The University of North Florida is proposing a new initiative as part of its ongoing quality improvement process to further enhance student learning. Here are five things you need to know:

1. What is a QEP?
QEP is an acronym for Quality Enhancement Plan.

2. Why is it important?
Establishing a QEP is a required process the University undertakes to successfully gain reaffirmation of its accreditation. 

To read more about accreditation, click here.

3. What is the new QEP and what does it contain?
The new QEP is: Writing Around the Curriculum. It identifies key issues, develops goals for student learning and creates a plan for assessing achievement.

4. What is the next step in the process?
The University will organize a team to further develop the proposed QEP over the next year. In February 2019, the QEP will be submitted to the on-site accreditation team for review.

5. Did UNF have a previous QEP?
Yes. UNF remains committed to the previous QEP: Community-Based Transformational Learning.

Want to know more about the QEP? Click here to learn more about the process.
For more information, read the QEP proposal: Writing Around the Curriculum.

Dr. Swapnoneel Roy is an assistant professor of computing in the College of Computing, Engineering and Construction.

What courses do you teach? Mostly courses on computer security, such as Introduction to Computer Security, Information Systems Intrusion Detection, Computer Security Policies and Disaster Preparedness, Computer Cryptography, Security Practices in Software Systems and others.

What research are you doing? My research area is primarily in the field of computer security, and secondarily in the field of green computing and algorithms. I have advised several graduate students for their respective M.S. theses, worked with undergraduate students in independent studies and published articles with student co-authors.

If you weren’t teaching, what else would you be doing and why? Probably writing code for somebody else to sell and make money from! I was a software engineer with IBM before I pursued my Ph.D. The majority of my fellow Ph.D.s joined the industry and write code every day. I probably would have done the same had I not been offered a faculty position.

What brought you to UNF? I always wanted to teach and, when I visited during the interview process, I was very impressed with the department, the environment and Jacksonville’s weather. (I spent five years in Buffalo, New York, prior to coming here!)

What’s one thing in your field of study that people might not know? How vulnerable their information is!

If you could witness any historical event, what would it be and why? It’s very difficult to think of a single event. I would want to see all seven ancient wonders of the world if given a chance (only the great Pyramids of Egypt exist among the seven). I would want to see how or what technology the Egyptians used to build those pyramids!

How do you recharge? I watch the same science fiction films again and again. Actually I watch favorite scenes of films.

What is your personal philosophy? “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

What advice would you give a student who is about to graduate? Follow you passion, and don’t run after money. Be the best in what you do, and let money follow you!

Job title and department: Coordinator of Outreach and Recruitment at the Military and Veterans Resource Center

What do you do at UNF? I work with military affiliated students, a group that includes veterans, dependents, Active Duty, Guard and Reserves. I provide information, assistance and guidance as well as transition assistance to those wishing to attend UNF. In addition, I coordinate efforts within UNF and the greater Jacksonville community to create opportunities for these students.

What do you enjoy about working here? I really enjoy working with and meeting everyone here. Everyone I meet is kind and genuinely wants to help. I love working with and helping students and the environment of learning that is incorporated within UNF, both at the academic and staff levels.

What one memory do you most treasure? I have five most treasured memories: Bryan, Shannon, Jimmy, Matthew and Courtney.

If you could have a dinner party and invite any four people, from the past or present, who would be on your guest list? So many to choose from! So hard to narrow down! William the Marshal, George Washington, Leonardo da Vinci, Queen Elizabeth II. Why? I love history, I love science, I love trailblazers and those who challenge the current way of thinking.

Tell us something that might surprise us about you.
I took four years of Russian language and culture.

What one food do you wish had zero calories? Potato Chips

What’s at the top of your bucket list? A house on a minimum of 5 acres, on a lake with a boat, and a herd of Newfoundlands. It sounds wonderful and fun.

How long have you lived in Jacksonville? Where else have you lived? I have lived in Jacksonville 14 years. I have lived many places, primarily east of the Mississippi River.

Where would you like to go on a dream vacation? Europe — there are so many places to see! The history, the arts, nature, experiencing so many different places and the way other people live their lives.

