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UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA RECEIVES SILVER LEED CERTIFICATION FOR NEW FITNESS AND RECREATION CENTER

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TAMPA — The University of Tampa recently received LEED® Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its new Fitness and Recreation Center, which was opened in September 2016.

The Fitness and Recreation Center is the fifth building on UT’s campus built in accordance with the rigorous standards set by USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) green building certification program. The other four buildings are the Science Annex and Jenkins Hall, which both achieved LEED Gold designation, and the Dickey Health and Wellness Center and the Maureen A. Daly Innovation and Collaboration Building, which both achieved LEED Silver designation.

The LEED rating system, developed by the USGBC, is the foremost program for buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed, maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health performance.

The 40,000 square-foot, two-story Fitness and Recreation Center is centrally located on campus. It is a one-stop shop for all exercise programs, personal training and evaluation, wellness and nutrition programs, intramurals, recreation activities, club sports and some exercise related laboratory and research activities.

Since its opening, the center has experienced a total of 168,628 student visits, and students have logged more than 4,800 hours on the Precor cardio equipment: treadmills; adaptive motion trainer; elliptical motion trainers; recumbent and upright bikes. An average of 48 group fitness classes are held each week, with an average weekly participation rate of 629 individuals.

“The University is committed to providing healthy, safe and efficient buildings for all students, faculty and staff,” said UT President Ronald Vaughn. “The Fitness and Recreation Center is a well-utilized facility in the heart of campus. It is satisfying to have achieved LEED certification while also meeting our facility goals.”

“The University of Tampa’s LEED certification demonstrates tremendous green building leadership,” said Mahesh Ramanujam, president and CEO of USGBC. “LEED was created to make the world a better place and revolutionize the built environment by providing everyone with healthy, green and high performing buildings. UT’s Fitness and Recreation Center serves as a prime example of how the work of innovative building projects can use local solutions to make a global impact on the environment.”

For more about the UT Fitness and Recreation Center, see www.ut.edu/fitnesscenter.

LEED is the foremost program for the design, construction and operation of green buildings. More than 78,000 commercial and institutional projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 15 billion square feet of construction space in all 50 states and more than 160 countries and territories.

The U.S. Green Building Council is a nonprofit membership organization whose vision is a sustainable built environment within a generation. For more information, visit www.usgbc.org.      

The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves approximately 9,000 students from 50 states and 140 countries. Approximately 62 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.

University of Tampa Fall Commencement Saturday, December 16

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The University of Tampa will hold its 145th commencement on Saturday, Dec. 16, at 9:30 a.m. at the Florida State Fairgrounds, Expo Hall. The ceremony will include 502 graduates, including 386 bachelor’s degree candidates and 116 master’s degree candidates. The ceremony is free and open to the public.
The speaker for the ceremony, Gregg Bachman, professor of communication, will share “Four Lessons From Your Future” with the graduates. Bachmann was the recipient of the 2016-2017 Louise Loy Hunter Award, which is given annually by its previous recipients to a UT professor for excellence in teaching and cumulative contributions in service and scholarship.
Andrew Arnold, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in film and media arts, will introduce the speaker, and Haley Ward, who is graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing, will deliver the challenge to the graduating class.
In the days leading up to the ceremony, several departments will hold hooding ceremonies for their master’s degree candidates:

  • Thursday, Dec. 14:
    • Department of Education hooding ceremony, 6 p.m., Plant Hall, Grand Salon
  • Friday, Dec. 15:
    • Department of Nursing hooding and pinning ceremony, noon, Plant Hall, Grand Salon (by invitation only)
    • Department of Health Sciences and Human Performance hooding ceremony, noon, Plant Hall, Music Room
    • Sykes College of Business hooding and awards ceremony, 6 p.m., Plant Hall, Fletcher Lounge
    • M.S. in Instructional Design and Technology hooding ceremony, 6 p.m., Plant Hall Music Room

