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.

As an undecided major, Medlin ended up falling for what he dubs the “coolest” major: psychology. After graduating from Stetson in 1975, Medlin then earned the Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He returned to his alma mater in 1981, and has been teaching in the same psychology department that had inspired him so much, years before when he was a young college student.

“There were so many ties, so many good memories,” Medlin said. “My high school sweetheart and I got married while we were students at Stetson. Coming back to Stetson was coming home again.”

At that time, a legacy of two generations, Cochran and Medlin both had the young, enthusiastic student, Chris Ferguson, in their Stetson classes.

In 1993, Ferguson graduated from Stetson with a degree in psychology. “As a student, I always thought how cool it would be to return to Stetson,” he explained. “I had an amazing experience learning under such wonderful professors and enjoying the social atmosphere.”

And, this fall, Ferguson, Ph.D., did just what he had thought about doing. Having the opportunity to come back to Stetson was “a once in a lifetime opportunity,” he said. “There was no question, I had to take it.”

For Ferguson, like Medlin, returning to Stetson was as if he were “coming home.” Ferguson, a leading expert in examining the effects of media on behavior, such as video game violence, is now the chair of Stetson’s Psychology Department.

“It’s really amazing to think about; it speaks to the community of Stetson,” Ferguson said with enthusiasm. “It really says something to have two generations of students return to Stetson to teach.”

And it seems there is potential, Ferguson explained, for the streak to continue. “One of the students in my social psychology class mentioned her interest in being a professor,” he said. “If she came back to Stetson, we’d then have four generations, which would be just unfathomable!”

By George Salis

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/blackfish-at-athens-theatre-monday-p-m/ http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/2013/09/blackfish-at-athens-theatre-monday-p-m/#comments Mon, 30 Sep 2013 05:00:43 +0000 Mary Anne Rogers http://www.stetson.edu/portal/stetson-today/?p=8750

Blackfish, the award-winning documentary that tells the story of Tilikum, a performing killer whale that killed several people while in captivity, will be screened tonight, Monday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m. at the Athens Theater in a special engagement, free of charge, for the Stetson University community. John Jett, Ph.D., visiting biology professor at Stetson, who worked closely with director-producer Gabriela Cowperthwaite on this film, has helped make this special screening possible for his Stetson colleagues, including faculty, students and staff and their friends and family. The Athens Theater is located at 124 N. Florida Ave., in downtown DeLand.

Jett is prominently featured in this film, having worked as a whale trainer at Sea World years before joining the ranks of academia. His interviews featured in the film are among the emotional interviews that explore the effects of captivity on killer whales. Blackfish compiles shocking footage of many personal interviews  that represent an important point in the history of the captive marine mammal industry.

“SeaWorld and other marine parks have historically based their business model on expertly controlling the flow of information in a way that best fits their monetary interests,” said Jett. “Because of Blackfish (and other works, such as David Kirby’s, Death at SeaWorld), they no longer control the message. The cat is now out of the bag. Blackfish has forced the conversation to begin evolving from one of a manufactured fairytale (“The whales love us and they want to do tricks…”) to that of being honest and accurate. The documentary is unprecedented in the 40 years orcas have been in captivity, in that for the first time in the history of this issue, former orca trainers have come forward to provide an honest look behind the curtains.  The scene is often quite ugly so it’s obvious why the industry has never wanted the public to know the truth.  All of us associated with Blackfish are proud to affect a better life for the animals who have been so tragically exploited for profit.”

Blackfish explores the whales’ extraordinary nature, their cruel treatment in captivity and the lives and losses of the trainers brought on by the pressures inherent in the multi-billion dollar sea-park industry.

“Killer whales are far too sophisticated socially, and their environmental demands too great for life in a concrete box,” Jett explains. “Director Gabriela Cowperthwaite deserves much credit for presenting the evidence in a balanced, compelling and non-lecturing way. The industry will be forced to evolve as the public becomes increasingly educated on the issue.”

Visit blackfishmovie.com to learn more about the documentary. For more information about the Sept. 30 screening, contact Stetson University Marketing at (386) 822-8920.

A shuttle will be available for free transportation to eight out of the 11 participating museums, including: Stetson University’s Gillespie Museum, Hand Art Center, and the Natural History Museum inside Sage Hall Science Center, African American Museum of the Arts, Florida Museum for Women Artists, Museum of Art, The Henry A. DeLand House Museum & The Robert M. Conrad Educational & Research Center, and The DeLand Memorial Hospital Museum. The shuttles will be running every 15 minutes all day long, giving guests plenty of time to explore and enjoy each museum/gallery.

The Gillespie Museum, located at 234 E. Michigan Ave., on Stetson’s campus, will be featuring a never-before-seen exhibit called, “A Passion for Collecting.” This exhibit portrays the legacy of T.B. & Nellie Gillespie. The Gillespie Museum will also be offering activities for children including a beading workshop with minerals and stones, Geo-BINGO, refreshments, and free tours. This particular museum, along with the Natural History Museum and the Hand Art Center, all located on Stetson’s campus, are offering MainStreet dollars in exchange for an online coupon that is available on the Smithsonian webpage: www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday.

