鈥淭hese changes create a dynamic educational ecosystem that engages faculty, staff and students in the creation of integrative learning opportunities that go beyond the classroom,鈥� said Elizabeth A. Dooley, interim provost.

鈥淭hese changes create a dynamic educational ecosystem that engages faculty, staff and students in the creation of integrative learning opportunities that go beyond the classroom,鈥� said Elizabeth A. Dooley, interim provost. 鈥淭hank you to all whose work has made this realignment possible and helped to better position our university and students for the future.鈥�

College of Health Professions and Sciences

As part of the newly created Academic Health Sciences Center along with the College of Medicine and the College of Nursing, the College of Health Professions and Sciences will be focused on educating students for rewarding careers in prevention, diagnosis or therapy at hospitals, community-based and specialized-care facilities, schools, and nonprofit and social service agencies.

The college will be led by Jos茅 Fern谩ndez, who will serve as the interim dean until Aug. 8. Jeffery Stout, founding director of the School of Kinesiology and Physical Therapy, will take over then as interim dean until a founding dean is appointed.

The search for the founding dean has begun and will progress through the fall. Deborah German will continue to lead our new Academic Health Sciences Center as vice president for health affairs and dean of the College of Medicine.

College of Community Innovation and Education

The anchor of our 麻豆原创 Downtown campus, the College of Community Innovation and Education brings together community-facing programs engaged with the social and economic fabric of thriving, modern cities and grounded in transformative education.

Pamela 鈥淪issi鈥� Carroll, who served as dean of the former College of Education and Human Performance, has been selected as founding dean of the college. Several, but not all, of its academic programs will move downtown in Fall 2019 when 麻豆原创 Downtown opens.

Nicholson School of Communication and Media

An interdisciplinary, inter-college school, , includes communication, digital media and film programs and will redefine content creation, digital art and communication for the 21^st century.

Robert Littlefield, director of the former Nicholson School of Communication, was named founding director of the school. Several of its programs also will move downtown in Fall 2019.

Together, these changes mean that the College of Education and Human Performance and College of Health and Public Affairs will no longer exist, as programs, centers and institutes will be realigned in the new colleges.

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Moore joined 麻豆原创 in 1994 as the university鈥檚 first full-time percussion professor. He became chair of the Music Department from 2009 to 2013, and he began his role as the director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 newly created School of Performing Arts in 2013.

鈥淔rom a pool of terrific candidates, Professor Moore stood out because of his strong leadership abilities and his innovative vision for strengthening the college鈥檚 academic and interdisciplinary research mission at 麻豆原创,鈥� said Provost and Executive Vice President A. Dale Whittaker.

During his music and teaching career, Moore has been involved with more than 60 literary and music projects as an author, composer or arranger, and is an international performer, lecturer, clinician and soloist. His work on several local boards and committees has helped build awareness of the arts and relationships with 麻豆原创 partners. In his new role, he will advance the college while continuing to enhance 麻豆原创鈥檚 arts presence in our community and beyond.

鈥淚 am honored to have the opportunity to join 麻豆原创鈥檚 outstanding senior academic leadership team,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淭hroughout my career, I have always enjoyed collaborating with faculty, students and our community partners. This new position will allow me to expand on those activities and enhance our presence even more.鈥�

Moore holds a bachelor鈥檚 in music education from the University of North Texas and a master鈥檚 in percussion performance from the University of Wisconsin.

He is also the Region 7 chair of the National Association of Schools of Music, serving on its board of directors as well as the board of advisors for the Percussive Arts Society.

Under his leadership as director of 麻豆原创鈥檚 School of Performing Arts, both the theatre and music departments received accreditation or reaccreditation from the National Association of Schools of Theatre and National Association of Schools of Music. Moore also helped create 麻豆原创 Celebrates the Arts, a multi-week festival that highlights 麻豆原创鈥檚 arts and interdisciplinary programs that recently held its second season.

鈥淲hen you consider our opportunities as we pursue recognition as a Florida preeminent university, along with campus performance-space construction and also our involvement with 麻豆原创 Downtown, it is a very exciting time for the arts and humanities at 麻豆原创,鈥� Moore said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to get started!鈥�

Moore will be taking over the role of dean from Jos茅 Fern谩ndez, who will be stepping down and returning to the history faculty this fall. Fern谩ndez has been dean of the College of Arts & Humanities since 2006.

Dr. Steven Chicurel-Stein of the Theatre Department has been named interim director of the School of Performing Arts while a search is conducted to fill the role permanently.