To view a live webcast of Saturday’s commencement ceremony, CLICK HERE. Tweet at #utampa.
UT Graduates by the Numbers:
Total graduates = 502
Countries represented = 49
% of graduates from Florida = 49
Undergraduate Students
Total bachelor’s degree candidates = 386
Summa cum laude (GPA 4.0) = 1
Magna cum laude (GPA 3.75 or higher, but less than 4.0) = 28
Cum laude (GPA 3.5 or higher, but less than 3.75) = 59
Top 3 most popular undergraduate majors in this class = Accounting, Management and Criminology
Graduate Students
Total master’s candidates = 116
With honors (GPA 3.9 or higher, but less than 4.0) = 15
With highest honors (GPA 4.0) = 6
MBAs awarded = 35

The University of Tampa Announces Physician Assistant Medicine Program

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Master’s Degree in Physician Assistant Medicine (MPAM) to begin in Fall 2019

The University of Tampa has announced it will begin offering a master’s degree program in physician assistant medicine starting in Fall 2019.
The program is intended to engage in collaborative training that produces competent graduates who provide quality medical care to their communities. Physician assistants are licensed medical providers who practice medicine on health care teams with physicians and other providers.
UT’s PA curriculum is based on the medical model of education — focusing on in-depth study of disease processes, their diagnosis and treatment — and consists of 27 months of master’s level coursework. Basic science instruction in anatomy, physiology, genetics and other biological sciences are followed by a phase of general clinical medicine, specialty medicine, medical diagnostics, pharmacology and physical exam topics. The PA educational program of study also includes a yearlong clinical “hands-on” training phase consistent with the University’s commitment of “learning by doing.”
Applications for the Fall 2019 cohort will be accepted May 1 to Oct. 1, 2018, through the Central Application Service for Physician Assistants (CASPA).
The program is headed by Johnna Yealy, Ph.D., who will be focused on developing the curriculum and facility and guiding the program through its initial and lengthy accreditation process.
“Demand for physician assistants will increase as the U.S. population ages and as we see the trend of fewer primary and specialty care providers,” Yealy said. “UT is well positioned to provide outstanding training for physician assistant medicine studies in a new, modern facility.”
She added that UT is excited to provide undergraduates with a path to pursue graduate training in the provision of medical care consistent with the commitment to providing graduates with advanced understanding of their field of study. “This is an educational program of study that is heavily steeped in interprofessional training, which is consistent with the University’s commitment to developing a collaborative and interdisciplinary workforce,” Yealy said.
The PA program will partner with local organizations to provide the highest quality education. Students will have the opportunity to complete their anatomy training at The Florida InnoVation & Education (FIVE) Labs, which is an innovative facility designed to educate health care professionals located in Tampa. The second year of training will be spent in clinical sites, local hospitals and clinics, where students will have the opportunity to apply their medical knowledge and develop their clinical skills while guided by a licensed medical provider.
The PA program will be housed in the new 91,000-square-foot Graduate and Health Studies Building at UT, which is currently under construction. It will include 30,000 square feet of PA medical training space and will include state-of-the-art spaces, including simulation labs, a digital anatomy lab and all the latest health technology and equipment. The building will also have a state-of-the-art audiovisual system, the same as used in health care facilities, that is designed to capture clinical and learning events for future review and assessment by students from anywhere. This will help to facilitate a unique connectivity to other health care facilities, enhancing the student clinical experience. The simulation labs in the building will serve as a CAE demonstration site. CAE is a global leader in health care simulation. By serving as a demonstration site, the PA faculty and students will have access to the latest, most technologically advance health care simulators and training at all times. The building is expected to be completed in August 2018.
Forbes magazine ranked physician assistant on its list of “The 10 Most Promising Jobs of 2016.” LinkedIn listed physician assistant on its inaugural list “Most Promising Jobs of 2017,” and the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the number of physician assistant jobs will increase 30 percent by 2018 with median annual wages of $101,480. The employment of physician assistants in the U.S. is projected to grow an additional 30 percent through 2024 — much faster than the average for all occupations.
UT has a long history of health care training, as its nursing program has long been renowned as one of the best in Florida. Typically, 100 percent of UT nursing graduates pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) on the first try. UT has offered the Master of Science in Nursing degree and four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs for many years. Additional health science programs include allied health, athletic training and graduate exercise and nutrition science.
For more information about the program, including admission requirements, click here.
UT has applied for Accreditation-Provisional from the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA). UT anticipates matriculating its first class in August 2019, pending achieving Accreditation-Provisional status at the March 2019 ARC-PA meeting. Accreditation-Provisional is an accreditation status granted when the plans and resource allocation, if fully implemented as planned, of a proposed program that has not yet enrolled students appear to demonstrate the program’s ability to meet the ARC-PA Standards or when a program holding Accreditation-Provisional status appears to demonstrate continued progress in complying with the Standards as it prepares for the graduation of the first class (cohort) of students.