Smithsonian Museum Day is a national event where museums and galleries from all over the country collaborate with their respective local museums and hold a similar celebration to the annual event that DeLand is hosting.

“It is a really nice way of letting the community know about some of our lesser known collections including those in the Natural History Museum inside Sage Hall. That collection is only a few years old,” said Melissa Gibbs, Stetson biology professor. “This is the perfect opportunity to culturally grow in an interactive way and explore new, local exhibitions.”

To find out more information on this event, download a free ticket, or view a map of the participating museums, visit MainStreet Art & Culture at macdeland.com.

by Courtney Allbee

Ribbon-cutting of Stetson’s new SCALE-UP classroom:

Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2 p.m., Sage Science Center, room 222

“Stetson is a place that encourages faculty to dream,” said biology professor, Alicia Schultheis, pictured left. That is exactly what Dr. Schultheis did. She dreamed of creating a learning environment for a diverse group of students to impact their educational growth. Dr. Schultheis strongly expresses the importance of learning, as opposed to retaining information through lectures. She aspires to create an environment that is beneficial to students in a way that allows them to restore knowledge in their long-term memory. “While lecturing is a very efficient way for professors to teach, research shows that interactive learning is an even better way for students to retain information,” said Schultheis. After studying literature on successful student learning and researching classroom configurations, Schultheis’ dream is becoming reality.

Through Dr. Schultheis’ studies, she discovered the SCALE-UP classroom style. SCALE-UP is an acronym for Student Centered Active Learning Environment for Upside-down Pedagogies (i.e., teaching methods). As a result of Schultheis’ dream, Stetson has invested in its first SCALE-UP classroom, located in Sage Hall, that accommodates 72 students. This classroom is technologically oriented, consisting of:

-A tablet that professors use to project what they write onto large, white screens around the room

-Four large white screens that project the images from the professor’s tablet or students’ laptops

-Eight flat screen televisions that also serves to project images from the professor’s tablet or students’ laptops

-Eight dry-erase boards

-Eight speakers installed in the ceiling

-Hand-held clickers (available at the Stetson Bookstore) that students use to respond to quizzes projected on the screens

Each of these displays are spread out around the classroom, making it easy for students to see what is being projected. Aside from all the technology, the most significant feature of this classroom are the eight circular tables that seat nine students each. In the center of each of these tables, is a connection that allows students to project what is on their laptops or tablets to the large screens. The purpose of these tables is to allow students to interact and work together to gain a better understanding of the class subject. These tables force students to communicate with one another, allowing them to learn from each other and create a better learning environment. “Students often have a hard time remembering certain information that was taught in a previous class,” said Schultheis. “This interactive learning strategy will benefit students’ knowledge and memory in the future.”

Dr. Schultheis uses an “upside down” approach when teaching her classes. This strategy consists of outside learning and bringing it to the classroom. Schultheis assigns her students readings or recorded lectures posted online that they are required to read or listen to prior to coming to class. Schultheis has access to tract the students who have read or listened to the lecture and will send students reminders to complete these tasks before coming class. Reading and/or listening to lectures before class allows students to come in and use their class time to discuss and review what they learned. The SCALE UP classroom is prime for this type of “upside down” method, in which students are placed in a social setting that forces the students to communicate with one another and talk about what they learned before coming to class.

Stetson plans to install more SCALE UP classrooms in the future and is currently plotting a way to divide this classroom in half so that more classes will have access to this type of learning environment. They are also working to upgrade the lighting, redo the HVAC, and add more outlets. This is a great start to a new learning environment that should significantly improve students’ academic performance.

by Courtney Allbee

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.

STETSON TODAY

If you’re reading this, you are already on Stetson Today, our campus-wide information portal. Stetson Today is a unified information source for the latest Hatter news, stories, calendar of events, campus announcements, and great photos and video.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

New this semester – in fact, starting today – you will receive a daily digest of Announcements in your Stetson email. You may opt-out if you wish, but we recommend that you keep this valuable service. You never know what’s going to show up in Announcements. They address all things Stetson University.

EVENTS CALENDAR

Find out what events are coming up by visiting our university calendar, which is displayed on Stetson Today. We encourage you to add your university event to the calendar, to help all Hatters know what’s happening, when and where.

EMAIL

Your @stetson.edu email is your official Stetson University email communication channel. In addition to receiving your daily digest of Announcements here, you’ll also hear from professors, peers, RAs, administrators, and friends. Get in the habit of checking your Stetson email frequently.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stetson has university-wide social media sites that look at the big picture. Many departments, athletics teams, clubs and organizations also have social media platforms.

SU MOBILE APP

Have resources at your fingertips from anywhere when you download the Stetson mobile app. It features news and stories from Stetson Today, events from the calendar, campus directories, maps and more.

STETSON MAGAZINE

In-depth stories and alumni news are just two of the features of our award-winning Stetson Magazine. Read it in print, or online on the Stetson Public Relations website. As an added bonus, you gain online access to VISUAL, a special publication sent to prospective Stetson students.

BANNERS, POSTERS, FLYERS

Look up, down, around … and in your Stetson post office box. All kinds of campus activities are advertised via these traditional methods, too.

So, avoid that dreaded “I didn’t know about it …” post-happening letdown. Use these tips for staying informed, and you’ll always be on top of Hatter news.