Statement By: Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson Regarding new members of DOE’s executive management team

“Today, the State Board of Education unanimously approved my request to appoint Pamela Stewart as Florida’s new Public Schools Chancellor, effective October 17, 2011. Pam brings with her a wealth of Florida public school experience where she has previously served as Deputy Superintendent for Academic Services in St. Johns County, Deputy Chancellor of Educator Quality at the Department of Education, and principal at Vanguard High School and Reddick-Collier Elementary School in Marion County. I’m excited to welcome her back to the DOE team and know she will do an excellent job supporting our efforts to improve student achievement throughout the state. … Continue Reading

Florida Board of Governors makes appointments to two university Boards of Trustees

Appointments made for new members at FIU, UNF

The Trustee Nominating Committee of the Florida Board of Governors put forward – and the Board of Governors ratified and approved – two appointments to two universities’ Boards of Trustees on Thursday – one at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, and one to Florida International University in Miami.

Each one of the 11 institutions in the State University System has a 13-member Board of Trustees responsible for cost-effective policy, and for implementing and maintaining high-quality education programs consistent with the institution’s mission. The Boards of Trustees also develop processes to meet state policy, budgeting and education standards. … Continue Reading

New Director of Outreach Announced at Chabad Lubavitch of the Panhandle-Tallahassee and Florida State University


TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Rabbi Shalom Loeub has been hired as director of outreach for students and the community at Chabad Lubavitch of the Panhandle-Tallahassee and Florida State University.

The Montreal-born Shalom Loeub, 26, has volunteered for Chabad since 2008, helping Rabbi Schneur and Chanie Oirechman.

The Oirechmans opened Chabad of Tallahassee in 2000, serving the 4,000 Jewish students at FSU, the Tallahassee Jewish community and the Jewish communities in the Florida Panhandle.

Rabbi Loeub has proved to be an invaluable asset to the community. After getting married in March, he was hired by Chabad, which is based out of the Morris and Lillian Tabacinic Chabad Center, 2601 North Meridian Road. … Continue Reading

Foundation for Florida’s Future Releases Statement on FEA’s Lawsuit Against SB 736

Tallahassee, FL – Today, Patricia Levesque, Executive Director of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, released the following statement regarding the Florida Education Association’s lawsuit against Gov. Rick Scott and other state officials to block a new Florida law that will identify and reward Florida’s excellent teachers.

“Every day, teachers across Florida are equipping Sunshine State students with the knowledge and skills they need to achieve success. These teachers deserve to be recognized for their effectiveness and dedication with professional level compensation.  SB 736 modernizes Florida’s teaching profession and provides teachers, principals and school leaders the data they need to identify and reward Florida’s excellent teachers. This law benefits teachers and students. Today’s action by the teachers’ union, once again proves they care more about protecting political power than promoting a dynamic, highly-skilled workforce of educators.”

Statement By Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson Regarding Florida’s 2011 SAT Results

“Today’s release of Florida’s SAT results brings with it very positive news regarding the participation of our students on this important college entrance exam. According to the College Board’s report, nearly 12,000 additional public school students took the exam last year in Florida, highlighting the excellent work going on to introduce more students to the college-going process. … Continue Reading

Local NFL Teams Partner With Florida Education

~ Bucs, Jags and Dolphins to offer specially priced tickets for all public school and district personnel ~

TALLAHASSEE – The start of the new school year also means it’s time for football, and the Florida Department of Education (DOE) is proud to continue its partnership with all three Florida National Football League (NFL) teams to offer specially-priced tickets for public school and district personnel (pre-kindergarten – 12th grade) across the state. Through this unique partnership, the Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are offering discounted single-game tickets for purchase for any public education employee. … Continue Reading

Statement By Chancellor Frank T. Brogan, State University System Of Florida, Regarding Today’s Awards To Florida Institutions For Gulf Of Mexico Oil Spill Research

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—“Our public universities are on the frontlines of the challenging work to restore and monitor the health of the Gulf as well as Florida’s critical marine economy and ecosystem. I am proud of the ongoing commitment by the highly regarded marine science programs in the State University System of Florida, because through both their work on the State University System Oil Spill Task Force at the very beginning more than a year ago, and through the critical early science monitoring projects vetted by the Florida Institute of Oceanography, a statewide academic coordinating organization, it is clear that Florida’s public universities continue to amass and utilize nationally regarded talent and public assets while conducting important monitoring and data-mining.” … Continue Reading

FSU Football Fans Advised to Arrive Early, Model Good Sportsmanship

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –– As the Florida State University Seminoles gear up for the first of seven home football games this season, FSU police are reminding football fans that their own game-day strategy should include getting an early start to Doak Campbell Stadium and being on their best behavior.

