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Mark Your Calendar!

Join fellow faculty, staff and students as we kickoff UNF’s 50th anniversary on Thursday, January 13 at 3:30 p.m. in the º£½ÇÉçÇøArena. There will be great prizes, fun games, lots of giveaways, and highlights about our year-long celebration! There will also be a Basketball Free Throw Contest, where one student and one staff/faculty member from each college or division will compete against the others for prizes. 

And be sure to check out the newly launched 50th website for more information about other upcoming events during 2022. 

º£½ÇÉçÇøNight at Deck the Chairs

Friday, Dec. 3, 6 p.m. 1st Ave N. & 1st Street N., Jacksonville Beach
'Tis the season to SWOOP! We're back at Deck the Chairs this year with our very own night. Show your Osprey pride in your blue and gray gear, enjoy perusing more than 40 decorated chairs, and be sure to vote for UNF's chair tonight! The º£½ÇÉçÇøBookstore will also be on hand with º£½ÇÉçÇøitems for purchase. If you can't make the event, you can see UNF's display and others any time from Nov. 20 through Jan. 1.

The Justice Sessions: ‘Preserving Zora’s Eatonville’
Wednesday, Dec. 8, Noon – 1 p.m. Online
In this presentation, N.Y. Nathiri will discuss her extensive work spearheading efforts to preserve the historic town of Eatonville, Florida, including her establishment of the annual Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Arts and Humanities. .

MOCA: Freestyle Cypher with Mal Jones
Saturday, Dec. 11, Noon – 2 p.m., MOCA Jacksonville
For December’s Studio Practice, local lyricist Mal Jones will teach you how to freestyle on the mic and improvise on the fly. Join him for a discussion about the creative process of improvisation. Free, but registration required.

COAS Scholars Lecture featuring Dr. Josh Gellers
Wednesday, Jan. 19, 5 – 6 p.m. Online
China has recently become the world’s largest lender to developing countries. But to what extent are China’s activities indicative of a new approach to South-South cooperation and does the country offer an alternative to Western aid? This talk examines the drivers and impacts of Chinese foreign assistance with a specific emphasis on Africa. The presentation closes with some tentative conclusions about the effects of the changing global landscape of development finance. Free, but .

The Cummer Family Foundation Chamber Music Series
Tuesday, Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the Recital Hall of the Fine Arts Center
This first Cummer Family Foundation concert of the new year presents Richard Cox, tenor, with Denise Wright, piano. Dr. James Hall is the artistic director. Please register to confirm your attendance.

The Chamber Music of Gary Smart
Wednesday, Jan. 26, 7:30 p.m., Recital Hall of the Fine Arts Center
Featuring the Bold City Contemporary Music Ensemble with Erin Bodnar, conductor.
Free, but registration requested.

Meet Stephen Fagan, assistant director of Physical Facilities

What do you do at UNF?
Manage minor construction projects, major infrastructure projects and utility locates.

What do you enjoy about working here? Being behind the scenes. Taking a forensic approach to uncovering and problem-solving issues on campus. Knowing the action I took will have a positive impact on the campus environment.

How long have you lived in Jacksonville?
My wife of 25 years and I have made Jacksonville and the surrounding community our home for 23 years. As our roots deepened, the family expanded from two to three with the birth of daughter LaRyn in 2000, now a senior at UCF, followed by our second daughter, Madison in 2004, a senior in high school. We are blessed.

Tell us about your painting on the wall in Physical Facilities.
As a military veteran, units display patches and adopt symbols of who and what they are to promote a sense of esprit de corps. Physical Facilities is essentially a unit of the University. The caricatures depict our operations symbolizing (the different shops) how and what we do affects our students, faculty and staffing senses without hesitation: touch, smell, sight, sound and the psychologically to ensure the environment is conducive for learning.

What other painting have you done? There are four Physical Facilities Ozzies I’ve painted around campus: Bldg. 5 lobby and conference room; Bldg. 6 lobby, and the Campus Maintenance Facility Bldg. 64. I am well versed in all types of mediums: pencil, pen and ink, pastels, charcoal, acrylic, oils, watercolor, etc. I’ve painted murals both residential and commercially across the states. I have been drawing, painting and sketching since I was about four or five years old. I am the 14th of 16 children. I grew up in a household of nine sisters and six brothers and a large extended family of nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, cousins and where money was a luxury. I turned to drawing to keep busy and express myself. It also kept me out of trouble.

