The policy prohibits all forms of tobacco use including e-cigarettes and a variety of smokeless products on Stetson buildings, structures, grounds, parking lots and in university and personal vehicles while on Stetson grounds.

“I am proud that Stetson University residential campuses will be completely smoke- and tobacco-free next August,” said President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “Stetson is committed to providing a safe and healthy living, learning and working environment for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors.”

Stetson began implementing smoking restrictions in 2007 by banning smoking near buildings and air vents. The new policy is the result of several years of research, focus groups and a university task force that determined that smoking was inconsistent with the values of the university.

Stetson will offer a variety of resources to help members of the Stetson University community quit smoking, including a series of free education programs about smoking and free resources for those who want to quit, including cessation products and classes. The university task force determined, “Our university commitment to health and wellness, one of our shared values, requires us to protect non-smokers but also to support smokers in reconsidering a behavior that has been scientifically proven to have serious long-term health consequences.”

Compliance with this new policy rests with all members of the Stetson community. Community members are empowered to respectfully inform others about the policy and the ongoing effort to enhance awareness of and encourage compliance with this policy.  Violation of this regulation may result in corrective action under the Student Code of Conduct, Human Resources Policies and Procedures, or other applicable University Regulations or Policies. Visitors refusing to comply may be asked to leave campus.

Stetson will use the next 10 months to continue to educate the Stetson community and visitors about the new policy with a series of informational sessions, health fairs, human resource training sessions, student tours of campus, in marketing materials and on its website at stetson.edu/breathe-free.

“Four years ago, the Stetson community embarked on a strategic planning process that resulted in our 2011-14 Strategic Map,” says President Wendy B. Libby. “That process and its outcomes will be valuable resources in planning our next Strategic Map, as together we think boldly and innovatively about Stetson’s role in higher education and prepare our students for significant lives.”

Over the past few years, Stetson has exceeded enrollment goals, increased its financial health, enhanced academic programs, hired new faculty and staff, and created a more vibrant campus environment for students.

“This is an important time in the life of Stetson University,” says Provost Beth Paul. “Strategic planning offers us wonderful opportunities to bring our community together for rich, creative discussions that inform our strategies and move Stetson forward. It’s an inclusive process that allows us to prioritize our thinking, articulate our goals, identify new or reallocated funding that supports key initiatives, and invest in action that elevates our university to new heights.”

Tim Fallon and Stacey Zawel of TSI Consulting Partners, Inc., will assist Stetson in strategic planning efforts this year. The process kicks off next week with open discussion sessions, focus groups and an online survey, which will help us assess our strengths and weaknesses as well as the critical issues we face and the key priorities we should establish in our Strategic Map.

Mark Your Calendars!

There will be several opportunities this year to offer input into the next Strategic Map:

“Seeing Stetson In Context” Open Discussions

It’s a time to think big, toss ideas around, examine major trends in higher education and assess the opportunities that lie before us. Plan to attend any of these one-hour discussions. Take a look at Resources posted on the University Planning website, and bring your own material for conversation!

10-11 a.m., Oct. 14; 124 LBC

3-4 p.m., Oct. 14; Faculty Lounge, CUB

10-11 a.m., Oct. 15; TBD

4:30-5:30 p.m., Oct. 15; Faculty Lounge, CUB

Online Survey

Next week via Stetson Announce, we’ll launch a short, anonymous, open-ended survey that asks for your thoughts on Stetson’s strengths, critical issues we face, and key priorities we should establish. Your participation is important! Your input will help shape our 2014-19 Strategic Map.

The University Planning Website

Pertinent strategic planning documents, including a timeline of the 2013-14 strategic planning process, are posted at https://www.stetson.edu/other/planning/ . Please check back often for information updates and new resources.

Beyond Access and Affordability: An Education of High Value

You can also read this blog written by President Libby on Huffington Post, posted 10/2/13. 

With such weighty words as access and affordability lingering in the air after President Obama’s bus tour last month, it’s easy to get caught up in the higher education mantra and its vagueness. The phrase paints visions of low unemployment rates and an educated workforce unconstrained by student debt.

