University Beat :Compilation of Clips

This is the university I'm Sondra Guffey This is the minstrel show rehearsal and one of the dance studios at the University of South Florida every July for the last nine years high schoolers and college students who they are and beyond come to campus for the annual Broadway theater project. This is my fifth year Blair Dalton is a student from Sarasota. Every year it's something totally different when the guest artists come they're so inspiring. They really help young people especially not to fear the theatre and their choice to have a career in the theatre. Blair is now a musical theater major at New York University. This camp was so inspiring to me. Without it I don't think I would have chosen the career that I have. The Broadway theater project is the creation of Tony Award winner. I love being in it in an academic environment and I love being with the kids that are developing at various stages of their talents. All one hundred twenty nine students live on campus for three weeks spend their days in class evenings. This is only the third night this group has rehearsed this number and I'm amazed at the talent finesse

and polish they already have. They get a chance to really really see what it is they want and also understand that the joy is in the work and the craft is really worth pursuing. They'll cap off their three week experience by performing at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center. It's July 30 first and it's open to the public for the university. I'm Sondra gap. This is the university beat I'm Sondra Guffey Bay area nonprofit

organizations work to improve our quality of life whether cultural spiritual physical educational social or economic. The public is calling for accountability and where all the nonprofits get funding from governmental agencies not only the federal government the local governmental agencies. David stamps is the dean of the US have College of Arts and Sciences. He has helped introduce a new graduate certificate program for nonprofit management. So this is a totally new direction for us. This is a new direction for the public administration program. And so it is a major contribution that the university can make to the community how it Carol has worked in community development for about 10 years. Community Development is basically going into areas that are distressed or in poverty status and have a concentration of low income people and these are doing rehab of houses or actually creating new houses through and Phil Carroll is a student in the new graduate certificate program. He's convinced it will give him the practical

expertise he needs a lot of nonprofits have high hopes when they when they get in from a nonprofit but don't have the capacity. KERRI-ANNE. Cause and effect and the mission that you ARE THEY should the program is designed for students with bachelor's degrees. Dean stamp says the program requires 15 hours of classroom study. True Teacher planning financial management supervision the ability to market all of those things with nonprofits other organizations for the university. The City University beat Saunders. Who protect our

streets and communities often face dangers beyond weapons offenders or suspects with mental illnesses can also be a threat to law enforcement to get help. The Bay Area officers turn to Dr. Larry Thompson the director of training for the community Department of Mental Health at us out. Motivation comes both from the negative publicity Persia law enforcement agencies but at the same time a a real interest in the law enforcement officer having more skills especially to be safe themselves. Police are most likely to encounter the mentally ill on public disturbance or misdemeanor offenses not felonies according to Dr. Thompson usually minor offenses such as trespassing or shoplifting are involved in both the nosecone and know in Goldsboro County we have a coalition of law enforcement officers provider agencies that advocates are working together to develop training

programs. And Thompson points out that the entire community benefits from better trained officers. We can say in the long run reduce a lot of cost of incarceration of individuals by getting them to lure her to treatment facilities. The Bay Area is one of only a handful of metropolitan communities with such training available for the university beat. I'm Sondra happy. This is the university Thompson forgot the while the Internet and World

Wide Web have revolutionized the way we do research. Still nothing compares with the quiet scholarly atmosphere of the library the stacks of books the artifacts and the special collections. It was published in fifteen fifty one solemn Latin Kathy Arsenault as a librarian as a Special Collections at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library on the St. Petersburg campus library is home to an extensive collection of theology books dating back to the 16th century theology I learned is the study of fish. This is an interesting one because it was done by the Emperor of Japan after World War 2. He became a marine biologist one of the most recent acquisitions is the collection of presidential autographs. The one I have. On display right now is is a note from President Lincoln offering a pardon to a soldier who lives caught sleeping on the third permanent collection as Mark Twain first editions. It's certainly the most

distinguished Mark Twain collection in the area is definitely a treasure for us and we're very excited to have it particularly since it was assembled in St. Petersburg. Indeed these exhibits bring press stage to the entire community. The collections are available by appointment to all of us for the university beat. This is the university.