Tell us a few of your favorite things.
Childhood memory: Waterskiing
Color: Evergreen
Physical activity: Running in the rain
Sport to watch: Ice Hockey
Quote: No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted. (Aesop)

Experience the sights and sounds of Synthesize: Art + Music with works by seven artists, including Julianne Swartz, whose Black and Blue Weave combines wires, speakers, electronics, and a multichannel soundtrack. Learn more.

 

Students have been all over the world studying abroad this spring and summer. Check out the video above made by Honors student, Austin Perkins, during a Spring Break journey to Peru led by professors Andres Gallo and Constanza Lopez. The students spent a week traveling through the Sacred Valley of the Incas learning the history, culture and economic conditions of the region. The video above captures the group's excursion to Machu Picchu, the 15th century fortress located on a Peruvian mountain ridge nearly 8,000 feet above sea level.

 

Other groups have been to China, London, Iceland, Chile, Italy, Spain and more.

 

              

 

From left: Theresa Pola and Johanna Vogt with nurses at the Shanghai Children's Medical Center during a Nutrition and Dietetics study abroad in China; Poli Sci major Warren Butler near the Sphinx and pyramids in Egypt during a UNF Exchange at American University of Cairo; English student Aislinn Kelly, who is attending the London Rare Books School, studies 15th-17th century illustration at the Victoria and Albert Museum; Matthew Farina, a communications major pursuing a minor in International Business, in Dubai where he took business courses; Students on a study abroad with Dr. Chris Baynard learn about the mining industry in Chile; International Business major Troy Bottom, who took courses at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in China, looks out from the Great Wall

 

Dallas Moore to Play for Denver Nuggets in NBA Las Vegas Summer League
Former University of North Florida basketball standout Dallas Moore was picked by the Denver Nuggets to play for their NBA Summer League team in Las Vegas on July 7-17. Learn more

Eden Meyer Earns CoSIDA Academic All-American Honor
North Florida Track & Field standout Eden Meyer capped off her award winning junior season by garnering prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America second-team honors for Track & Cross Country. Learn more

Findel-Hawkins Selected to Team Great Britain
A month after becoming North Florida men's tennis first-ever All-American player, graduate Jack Findel-Hawkins has been selected to the British Team for the World University Games held in August in Taipei. Learn more

Gurrola Drafted by Philadelphia Phillies
North Florida's Yahir Gurrola was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 27th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Learn more

Milestone anniversaries
Congratulations to the following employees with a milestone anniversary at UNF in June:

20 years
Terri Cook, Assistant Director, Research Program Services, Florida Institute of Education
Michael Pinkney, Senior Groundskeeper Crew Lead, Physical Facilities
Richard Roberts, Director, Career Services

10 years
Angelo Addari, Maintenance Mechanic, Student Union-Maintenance and Energy Management
Justin Begle, Assistant Director User Services, User Services
Melissa Blankenship, Director, Student Enrollment Communication Center
Jean Leone, Office Manager, Urban Internship
Diana McLeland, Head of Digital Projects, Library
Devin Narine, Law Enforcement Officer, University Police Department
Daniel Nutt, Coordinator, Budgets, Florida Institute of Education
Edmund Robinson, Custodial Worker, Physical Facilities
Michael Sams, Law Enforcement Sergeant, University Police Department
Salena Tepas, Assistant Director, Parking and Transportation Services

5 years
Kelly Harrison, Director of Professional Development
Scott Kidd, Law Enforcement Officer, University Police Department
James Mckoy, Irrigation Supervisor, Grounds
Mark Milton, Law Enforcement Sergeant, University Police Department
Dawn Wessling, Instructor, Exceptional Deaf and Interpreter Education

Welcome
The following employees were either hired by UNF or were promoted from OPS positions recently:

