UNF Journal: Spring 2010

Whenever Kansas City Chiefs football coach Todd Haley comes to town for a Jacksonville Jaguars game, he always makes a point to stop at his alma mater, the University of North Florida, to “see how the place is growing.”

An associate professor of Jazz Studies at UNF with a musical pedigree dating back more than 30 years, Drummer Danny Gottlieb remains passionate about touring and performing. He recently traveled to Afghanistan with actor/musician Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band to perform three concerts for U.S. troops.

Over the years, UNF student-athletes have built successful professional careers after college. Koran Godwin, the all-time leading scorer in UNF men's basketball and a 2003 business management graduate, is still making a difference both on and off the court with his books and videos on sportsmanship.

Mentored by UNF art and design professor Dr. Debra Murphy, UNF alum Jennifer Jones went from being a naïve college student unsure of her future path to a confident, passionate gallery owner, philanthropist and recipient of UNF’s 2010 Outstanding Alumni Award.

For a city like Jacksonville to become great, and for an institution like the University of North Florida to become a leader, it takes the support, insight and passion of many individuals. For Jacksonville and UNF, one of those individuals is Dr. William C. Mason.

Ivone Moutela, who earned business administration and photography degrees from the University of North Florida, is now a successful New York City photographer and prop stylist. She works behind the scenes to create memorable mouthwatering photographs that grace the pages of international magazines and celebrity cookbooks.

Patrons of two local Winn-Dixie stores recently picked up a lot more than just a loaf of bread and a gallon of milk. They took home valuable information on diabetes and preparing healthy food — as well as a pedometer to encourage them to walk their way to a healthier lifestyle.

In 1996, Dr. Jeffrey Steagall proposed that UNF develop a national reputation in the field of international business. It was a monumental task, considering UNF had no international business program at the time, but today the International Business program, in what is now the Coggin College of Business, is thriving.

Living and working in Southern California 2,446 miles from the University of North Florida campus, Jenna LeMaster was curious about whether there were any fellow Ospreys in the area, so she logged on to the professional networking site LinkedIn and searched. To her surprise, she found more than 130.

Ed White Jr., president of Auld & White Constructors, established the Auld & White Economic Venture Endowment Fund at UNF with a $150,000 commitment - and an additional $75,000 in state matching funds – to promote long-term economic growth in Northeast Florida through engineering and computing initiatives.

The importance of alumni in the success of The Power of Transformation campaign was illustrated recently with a software gift to the Coggin College of Business’ Logistics Information Technology Solutions Laboratory, from Manhattan Associates Inc. The gift makes UNF’s lab one of the best-equipped labs of its kind.

In 2009, Jacksonville-based EverBank launched an initiative to support The Bridge of Northeast Florida, a non-profit agency dedicated to transforming the lives of at-risk children — and UNF launched its $110 million capital campaign. For Blake Wilson, president and CFO of EverBank, the connection was obvious.

Momentum is sometimes a difficult quality to define. In many cases, it becomes clear only after experience shows a growing surge in actions that garners attention. Whether talking about a football game or a political campaign, momentum is an essential element of success.

Dusty Rhodes coached college, professional and international baseball for more than 40 years, earning his place in the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Because of his vision and determination, the baseball program at the University of North Florida has been one of the more successful programs in the nation.

The late Frederick H. Schultz was instrumental in the creation of the University of North Florida and he will remain a part of the institution forever. Schultz, who died Nov. 23, 2009 at age 80, left a legacy at UNF that can never be duplicated.

Many golf enthusiasts may be unaware of The PLAYERS Championship role in supporting charitable organizations on the First Coast, including UNF. The most recent manifestation of this commitment occurred recently when The PLAYERS Championship pledged $250,000 to UNF's First Generation Scholarship program.