Help wanted signs are now springing up for white collar and administrative positions. Jobs that pay handsomely in careers with promising futures. The challenge according to Dr Mary Prescott is information technology workers. There's a significant skills gap which means that there's a definite shortage of people with information technology skills. Prescott who has taught systems analysis and database courses at USF has now spearheaded the new orbit program orbit is the office of resources for Business and Industry Training. We have faculty and staff at USF who have the kinds of technical knowledge that we need to be disseminating and helping to take out to the community the center's relationship with Oracle software allows them to offer Oracle certification classes not available elsewhere in the state. If you become an oracle certified professional that lets you

command a significant increase in your sound. Another plus many of orbits classes are held in the new state of the art Tampa port authority campus. Having had frazzled students for 10 years who have come from St. Pete trying to make it to a 6 p.m. class having to come through downtown Tampa I think it's going to be a significant improvement. There are also weekend sessions for the university. This is the university beat.

I'm somber gathering. I think it's great and that that will give more honor many more to come over more. Most of the time of the campaign I hear certified financial planner and president of trademark capitals Steve Athan AC graduated from the USAF College of Business. He lived in Pascoe County while he was going to school and he needed to work at the same time so he was making an hour and a half commute each day with traffic to defend. Problem is that the traffic and the commute to the location it's students like Athan AC that the College of Business had in mind when it decided to expand geographically we will have classes at the undergraduate level that will be delivered and various locations in analysis. As for Dr. Robert Anderson is the dean of the College of Business Administration. We will broadcast two courses from the St. Petersburg campus up to St. Pete junior college and that same class will then also be broadcast

to Pascoe Fernanda community college education becomes more available to more members of our community. One of the things that helps attract companies here from out of state locations as well as help companies here grow is educational opportunity. They use it as a recruiting tool. The Sarasota campus will now offer more business degrees for the university beat. This is the university beat song for God.

While the rocketeers of cyberspace are explored and expanded daily there's also the potential for being exploited. My parents have been so that way I can go to certain websites and chat rooms for 14 year old Ashley. The internet is entertainment and help with homework. That's exactly what doctors ighly and Michael Burson like about the media. The two USF professors have recently been appointed to a United Nations Subcommittee on children's Internet safety. The taskforce allows them to combine their passion for child advocacy with their interest in technology. So it's really enhanced as a medium for all children making sure that every child has to get the best that it has to offer but also that every child is safe while they're doing it. Eileen Burson serves in the Department of Child and Family Studies. Well Michael Burson teaches in the College of Education. There's a perception that you talk about Internet safety to people. Will focus on graffiti on line. However that is only one small element

which is what we research. There's a lot of misinformation on what children are much more vulnerable to exploitation of all kinds. Economic as well as sexual and social. They take a lot of things at face value and can't always tell what's advertising and what's fact all of the researchers agree in there is very very few things that we all agree on but one thing that we do agree on is that the best way to deal with Internet safety is to have parental supervision for the university. This is a university I'm Sondra got the robots were once just

toys for kids and something for the amusement of futuristic engineers std. But now they're moving into a critical place in society. This work is really blossomed to earth the first day of cell Florida. The school is very much behind Robin Murphy as an engineering professor who is devoting most of her time to developing marsupial robots like kangaroos. They carry a small robot that can be deployed on its own. We refer to the Jeep as the mother robot. It's based on Toys R Us Power Wheels children's battery powered Jeep. It was about the right size it could carry 90 pounds of gear including the other robot. We got interested in robots for urban search and rescue as a good use of robots because you can always use humans and rescue sides. The Hillsborough Fire Department is considering ways to use the robots for their search and rescue efforts. Everything from storm damage to explosions and fire.