Nicholas Amodeo, Academic Support Technician, Center for Instruction and Research Technology
Terri Bailey, Coordinator, Marketing and Publications, Continuing Education
James Couch, Parking Services Technician, Parking and Transportation Services
Timothy Dillard, Recycle Refuse Worker, Recycle
Bettina Elegado Cross, Program Assistant, Exceptional Deaf and Interpreter Education
Timothy Faughn, Groundskeeper, Housing
Jariss George, IT Support Technician, User Services
Kimberly Harmon, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Vera Haywood, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Augustine Kaiwa, Parking Services Supervisor, Parking and Transportation Services
Elizabeth Kelley, Administrative Secretary, Brooks College of Health
Curt Lox, Dean, Brooks College of Health
April Mattedi, Office Manager, Career Management Center
Joseph Namey, Applications Systems Analyst, TSI-IPTM and PSI Employees
Amanda Oller, Coordinator, Fraternity and Sorority Life
Timothy Parenton, Head Athletic Coach, Baseball
Jessica Perriera, Parking Attendant, Parking and Transportation Services
Nicole Porter, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Sicilia Saint-Hilaire, Parking Services Technician, Parking and Transportation Services
Tanisha Singleton, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Ashley Smith, Human Resources Specialist, Human Resources
Kelsey Sphar, Coordinator Marketing Publications, Intercollegiate Athletics
Christopher Thomas, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Douglas Titus, Applications Systems Analyst, Enterprise Systems
Valerie Walker Biggins, Assistant University Registrar, One-Stop Center
Tameka Williams, Custodial Worker, Custodial Services

Great Job
The following employees were promoted recently:

Daniel Choisser, IT Support Manager, User Services
William Dunn, Senior Landscape Grounds Supervisor, Physical Facilities
Jillian Gooding, Assistant University Registrar, Registrar's Office
Katherine Haft, Coordinator, Equal Opportunity and Diversity
Robin Hill, Assistant Director Research Programs, Small Business Development Center
Ann McCullen, Vice President for University Development and Alumni Engagement
James Mckoy, Irrigation Supervisor, Grounds
Amanda Melady, Office Manager, Controller
Erica Powell-Jones, Senior Custodial Worker, Custodial Services
Tommy Richardson, Senior Irrigation Technician, Physical Facilities
Joe Williams, Senior Landscape Grounds Supervisor, Physical Facilities
Amy Woodbury, Program Assistant, Nursing


Goodbye
Heartfelt well wishes in their new endeavors for the following employees who left UNF recently:

Meghan Alexander, Senior IT Support Technician, User Services
Kyle Clark, Assistant Director, IPTM
Kelly Griffis, IT Project Manager, Project Management Office
James Hancock, Pest Control Tech, Physical Facilities
Nikolaus James, Teaching Laboratory Specialist, Art and Design
Colin McKinney, Assistant Recycle Refuse Superintendent, Recycling
Joshua Merchant, Vice President for University Development and Alumni Engagement
Katie Newton, Assistant Director, University Center
Catherine Ovadia, Office Manager, Chemistry
Zak Ovadia, Director, Campus Planning               
Nicole Pece, Director of Development, College of Education and Humman Services
Kimberly Pelzer, Manager, Financial Services, Controller
Renee Phillips, Custodial Services Superintendent, Custodial Services
Patrick Proctor, Coordinator, Residence Life
Shelly Purser, Assistant Director, Health Education, Health Promotions
David Robbins, Clerical Aide, Administration and Finance Communications and Training
Stephanie Royal, Assistant Director, Enrollment Services Marketing and Communication
Maurice Scott, Groundskeeper, Cove
Evelyn Serrano, Office Manager, Controller
Nicole Steinberger, Coordinator, Residence Life, Osprey Landing
Duane Thomas, Maintenance Mechanic, Maintenance and Energy Management

Brooks College of Health

 

School of Nursing
Dr. Linda Connelly and Dr. Cynthia Cummings presented a poster “Utilizing Graduate Students to Educate Undergraduates in Simulation” at the International Association of Clinical Simulation in Learning (INACSL) Conference in Washington, D.C.

Department of Public Health
Dr. Elissa Barr presented “Keeping the Health of our Youth a Priority” as the Keynote Speaker at the 2017 Healthy Schools Summer Academy for the Florida Department of Education in Boca Raton in June.