The STARTALK mission is to increase the number of Americans learning and speaking critically needed foreign languages that are not widely taught in the United States. The intensive summer program was open to the commmunity and聽sponsored by The National Security Language Initiative and U.S. Department of Defense.

鈥淭he Russian language program at 麻豆原创 is an important asset to the nation’s strategic language reserve and teaches one of the critical languages targeted in the National Security Language Initiative program,鈥� said Alla Kourova, an assistant professor of Russian who received an $89,000 grant for the program. 鈥淚n today鈥檚 global community, doing business with other cultures has become inevitable.鈥�

The students were instructed by Kourova, Tatiana Norman and Natalia Reilly, and students from the Russian language course, Anna Ramires, Jake Cranmer, Rebecca Kaiser, Gabriela Wolk, Alex Wolstenholm and Amanda Ans. 麻豆原创 students who participated in a U.S.-Russia Peer-to-Peer Dialogue Program earlier in the year also were invited to give presentations on topics relating to Russian culture and the history of Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russian names, and Russian Orthodoxy.

Students met three weeks for classroom instructions, extra-curricular activities and field trips. Each day lunches were prepared by the Russian caf茅 Lacomka in Winter Park, which gave the students a taste of Russia.

On the program鈥檚 graduation day, Jos茅 Fernandez, dean of the College of Arts & Humanities, congratulated the students and presented each with the certificates and a Russian souvenir. Kourova said she plans to host the program again for the community next summer.

The Feb. 12 workshops will be part of the festival鈥檚 Education Day, which will also include the screening of films created by high school and college students from around the state. The festival鈥檚 Education Day activities are sponsored by 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Arts and Humanities. During the rest of the weekend, the festival will show 61 short films from 11 countries.

鈥淥ne of the goals of 麻豆原创鈥檚 College of Arts and Humanities is to nourish artistic learning and endeavors,鈥� said Jose Fernandez, dean of the college. 鈥淟eading educational programs at Love Your Shorts Film Festival helps fulfill that mission by enriching the lives of the community, our students and potential students.鈥�

To start the 5-year-old festival鈥檚 first Education Day, Lisa Mills, an associate professor of film, will lead two workshops at the Greater Sanford Regional Chamber of Commerce, 400 E. 1st St.:

Others on the workshop panel are: film instructor Kate Shults, filmmakers and 麻豆原创 graduates James Noir and Zach Becker, and MFA film student Yesi Lima. The film program is part of the college’s School of Visual Arts & Design.

The workshops are free, but those planning to attend are asked to register at the festival鈥檚 website, LoveYourShorts.com.

At 7 p.m. that night, the festival鈥檚 Education Day will show a free block of high school and college student films from around the state at the Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center, 201 S. Magnolia Ave., Sanford. The films are from STARTFEST Student Art Festival, a statewide project to encourage student filmmakers.

The rest of the nonprofit Love Your Shorts Film Festival聽weekend will showcase films up to聽30 minutes each in seven categories (Comedy, Drama, Animation, Documentary, Sci-Fi/Horror, Florida Flavor, and E for Everyone), plus an opening-night variety of films, and a Best of the Fest competition on closing night. Also on Saturday during the festival, a panel of visiting filmmakers will present a discussion and Q&A on techniques, tips and current projects.

For a schedule of films and ticket information, visit the festival website at LoveYourShorts.com.

The play calls for several guest spellers to compete at each performance, so Fern谩ndez, dean of the College of Arts & Humanities, and Hinkle, vice provost and dean of the College of Graduate Studies, accepted the challenge to test their spelling skills on stage. The play also provides them the opportunity to be part of the theatre experience and make connections with students.

The spirited Tony Award-winning musical is about six young overachievers trying to become the county spelling champ. Along the way they learn that winning isn鈥檛 everything, and losing doesn鈥檛 have to be a catastrophe. The cast and invited guest spellers also join select audience members for a little 鈥淚 before E鈥� competition.

Fern谩ndez, who will appear on opening night, July 10, has appeared in two other campus plays in recent years. The dean said he accepts the roles 鈥渂ecause I can better appreciate the tremendous talent of our students and faculty, and at the same time it gives me the opportunity to interact with the students and learn about their goals and aspirations.鈥�

Fern谩ndez said he is not a native speaker of English but considers himself a decent speller.聽He said he finished second in a promotional 2002 Dairy Farmers Association community spelling bee in Orlando.