So we're trying to make these robots where they interact with people the same way people would interact with a colleague who are at least a well-trained animal very much at that higher level of command you don't have to say go left go right for the university. This is the university beat I'm Sondra Guffey. It's time to put aside our

stereotypes of grandparents as the jolly people who sit in rocking chairs on the front porch. Today's grandparents are often parents as well. There are about two hundred thirty thousand Florida children who live with relatives other than their parents. Two us of sociology professors are offering solid help through the USF kinship care center. Dr. Aaron Smith says the program addresses the real issues at hand such as some of which is a crack cocaine addict exposed and in the absence of consistent parenting and many times a kid's brain sometimes emotional issues into the homes of the grandparents who really don't know what to do. The home of the beacon doctor and Strozier emphasizes the success of the center's support groups. Grandparents have reported to us that the single most helpful thing to them is the support group because it gives them an opportunity to share their their feelings to get support from each other they learn they're not alone so often they feel isolated and alone. The grandparents have an opportunity to share

ideas and success stories and according to Dr Smith the groups are empowering. Sometimes the grandparents have almost like new energy. And one of the things that comes out of the support group was the renewed determination that they are in fact going to survive because as they begin to help themselves they begin to feel less less victimized and more empowered to do things for themselves or the university beat. I'm Sandra Jaffe. This is the university beat I'm Sondra got.

Graduating high at nineteen ninety eight 1989 University of South Florida as well as a program. Well most students are starting a new school year. These young people are celebrating graduation the high school equivalency program is a 10 week intensive for migrant farm workers. The students come from around Florida as well as the southeast to live on the USF campus and study for their graduate equivalency degree already or see a doctor and Cranston generous as the program's director as well as co-founder. She's proud of the students gain more than simply a degree. They go back but now they have an option. And there their lives will be different forever because if at any time they don't want to work in the fields they have a choice which they didn't have before. Valentino De Soto finished in the spring and is already in college. I probably wouldn't ever

win because our tourist wants to be a teacher herself. It made me see things differently that I can do more than just do what I thought I could. Robert Benito graduated in 1991. Now he's serving in the U.S. Army. He was also you know a good way of you know I think in this country for helping me. The high school equivalency program is free for the students nearly a thousand have graduated since 1997 and many have gone on to college for the university beat. I'm Sondra happy. This is a university beat. I'm Sondra got a summer vacation is

almost a sacred time for college students. But eight us out students gave part of their vacation time to volunteer with Tampa's homeless. I don't feel like it was giving up something. Jennifer Bartlett is a junior who cared for homeless children at Metropolitan Ministries this summer. I feel like it was a gift from the Lord because I got to see something that other people don't get to see. And I got to meet people that otherwise I would have just walked right by. So I don't feel as if I was giving something out. Brian Sanders is the graduate student who launched the first Tampa urban project. Our vision for the summer project is not to create something new because we feel like there are good credible organizations already in place in Tampa so we feel like we have as resources we have eager excited students who can help folks who are just dying for volunteers. Matt For more it went to the Tampa city mission when of the opportunity came up to do missions programming and it was really interesting because it gives you a heart community that you're in. Do you realize that there are people here

just as much as people in other countries. The student volunteers not only perform mundane tasks such as cleaning and painting. They also work directly with the people to help them make lifelong changes for the university. This is the university beat I'm Sondra got test scores often indicate our

young people fall behind in science skills according to USA biology professor John Romeo part of the problem may be that teachers are not as well trained to teach science. One of the things that people in educational reform are involved with is trying to de-emphasize content a bit to focus on real learning and the process that is instead of memorizing facts and figures just to pass a test. Students are encouraged to grasp the concepts and techniques. Dr. Romeo is tackling the daunting task of getting non-science majors enthusiastic about science. The emphasis is on future teachers. This is part of a collaboration between the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Education. The students are enthusiastic about the subject and serious about learning. The interest level has remained high and that's always a problem in introductory courses in science for a non-scientist one of the most popular classes there offering non science majors is aging in

space. The thrust of the Course is really based on. Here's an idea let's seek it out let's see what we can find about it. What the human body goes through to adapt to the lower gravity of space is a lot like the aging process. NASS I was so impressed with the university's project. It gave the university a grant to continue us as the only Florida university to receive NASA's funding for the university beat. This is a university beat. I'm Santagati.