Coggin College of Business
Dr. Gregory Gundlach, professor of marketing, presented “Competition Policy Concerns in the Digital Era” at the 2017 Marketing & Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C.

College of Arts and Sciences

 

Art and Design
Jenny Hager is exhibiting at the International Invitational Exhibition and Festival, “Elysium: Long Night of the Sciences,” in Berlin, Germany.

Kally Malcom-Bjorklund has two images that were curated into a group exhibition titled “Ascend” at Stitches and Pics, a gallery in Sackets Harbor, New York. Malcom-Bjorklund is also the featured artist in Muse/A, an online literary and art journal.

Stephen Heywood has an exhibition in “Thrown and Altered,” National Juried Exhibition, Sweetwater Center for the Arts, in Sewickley, Pennsylvania.

Biology
Dr. Kelly Smith served as an invited expert panelist at the annual meeting of the Florida Marine Science Educators conference in St. Augustine. In addition, Smith and undergraduate Nicole Llinas presented research titled “Smooth cord grass (Spartina alterniflora) health and nutrient uptake in retention pond water mesocosms” at the annual meeting of the Florida Lake Management Society.

Chemistry
Dr. Joshua Melko organized a symposium at the Florida Annual Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society in May. He also presented the posters “Calculations of Methane to Methanol Conversion Using a Nickel Catalyst and Ozone” with student Jenn Ruliffson and “Velocity Map Imaging Experiments for Fundamental Details of the Potential Energy Surface of Nitric Oxide” with student Kai Lister.

Dr. Amy Lane organized the Natural Products session at the Florida American Chemical Society Meeting and Exhibition. She and her students also presented four posters: “Biosynthesis of new diketopiperazine natural products from unnatural amino acids,” “Diversity of selected natural product biosynthetic genes among freshwater and marine actinobacteria,” “Discovery of the inducamide biosynthetic pathway,” and “Characterization of the nocardiopyrone biosynthetic gene cluster enables discovery of novel natural products.”

Dr. Christos Lampropoulos published multiple papers with students. With S.A. Corrales and J.T. Bryant, he published “New ligands for uranium complexation: A stable uranyl dimer bearing 2,6-diacetylpyridine dioxime” in the journal Inorganic Chemistry Communications. With J.T. Bryant and N. Mhesn, he published “Assembly of anion-controlled cadmium (II) coordination polymers from the use of 2-acetyl-pyridyl-isonicotinoylhydrazone” in the journal Inorganica Chimica Acta. Lampropoulos also presented an invited seminar in April at the Georgia Southern University titled “Applying coordination chemistry principles in the quest for hybrid molecule-based materials.” In May, Lampropoulos and his students made several presentations at the Florida American Chemical Society Meeting. With J. Bryant, N. Mhesn, S. Corrales, J. M. Cain and E. R. Williams, he presented a poster titled “Optical Properties of Molecules: From Transition Metals to Actinides,” and with S. Corrales, T. Jenkins, D. Pistey, and E. R. Williams he presented a poster titled “Molecular Magnets Gone Dimensional: Mn12-based Chains, Oligomers & Networks”. Dr. Lampropoulos’ student Jacob Bryant also gave an oral presentation at this conference, titled “Stable uranyl complexes from the use of 2,6-diacetylpyridine dioxime: experimental and in-silico investigation.” Also in May, Lampropoulos presented an invited talk titled: “Applying pressure to materials: The why, the How, and the What” at the joint Current Trends in Molecular and Nanoscale Magnetism/North America Greece Cyprus workshop on Paramagnetic Materials (CTMNM/NAGC 2017), held in Paphos, Cyprus.

English
Mr. Mark Ari performed his original composition, “Out of the Blue,” for Coffee House Poetry at The Troubadour, London, in May.

Mathematics and Statistics
Dr. Trung Hoa Dinh, Dr. Raluca Dumitru and Dr. Jose Franco published “On the monotonicity of weighted power means for matrices” in Linear Algebra and its Applications, August.