THE UNIVERSITY OF TAMPA SETS ANOTHER ENROLLMENT RECORD

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TAMPA — For the 21st consecutive year, The University of Tampa has set another enrollment record. This year’s total enrollment, including graduates and undergraduates, is 8,913 — up 7 percent from last year’s total of 8,310. This year’s total enrollment is about quadruple the University’s enrollment of two decades ago.

            The enrollment continues to be strong as new student enrollment goals were attained, plus the University posted a 78 percent freshman-to-sophomore retention rate. This rate is a record for UT.

         All U.S. states and approximately 140 countries are in the mix of students. About 16 percent of UT students are international, and 20 percent of UT students declare themselves as Hispanic, African-American, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian.

         Almost 97 percent of UT undergraduate students are full time, and the majority of them live on campus. Students are housed in 12 different residence halls all built or renovated since 1998.

         The University continues to be more selective, receiving more than 163,000 inquiries and 23,000 applications for this fall’s new class of 2,684 full-time undergraduate students.

Entering students’ SAT scores were also elevated with 22 percent of the new first-year students being eligible for the University’s distinguished Honors Program.

         The graduate school student population increased to 939 students, many from all over the world.

         Vice President of Enrollment Dennis Nostrand said the University’s record enrollment shows UT’s increasing appeal amongst prospective students, as well as the degree to which students enjoy their rich and meaningful UT experience.

         “Interest in UT set an all-time record this past year, due in large part to our expanding reputation for delivering a rich, high-quality educational experience,” Nostrand said. “Plus, once undergraduates decide to attend UT, we do an excellent job of graduating them in four years or less.”

         UT President Ronald L. Vaughn added that the University is successfully maintaining its personal attention and community feel, which have been characteristics of UT throughout its 86-year history. Also, UT added 28 new full-time faculty positions for this fall, as well as additional staff support.

         “We remain committed to pursuing quality and educational excellence,” Vaughn said. “The fact that we met our enrollment goals, plus we set new retention records, shows our success in providing an outstanding academic and co-curricular experience to students.”

         The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on approximately 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. UT is known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs.

UT STUDENTS HOST “FAIR-STYLE” HURRICANE FUNDRAISER ON WEDNESDAY

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UT STUDENTS HOST “FAIR-STYLE” HURRICANE FUNDRAISER ON WEDNESDAY

Mechanical bull riding, other activities to encourage campus-wide donations

TAMPA — A fair-style fundraiser to support Hurricane Harvey, Irma and Maria disaster relief efforts — featuring a lighthearted nod to Texas with mechanical bull riding — will be held at UT on Wednesday, Sept. 27.

The event will be held in the courtyard behind the Vaughn Center from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. It is a student-coordinated event, sponsored by UT’s PEACE Volunteer Center, Student Productions and Student Government.

Additionally, approximately 20 student organizations will host activities to encourage students to donate to the effort.

All funds will be donated to the Red Cross, and physical donations will be collected by a local nonprofit.

