SARASOTA, Fla. (Aug. 20, 2019) – USF Sarasota-Manatee students will be welcomed back to campus Monday with a spirited week of activities including an ice cream social, an Escape Room and a football game with the USF Bulls taking on the Wisconsin Badgers at Raymond James Stadium on Friday, Aug. 30, in Tampa.
Known as Week of Welcome, the twice-yearly celebration welcomes students to the start of a new semester. The events kick off Monday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., with DIY & Desserts. Students can enjoy ice cream while engaging in fun Do-It-Yourself activities.
Also next week:
- Escape Room: Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., in the Student Commons
- Game Show Night: Tuesday, Aug. 27, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., in the Student Commons
- Do’s and Donuts: Wednesday, Aug. 28, from noon to 2 p.m., in the Student Commons
- House Party: Wednesday, Aug. 28, from 6 to 9:30 p.m., in the Student Commons
- Food Truck Rally: Thursday, Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., in the Campus Courtyard
- Mario Party Minigame Night, Thursday, Aug. 29, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Selby Auditorium
- USF vs. Wisconsin Football Game, Friday, Aug. 30, 7 p.m., Raymond James Stadium. Students can sign up for free tickets at www.usfbullstix.com and reserve a seat on a bus to the game at BullSync. Space is limited, so reserve your seat now. The bus will leave USFSM at 4 p.m.
USFSM to hold Bullpen for career exploration, student engagement
This year’s Bullpen is set for Sept. 5 at the Selby Auditorium.
USF Sarasota-Manatee students are invited to attend next month’s Bullpen to meet local employers and ask about internships and job openings.
Scheduled Thursday, Sept. 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Selby Auditorium, the Bullpen is the perfect opportunity for students to network, explore possible careers and seek employment and internships.
Employers include the Resort at Longboat Key Club, FCCI Insurance Group, Enterprise Holdings, Northwestern Mutual and Sarasota and Manatee counties.
Music, giveaways and food are included. Student Engagement representatives will be on hand to help students learn about clubs and campus organizations and other ways to get involved at USFSM.
For more information, visit USFSM’s Career Services Office or contact Student Engagement.
USFSM welcomes Bank of America as Brunch on the Bay sponsor
The 2019 rendition of the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee’s signature fundraising event for student scholarships, Brunch on the Bay, will feature a premier partner, as Bank of America has agreed to become the title sponsor of this year’s event.
The Bank of America Brunch on the Bay will be held on Sunday, Nov. 3, on the USFSM campus with a renewed emphasis on raising funds for student scholarships
According to Lee Williams, regional vice chancellor for advancement and alumni engagement
at USF Sarasota-Manatee, “The organizing committee has developed sponsorship packages based on the annual cost of tuition at USFSM. For example, a $5,000 sponsorship covers the majority of tuition expenses for one year, and that level of sponsorship corresponds to a table of eight at Brunch, plus considerable recognition and exposure through the event.”
Sponsorship levels range from $2,500 for a half table to $25,000, which covers slightly more than four years of tuition and includes two VIP tables. For more information, visit usfsm.edu/giving/brunch-on-the-bay/purchase-sponsorships-and-tickets.aspx or call (941) 359-4603.
Co-chairs for the 2019 event are USFSM alumni Lauren Henry and Pete Petersen. Since its inception 26 years ago, Brunch has provided more than 1,800 scholarships for USFSM students, most of whom are from Sarasota and Manatee counties.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Bank of America to raise scholarships for local students, including many who are the first in their families to attend college,” Williams said. “We appreciate all of our corporate and individual donors who have generously contributed over the years — enabling students to graduate and succeed in their careers. Most of those students remain in the region and give back to our communities.”
Brunch showcases USFSM’s role as a local university that provides a preeminent, affordable education for students who become valued members of the workforce and vibrant contributors to the Sarasota-Manatee community.
Bank of America, as Brunch’s premier sponsor, shares USFSM’s commitment to enabling students to lead lives of impact upon graduation.
“At Bank of America, we believe higher education ultimately empowers individuals to make a difference in the world around them by creating access to higher paying jobs and the opportunity to achieve long-term goals,” said Mike McCoy, Sarasota-Manatee market president for Bank of America. “Through initiatives such as the Bank of America Brunch on the Bay, we’re helping drive our area’s economic growth by providing students with opportunities to pursue their careers.”
Sponsorships and individual tickets are now available. Visit /brunch or call (941) 359-4603.
Second annual ‘Tech Showcase’ set Thursday at USFSM
Faculty, staff, students and the public are invited to USF Sarasota-Manatee’s second annual “Tech Showcase” on Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Campus Center’s FCCI Rotunda.
The free event is a great primer for new and returning faculty to see how Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and other instructional technologies, including those recently introduced at USFSM, are changing how students learn.
Representatives from Microsoft, PlayPosit, zSpace, Blackboard, Newline-Interactive and other instructional technology companies will be on hand to assist with demonstrations and answer questions.
PlayPosit will show how its interactive video platform increases retention rates, enhances student satisfaction and ignites student creativity, while Microsoft unveils its latest tablets for faculty and students. Crestron Electronics will provide snacks and beverages at an “apps bar.” Also, Instructor Librarian Jessica Szempruch will demonstrate Oculus Go VR headsets.
As an additional service, staff from E-Learning Services – Timi Hager, Heidi Schroeder and
Sarah Gentry – will demonstrate instructional technologies and offer assistance with Canvas, USF’s learning management system.
“This is an event you shouldn’t miss,” said Gentry, who chairs the Tech Showcase organizing committee. “We’ve been able to partner with top-notch instructional technology vendors to put this together. It’s really to show our faculty and students what technology we currently have and what instructional technologies they can integrate into their face-to-face and online classes for future semesters.”
Visit usfsm.edu/academics/academic-resources/e-learning/index.aspx for more about E-Learning Services. For more about USF Sarasota-Manatee, visit usfsm.edu.
Planning underway to welcome student veteran honor society
USF Sarasota-Manatee this week hosted a planning session with student veteran representatives as the University of South Florida welcomes the SALUTE Veterans National Honor Society to its three campuses.
USFSM Veteran Services Administrator Carlos J. Moreira welcomed Milton White of the Military and Veterans Success Center (USF St. Petersburg) and Shaina Gonzalez and Jason Miller, both of the Office of Veteran Success (USF Tampa)
The four met to ensure the honor society is integrated into their programs and that student veterans are aware of the society. SALUTE is the only academic honor society that formally recognizes the honorable service and scholastic achievements of student veterans.
“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.”
USFSM’s chapter membership in SALUTE was approved four weeks ago. 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 to hold Sept. 11 ceremony
The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee will honor victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with a ceremony that will include a talk by Dan Hoffe of Sarasota, who was inside the World Trade Center’s South Tower when the building was struck by a plane.
The executive vice president of Capstan Financial Consulting Group and a USFSM 2005 MBA alum will talk about that day and its effects. Hoffe was on the 61st floor of the South Tower when the North Tower was struck by a plane and was still inside the building when a second plane hit the South Tower.
The 9/11 ceremony is scheduled to start at 8:20 a.m. with a flag raising ceremony. After that, attendees will be directed to an area behind the courtyard where USFSM Regional Chancellor Dr. Karen Holbrook will offer welcoming remarks followed by Hoffe’s address.
Prior to the event, hundreds of small flags, one for each victim, will be planted into the lawn behind the campus courtyard. The 2,977 flags will be placed on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
USFSM is requesting staff, faculty and students assist with planting the flags