Hinkle said Fern谩ndez told him about the walk-on opportunities at Theatre 麻豆原创, and said it sounded like a fun way to help promote the theatre programs and meet folks in the arts, 鈥渨hich should help me in building relationships across the university and better understand the arts at 麻豆原创 鈥� as an ecologist and biologist I have had limited exposure to the arts.鈥�

He describes himself as an 鈥渁bove average鈥� speller, 鈥渂ut I do love spellcheck 鈥� even though sometimes it spells words correctly but out of context.鈥�

鈥淭he 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee鈥� will run July 10-20 and Aug. 20-24 at Theatre 麻豆原创鈥檚 Main Stage. Hinkle will be put to the test during the July 20 performance, and some other surprise invited spellers may appear during the run of the play.

Before each performance, a few audience volunteers also are handpicked to participate in the play as spellers, so each group presents new and unexpected outcomes. Contestants are chosen through pre-show lobby interviews and questionnaires. Anyone wishing to be considered should arrive at least 30 minutes before the show begins.

The 麻豆原创 performance is directed by Be Boyd, an associate professor in the Theatre department. While on Broadway, the play was nominated for six Tony Awards in 2005, and won for Best Book of a Musical and Best Featured Actor. There is some mature language in the play, so it is suggested for ages 12 and up.

As for Hinkle and Fern谩ndez, they said their previous stage appearances have been limited. Hinkle did a reading of 鈥淲aiting for Godot鈥� in undergraduate school, and Fern谩ndez said he was in a couple plays years ago at FSU and the University of Colorado in addition to two previous cameos at 麻豆原创.

In Theatre 麻豆原创鈥檚 2012 production of 鈥淶ombie Town,鈥� Fern谩ndez served up some bloody gore as one of the walking dead.

鈥淚t was a lot of fun and I learned a lot from the students. After the play, they considered me one of their own,鈥� he said.聽鈥淟ast year when Terrance (Jackson), one of the students, got his diploma at graduation, he hugged me and I said, 鈥楾hank you for coaching me.鈥� 鈥� It was a priceless moment.鈥�

Performance times for 鈥淭he 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee鈥� are 7 p.m. July 10-12 and July 18-20; 8 p.m. Aug. 21-23, and 2 p.m. July 13, July 20 and Aug. 24. For tickets and other information, go to .

The old-time school bell in the 1902 building聽was rung by associate professor Rosalind Beiler, director of the 麻豆原创 center, and Walt Griffin, Seminole County鈥檚 school superintendent, to symbolize the beginning of the new school year and the collaboration of the two organizations.

To reinforce the Public History Center鈥檚 goal of involving the community, Beiler quoted Benjamin Franklin: 鈥淭ell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” The center provides hands-on educational experiences for students of all ages, serves as a research site connecting local history to global events, and promotes opportunities for learning through workshops and interactive programming.

The center was just awarded a grant to show four documentaries and hold discussion forums about civil rights in America. The first film, 鈥淔reedom Riders,鈥� won an Emmy in 2012 and will be shown 1 p.m. Nov. 2.

Dates will be set later for 鈥淭he Abolitionists,鈥� 鈥淪lavery by Another Name鈥� and 鈥淭he Loving Story.鈥� 鈥淭he Loving Story鈥� and 鈥淭he Abolitionists鈥� have been nominated for Emmys this year.

The films are part of Created Equal: America鈥檚 Civil Rights Struggle, a partnership initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

The showcase is an opportunity for the 麻豆原创 community to view the exceptional work of students from the First-Year Writing Program. The event featured student displays, panels and awards for best writings.

Three student panels allowed young researchers to share their work with an audience. Research projects presented during the panel sessions included 鈥淪panglish and Its Effect on L1 and L2 Speakers,鈥� 鈥淐ombatting Internet Piracy,鈥� and 鈥淕eocaching and the Use of Multiple Literacies.鈥�

Students whose work had previously been published in 麻豆原创鈥檚 presented a glimpse of first-year writing at its best and were recognized by Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop.

Jos茅 Fernandez, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, presented awards for best student displays to Vanessa Carrillo for best overall poster, 鈥淩eligious Literacy;鈥� David Sheets for best research, 鈥淩eality Networks;鈥� Lindsay Schmit for best presentation, 鈥淔acebook and Self-Disclosure;鈥� and Delaney Postma, honorable mention for her poster 鈥淭raumatic Brain Injury.鈥�

麻豆原创 President John C. Hitt concluded the ceremony by presenting the Prize for Excellence in First-Year Writing to Lindsay Schmit for her research article 鈥淧ersonality and Its Effects on Facebook and Self-Disclosure,鈥� published in the Fall 2012 issue of Stylus.