But access and affordability are not enough to get the world where it needs to be. For one, it becomes too easy to think we can solve the world’s issues with quick degrees at a low cost, with less consideration for quality of the learning – that is, the deep learning that comes from reflection, application, iteration and rigor.

We devolve into education as transaction; we might as well get the empty calories from a vending machine. Tomorrow’s workforce raised on the educational equivalents of fast food, chips and candy bars. Is this how we will shake up education?

A better strategy is to lead our discussions with a global concern for the substance, purpose and outcomes of education – without which access does not matter.

In contrast, UNESCO’s new Education for All Global Monitoring Report Team analysis focuses on the need for quality education, highlighting the linkages between it and the reduction in mortality rates, increased tolerance for differences, and economic growth. How can we talk about access to higher education when worldwide UNESCO estimates that more than 250 million children still may not be able to read or write by the time they reach fourth grade?

In our own country in particular, one in three public school fourth-graders taking the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress reading test performed at or below the “Basic” level (NAEP).

A Values-Driven Education

In at least the richest nation in the world, literacy in our children cannot be optional, nor can we shrug aside issues of poverty, violence or discrimination in which education and the prospect of “having prospects” so clearly have a role. Embedded in education must be concern for the character of our citizens to combat this indifference, so we make the right and important choices as we care for our sick, teach our children, grow our food and lead our companies.

Quality education is about far more than the 3 Rs and its liberal arts underpinnings that teach valuable skills like critical thinking and problem-solving. Education, at its best, is threaded with values – those shared ideals that champion and protect what’s important to us, and that elicit the finest within us. While values education may happen in the home or community, there is a critical role for schools and universities to play as we impart new knowledge – and with it, provoke the discourse that instills personal and social responsibility.

At Stetson University, our values are the foundation of all we do as we dare our students to live a life of significance. Our values are the expression of who we are and what we believe in; even before our students start classes, they are involved in community service programs. And our Bonner Scholars program is built around leadership experiences and long-term relationships with organizations in need. We are sixth on Washington Monthly’s list of master’s universities that contribute to the public good. Each September we immerse ourselves in Values Day, where we cancel classes and engage in a full slate of workshops for students, faculty and staff across our university.

On Values Day especially, we embrace and espouse the values we’ve agreed on as a community: personal growth, global citizenship, intellectual development, and at the heart of them all, personal and social responsibility. We discuss the evolution of civic engagement, and why it matters, and what our Center for Community Engagement does and how it integrates our curriculum with our community. A session explores Mayan culture, examining their practices and beliefs, which challenges our assumptions and prompts us to look at our own culture with fresh eyes. The world is both a bit bigger and smaller the day after Values Day.

Quality Outcomes

I do firmly suggest that education should lead to a job, but more importantly it should also lead to a life – a personally satisfying life in a society we want to live in. Where all individuals and organizations – as part of their mission and values – devote time, energy and innovation to a cause or entity without even considering ROI, because the benefits are priceless and wide-reaching. I am well aware that this smacks of idealism, but that’s a badge I am comfortable wearing.

Access to a quality, affordable education interwoven with values takes us to this level and beyond ourselves – beyond mere success and into a more meaningful realm: significance. Leadership expert John Maxwell advocates that you “can’t have true success without significance; significance comes when you add value to others.”

Education can be a powerful change agent. In a world where human slavery still exists and clean water is not a universal right, we are in desperate need of reprioritization and a recommitment to values. Our values are, after all, our fallbacks as well as our guideposts, and what unites us in times of crisis when there is no logic or experience to show us the way.

Surely measuring our students’ random acts of kindness and the impact of civic engagement on our communities is just as important as quantifying the number of graduates we send out into the world and the salaries they make. A global, values-driven society – that’s the legacy I’m most interested in seeing education preserve.

By President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D.

]]> http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/2013/10/an-education-of-high-value/feed/ 0 http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/2013/10/weapons-of-mass-distraction/ http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/2013/10/weapons-of-mass-distraction/#comments Tue, 01 Oct 2013 05:00:33 +0000 Mary Anne Rogers http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/?p=8767 “Distracted Driving” is receiving a lot of attention these days, particularly the alarming statistics of death and injury caused by drivers who are talking or texting on cell phones. Forty states have already banned cell phone use while driving and, starting today, Oct. 1, Florida will do the same.