Philosophy and Religious Studies
Dr. Andrew Buchwalter published “Elements of Hegel’s Political Theology: Civic Republicanism, Social Justice, Constitutionalism, and Universal Human Rights” in a special edition of the Canadian journal Symposium devoted to the theme “Hegel, La Religion et la Politique: Enjeux et Actualité.” He also presented the paper “Universal Human Rights, Interculturalism, and the Idea of a Transnational Public Sphere,” at the meeting of the International Social Theory Consortium, University of Innsbruck, Austria. In addition, he presented a German-language version of that paper — Universelle Menschenrechte, Interkulturalität und die Idee einer transnationalen Öffentlichkeit — in a Philosophy Institute colloquium of the University of Jena, Germany.

Dr. Brandi Denison published “Ute Land Religion in the American West, 1879-2009” with the University of Nebraska Press.

Political Science and Public Administration
Dr. Ronald Libby published “Les Deplorables: How the Tea Party Put Trump into Office and Rules America” with Twelve Table Publishers.

Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work
Dr. Krista Paulsen and UNF alumna Hayley Tuller published “Crafting Place: Craft Beer and Authenticity in Jacksonville, Florida” in the edited volume “Untapped: Exploring the Cultural Dimensions of Craft Beer,” West Virginia University Press.


College of Education and Human Services

Department of Childhood Education, Literacy and Tesol
Dr. Katie Monnin will publish a collective second edition of two of her books this fall “Get Animated!” and “Teaching New Literacies.” The new second edition is titled “Teaching New Literacies to Early and Middle Level Readers: Graphic Novels, Animation, Social Networking, Video Games and More." In addition, San Diego Comic Con has invited Dr. Monnin to judge the 2017 43rd San Diego Comic Con Masquerade Ball in July in San Diego. She will represent the family of Will Eisner, who wrote the first graphic novel and will present the award for “Best Visual Storytelling” to the strongest contestant(s).

Dr. Wanda Hedrick and Dr. Katie Monnin traveled to South Korea in May as invited guest speakers at multiple universities in Daegu and Daejeon: DGIST, KAIST and PCU. Their trip supports an effort to encourage and promote more educational exchanges between UNF students and faculty and those interested universities.

Dr. Katrina Hall has been selected to serve on the board of the Jacksonville Beach Elementary Preservation Fund Inc., which oversees the Rhoda L. Martin Cultural Heritage Center and was instrumental in setting up the Rhoda L. Martin Early Head Start Center in Jacksonville Beach. JBEPF Inc. President Lillie Sullivan has received the Beaches Watch’s Friends of the Beaches Award, among other honors, for her work in preserving the rich cultural history of African-American residents in Jacksonville Beach.

Students from the College of Education participated in a study abroad at the University of Chester from May 28 until June 9. They had the opportunity of working with youngsters at the University of Chester in classrooms and in three different school settings and experiencing what life is like working in northern England. As well as experiencing school and university culture, the students also visited Manchester, Liverpool and Llandudno where they visited cathedrals, museums, tasted the local cuisine, and even took a stroll along the Irish Sea. Because this experience came days after the bombing in Manchester and the attacks in London, the students laid a wreath on behalf of the University of North Florida out of respect for those who had died.

Drs. Richard Chant and Brian Zoellner presented their paper, “Using Personal Theorizing to Guide Action Research within Graduate Teacher Education” to the 19th Annual Athens Institute for Education and Research International Education Conference in Greece, May 15-18. The presentation focused on a study of the cohort-based MED program initiated by the Foundations and Secondary Education Department with a group of social studies, mathematics and English teachers from Sandalwood High School. The program was designed to emphasize personal theorizing and action research as core constructs engaged with by cohort participants. The paper illustrated the use of personal theorizing and action research model throughout the MED program, and the analysis selected artifacts that served as data points critical to participants’ personal theorizing and action research processes. Surveys were also used to examine the program and overall influences of the process within the participants’ own professional development. The data strongly supported the processes engaged with by the participants and the final action research studies well represented the competencies important in teacher empowerment and decision-making.

Student Affairs

Kaitlin Legg, director of the LGBT Resource Center, appeared on WJCT’s First Coast Connect radio program June 12 to discuss the one-year mark of the Pulse nightclub massacre in Orlando and explain what UNF and community members are doing to remember and respond to the tragedy.