What one memory do you most treasure?
This memory sticks out — April 12, 2000 was the birth of my first daughter. Sitting with my wife in the delivery room and witnessing the awesome power of God. I witnessed a person coming forth from another person so pure in mind, body, and spirit, being a part of that will last me to the end of days.

If you could have a dinner party and invite any four people, from the past or present, who would be on your guest list?
I wish to invite my heroes to dinner for an evening: both sets of my grandparents. I was blessed to meet my grandmother on my mother’s side who made her transition when I was in college. Both sets of grandparents were born in the 1880s, 20-plus years after 1865, the end of slavery. You don’t fully understand the importance of those jewels until you’ve become an adult and bare your own burdens. I would want to thank them for the trials, tribulations and hardships they endured and the sacrifices they made so that their offspring’s tomorrow was a little better than their yesterday. I would like to converse with them about their parents and growing up and my parents as children. And thank them so much for whom I become because it is a direct result of who they were.

What would be the title for the movie version of your life?
My three girls, a guy? There is nothing more important for me than to play the leading role in the movie for my three ladies, Comolita, LaRyn and Madison. My existence is all about them.

What’s at the top of your bucket list?
My bucket list items include visiting many of mankind’s accomplishments to name a few: The Churches of Lalibela, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, Puma Punka, Teotihuacan, the Nazca Lines and the list goes on and on, any one of these sites would suffice.

What one food do you wish had zero calories?
I’ve heard this from my wife for years, “I wish I had your metabolism, if I look at a cookie, I’ll gain five pounds.” I have been fortunate for nearly 40 years never gaining more than five pounds since my high school days, so I really am not affected by my calorie intake. So, bring on the pie!

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I am always accompanied with my backpack, it’s my source of power and protections. It contains my bible I’ve had since high school, my wedding invitation, both my daughter’s crown caps, artifacts from my mother and even though we have not fully lived up to the nation’s creed, the American Flag, the symbolism of ideals of who we are and supposed to be.

Tell us a few of your favorite things.
Board game: Risk and chess, these games require some thought, cunning and strategy
Childhood memory: growing up in large close-knit family, anytime we are together, from the oldest to the youngest, we enjoy being with one another making new memories
Color: favorite color is anything purple
Physical activity: in-line skating for miles, working-out, jogging, yard work … love it
Season: summertime; July, August timeframe are my favorite — the hotter, the better

Meals on Wings program brings Thanksgiving meals to local seniors
Students in UNF's Meals on Wings program prepared and delivered over 200 healthful meals to homebound seniors in need. The nutrition and dietetics students who volunteer their spare time to take part in Meals on Wings insist they get as much out of the program as the seniors. They are able to put classroom lessons into practice to prepare nutritional meals as well as build relationships with the elders they are serving. Learn more about the program.

Milestones
Congratulations to the following employees with a milestone anniversary in December and January:

25 Years
Owen Wilson, Maintenance Superintendent, Physical Facilities

15 Years
Michelle Drinks, Director of Development, College of Education and Human Services
Jennifer Hager, Professor, Art, Art History and Design
Jonathan Pabalate, Instructor, Nursing

10 Years
Jonathan Antal, Associate Instructor, Exceptional Deaf and Interpreter Ed
Garry Bates, Maintenance Supervisor, Maintenance and Energy Management
Deborah Owen, Associate Instructor, Public Health

5 Years
Carolyn Carley-Richart, Buyer, Procurement Services
Amanda Ennis, Manager, Media Relations, Marketing and Communications
Korie Hilliard, Assistant Director, Co-Curricular Engagement, Taylor Leadership Institute
Kaitlyn Saavedra, Assistant Director, Small Business Development Center
Kenneth Thomas, Instructor, Communication
Abby Willcox, Director, Institutional Research, Institutional Research

Welcome
The following employees were either hired by º£½ÇÉçÇøor were promoted from OPS positions recently:

Austin Adams, Administrative Specialist, Human Resources
Marissa Bogue, Office Assistant, Undergraduate Studies
Lauren Cardenas, Assistant Child Development Teacher, º£½ÇÉçÇøPreschool
Leon Davidson, Groundskeeper, Osprey Landing
Kira Fellows, Coordinator, Outreach and Recruitment, Graduate School
Delmark Gibbs, Groundskeeper, Apartments
Phenessa Gray, Coordinator, Employment, Human Resources
Felicia Janosik-Sawyer, Coordinator, Events Catering, MOCA Jacksonville
Reid Labenz, Assistant Athletic Coach, Strength and Conditioning
Veronica Marquez-Kisic, Coordinator JTR, Education and Human Services
Brent Morente, IT Security Analyst, IT Security
Chandre Pryor, Coordinator, Career Development Services, Career Discoveries
Marcus Richardson, Assistant Athletic Coach, Strength and Conditioning