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), over 3,000 people annually are killed as a result of distracted driving. They also cite that teens and young adults are the largest proportion of drivers who are involved with fatalities directly related to cell phone use while behind the wheel: a whopping 21 percent of all car crash fatalities of 15 to 19 year olds can be blamed on driving while using a cell phone.  A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) showed that someone texting, dialing or grabbing the phone while driving is three times as likely to crash than a driver who is not distracted (www.Distraction.gov).

It could be argued that Florida is slow to jump on board with this initiative and some argue that while passing the law is a good first step, it may not be enough. “It’s important because it is the first step towards creating a primary law,” said Joe Steward, Community Traffic Safety Team Program Coordinator in DeLand (District 5, Florida Department of Transportation). “Honestly, it will not make a big difference. Florida law applies only to secondary violation…and the law also does not even apply to drivers in stopped vehicles. Those of us who grab our iPhones to check an email the minute traffic slows or whenever we stop at a light can still text legally when behind the wheel.” In other words, breaking the law that begins today is a secondary offense, requiring an officer pull over an offender for another traffic infraction (e.g., speeding, running a stop sign) before issuing the $30 fine.  And being able to use your phone while stopped at a signal or in a traffic jam isn’t sitting well with those who wish to enact tougher legislation on the matter.

If the stats and police enforcement don’t scare some “straight” then watching a recent documentary short by Werner Herzog might do the trick. “From One Second to the Next” is a 35-minute film that debuted on YouTube this summer. Four major wireless carriers—AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint—partnered on the film project that stemmed from Herzog’s work on 30-second commercials for anti-texting and driving. It has scored millions of views and made a significant impact on raising awareness about distracted driving. The raw emotion of the film comes from people who have been impacted as the driver at fault, the victims left with shells of their former lives, or the family members who’ve needlessly lost loved ones. They are unified in their message: don’t text and drive.

by Trish Wieland

]]> http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/2013/10/weapons-of-mass-distraction/feed/ 0 http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/2013/09/barefoot-wine-founders-speak-at-stetson/ http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/2013/09/barefoot-wine-founders-speak-at-stetson/#comments Tue, 24 Sep 2013 12:44:14 +0000 Mary Anne Rogers http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/?p=8679 Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, the founders of the # 1 wine brand in America, Barefoot Wine, will be speaking at Stetson University at noon, Tuesday, Sept. 24, about how they started their company with no capital and no knowledge of the industry, and built it into a leading brand before selling it to the largest wine company in the world.

Houlihan and Harvey are also the authors of the New York Times Business Bestseller: The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America’s # 1 Wine Brand.

This event is free and open to the public. Sponsored by Stetson University’s Prince Entrepreneurship Program and the Family Enterprise Center, the presentation will be held in the Rinker Auditorium, inside the Lynn Business Center, 345 N. Woodland Blvd., on the DeLand campus.

In addition to discussing how they built their company, Houlihan and Harvey will discuss how to identify and partner with strategic allies to reduce the need for capital, increase cash flow, and find and keep the best people while increasing distribution.

Houlihan and Harvey have been together for 30 years and spent 20 of those building the Barefoot brand. They also will talk about how to maintain a productive, positive and romantic relationship while working together.

More information about the speakers is available at www.barefootwinefounders.com.

Tuesday, Sept. 24 – Barefoot Wine Founders to speak in LBC

Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey (pictured), the founders of Barefoot Wine, will be speaking at noon, Sept. 24, about how they started their company with no capital and no knowledge of the industry, and built it into a leading brand before selling it to the largest wine company in the world. This event is free and open to the public. This event is sponsored by Stetson University’s Prince Entrepreneurship Program and the Family Business Center. Rinker Auditorium, LBC.