The American war program was developed to give college students a chance to earn money for school while they give back to the community at the University of South Florida. The program takes on an arts labor USA is uniquely positioned to make this happen. Carrie machen is the interim program coordinator for America for arts USA. We are one out of three in the nation that do a fine arts program. The arts USA program will provide Boys and Girls Clubs in the community with art instruction dance music and visual arts. So now they have fine arts to go with their ball. And kids like Ruben like the idea. The kids love the program. They can't get enough of the program. When we walk into the sites they're hanging on to us we have three children on one of our five children on another our and they're very anxious to go to the program. I don't know that they've ever been exposed to any other fine arts programs before the US have student members are primarily fine arts majors and many of them plan to be teachers.

The past I would say three years we're finally getting out there getting our name out and people are seeing what we're doing and we are making an impact. The children from the Boys and Girls Clubs are from economically disadvantaged families who otherwise have little chance to be involved in the arts. For the university. With. This is the university beat I'm Sondra got.

The HIV and AIDS epidemic affects us all in some way. In Florida today there are about 70000 people afflicted with the virus HIV infected persons who obtain medical care from experienced and train providers who will live longer. Dr. Michael Knox's distinguished university professor of community mental health as well as a professor of medicine and public health. He's founder of the USF Center for HIV education and research. The goals are to train health care providers in working with HIV patients and create a clinical response service that will offer 24 hours a day a response to physicians questions about the care of their HIV infected patients. They can approach our medical staff via telephone or through the Internet to receive state of the art information about the latest drugs the latest treatment available HIV ect. Physicians dentist pharmacists physician assistants and nurses all need this information. It's important they know the latest drugs and treatments.

This information is changing very rapidly and our goal is to get the information out to the care providers as soon as possible. Education and Training Center involves the colleges of medicine public health and nursing as well as the Florida mental health institute. New treatments and drugs become available on a very regular and frequent basis and support at a center like ours analyzes of information makes it understandable and disseminated as quickly as possible for the university. This is the university beat I'm Sondra got the.

S.A.T. the Scholastic Aptitude Test is as important a part of the high school experience as prom and graduation. Most colleges and universities set minimum standards on the S.A.T. in order to be admitted. Yet for many reasons capable minority students are not succeeding on S.A.T. tests. We saw a need for increase in the scores of kids who we felt were to do an excellent job if we got the right type of atmosphere. Elder Clarence Welsh is the senior pastor of the prayer tower church in St. Petersburg. What exactly morning Magnus like to challenge you. Reverend Welsh Open the church to a new project sponsored by U.S. af in St. Petersburg the promoting college bound Success program is designed to help minority students improve their S.A.T. savors universes saw FLOTUS sponsors program would be able constable here within their own community and I was one reason to do so. Joe Alexis abroad is the staff person in charge. She's convinced it works.

Of the 21 students who took their official S.A.T. score is from the protests chorus to the post-test official scorer's gained an average of one hundred forty four point three points. It's far beyond what was expected and well ahead of national averages more informal classes and personal attention seem to be working for the university beat. This is the university beat I'm Santagati.