Dei Allard, sssociate director of Housing and Residence Life, made two presentations at the Association of College & University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I) Annual Conference June 20. Her first presentation was titled “Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in the Office and ‘at home.’” Her second presentation was part of the “Sprint General Session,” a PechaKucha-style general session where six association professionals speak about important topics for no more than 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Her presentation was titled “Being a Light to the Few.”


Thomas G. Carpenter Library
Maria Atilano, Marketing and Student Outreach Librarian, will present a poster session titled “Game On: Teaching Research Methods to College Students Using Kahoot!” at the Southeast Florida Library Information Network (SEFLIN) 2017 Regional Conference on July 27, 2017 in Miami, Florida.

 

Susan A. Massey, head of Discovery Enhancement, has been appointed by the Florida Academic Library Services Cooperative Members Council on Library Services to serve on the Technical Services Standing Committee for the 2017-19 term.

Courtenay McLeland, head of Digital Projects, was a panelist at the Digital Commons Southeast User Group meeting at Nova Southeastern University in June and spoke about working with audio and video collections in the UNF repository, with a focus on the Jack Kleinsinger Presents Highlights in Jazz series.

Faculty Outreach and Research Librarian Stephanie Race has been appointed to a two-year term on the Florida Library Association (FLA) Scholarship Committee. The FLA Scholarships, established in 1989, are supported each year through donations and fundraising activities of the statewide organization that promotes excellence in Florida libraries. Three Library and Information Science graduate scholarships are available each year and awarded in the spring at the organization’s annual conference. 

Online Learning Librarian Stephanie Weiss has been appointed to the Association of College and Research Libraries Distance Learning Section’s (ACRL/DLS) Research and Publications Committee for a two-year term beginning July 1, 2017. ACRL is a division of the American Library Association (ALA), the oldest and largest library association in the world with over 56,000 members. 

Extremely versatile to eat and available nearly anywhere in the world, carrots have been around for centuries. Carrots are members of the parsley family and were first cultivated in Afghanistan more than 2,000 years ago. The type of carrot most commonly eaten around the world is the domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota, native to Europe and southwestern Asia. Andrea Altice, an instructor in the Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program, discusses myths about carrots and includes a recipe below.

Myth: Carrots are high in sugar and nutrition.
Fact: Carrots have a higher natural sugar content than all other vegetables, with the exception of beets; however, carrots are an excellent source of beta-carotene and contain high amounts of fiber as well as vitamin C, potassium, vitamin B6, folate, calcium and magnesium.

Myth: Eating carrots improves one’s eyesight.
Fact: Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a carotenoid pigment that our bodies turn into vitamin A. Deficiencies in vitamin A are the leading cause of blindness in the developing world. Although the carrot provides many benefits for healthy vision, eating carrots every day will not restore vision to 20/20.

Myth: Raw carrots provide more nutritional value than cooked carrots.
Fact: Researchers at the University of Arkansas found that pureed, cooked carrots not only retained their nutritional value, but the beta-carotene levels increased dramatically when introduced to heat rather eaten raw.

The Goods is a monthly column about food myths and facts by faculty members in the Nutrition and Dietetics Flagship Program that runs in the “Taste” section of The Florida Times-Union. Have a question about carrots? Contact Dr. Altice at aaltice@unf.edu.

 

Steamed Carrots with Garlic-Ginger Butter

Ingredients:
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound baby carrots with tops, peeled
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
¼ teaspoon salt

Directions:
Prepare the garlic and let it stand for 10 minutes. Steam the carrots in a covered pan for 10 minutes or until tender. Heat the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, and stir in the carrots, cilantro and remaining ingredients. 

From North Florida Athletics: 

 

Streaks are big news in athletics and the North Florida Athletics Department has extended one of its most important streaks with UNF student-athletes recording their 12th consecutive semester (six academic years) with a cumulative department GPA of 3.0 or higher, highlighted by a record-setting semester performance of 3.345 during the Spring of 2017. Here are more details.

 

Please spread the word!