Saturday, Sept. 28 – Smithsonian Museum Day

Stetson University, along with 11 participating museums and galleries located in West Volusia County, will celebrate the annual Smithsonian Museum Day. Each of these participating museums will be open, free of charge, offering free tours, refreshments, as well as artistic, hands-on activities for children. A shuttle will be available for free transportation to eight out of the 11 participating museums, including: African American Museum of the Arts, Florida Museum for Women Artists, Museum of Art, Stetson University’s Gillespie Museum, Hand Art Center, Natural History Museum located in the Sage Hall Science Center, the Henry A. DeLand House Museum & The Robert M. Conrad Educational & Research Center, and the DeLand Memorial Hospital Museum. This event gives the opportunity to promote cultural education in an interactive way. Visit the Smithsonian Magazine website for more information.

Saturday, Sept. 28 – 6^th Annual Instrument Petting Zoo

Hosted by Stetson University’s School of Music, 9:30 a.m. to noon, Presser Hall, 419 N. Woodland Blvd. Children of all ages are welcome, free of charge. Kids will be able to see and play musical instruments up close and enjoy complimentary snacks. DeLand Discount Music will be providing instruments for the event. Sponsors include Volusia County Alumnae and Eta Pi Chapters, Sigma Alpha Iota, Stetson University School of Music, Stetson Community School of Music, and DeLand Discount Music. For more information, contact Stetson’s School of Music at (386) 822-8950 or visit http://www.stetson.edu/music.

Monday, Sept. 30 – BLACKFISH screening for the Stetson community 7 p.m., Athens Theatre, downtown DeLand

A mesmerizing psychological thriller with a killer whale at its center… This award-winning documentary was directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, and features Stetson’s own John Jett, visiting research professor of biology, who worked as a whale trainer years before teaching. Jett will introduce the film to the Stetson audience, and will be on hand for a Q&A immediately following the film. For more information about the movie, visit: http://blackfishmovie.com/. For more information about the screening, contact Stetson University Marketing at (386) 822-8920.

Wednesday, Oct. 16 – Social Justice Lecture by Peter Edelman: “So Rich So Poor: Why it’s so hard to end poverty in America”

This is the inaugural lecture in Stetson’s new Social Justice Lecture Series. Edelman is director of the Center on Poverty, Inequality and Public Policy, Georgetown University. 8 p.m., Stetson Room, CUB. Open to the public, free of charge.

Thursday, Oct. 24 – Author, activist Janisse Ray will guest lecture on “A Growing Revolution to Save Food” as part of her week on campus as the Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow Program. More information to follow.

Stetson University’s Fall 2013 Intercultural Programs presents six lectures/presentations:

