SARASOTA, Fla. (Aug. 06, 2019) – The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s Marie Byrd has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE), which represents 1,300 teacher educators nationally within 41 regional and state chapters.
Byrd, EdD, is the director of USFSM’s School of Education. Her three-year, at-large term will begin in mid-February, after the association’s annual conference in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
“I am very excited that my colleagues from a national organization have recognized my work within this organization and that I will be able to contribute as a board member,” Byrd said. “My public school background as a teacher and administrator in the Miami-Dade County school system helped prepare me for this opportunity.”
Jane Rose, PhD, dean of USFSM’s College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, which includes the School of Education, said she is proud of Byrd’s election to ATE.
“Dr. Byrd’s election to the Board of Directors of the Association of Teacher Educators adds to the prestige of our already noteworthy School of
Education, as well as to the national prominence of USFSM, the ‘hometown university’ for students in Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties,” Rose said.
Founded in 1920, ATE represents members’ interests before governmental agencies and educational organizations. The association publishes two journals, Action in Teacher Education and The New Educator, as well as various books and articles. It is among 11 educational organizations of the National Coalition of Educators that share a commitment to high quality teachers for the nation’s youth.
As a board member, Byrd will travel to national conferences and serve on committees that set association policy. A longtime ATE member, Byrd had been active in the group’s Florida and southern regional chapters, serving as president and a board member for both organizations. The national association is headquartered in Manassas, Virginia, just outside Washington, D.C.
Byrd had previously been approached to seek election to ATE’s board, but declined, citing family commitments.
“The timing wasn’t right,” she said. “My daughter was very young and it would have required a lot of traveling and time away from home.”
Byrd will learn of her committee assignments in February. Before her election, she presented an information packet and letters of support to the board’s election committee. The committee interviewed Byrd and submitted her nomination to the association’s 1,300 members in February.
A prestigious appointment, Byrd said her work at ATE will also help highlight USFSM.
“It will list the university on the website, so I think it brings a more recognition to USF Sarasota-Manatee and to our School of Education,” she said. “I am very proud to serve on this national board and to have the opportunity to represent the interests of teacher educators across the nation.”
USFSM joins the SALUTE honor society for veterans
USF Sarasota-Manatee is now a member of SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society, the only academic honor society that formally recognizes the honorable service and scholastic achievements of student veterans.
USFSM’s chapter membership in SALUTE was approved two weeks ago in a letter to Carlos J. Moreira, administrator for veteran services at USFSM
“This is an outstanding opportunity for USF and our student veterans,” Moreira said. “The Office of Veterans Success strives to provide the best service, programs and support to our students veterans.”
Local chapters are able to hold local SALUTE meetings and student recognition ceremonies and provide members with information about peer engagement and mentorships, scholarships, resume enhancement and career connections.
Members must have served or currently be serving in the military, National Guard or reserves.
To be admitted to the honor society, undergraduate students must complete 12 credit hours while maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA. Graduate students must complete nine credit hours and maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA.
Students can learn more about USFSM’s SALUTE chapter by visiting the campus’ Office of Military and Veterans Success. For more about the SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society, visit https://salute.colostate.edu/.
USFSM welcomes Booker Elementary School staff
USFSM hosted staff from Sarasota’s Emma E. Booker Elementary School for its annual Back-to-School Kickoff on Monday. Booker Principal Edwina Oliver led her staff through a series of discussions and activities to prepare educators for the upcoming school year.
Regional Chancellor Karen A. Holbrook, PhD, welcomed the group to campus. “We want to be the university of the community, and we are very happy to host you at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee,” Holbrook said.
Corey Posey, USFSM’s new diversity, equity and inclusion officer, was also on hand to greet the Booker staff. “We’re so happy you chose us,” he said.
Emma E. Booker Elementary School is named after a pioneer black educator in Sarasota during the early 20thCentury. She remains the only black educator to have three schools named in her honor: Emma E. Booker Elementary School, Emma E. Booker Middle School and Emma E. Booker High School.
USFSM’s online IT program wins national recognition
The University of South Florida-Sarasota-Manatee is gaining national recognition thanks to its highly-rated online Information Technology (IT) program.
TheBestSchools.org released a top-25 ranking last week, the Most Affordable Online Bachelor’s in Information Technology, that rates USFSM’s online Cybersecurity and IT bachelor degree program at No. 11.
“This ranking reflects the great value of our online it program,” said Thomas Becker, PhD, interim dean of the College of Business, which includes the Information Technology program. “We couldn’t be prouder of the IT faculty and students for helping us earn this important national recognition.”
TheBestSchools.org is an independent educational website comprised of educators, professionals and authors. The site is a member of the American Council on Education and the National Association for College Admission Counseling.
The website said it created its online IT program ranking based on “the quality of the program, types of online information technology classes offered, faculty, rankings, awards, and reputation — including the school’s reputation for effectively providing quality online degree programs.”
In describing USFSM’s program, the site said, “Combining security and technology with web design and development, the university’s online cybersecurity and information technology program provides future programmers and security specialists with a competitive skill set.”
Several other Florida colleges and universities made the list as well, including Broward College (No. 16), Seminole State College of Florida (No. 14) and Miami Dade College (No. 8). Indian River State College in Fort Pierce captured the top spot.
Registration open for ‘Bullpen: Student Engagement Fair’
USF Sarasota-Manatee departments and organizations still have time to sign up for next month’s “Bullpen: Student Engagement Fair.”
The Bullpen includes music, giveaways and food and provides students with information about clubs, campus organizations and other ways to get involved at USFSM.
The Bullpen is scheduled Thursday, Sept. 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Selby Auditorium.
Register by Aug. 30 by visiting https://usfsm.campuslabs.com/engage/submitter/form/start/325877.
USFSM grad wins scholarship to state conference
Recent USF Sarasota-Manatee graduate Gabriel Hawk has won a scholarship to the HR Florida Conference & Expo Aug. 25-28 in Kissimmee.
Hawk graduated this summer with a degree in professional and technical communication. He
owns a consulting company, Soaring Communications, based in Sarasota.
The scholarship covers registration and hotel accommodations and comes courtesy of the Sarasota-Manatee Human Resources Association. Among the speakers are Olympian Shaun White, entrepreneur and former CEO for the Center for Civil and Human Rights Derreck Kayongo and Kris Boesch, the founder of Choose People, a company that transforms company cultures.
“I am grateful, honored and excited to have been awarded the scholarship,” Hawk said. “I’m very proud to be representing USFSM at the HR Florida Conference. I’m really looking forward to the knowledge to be gained and the connections I will make there. It’s going to be great. Go Bulls!
USFSM’s Ben Heins wins awards at annual conference
Ben Heins, USFSM’s coordinator of internships and service learning, won two awards at the annual conference of the Florida Association of Colleges and Employers (FloridaACE), June 12-14 in Daytona Beach.
He won the New Member Award for volunteering for committees and special projects and the President’s Award, which honors “FloridaACE members who go above and beyond throughout a given year to meet the needs of membership and provide an opportunity for the association to reach the next level.”
USFSM’s name is engraved on both awards. Heins said he joined the organization and attended its annual conference in 2016. During the three years that followed, he chaired the Entertainment Committee.
He said he was surprised and honored by the recognition.
“I am so grateful,” he said. “This is a truly exceptional organization filled with wonderful, inspiring people, and my career would not be where it is today without them.”