“We encourage our fans to have a great time cheering on the Seminoles with family and friends, and to be responsible,” said FSU Police Chief David Perry.

The first home game will be Saturday, Sept. 3, when the Seminoles take on the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. … Continue Reading

Florida Reading Proficiency Standards Some Of The Best In The Nation

~ National report ranks Florida’s reading proficiency standards higher than the majority of other states ~

TALLAHASSEE – A new report from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) indicates that Florida has some of the strongest reading standards in the country. The Mapping State Proficiency Standards onto the NAEP Scales report compares each state’s reading and mathematics proficiency standards against national proficiency standards to see how closely they match up. According to the report, Florida’s eighth grade reading proficiency standards are the second highest in the nation, and only 12 states have higher proficiency standards in fourth grade. … Continue Reading

Groundbreaking Digital Arts Program at Florida State University Begins Accepting Applicants for Fall 2012 Classes

~Animation & Digital Arts program to offer students Bachelor of Fine Arts from FSU, specialized training from Digital Domain Media Group~

Tallahassee, FL – Florida State University announced today the opening of limited enrollment for a landmark, new animation and visual effects program that will graduate students with cutting-edge animation and visual effects skills to produce the Hollywood blockbuster movies of the future.

The first-of-its-kind program unites the nationally renowned Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts and the Digital Domain Media Group, parent company of the award-winning visual effects industry pioneer Digital Domain, which has created innovative visuals for more than 80 movies including the Transformers series and Tron: Legacy.  … Continue Reading

FSU Football Head Coach Jimbo Fisher and wife Candi create fund to speed research into rare disease afflicting their son

 Fishers urge widespread participation in the “Be the Match Registry”

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –Florida State University football head coach Jimbo Fisher and his wife, Candi, today announced the creation of a new national fund to fuel the quest for a cure for Fanconi anemia, a very rare life-threatening disorder that afflicts their 6-year-old son, Ethan, and many others.

“One thing I’ve learned as a football coach is to never accept defeat,” Coach Fisher said.  “We are in this to win the fight against Fanconi anemia on behalf of all the children who share this struggle with Ethan.”

Money raised through a new campaign called OnaKwest for a Cure will support research into Fanconi anemia at the University of Minnesota, one of the leading universities pioneering better ways to treat the disorder, in advance of finding a cure. The campaign will raise research dollars for the Kidz 1st Fund, just established by the Fishers, through the sale of t-shirts, wristbands and other products and through online donations. Coach Fisher said he will donate all fees associated with his public speaking engagements to the fund.  … Continue Reading

UF names new education dean, citing research strength as key

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Glenn E. Good, an education and counseling scholar and an associate dean at the University of Missouri College of Education, has been named the 13th dean of the University of Florida College of Education.
Good’s appointment, the result of a nationwide search, was announced today by UF Provost Joseph Glover. Good will assume his new post Sept. 29. He succeeds Catherine Emihovich, who is stepping down after nine years as the college’s top administrator. She will remain on faculty as a tenured professor and researcher.

Good has held education associate dean posts at Missouri since 2008. His current title is associate dean for administration, research and performance excellence. He also is a professor of counselor psychology and has been a Missouri faculty member since 1990. His research focuses on gender issues in education, mental health, counseling and psychotherapy. … Continue Reading

Acclaimed Chemistry Professor Wins Two Major Awards

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — One of Florida State University’s most influential researchers, whose pioneering work in chemical analysis places him in an elite group of the world’s top chemists, is set to receive two major, highly competitive chemistry awards.

Alan G. Marshall, the Robert O. Lawton Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Florida State and director of the Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, will receive the 2012 William H. Nichols Medal, given by the New York Section of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the 2012 Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award, given by the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh (SACP).

“I am naturally delighted by these awards, for different reasons,” Marshall said. “The Nichols Medal is more senior and spans all of the subdisciplines of chemistry, so it’s a special treat to join prior awardees such as Nobelists Linus Pauling (chemical bond theory), Melvin Calvin (photosynthesis), Robert Woodward (organic synthesis) and Paul Flory (polymers), among others. The Pittsburgh Analytical Chemistry Award is more specialized, so the fun part there is that I know many of the prior awardees personally.”

… Continue Reading

Department of Education Recognizes Top Performing Schools and Districts

~ 2011 district and school grades highlight numerous successes throughout the state ~

TALLAHASSEE – Education Commissioner John L. Winn today recognized some of Florida’s highest performing school districts for either maintaining or improving their district grade to an “A” or having all “A” or “B” graded schools in 2011.  Of the districts highlighted, 13 have earned an impressive “A” grade since the inception of district grades in 2004, while 17 districts this year alone have no schools graded lower than a “B.” Twelve school districts also had schools improve their grades dramatically, moving up to an “A” from either a “D” or an “F” grade last year.