Media is welcome to cover the event. Please contact the Office of Public Information and Publication, or the fundraiser organizers ([email protected]), with any questions.

UT HONORS SYMPOSIUM TO EXPLORE “TRANSGENDER DYNAMICS IN TRUMP’S AMERICA”

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TAMPA — On Wednesday, Sept. 27, Gina Duncan, Equality Florida’s director of transgender equality, will discuss “Transgender Dynamics in Trump’s America” as part of The University of Tampa’s Honors Program symposia series. Duncan’s talk will begin at 4 p.m. in the Plant Hall Grand Salon.

Recognized as a national and international spokesperson and educator on transgender rights, public policy and civic engagement, Duncan has trained major corporations across the United States on transgender inclusion. She was a guest speaker at the Global Summit on Human Rights in Milan, Italy, sponsored by the Harvey Milk Foundation.

Duncan chairs the advisory council for TransAction Florida, Equality Florida’s transgender inclusion initiative. TransAction advocates for transgender rights and protections through public policy, advocacy and education efforts statewide and nationally.

For more information, contact the Honors Program at (813) 257-3545 or [email protected].

The University of Tampa is a private, residential university located on 110 acres on the riverfront in downtown Tampa. Known for academic excellence, personal attention and real-world experience in its undergraduate and graduate programs, the University serves 8,700 students from 50 states and 140 countries. Approximately 65 percent of full-time students live on campus, and more than half of UT students are from Florida.

UT's Scarfone/Hartley Gallery to Host Art on Boulevard Sept. 23

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On Saturday, Sept. 23, from 7–10 p.m., The University of Tampa’s Scarfone/Hartley Gallery will host the inaugural Art on the Boulevard, a cocktail party and silent auction.
During the silent auction guests may bid on original prints produced by visiting artists as well as current and former faculty of the UT Department of Art and Design, such as Harold Nosti, Joyce J. Scott, Joe Testa-Secca, Mickett and Stackhouse, William Villalongo and Sedrick Huckaby.
Each year at this event, the University will honor one of the gallery’s most valiant supporters. This year’s honoree is Joe Testa-Secca, who was instrumental in the creation of the gallery at UT.
Individual tickets are $40, which includes an annual membership to the Scarfone/Hartley Gallery. A special two-ticket package for $100 also includes a special-edition 2018 Friends of the Gallery print made by Chris Valle, chair of the Department of Art and Design. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
All Art on the Boulevard ticket sales and auction proceeds will support the gallery’s exhibitions and educational programming. Proceeds will also count toward the gallery’s 40th Anniversary Year Challenge Grant. A generous local donor has challenged the friends and patrons of the gallery to raise $15,000 by the end of 2017 and pledges to match all funds raised, dollar for dollar, up to $15,000.
Generous sponsors for Art on the Boulevard are ART® (Art Recovery Technologies) of Tampa and Orlando, Dick Blick® art materials, Fintech®, PAR Inc., U.S. Trust®, Dr. William and Karen Dalton, Bruce and Jan Ely, Jack and Kathleen King, and Audrie Ranon.
For more information, contact Jocelyn Boigenzahn, gallery director, at (813) 253-6217 or [email protected].

UT Closed Thursday, Sept. 7, Through Monday, Sept. 11, Due to Hurricane Irma

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Due to Hurricane Irma, The University of Tampa will close Thursday, Sept. 7, through Monday, Sept. 11. This includes classes, athletic events and all other activities. The Plant Museum will also be closed Thursday through Monday.
All essential campus services, including Dining Services, Campus Safety, Residence Life and Facilities Management, will be maintained unless the campus is required to evacuate.
The University will regularly post updates at www.ut.edu/weather.