Have you ever looked at a piece of jewelry and wondered Is this real or look to the gemstone and thought it's beautiful but what is it. The University of South Florida's lifelong learning division offers a gym ology certificate program. Graduates must complete about 50 hours of classroom work for letters. MARTIN We heard later on the air. Dentists Avia drys from Lakeland each week to attend this colored gemstone class he says gemstones have long been an avocation. Some say that it would be my hobby. I might have a practical side to it so it's time to get a formal education and this courses taught by Eva and oh it's a graduate jam ologist and master valuer. You have people who are hobbyists you have consumers who want to know more and you have people who are in the trade and want to go into the appraisal course. Whatever your reasons for taking the class and make sure when you're finished you're able to buy a piece of jewelry like a pro. All you have to do is hold your little loop right and they back

off the loop of course is the small magnifying glass jewelers use Zubayda Nogami a is one of the students who simply wants to be a more savvy shopper. Always interested in stones and jewelry. Eva and what's also teaches many of the appraisal classes this 115 hour program awards a diploma as a master valuer us as the only university in the country to have such a program. For the university beat. I'm Sondra happy. This is the university beat I'm Sondra got that.

Education is a lifelong process and for many in the workforce greater knowledge and more skills are essential. Another degree is not the University of South Florida recognizes the changing educational demands. We know that we are helping business and industry function more efficiently. The grad a linker is the director of lifelong learning. We've provided more. Employers with activities that can help their workforce we've been repeated more employees. With opportunities for personal and professional growth in Richmond lifelong learning teamed with the US after graduate school to develop a graduate certificate program. It's not meant to take the place of a degree and it would be every day that many of the certificates do you can own at least partial credit for the certificate toward a master's degree. It is a 4 credit program. You do receive a transcript an official certificate from the university. They can offer people a distinct course of study that will show that they do have a concentrated amount.

Steady in a certain area there are currently 38 graduate certificates available. They range from environmental policy and management to piano pedagogy gerontology and website design. One of the things that we've done before we. Began a lot of the certificates is to do focus groups with businesses and what they do is a training they do want people to head for the university. This is the university beat I'm Santagati.

This is one of the social events of the panellists Mexico reverse trade mission. It's called the reverse trade mission because in July about 200 Floridians led by Governor Bush went to Mexico this fall. The Mexicans came to us. Maria chroma is the associate director of USF Center for International Business the center played a critical role in both missions to do business in Mexico it's absolutely essential to know who you're working with. Relationships are absolutely key doing business in Mexico. The trade mission help to build those critical relationships. This is very important to the Bay Area. Bill Mitchell as the American also part I just talked to one of the Mexican government affairs. Girls. Like to vary what much of he finds this is a great place the people are great I'm sure he'll be back at Jose Trevino as one of the Mexican delegates who wants to come back. I think makes you go for already they are discovering each other. I think it makes you us most sure a lot. What in the US. Next change based mainly on agricultural products.

Has lead towards greater participation here in other industrial fields. The University of South Florida is here to facilitate trade and training again at the Center for International business we feel he's the conduit both internally within the institution for all related to international business and also in terms of outreach to the community as well for the university. I'm Sohn forgotten. This is the university beat.

Babies they're sweet cute and fun and as parents quickly find out they're also an enormous responsibility. And when the parents are just youngsters themselves a baby on the scene can be real hardship. The star center part of the U.S. College of Education has stepped in with a program to help single and teen parents plan financially for parenthood. It's called And baby makes two this kind of program is an effort on our part to keep students off of welfare. Stephanie Karen is program director for stabber. If they understand more about paying bills not getting in debt and I'm living on a budget and being self-sufficient they'll probably not be a victim of the welfare system or they're not get attached to it. The stabber center works by educating teachers about how to guide and direct middle school and high school students. Karen says the teacher's enthusiasm makes it successful. They're the ones that actually take our programs into the classroom and make them successful and it's

not for their enthusiasm and their energy. Then the best program in the world is going to be effective and most important these young parents are benefiting. We can have single teenage parents feeling self-sufficient and not relying on somebody else for their financial well-being or their financial planning. And I think that we are sending a wonderful message to the students and to the community for the university beat. This is the university beat for Guffey.