• Tuesday, Sept. 24 – Staceyann Chin – Spoken-Word Artist - Staceyann Chin is not just a spoken-word poet, she is a performing artist and LGBT rights political activist. In addition to performing in and co-writing the Tony-nominated Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam on Broadway, Staceyann Chin’s work has been published in the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Pittsburgh Daily, and she has been featured on 60 Minutes and The Oprah Winfrey Show. 7 p.m., Stetson Room, CUB. Open to the public. Sponsored by the Cross-Cultural Center and the Multicultural Student Council. More information contact Tri-C, 386-822-7402, tri-c@stetson.edu.
• Monday, Sept. 30 – rita zhang – Asian American Counternarratives: What does it mean to be Asian American in the 21^st Century?  -  Her counternarrative will touch upon broad themes affecting the broader Asian Pacific Islander American community, including the model minority myth, intergenerational-conflict, racial marginalization/invisibility, and gender. Come and learn more about current APIA issues and gain insight on how to better serve/ally with the APIA community. 7 p.m., Stetson Room, CUB. Open to the public. Sponsored by the Cross-Cultural Center and the Asian Pacific American Coalition. More information contact Tri-C, 386-822-7402, tri-c@stetson.edu. 
• Thursday, Oct. 3 – Stacey Waite – Workshop  - Stacey Waite is a poet from Long Island, New York.  She received a Master of Fine Arts in poetry in 2002 and a Ph.D. in Composition and Rhetoric from the University of Pittsburgh. Waite has published four collections of poems: Choke (winner of the 2004 Frank O’Hara Prize in Poetry), Love Poem to Androgyny (winner of the 2006 Main Street Rag Chapbook Competition), the lake has no saint (winner of the 2008 Snowbound Prize in Poetry) and Butch Geography (Tupelo Press, 2013). 2:30-4:00 p.m., Tri-C. Sponsored by the Cross-Cultural Center and the Multicultural Student Council. Open to the public. More information contact Tri-C, 386-822-7402, tri-c@stetson.edu.
• Tuesday, Oct. 22 – Rev. Dr. Jamie Washington and Rev. Sam Offer – The Journey To Wholeness: Black, Christian, and Gay - LGBT History Month Keynote speakers. Jamie and Sam are two Black, Gay, Ordained Preachers in the Christian Church. They each have had a remarkable journey navigating and reconciling what it means to be all of who they are. They will inspire, encourage and challenge you. Come on the Journey to Wholeness: Black, Christian and Gay. 7 p.m., Stetson Room, CUB. Open to the public. Sponsored by the Cross-Cultural Center and the Asian Pacific American Coalition. More information contact Tri-C, 386-822-7402, tri-c@stetson.edu.
• Wednesday, Oct. 30 – Amer Ahmed – Addressing Islamophobia: Proactive Efforts to Address Hate and Bias On and Off Campus The post-9/11 era in the U.S. has exposed a significant degree of prejudice and bigotry towards Muslim people and those who may be perceived as Muslim. Racial profiling, surveillance, bias incidences and bullying continue to be widespread not only in society at large, but on college campuses as well. In light of this reality, questions remain regarding what campuses can do to proactively address these issues. Participants will learn the current realities related to Islamophobia and practical steps that can be made to address the issue. 7 p.m., Allen Hall. Open to the public. Sponsored by the Cross Cultural Center and the Multicultural Student Council. More information contact Tri-C, 386-822-7402, tri-c@stetson.edu.
• Monday, Nov. 18 – Debra Freemont, Umonhon “Omaha” Tribe of Nebraska - Debra Freemont is the Interim Program Director American Indian Student Services at the University of Colorado- Denver. In this capacity she provides support to Native American students, coordinates programs around social justice issues that impact Native American communities and develops awareness programs around identity, culture, heritage, and traditions. 7 p.m., Stetson Room, CUB. Sponsored by the Cross-Cultural Center. More information contact Tri-C, 386-822-7402, tri-c@stetson.edu.

Contributions by Maurie Murray, Courtney Allbee

GO HATTERS!

To register for any of the following workshops, call Donna Nassick at 386-822-8923. Some of the workshops have a limited enrollment and depending on the numbers, the locations will be assigned later as we get closer to the workshop date. For the workshops designated as “brown bag lunches,” you are encouraged to bring your own lunch, and the SUM office will supply drinks.

9.26.13/NOON-1 p.m.  How can I reach my audience? (Brown bag lunch)  Who should attend: Anyone who wants to learn how to promote themselves or their programs to the media. We will discuss the role of Public Relations within Marketing, tools such as Stetson Today (including calendar and announcements), news releases, talk radio, media pitches, story ideas and talking to the media. (This is not media training.)

10.10.13/NOON-1 p.m.  Stetson Brand: The Power of Significance (Brown bag lunch)  Who should attend: Anyone interested in learning how the university brand affects the way we market and advertise our products and services. Beyond logos and color pallets lies the brand – the intersection of science (strategy) and art (visual identity) that drives emotion. See what the university brand is and how it bridges the gap between us and our audience , and why it is the foundation for all you might want to do.

10.14.13/9:30-10:30 a.m.  Those Blasted Emails!  Who should attend: Anyone who communicates with groups of people. Tired of too many emails? Don’t add to the problem. Determine the best way to reach your constituents before hitting the send button. Learn when to use email blasts, internal email lists, announcements, social media or none of the above. We will also discuss changes to the announcement section on Stetson Today and how it can help you get your message out. We’ll look at examples, discuss the differences among them and review tips for writing to reach your audience.

10.16.13/1:30-2:30 p.m.  Demystifying Content Management for the Web  Who should attend: Anyone who has a hand in managing an official university website or is interested in learning about content management. It’s not that content management is all that complicated; rather it’s that there’s a lot to consider. Who is your audience? What kind of experience do they expect? How are they experiencing your website: These make up some of the first questions that should be asked as you build a website That’s relevant to your users, and practical not only to use but to maintain. Remember, your website is how you speak to the world. Let is shine! 