Great Job
The following employees were promoted recently:

James Connolly, Senior Groundskeeper, Grounds
Adianez Garcia Campos, Director, International Student Scholars, Center for International Education
Charles Kennedy, Senior Small Business Consulting Coordinator, Small Business Development Center
Stephen Marmash, Landscape Grounds Supervisor, Grounds
Luisa Martinez, Director, Study Abroad, Center for International Education
Nancy Miller, Associate Athletics Director, NCAA Compliance
Julia Mitchell, Coordinator, Administrative Services, Brooks College of Health
Courtney Monts, Records Registration Coordinator, Registrar's Office
Robert Parnell, Coordinator, Payroll, Controller
Isabel Pease, Interim VP, Marketing and Communications
Alexander Perez, Coordinator, Computer Systems Technology, College of Computing, Engineering and Construction
Jessica Phillips, Technology Support Specialist, Financial Aid Office
Noah Sterling, Coordinator, IT Support, º£½ÇÉçÇøMedNexus
Alex Tran, Finance and Information Specialist, Florida Institute of Education
Monique Villamor, Coordinator, PACT Recruit Retention, Psychology
Ricky Watson, Maintenance Supervisor, Housing/Residence Life
Richmond Wynn, Interim VP, Chief Diversity Officer

Goodbye
The following employees have left º£½ÇÉçÇørecently:

Renee Baker, Custodial Worker, Student Union-Physical Facilities
Ekaterina Baranova, Coordinator, International Student Affairs, Center for International Education
Nyieta Charlot, Coordinator, Academic Support Services, International Business Curriculum
Tamia Craig, Parking Services Associate, Parking and Transportation Services
Marcelino Cruz, IT Software Engineer, Enterprise Systems
Lea Fernandes, Coordinator Student Affairs, Center for International Education
Higinio Ferreira, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Josh Lowy, IT Security Analyst, IT Security
Susan Massey, University Librarian, Library
Tarsha Matthews, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Angel McWilliams, Office Assistant, Quality Control and Work Management
Sara Menendez, Coordinator, Prospect Research, Constituent Programs
Ceteria Mosley, Office Assistant, Maintenance and Energy Management
Joseph Namey, IT Full Stack Software Engineer, Enterprise Systems
Jared Price, Accounts Payable Receivable Associate, University Housing
Johnny Raines, Senior Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities
Meily Abreu Subit, Assistant Child Development Teacher, º£½ÇÉçÇøPreschool
Ashley Washington, Academic Advisor, COAS Advising
Christine Jane Young, Child Development Teacher, º£½ÇÉçÇøPreschool 

Brooks College of Health

Dr. Jessica Stapleton, assistant professor in the Brooks College of Health, along with Drs. Matt Ohlson, Elizabeth Gregg and Amanda Pascale from the College of Education and Human Services, received the Distinguished Research Award at the Institute for Global Business Research Conference for the work examining the impact of leadership development on female student athlete academic and athletic outcomes.

Coggin College of Business
Dr. Dong-Young Kim, professor of Operations Management and Quantitative Methods, and Dr. Bruce Fortado, professor of Human Resource Management, Negotiation and Labor Relations, recently published a paper “Supplier Centrality, Innovation Value and Supplier Acquisition: Evidence from U.S. High-Tech Manufacturing Firms” in the Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management (Impact Factor in 2021: 7.547). Read .

College of Arts and Sciences
Biology
Dr. Candice Tahimic, assistant professor of biology, was honored with the Thora Halstead Young Investigator Award in this year's meeting of the American Society for Gravitational and Space Research (ASGSR).

Dr. Marie Mooney, assistant professor of bioinformatics, served as moderator for the American Society of Human Genetics Annual Meeting, Platform Session — “Advances toward therapeutics for Mendelian disorders” in October.

English
Dr. Ash Faulkner, English instructor, presented “The Victoria Light: 1850s London through the Lens of a 21st-Century Lighthouse” at the Victorians Institute Conference (October).

Mr. Will Pewitt, English instructor, published translations of five poems by Ḥafṣa bint al-Ḥājj ar-Rukūniyya in ANMLY in October.

Dr. Michael Wiley, professor of English, published "The Best of Times" in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine in October.

Philosophy/Religion Studies
Dr. Andrew Buchwalter, Presidential Professor, published “Corradetti, Hegel, and the Postmetaphysical Theory of Universal Human Rights,” in the Symposium Appendix to the 2nd edition of Claudio Corradetti, "Relativism and Human Rights: A Theory of Pluralist Universalism" (Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer, 2021), 197-210.