Helping our children succeed in school is difficult and even the best conditions but in the poorest communities in Tampa Bay children don't always get the help at home they need the USF College of educations. Florida community partnership program under the direction of Dr. Jerry Lieberman is reaching these young people. They recently formed a partnership with schools and other community organizations which gave us a tremendous resource potential to do things in a much more comprehensive way than otherwise would have been possible with just one agency. It's called your top gaining early awareness and readiness for undergraduate programs. Seventh graders from Franklin Middle School will begin to see that college is actually possible for them as a result of those we've been able to match our resources university with the children's board with the churches with community based organizations and with the school to provide a very holistic approach that goes far beyond tutoring and mentoring. And includes actually working with parents and looking at their

courage. Lieberman says the parents are brought into the process of encouraging these young people to stay in school and eventually go to college. We're measuring our success based on students succeed academically. A number of families who participate fully in their child's education their test scores reflect their success for the university. This is the university beat I'm Sondra Guffey.

The holidays in Florida have a charm all their own. We're coming up on the dolphin urge here with a pit bull appears as if dolphins are just diving up and out of the ground and over there over the car. Mike McSweeney is the organizer of the holiday light display on the southwest corner of the USF Tampa campus. It's the first time our area has hosted such an event and as McSweeney drives me through the mile plus loop he explains that the families love it. It really crosses all you know demographics it's young and old it's grandparents taking their grandkids. It's families of you know having just visited McDonald's going in and making a quick run through here. You know it's date night. You know a lot of younger folks that you know they're doing whatever they come out and they drive through it and it went on. But the thing that I like the best about it is the kids reaction and watching the kids come out here and that who's in there and they're hanging out the car window or they're in the back of a pickup truck and the fact that you know it's not only as exciting as a kid to get

off the paved road because we're actually driving through a field here but you know they're driving through and they see all these great lights that sort of thing and it's the big kids get really wound up about it. You know and when you think about it that's really the most fun part of Christmas is kids and their reactions. The light display is open each evening from six to 10. The money raised from the entrance fee will go to the Hillsborough Education Foundation for the university. I'm Sandra gapping. This is versity beat song forgotten as a

kid. You know if we don't stop. When was the last time you heard a teenager who was excited about an arts group. And I guarantee you John is you look back on this is a huge miss being in Cyril Robison attends interact twice a week. This is an after school arts program for 10 to 14 year olds from the neighborhood around USF. Ciro says her mom likes it too. She said that get away. From House. She let us have school in the St. Jean Calandra is the director of pre-college and community outreach through USFS lifelong learning. They sponsor interact the program emphasizes interpersonal communication skills through the arts so a program like this kind of gets in together. In a group process in which they can begin to appreciate each other and all the strengths that they have. It's a discovery process. The whole idea is to kind of stress an opportunity for responding to each other rather than being in that

reactive mode that kids so often are. For Stephen McAlpin it's a chance to have fun and take on new challenges. We express our feelings. We. Talk about different things. It's like the drama because we like acting and stuff and playing games for the university beat'em Santagati. With. The.

This is the university beat on Santagati. Healthcare is an issue affecting all of us. Americans spend more than one trillion dollars a year in health care and for that tremendous investment. We have health status of a nation that is solidly in the bottom third of the nations of the world. Dr. James study Nikky is a professor at the College of Public Health and director of the U.S. Center for Health outcomes research. He's concerned about the status of the health care system in the nation. He says we have the best medical care hospitals and technology. So he and his colleagues have developed a system that will measure the health status of Florida communities. It's the comprehensive assessments for tracking community help catch the system involves taking data from dozens and dozens of sources and using hundreds and hundreds of indicators to develop a comprehensive

profile of the health status of communities. Dr. stud Nicky has found that the status varies tremendously. The rule parts of the state have the poorest health status. And we've also noticed that health status is directly associated. With race and with poverty and learning more each day inside every community community health status report cards are already being used to create programs that directly address the health care issues of the people in that community already lifesaving programs are in effect thanks to the catch reports for the university beat.