11.12.13/NOON-1 p.m. (Brown bag lunch)  Speaking with the Media – Basic Training  Who should attend: Anyone who might anticipate dealing with the media (print, broadcast or digital) Despite its name, media training is not actually for the media. It’s for you – someone who may need to communicate with the media. It’s an invaluable experience that will arm you with the basic essentials you might need to comfortably and effectively engage with the media.

11.13.13/NOON-1 p.m. (Brown bag lunch)  Good Presentations Don’t Just Happen  Who should attend: Anyone who has to construct a presentation assisted by technology. The workshop is designed to explain best practices for presentations, the effective use of technology to make your presentation relevant and memorable, and what tools are available as you prepare.

US News

Stetson University again has earned national recognition for its rigorous academics, commitment to social mobility and service, and military friendliness by ranking among the top universities in recent national surveys.

“At Stetson, we take pride in being recognized as an academically rigorous institution that places a high value on global citizenship, personal growth and social responsibility,” said Stetson President Wendy B. Libby. “Stetson provides a personalized learning experience to each student, based on top quality faculty and focused on learning outcomes. We challenge our students to go beyond success – to become significant in their communities, nation and the world.” (Biology professor Cindy Bennington, Ph.D., is pictured, right, helping two Stetson students in the biology lab.)

Among the recent rankings are:

• U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 edition of “Best Colleges” ranked Stetson 5^th in its list of Best Regional Universities (South), 5^th on the list of Best Value – Regional Universities (South), and 222^nd on the list of Best Undergraduate Business schools, a list that includes schools from all over the country. Stetson’s category in the first two rankings includes universities that provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs, but few, if any, doctoral programs. The 625 universities in the category are ranked by region. The third list includes all universities in the U.S. that offer undergraduate business education.
• Washington Monthly ranked Stetson 6^th among all universities on its list of 2013 Master’s Universities. Schools are rated based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and PhDs), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).
• MilitaryFriendly.com has included Stetson on its list of 1,868 of schools throughout the country that exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience, and are committed to providing a supportive environment for military students.

“While we are interested in national rankings, we always encourage prospective students and their parents to visit Stetson for a broader, well-rounded perspective of all that Stetson has to offer,” said Libby.

Stetson emphasizes active learning and has a low student/teacher ratio of 12:1, and 56 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students. Only 0.2 percent of classes have 50 or more students. Other factors leading to a top ranking include a 60 percent acceptance rate of applicants, and 58 percent of students finished in the top quarter of their high school graduating class.

“We are very pleased to be ranked so highly among our peers,” said Greg Carroll, vice president of Stetson University Marketing, “and we are excited about the future. Some of the statistics in the U.S. News data were gathered prior to the launch of many significant changes implemented in 2009 and later. Stetson has made great strides over the past few years in attracting students who are a great fit for the institution and that has already begun to impact student retention and graduation rates as well as enrollment.”

Stetson’s undergraduate enrollment this year is 2,729 compared to 2,516 in 2012. For the first time in recent history, students were put on a waiting list, and the university was forced to rent rooms for students at a nearby hotel because residence halls were full. In addition, Stetson has hired 30 new faculty members to ensure its low 12 to 1 student/teacher ratio.

In his lecture, “The Equation for Success,” Tyree will be promoting his latest book, Welcome to DuBai (The Traveler). There will be a discussion about the four key components of all successful businesses based on Tyree’s business book. More than just another business self-help book, The Equation is a groundbreaking formula that looks at how all business is an art. The book will help business people rethink how they manage their art form and help businesses accelerate their productivity by creating a corporate culture driven by passion and zeal, as art is. The book will help entrepreneurs rethink how they manage their art form and help businesses accelerate their productivity by transforming corporate culture to be driven by passion and zeal, as art is. The Equation (L/A*S=B) reveals a foolproof blueprint for business and life. Audience members will learn that, first you have to love what you do (L) and become a highly-skilled artist at it (A), while developing promotional and marketing tools to gather public and professional support (S), which ultimately leads to big business (B).