Dr. Sarah Mattice, associate professor, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, published a single-author book, "Exploring the Heart Sutra," October 2021.

Dr. Hans-Herbert Koegler, professor of philosophy, published “Dialogue on Dialogue - Gadamer and Habermas” in The Gadamerian Mind, London/New York, Routledge, Fall 2020.

Physics
Dr. William B. Lane, visiting lecturer, published two articles in the Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings with four º£½ÇÉçÇøundergraduate co-authors: (1) Lane & Headley, “,” Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings (2021); and (2) with Paulger, McEnroe, Shaw, Crawford-Goss, “,” Physics Education Research Conference Proceedings (2021). 

Dr. L. Barry Albright, associate lecturer, with Jaelyn L. Ebeerle, published the paper titled "Magnetostratigraphy of lower Paleocene strata in the Ferris Formation, Hanna Basin Wyoming, with refined resolution of the Pu1-Pu2 interval-zone boundary of the Puercan North American Land Mammal Age," in , v. 56:69-85, 2021.

Dr. Chris Kelso, associate professor of physics, and his collaborators published “Inelastic dark matter scattering off Thallium cannot save DAMA” and “DAMA annual modulation is not due to electron recoils from plasma/mirror dark matter with kinetic mixing”; both papers in the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics.

Political Science and Public Administration
Dr. Heather Truelove, associate professor of psychology, along with Dr. Enrijeta Shino, assistant professor of political science, and Dr. Joshua C. Gellers, associate professor of political science, presented their paper, “Weather Experiences Reduce Political Ideology’s Effect on Climate Policy Support,” at the Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists Annual Conference (October).

Psychology
Dr. Jody Nicholson, associate professor of developmental psychology, in collaboration with a nutrition faculty member Dr. Lauri Wright, published a student’s thesis (Monique Villamor) titled “A developmental lens on food insecurity: The role of children in the household and age groups on food insecurity impacting mental health” in Aging & Mental Health, October.

Dr. Heather Truelove, associate professor of psychology, in collaboration with Dr. J. Gellers and Dr. E. Shino from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration presented a talk titled “Weather experiences reduce political ideology’s effect on climate policy support.” The Society of Southeastern Social Psychologists annual conference in October 2021.

Dr. Paul Fuglestad, associate professor of psychology, published a paper titled “A Multisite Preregistered Paradigmatic Test of the Ego-Depletion Effect” in October issue of Psychological Science. In addition, Fuglestad published a journal article titled “Self-monitoring, Status, and Balance of Power in Romantic Relationships” in November issue of Self and Identity.

Sociology/Anthropology and Social Work
Dr. Mandi N. Barringer, assistant professor of sociology, was invited as a panelist for the "Mentoring Round Table” and presented “The Struggle for Space: The Response of LGBTQ Students and their Allies to Campus Preachers” with recent sociology graduates at the Mid-South Sociological Annual Conference in October. In addition, Barringer, along with a sociology undergraduate student presented, “Better Together: Program Evaluation of the º£½ÇÉçÇøInterfaith Center” at the Association for Applied & Clinical Sociology Annual Conference in October.

Dr. Ronald Lukens-Bull, professor of anthropology and religious studies, presented via zoom “Research in Indonesia during the Time of Covid: Challenges and Opportunities” during the International Seminar on Social, Humanities and Malay Islamic Civilization at Universitas Islam Negeri Raden Fateh, Palembang, Indonesia. 10 November 2021.

College of Education and Human Services
Dr. Terry Cavanaugh, professor, Dr. Nicholas Eastham, faculty administrator, and Dr. Chris Baynard, Coggin associate professor, presented an “Aerial Surveillance with Raspberry Pis: landscape Mapping and Monitoring” class at the Florida Association of Science Teachers Conference in October. In this GeoSTEM class, participants learned to assemble, create and program microcomputer cameras for aerial imagery acquisition and processing, build and employ lifting platforms (kites, balloons and poles) and print 3D structures to carry their Raspberry Pi cameras. Cavanaugh also presented the session “The Use, Accommodations and Adaptations of Ebooks for ESL,” showing how the use of digital text formats including ebooks and audiobooks can be adapted for the use of ESL students. There are benefits in using digital content over print such as capturing greater student engagement, varying the delivery method of instruction, and empowering students.