The prize includes a $450 book scholarship donated by Hitt and the Department of Writing and Rhetoric. Schmit, now a sophomore majoring in Pre-Clinical Health Sciences, was accompanied to the ceremony by her parents, Cathy and Dave, who drove from Fort Meyers to attend the showcase.

Marissa Penzato, now a sophomore Aerospace Engineering major, and Victoria Marro, now a junior majoring in Microbiology and Molecular Biology, were awarded first- and second-runners-up.

For more information about the Knights Write Showcase, the First-Year Writing Program or the Department of Writing and Rhetoric, visit .

A new partnership between 麻豆原创 and Seminole County Public Schools is transforming a 110-year-old Sanford school building into a learning laboratory for education, research and community engagement.

The center at 301 W. 7th St. has been preparing this summer to reopen its doors聽to the public Monday, Aug. 6. The first scheduled activity is 9 a.m. Aug. 13 with Seminole鈥檚 traditional ringing of the tower bell to open the first day of the new school year.

This inaugural event and many additional activities will be planned to fulfill public history鈥檚 goal of engaging the community.

鈥淲e would love to see this become a model for other centers around Central Florida,鈥� said Rosalind Beiler, 麻豆原创鈥檚 director of Public History. 鈥淭he building is a gem. The place has a heart and soul, and anyone who spends time here becomes devoted to it.鈥�

Looking back: The building is one of the few surviving Florida examples of school architecture from the turn of the 20th century. It opened in 1902 as Sanford鈥檚 first high school and became a grammar school in 1911. In 1984 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and became the school district鈥檚 Student Museum and Center for the Social Studies, an interpretive center and a hands-on teaching museum.

Looking ahead: The new Public History Center will schedule classes for 麻豆原创 students, offer community workshops, and promote involvement in historic preservation, while continuing popular programs such as hosting public tours and school field trips. Fourth-grade classes, specifically, schedule visits to the site because of Florida requirements to study state history at that grade level.

麻豆原创 signed a two-year lease for the center in the heart of Sanford鈥檚 residential historic district, whose residents are encouraged to join in the programs and research.

鈥淭he center will enhance the quality of life in our community by bringing to light the history of its most valuable resource: its people,鈥� said Jos茅 Fern谩ndez, dean of the College of Arts & Humanities, which will oversee the center.

Beiler said 麻豆原创 chose Sanford for the Public History Center because the city has a 鈥渞ich documented history鈥� and is committed to historic preservation through the Community Redevelopment Association, Historic Preservation Board, Sanford Historic Trust, and other history-related groups, museums and projects.

鈥淭here are a lot of willing partners in Seminole County,鈥� she said. 鈥淪anford is among the strongest of any Central Florida city for historical preservation.鈥�

To capitalize on that, Ashley Wilt, program coordinator, is focusing a big part of the first semester鈥檚 activities on community outreach, hosting gatherings and enlisting volunteers to assist the center in carrying out projects.

Beginning Aug. 6, the center will open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday through Saturday. In addition to the Aug. 13 bell-ringing ceremony, the staff is planning an evening open house, neighborhood block party, fall pumpkin festival around Halloween, and an old-fashioned Christmas event. They also are reaching out to scouting and other civic groups to hold activities at the center.

Next spring, the staff and university students will start to offer workshops on historical preservation and topics such as how to interview people for oral histories.

鈥淲e are thrilled with this collaborative effort,鈥� said Tina Calderone, chairman of the Seminole County School Board. 鈥淭his will enhance the educational experiences of our students, allow the center to be open more hours, and benefit the community as a whole.鈥�

The center has several themed rooms: a furnished, original 1902 classroom complete with a portrait of then-President Theodore Roosevelt; a Timucua room that represents a 1,200-year-old village; a pioneer room with a log cabin and tools; Grandma鈥檚 Attic with old household items and vintage clothes; Georgetown and Crooms High School exhibits that feature the city鈥檚 African-American community, and other displays.

Behind the museum is a demonstration garden that contains vegetables and flowers grown at the turn of the last century, Florida native plants, antique roses, wildflower meadow, field crops and other horticultural displays.

The city鈥檚 Touhy Park across the street from the museum contains a historic tree grove, which contains about 70 trees that are associated with people, places and events around the country. There are sycamores, magnolias, maples, walnuts and others from Valley Forge, Gettysburg, Mount Vernon, Ellis Island, the Alamo and elsewhere.

City officials also are pleased that the schoolhouse, which was put on the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation鈥檚 list of the state鈥檚 most endangered historic sites in 2009, has been given new life.