“It is my pleasure to honor these high-performing districts and schools for the incredible work they do to ensure our students are being prepared for success in life,” said Commissioner Winn.  “Achieving these kinds of results takes a coordinated effort at all levels and I couldn’t be more proud of what these students, teachers, school leaders and other dedicated stakeholders were able to accomplish during the last school year.”

… Continue Reading

Geographic Analysis Offers New Insight Into Coral Disease Spread

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In the last 30 years, more than 90 percent of the reef-building coral responsible for maintaining major marine habitats and providing a natural barrier against hurricanes in the Caribbean has disappeared because of a disease of unknown origin.

Now a University of Florida geographer and his colleagues applied Geographic Information Systems, known as GIS — as well as software previously used to examine human illness — to show where clusters of diseased coral exist. Their findings, published this month in the journal PLoS One, may help scientists derive better hypotheses to determine what contributes to coral disintegration.

“What you’ll find is that spatial techniques have been used relatively little in the coral research community,” said paper co-author Jason Blackburn, a UF professor of geography and member of UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute. “With these methods, we gain a better understanding of the disease’s distribution across the reef.”

… Continue Reading

Actress, Singer Montego Glover to Deliver FSU Commencement Address

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State University alumnus and award-winning actress Montego Glover, who currently stars in the Tony Award-winning musical “Memphis,” will be the speaker at FSU’s summer commencement ceremony.

About 1,200 of more than 2,500 graduating students will participate in the ceremony, which will be held at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 6. Florida State President Eric J. Barron will preside at the ceremony at the Tallahassee-Leon County Civic Center.

Glover, a 1996 honors graduate of FSU’s internationally acclaimed music theater program, was nominated for a Tony Award for Lead Actress in a Musical for her role in the Broadway musical powerhouse “Memphis,” which won four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, in 2010. The same year, Glover won the prestigious Drama Desk Award and the Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.

… Continue Reading

Huckaba Named Interim Dean of FSU College of Arts and Sciences

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Sam Huckaba, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Florida State University, has been named interim dean of the college to succeed Joseph Travis, who has decided to step down in order to devote more time to his research.

Florida State University Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Robert Bradley announced Huckaba’s appointment today after receiving Travis’ resignation. Travis, an internationally regarded field biologist, has served as dean of the College of Arts and Sciences — the university’s oldest and largest college — since 2005.

“Dean Travis has provided steady leadership to the College of Arts and Sciences during a transformative period in the university’s history, and we are grateful Sam Huckaba has agreed to take over the reins,” Bradley said. “Professor Huckaba is a very experienced and measured decision maker, and we can feel confident that the college is in good hands.”

… Continue Reading

Technology Connects Florida Middle Schoolers With Prominent Author In Latest Literacy League Podcast

~ Author M.C. Finotti answers students’ questions for her book “The Treasure of Amelia Island” ~

TALLAHASSEE – Florida author and resident M.C. Finotti answers student questions about her book, “The Treasure of Amelia Island” in the latest podcast of the Florida Department of Education’s Literacy League book club. The club continues to inspire future authors with the sixth installment of the series now available on the Department’s new YouTube channel. This quarter, the interactive book club features the book inspired by one of Florida’s popular destinations along the state’s East Coast. “The Treasure of Amelia Island” won a 2009 award from the Florida Historical Society as the best book to teach students Florida history. … Continue Reading

DOE Launches Education-Themed YouTube Channel

~ Evolving video content provides valuable information on Florida’s changing education landscape ~

TALLAHASSEE – The Florida Department of Education (DOE) today launched an education-centered YouTube channel that provides informative video content to a variety of education stakeholders throughout the state. The EducationFL channel features a growing library of videos that will help teachers, parents, students and others enhance their connection to, and understanding of, Florida education. This new video channel also helps to enhance the Department’s expanding social media presence and provide new ways of collecting stakeholder input. … Continue Reading

Statement By: Education Commissioner John L. Winn Regarding Intervene School Waiver Requests by Duval and Miami-Dade County School Districts

“While I continue to be deeply troubled by the persistently low student achievement, particularly in reading, at Miami Edison Senior High School and Miami Central Senior High School in Miami-Dade County, and North Shore K-8, Andrew Jackson High School, Jean Ribault High School and William M. Raines High School in Duval County, I will be recommending to the State Board of Education on Tuesday that they grant the requested waivers, with conditions, for an additional year of the “district managed turnaround” option for these schools. My decision to recommend these waivers is based on the fact that the time remaining before the opening of schools for the 2011-12 school year presents almost insurmountable challenges that have the potential of destabilizing learning environments and hindering the pace of reform.

… Continue Reading