Dr. Nicholas Eastham, faculty administrator, Dr. Terry Cavanaugh, professor, and Xavier Rozas, coordinator, professional learning, NEFSTEM, presented a “DIY MacroScale Breadboard” workshop at the Florida Association of Science Teachers Conference in October, providing participants with plans and materials to build their own macro-scale accessible breadboards to make a variety of circuits to use in various applications.

Dr. Mark Halley, assistant professor in the Department of Exceptional, Deaf, and Interpreter Education, had the article “Personal Outcomes of Activist Interpreting: A Case Study” accepted for publication in . In this paper, Halley explores how social movement participation may impact the personal and professional lives of interpreters. To do so, he studied the American Sign Language/English interpreters who worked in the 1988 Deaf President Now protest at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. Halley conducted semi-structured oral history interviews with 21 interpreters who worked during the protest and employed narrative inquiry to identify critical events and analyze the personal outcomes interpreters experienced as a result of their participation. 

Megan Lynch, instructor, co-authored an article titled “STEM Education Needs STEM Talk: Lessons learned from an after-school enrichment program with multilingual children” which appears in the November/December issue of , NSTA's peer-reviewed practitioner journal for elementary-level science teachers.

Dr. Matthew Ohlson, director of the Taylor Leadership Institute and associate professor in the Department of Leadership, School Counseling & Sport Management, will be collaborating with Dr. Lakshmi Goel from the Coggin College of Business in the development of the new leadership textbook “Leadership Strategies for the Hybrid Workforce: Best Practices for Fostering Employee Safety and Significance.” Ohlson also presented findings from the CAMP Osprey leadership mentoring program at the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) National Conference.

Dr. Matthew Ohlson, associate professor; Dr. Elizabeth Gregg, professor; Dr. Amanda Pascale, associate professor; and Dr. Jessica Stapleton, assistant professor in Brooks College of Health, received the Distinguished Research Award at the Institute for Global Business Research Conference for the work examining the impact of leadership development on female student athlete academic and athletic outcomes.

Dr. Sherry Shaw, professor of ASL/English Interpreting, was recently elected Vice President/President Elect of the Mid-South Educational Research Association last week in New Orleans.

Dr. Brian Zoellner, associate professor, reviewed the book “” by Christine D. Clayton and James F. Kilbane, Jr.

Thomas G. Carpenter Library
Maria Atilano, student outreach librarian, presented a session titled “Social Media Contests During COVID-19: A Halloween Horror Story” at the online conference “Library Fails: A Trick or Treat?” hosted by Metrolina Library Association on Oct. 28.

Adam Chalmers, systems and digital technologies librarian, published the article “Getting up and Running with VR: Space and Technology Considerations” in College & Research Libraries News.

Kelly Hovinga, virtual learning librarian, has been accepted into the 2022 Northeast Florida Library Information Network (NEFLIN) Management Training Institute, as one of only 18 librarians selected from a 24-county region representing 550 libraries.

Swoop Summary

Hot Shooting, Stifling Defense Leads Men's Basketball to 103-43 Home Opening Win
Making their home season debut, North Florida men's basketball dominated on both ends of the floor en route to a 103-43 victory over Webber International. The Ospreys matched a program record with 21 three-pointers and shot 56 percent from the field in the victory. Learn more .

Women's Basketball Pulls Off Overtime Win Against FAU
Jazz Bond dropped 31 points, including 12 in the overtime period, to put the Ospreys (4-1) past FAU, 85-79, for their fourth straight win on Sunday morning, Nov. 21. º£½ÇÉçÇøis 4-0 at home, giving the Ospreys their best start through five games in the program's Division I-era with a 4-1 overall record. It's also their first victory against the Owls (2-2) since 2016. Learn more .

Fast Times at Eagle Invitational for Osprey Swimming
North Florida swimming closed out competition at the Eagle Invitational and capped its fall meet schedule with several strong swims on Saturday evening Nov. 20 at the FGCU Aquatic Center. Learn more . 

Women’s Tennis Continues to Impress at Home Invite
North Florida women's tennis continues their success in their first home fall invite since 2016. Kit Gulihur led the charge with a three-set win over No. 45 Carolyn Ansari from Auburn. Learn more .

Men's Cross Country Places Fifth at Regionals, Jubran Sets Program Record
Nathan Jubran lead the North Florida men's cross country team to a fifth-place finish at the NCAA South Regional meet, while also setting the new program D-I record for the fastest 10k time at 29:51.73. Learn more .

UNF's graduation numbers are on the rise!

The University's four-year graduation rate is more than 22 percentage points higher than it was six years ago! That’s an 84% improvement over that time.

For more interesting facts, .