Stetson Today

Stetson rolls out Tobacco/Smoke-Free plan

Mary Anne Rogers — Mon, 07 Oct 2013 05:00:57 +0000

Stetson University joins a growing list of U.S. colleges and universities to enact a policy to prohibit smoking and tobacco-related products beginning Aug. 1, 2014. The policy will affect Stetson’s residential campuses in DeLand and at the College of Law in Gulfport.

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.

Stetson presents Opera Theatre Oct. 18

Mary Anne Rogers — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 16:36:19 +0000

Stetson University’s Opera Theatre will perform Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria by Claudio Monteverdi, on Friday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m., in Lee Chapel, inside Elizabeth Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., on Stetson’s DeLand campus. (Caroline Brazelton is pictured in Stetson University’s Opera Theatre’s recent production of Henry Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas.)

Based on Homer’s Odysseus, this opera is a tragedy in one prologue and three acts, with a happy ending! “Not even the will of the gods could keep Ulysses from the country he loved, or from the heart of a beautiful queen,” explains Russell Franks, director of Stetson’s Opera Theatre.

This is a presentation by Stetson University’s Opera Theatre under the direction of Franks, and in conjunction with conductor, Anthony Hose, with members of Stetson University’s Symphony Orchestra. The cast is comprised of students from Stetson University’s School of Music who come from all parts of the United States including Lake, Marion and Butler counties in Florida.

In addition to the performance on Stetson’s campus, this opera will also be performed on Sunday, Oct. 20, at 3 p.m. in the Community Building of Mount Dora, 520 N. Baker Street, Mount Dora.

Tickets for the Oct. 18 performance can be purchased in advance or at the door. General admission is $10; seniors, $8; youth (middle and high school with ID), $5. It is free to Stetson students, faculty and staff with a Stetson ID.

For more information please call Stetson’s School of Music Concert Line at (386) 822-8947, or the School of Music at (386) 822-8950. Visit www.stetson.edu/music to see the full concert schedule for 2013-14. Check out www.stetson.edu/cultural-calendar for all university music, theatre, art and lecture schedules.

Strategic Planning Process Begins

Mary Anne Rogers — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 05:00:58 +0000

October marks the launch of a new phase of university-wide strategic planning, as open discussions, focus groups and an online survey will involve the entire community in crafting a vision for Stetson’s future. The process will culminate in a new 2014-19 Strategic Map that is vetted by all constituencies and reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees in May.

“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.

Access to education, bar exam pass rates lead news

Janie Graziani — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 04:37:53 +0000

Stetson made news this week for access to and affordability of higher education, video game violence, Common Core state standards, and bar exam pass rates. Notable national and local placements include Forbes, Huffington Post, Daytona Beach News-Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Yahoo! News, The Ledger and SCOTUSblog. Top stories for Sept. 27-Oct. 3 include:

Alumni in the News

Pam Stewart, newly appointed education commissioner of Florida, discusses the Common Core State Standards and other problems of public education, according to Ocala.com.
Bartow Attorney Don Wilson is featured in the Monday Profile of the News Chief and The Ledger.
Attorney Blake P. Hampton joined the law firm of Sheppard, Brett, Stewart, Hersch, Kinsey & Hill, P.A., according to PRLog and Naples News.
According to TC Palm, Bobbie Baugh displayed her king grasshopper quilt along with other art at the juried art show of Elliot Museum and Arts Council.
James Sheehan, author of The Alligator Man, begins his book tour next year, according to TLC.
Law alumnus Jean Pierre Espinoza is featured in the Oct. 2 Ledger article, “Lakeland Lawyer Offers a Last Hope for Residents Facing Deportation.” Law Professor Catherine Cameron is also quoted regarding he former student.
Law alumnus Alain Rivas is mentioned in the Oct. 1 Watchlist News article, “Skubiak & Rivas, P.A. Reports on Newly Created Statute 316.305 Pertaining to Florida’s Texting and Driving Law That Takes Effect October 1, 2013.”
According to the Oct. 1 Naples News, Law alumnus and attorney Blake P. Hampton has joined the law firm of Sheppard, Brett, Stewart, Hersch, Kinsey & Hill, P.A. as an associate of the firm. The Sept. 30 PRLog also mentions the news.
The Oct. 3 WatchList News announced the addition of Law alumnus Brett H. Sifrit as a new associate attorney at Farr Law Firm.
Law alumnus Stephen Page has joined Gunster’s business litigation team as a shareholder out of the Stuart and West Palm Beach offices, according to a firm announcement.