To read more about this book, visit Amazon.com/Welcome to Dubai (The Traveler).

From 3:30-5:30 p.m., Tyree will have a book-signing at The Muse Book Shop, 112 S. Woodland Blvd., in downtown DeLand. It is open to the public, free of charge.

Omar Tyree’s visit is sponsored by the Africana Studies Program, Black Student Association, Career Development and Academic Advising, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration, Gender Studies Program and Stetson’s Multicultural Student Center.

For further information, contact Shawnrece D. Campbell, Ph.D., associate professor of English and affiliate faculty member in Stetson’s Africana Studies Program, at sdcampbe@stetson.edu,  or call (386) 822-7718.

SoBA helps county program develop entrepreneurs who take ideas to market.

An innovative effort to awaken entrepreneurial spirit, boost job skills, and improve local economies, has begun in Volusia and Flagler counties with the help of faculty, alumni and a student of the Stetson University School of Business Administration.

“Startup Quest is one of the best entrepreneurship training initiatives I have ever seen,” said William Andrews, Ph.D., pictured in the red shirt below, chair of the school’s International Business Department, an expert in entrepreneurial business, and a member of the Startup Quest advisory board.

“It combines systematic training with the immediate requirement to apply them to a ‘live’ opportunity,” said Andrews.

There is great potential in having entrepreneurial skills injected into the local workforce, say those who helped launch the first of three 10-week cycles funded by a federal labor and employment training grant through the Center for Business Excellence (CBE) in Volusia and Flagler counties.

“We’ve had a successful beginning,” said Luis Paris, pictured bottom left, assistant professor of International Business and Management at Stetson and CBE’s business development and communications manager. “We laid the groundwork, established the right partnerships and learned what worked and what didn’t. We couldn’t be more pleased.”

The program targets the unemployed and underemployed, and began with 76 people divided into small, simulated startup teams mentored by experienced and successful local entrepreneurs. Using vetted ideas, teams plunged into classes on market analysis, financial projections, advanced technologies and management. Business plan presentations in August ended the program’s first cycle.

“I viewed the program as a ‘teach a man to fish’ opportunity,” said the only student mentor, Francisco Boden, pictured above, a senior at Stetson and an award-winning business major with real-world entrepreneurial experience. He said his team gained the skills and confidence to launch a startup company and put themselves to work instead of looking and waiting for a job.

Andrews expects creation of sustainable startups over time.

The top business plan marketed a device that diagnoses cancer without a biopsy. The winning team received $4,200 in cash and prizes. Tuyet “Hannah” Nguyen, a recent graduate of Stetson, pictured left, was on that team. Her passion for social entrepreneurship began at Stetson and she jumped at the chance to get free training.

“Opportunities like this don’t come around too often,” said Nguyen. “I gained an enormous amount of the most up-to-date knowledge, tools and resources from seasoned professionals. The lessons were priceless and I gained real-world business skills.”

For Boden, it was an opportunity to hone his skills and share his experience with the community. He put his degree on hold in 2009 to engage in entrepreneurship and has participated in seven startups and consulted on others.

His team developed a system to help social organizations identify high quality recruits using algorithms and psychographic modeling. Other teams worked on ideas for safer highway barriers, better solar panels, a system to help students read, and one to monitor movement of foundations in bridges, viaducts and overpasses.

Three of nine teams are talking with potential investors and one is moving toward a startup, said Paris, who managed the program.

Participants will be monitored to assess the effectiveness of the training, said Robin King, vice president of CBE’s Workforce Development Board, one of eight in Florida trying Startup Quest.

“I believe the fundamental value of this program to our local economy is going to be tremendous,” she said. “For us to have a workforce trained, hands-on, in taking a technology to market has limitless possibilities.”

“Absolutely,” said Paris. “If we do it enough times, it will help the economy. We will be pairing brilliant minds with new business opportunities to help keep them in this area. If we can retain and attract that kind of talent and synergy, it will make this region a better place.”

The final two Startup Quest courses are planned for 2014, one in western Volusia County. Paris hopes one team will be made up of Stetson business students.

by Ronald Williamson

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