鈥淭his building and project are being looked at statewide as a preservation success,鈥� said Christine Dalton, the city鈥檚 historic preservation officer. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e utilizing the building, site, its collections and the gardens 鈥� resulting in a hands-on learning environment for the students. 麻豆原创鈥檚 partnership with the museum is a great benefit to the community, and will have a positive impact on this National Register site and surrounding residential neighborhood.鈥�

City Commissioner Patty Mahany, who is scheduled to speak at the opening-day ceremony, said: 鈥淭his is so significant because it is a great use for the historic building. It is a wonderful marriage and will benefit students with a much higher purpose.鈥�

The聽building is about 20 miles northwest of 麻豆原创’s main campus, which is part of the plan to reach into the community.

鈥淥ur name 鈥� Public History Center 鈥� means just that,鈥� Beiler said. 鈥淚t is a community resource and we invite Central Florida residents to take an active role and join us as this unique collaboration develops.鈥�

More than 100 elected officials, business executives, journalists and other notables were nominated for consideration because of their demonstrated leadership and contributions to the enrichment and overall growth of Hispanics in Central Florida. The quarterly magazine is published by the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando.

Fern谩ndez moved with his family from Cuba to the United States when he was 12, and is now the highest ranking Hispanic administrator at 麻豆原创. He is responsible for the administrative oversight of the college, building new college policies and developing new programs of excellence.

He earned a doctorate at Florida State University in 1973 and came to 麻豆原创 as a visiting Spanish-language professor in 1981. He was chairman of the Foreign Language and Literature Department before he was named dean.

In addition to winning the Pegasus Professor Award, 麻豆原创鈥檚 highest honor for teaching, research and service, Fern谩ndez has written dozens of books both in English and Spanish. In 2008, President George W. Bush appointed him to the National Museum of the American Latino Commission.

In an article about him in the magazine, Fernandez compares himself to 鈥渢he first Hispanic explorers visiting the New World.鈥�

Other university-related recipients named to the magazine鈥檚 top-25 list were: 麻豆原创 alumnus Tico Perez, a member of the Board of Governors of the State University System, and Conrad Santiago, a former 麻豆原创 Board of Trustees member.

Perez, a son of Cuban immigrants, is co-founder of Edge Public Affairs and serves as national commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America.

Santiago, managing聽director of Conrad聽Santiago & Associates/Ameriprise Financial Services Inc., was a founding member and聽the first president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando.

麻豆原创’s new Department of Writing and Rhetoric will serve as a flagship program to coordinate comprehensive writing instruction and support across the university. As part of its mission, the new department will implement a “Writing Across the Curriculum” program called Knights Write to ensure students are prepared to write effectively in all of their courses.

Toward that end, Knights Write will provide support to help interested faculty members in all disciplines integrate writing into their courses to help students develop into more effective and versatile writers. 麻豆原创’s would be only the second writing curriculum program at a Florida public university. It could potentially grow into the largest such program in the country.

The new department and program changes were initiated by the College of Arts and Humanities and approved by the 麻豆原创 administration.

“These changes will build upon our outstanding programs to create a unique 麻豆原创 writing experience,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Terry Hickey. “This department will be a national model for how large public universities can improve students’ writing skills. These changes, along with the efforts of our dedicated faculty members, will further prepare students for success throughout their academic careers and after they graduate.”

Although universities are increasingly moving to stand-alone writing departments, few coordinate all of the writing support, services and scholarship as thoroughly as 麻豆原创’s Department of Writing and Rhetoric will. The university is investing about $1.7 million in the new program during the next four years.

To ensure students receive a consistent and rigorous writing education, 麻豆原创 will convert 22 adjunct and 12 visiting instructor positions to 18 permanent instructor positions devoted to teaching composition. 麻豆原创 will become one of only a few universities in the country that employ only full-time instructors to teach composition courses.

These changes will help create curricular consistency and rigor in Composition I and II courses (ENC 1101 and 1102) that provide a strong foundation for writing throughout the university.

The Writing and Rhetoric Department will be charged with coordinating university writing instruction and support, and designing coursework based in the best writing-related research in order to provide 麻豆原创 students with a coherent and rigorous writing experience. Toward that end, Writing and Rhetoric faculty will provide support and consultations to colleagues from across the university.

“We expect these changes to increase student writing within the discipline, increase retention rates and shorten the time many students need to graduate,” said Jose Fernandez, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities.

“Building the new department with tenured and tenure-track faculty whose work centers on writing and rhetoric is one of the strengths of this endeavor. These changes will empower them to better serve students.”

The department’s tenured and tenure-track faculty will conduct writing-related research with a strong emphasis on the scholarship of teaching, learning and writing in the disciplines.