is only the 64th person to beinducted into the Hall of Fame and thesecond academic.

Largely focused on sales effective-ness, promotional strategies and pro-fessionalism, Bagley created the pro-motional products industry’s first audiosales training program and its firstvideo sales training program. He haswritten more than 20 books andmonographs for the industry, includingthe text used by industry members tostudy and attain Certified AdvertisingSpecialist and Master AdvertisingSpecialist professional designations. He is one of the earliest academicresearchers to explore the marketingpower of promotional products.

Bagley and his wife Ann, whorecently retired as chair of theDepartment of Education at Saint LeoUniversity, live in Carrollwood.

USF: What’s different about a promo-tional product? Bagley: In print, you have paper andwords. Electronic advertising offersimages and sounds. Promotional prod-ucts add a third dimension—reciproci-ty. It is the only medium people thankyou for. No one thanks you for a bill-board, a print ad or an ad on afavorite program.

Greatest promotional product:The item is less important thanhow it is used

Print or broadcast: It depends onwhat you want to accomplish

Favorite ad: Apple's 1984 intro-duction of the Macintosh

Teaching style: I see teaching asa performing art

Proudest moment: Every day I'mwith my family as a family unit

Hero: My Dad

USF: Are incentive programs reallyeffective?Bagley: Yes, they really are. Almosteverybody says they’d rather havemoney, but if you look at the long-term behavioral changes that comewith incentive programs, like employ-ee rewards, they do work. There ispower in receiving a tangible, lastingsymbol that says “You’re a winner!”

If we don’t understand the tangibleside of motivation, we don’t under-stand how people work. Promotionalproducts provide tangible, lasting sym-bolic value. Imagine graduation with-out the diploma and just applause.

USF: How did you find out you werebeing inducted into the PromotionalProducts Hall of Fame?Bagley: I knew I’d been nominated.You usually didn’t get in the first time,so I didn’t hold my breath. When I gotthe call, I was absolutely delighted.

USF: What did the honor mean toyou?Bagley: It was more than being rec-ognized by a professional group. Itwas the celebration and validation ofmy family history working in an areathat, in an advertising sense, is notmainstream.

USF: What has been the biggestchange in the promotional productsindustry since you began teaching atUSF?Bagley: Size; it has really has grown.The promotional products industry isa $17 billion industry today.

USF: Is your teaching focused prima-rily on promotional products?Bagley: Promotional products is onesmall part. There is so much to teach.

USF: What is the most importantthing you teach your advertising stu-dents? Bagley: Do what nourishes you, becreatively flexible and go the extramile. The average student will havenot just five to seven jobs, but five toseven careers.

USF: How has technology impactedthe way you teach students aboutadvertising?Bagley: In advertising the big jumpisn’t in how we teach, but how weget students to act. Students todayhave a shorter attention span. Wehave to be able to reach out and grabthem quicker.

USF: You’ve been at USF for 28 years.What’s kept you here? Bagley: I really like USF a lot. Thestudents are just great; I like getting towork with them and seeing themdevelop into who they want to be.

USF: What’s next?Bagley: I love teaching. I’ve got aways to go.

-ANN CARNEY

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UNIVERSITY RELATIONSUniversity of South Florida4202 E. Fowler Ave., ADM271Tampa, FL 33620-6300

Non Profit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDTampa, FloridaPermit No. 257

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USF LAKELAND CELEBRATED THE GRAND OPENING OF A NEW FACILITY IN FEBRUARY. THE NEW BUILDING, WHICH OPENED FOR CLASSES SPRING SEMESTER 2007, IS A

PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN USF LAKELAND AND POLK COMMUNITY COLLEGE. THE NEW FACILITY DOUBLES TEACHING SPACE AT USF LAKELAND.