A Legacy in the Psychology Department

Mary Anne Rogers — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 05:00:10 +0000

In Stetson University’s Psychology Department, a legacy of three generations has been developing since the 1970s, when Dwaine Cochran, Ph.D., taught Richard Medlin in his psychology class. Cochran, proud and pensive, with research interests that include personal space, health attitudes, gerontology, optimism and anthropomorphism, expounds about his colleague: “Medlin was a great student, and one among many academics in his family that attended this campus.” (Pictured, l to r: psychology professors Richard Medlin; Dwaine Cochran, standing; Chris Ferguson.)

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

An Education of High Value

Mary Anne Rogers — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:30:30 +0000

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.

Weapons of Mass Distraction

Mary Anne Rogers — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 05:00:33 +0000

“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

Blackfish at Athens Theater Monday 7 p.m.

Mary Anne Rogers — Mon, 30 Sep 2013 05:00:43 +0000

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.

Bluemner curator describes modernist artist

Mary Anne Rogers — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 21:09:31 +0000

The exhibition Oscar Bluemner: Color Sketches, featuring works from Stetson University’s Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection, now on display at Stetson’s Hand Art Center, will be the subject of a lecture at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 2, by exhibition curator Dr. Roberta Smith Favis. (Pictured, from the current exhibit: “Oscar Bluemner, Untitled, Feb. 15, 1911, colored pencil on paper, 5 in. x 7 in., Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection, Stetson University.)

“Most of the pieces on display capture commonplace scenes of the New York and New Jersey suburbs and countryside not far from New York City, where the artist lived at this time,” said Favis, professor emerita of art history and curator of Stetson’s Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection.

“The works were drawn with a new type of particularly vibrant and versatile colored pencils that enabled the artist to combine his interest in the expressive qualities of color with his immediate response to subjects observed from nature.”

Bluemner was born and educated in Germany and came to the United States in 1892 to work as an architect. By the first decades of the twentieth century he became interested in modernist experiments in art and turned his attention and, eventually, his practice to painting.

“The exhibit features colorful artworks from the time when the artist was solidifying his decision to abandon his architectural career in favor of painting,” Favis explains.

Her talk will review the history of Stetson’s extensive collection of works by American Modernist Painter Oscar Bluemner (1867-1938) and discuss the importance of the colored pencil sketches made in 1910-1911 in the evolution of the artist.

This exhibit, which will be shown through Dec. 2, continues the mission of the Hand Art Center to display and interpret works from Stetson’s extensive collection of artwork by Bluemner.

The lecture, which is open to the public, free of charge, will be held in Room 25 of the Instructional Media Center, at Stetson’s duPont Ball Library, 134 E. Minnesota Ave. For more information, please contact the Hand Art Center at Stetson at (386) 822-7270.

Student life reorg helps campus vibrancy

Mary Anne Rogers — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 05:00:46 +0000

With the recent promotion of Rosalie Carpenter to dean of students, Chris Kandus-Fisher has stepped away from his dual responsibilities which covered both student affairs and dean of students to focus on providing senior leadership as the vice president of student affairs.

“As vice president of student affairs, Chris will provide oversight to many areas of the university, effectively bridging academic affairs and campus life, and helping the student experience grow and become more vibrant,” said Wendy Libby, Ph.D., president of Stetson University.

Kandus-Fisher will directly oversee Stetson’s Housing and Residential Life, the Holistic Wellness areas that include the Club Sports, Health Services, the Counseling Center, the Hollis Center and various recreational offerings. Areas within Student Development and Campus Vibrancy, including student clubs and organizations, leadership development programs, Greek life, spiritual life, diversity and inclusion programs and student judicial affairs, also report to Kandus-Fisher.

Additionally, Kandus-Fisher will begin to serve as chair of the university’s Emergency Management Team, ensuring that the Stetson community is prepared and equipped to manage campus emergencies. The Office of Public Safety will join the Division of Campus Life and Student Success under Kandus-Fisher’s leadership. He will also provide oversight to dining services and the bookstore.

To continue the effective collaboration and the work between academic affairs and campus life on Stetson’s Student Success initiative, Lua Hancock, Ed.D., assistant provost for student success, will continue to report directly to Beth Paul, provost and vice president for academic affairs, and will have a dotted line to Kandus-Fisher to assure the coordination and integration of Stetson’s comprehensive student success model. Kandus-Fisher will also work directly with the College of Law on the development and maturation of students services on the Tampa Bay campuses.

Kandus-Fisher joined the Stetson administration in August 2010 initially as dean of students, coming from Babson College in Massachusetts, where he served as assistant dean in the Office of Campus Life. He succeeded vice president Rina Tovar in April 2012, when she moved to become a major gifts officer in university relations. Kandus-Fisher earned his bachelor’s degree at Ashland University and master’s degrees from the University of Akron and is a doctoral candidate at Nova Southeastern University, pursuing a degree in higher education leadership.

“Chris’ strategic thinking and ability to lift campus initiatives will be instrumental for our students,” said Libby. “We are excited for his leadership in these critical areas.”