UT Honors Program Fall Symposia Series Kicks Off with Guest Speaker Dan Berger Sept. 14

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The University of Tampa’s Fall 2017 Honors Program symposia series will kick off Monday, Sept. 14, with a presentation by Dan Berger, who teaches comparative ethnic studies and U.S. history at the University of Washington Bothell. Berger’s talk, titled “Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing in the Civil Rights Era,” begins at 4 p.m. in Reeves Theater in the Vaughn Center on the UT campus.
Berger is the author or editor of six books, including Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing in the Civil Rights Era, which won the 2015 James A. Rawley Prize from the Organization of American Historians.
Throughout the series, resident scholars and researchers at the University will present their areas of specialization.
In addition to Berger, guest speakers in the series include Alisha Gaines, assistant professor of English at Florida State University; Gina Duncan, director of transgender equality at Equality Florida; and Earnie Broughton, senior advisor to the Ethics and Compliance Initiative.
All lectures are free, open to the public and held on the UT campus. See below for a full schedule:

  • Monday, Sept. 14: “Captive Nation: Black Prison Organizing in the Civil Rights Era,” Dan Berger, associate professor in the University of Washington Bothell School of Interdisciplinary Sciences, Vaughn Center, Reeve Theater, 4 p.m.
  • Friday, Sept. 22: English and Writing Scholar’s Symposium with Alisha Gaines, assistant professor at Florida State University, where she teaches African American literature, Vaughn Center, Crescent Club, 4 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Sept. 27: “Transgender Dynamics in Trump’s America,” Gina Duncan, director of transgender equality at Equality Florida, Plant Hall, Grand Salon, 4 p.m.
  • Monday, Oct. 16: “Wow! A Remixer’s Music Box,” Bradford Blackburn, chair/associate professor of music at UT, Vaughn Center, Trustees Board Room, 11 a.m.
  • Friday, Oct. 27: “Foreigners or Felons,” Sarah Kirk, senior criminology and political science major at UT, Plant Hall, Music Room, 1 p.m.
  • Wednesday, Nov. 8: Ethics Hot Seat, Earnie Broughton, senior advisor to the Ethics and Compliance Initiative, Vaughn Center, Crescent Club, 5:30 p.m.

Please note that dates and locations are subject to change. For more information, contact the Honors Program at (813) 257-3545 or [email protected].

UT President Recognized for Bolstering Experiential Education

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Ronald L. Vaughn, president of The University of Tampa, has been awarded the 2017 William M. Burke Presidential Award for Excellence in Experiential Education.
This award is presented by the National Society for Experiential Education (NSEE) and funded by The Washington Center for Academic Internships and Seminars (TWC) in memory of TWC’s founder William M. Burke. It recognizes a sitting college president who has made significant contributions to experiential education and exemplifies Burke’s commitment to college students through support of experiential education on campus and in the community.
The nomination stated that Vaughn embraces, demonstrates and nurtures experiential education at UT “through extensive modeling, support, and leadership to ensure continued success and impactful learning.”
Vaughn most demonstrably supported experiential education at UT through the implementation of UT’s current Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP), which focuses on student inquiry with faculty-student collaborations, undergraduate research and internships.
For example, UT offers more than 1,000 internships and student/faculty research opportunities, its students and employees serve more than 300 community organizations each year, and there are more than 1,500 campus employment opportunities and even more part-time opportunities with area organizations. Plus, students enjoy consulting assignments, clinical practicums, applied community research projects and more.
Paul Kwant, president-elect of NSEE and Music Industry Management Program director/assistant professor at Ferris State University, said Vaughn’s “strong leadership and passion for experiential education have been manifested in many ways at UT, benefiting students, faculty, staff and the community.”
The Burke Award consists of a $2,000 scholarship to be awarded to a deserving student at UT who is involved in experiential learning.
Vaughn said he is honored to receive the Burke award and thanks the faculty and other academic leaders who all worked diligently to help create UT’s rich experiential education learning environment. “I view this award as institutional recognition of the great progress we have made together,” he said. “I’m happy that all UT students can enrich their learning through the many impactful experiential education opportunities we provide.”
Vaughn will receive the award at the 2017 NSEE Annual Conference Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at the Don CeSar Hotel in St. Pete Beach.