ARGO NEWS &nbs= p; January 200= 7 &nbs= p; =

The University of West Florida Alumni Association = E-Newsletter

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In This Issue<= /u>

· <= span style=3D'color:navy'>Campus News

· <= span style=3D'color:navy'>Alumni Events

· <= span style=3D'color:navy'>Donor News

· <= span style=3D'color:navy'>Alumni Pride

Important Links

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Volunteer for UWF Alumni Events

Upcoming Events

March 1, 20= 07 6-7:30

District Cho= p House

Washington D.C.

March 30-31, 2007

Festival on = the Green

Pensacola, FL

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Campus News…

Prof= essors' Work Helps Get People with Disabilities on the Move

Keith and Stacie Whinnery, both associate professors in the University of West Florida Teacher Education program, met Breanna when she was just three = years old. The little girl had extreme hip problems, which caused her to have limited mobility, and her doctors thought surgery was one of the child’s only options for treatment.

Click here for complete story

UWF = Launches New Home Web Page

The University of West Florida launched a brand new design for its home Web page (uwf.edu) Jan. 8, coinciding with the first day of classes for the spring semester. The pro= ject to revitalize the university’s Web presence began when President Jo= hn Cavanaugh requested a review of the university’s existing Web site = with an expressed desire for a more robust Web presence. A joint team of university faculty and staff was formed to develop a plan to establish a common visual identity and navigation system for UWF Web sites.

Awards Committee

= 11000 University Parkway

Pen= sacola, FL 32514 - 5750

The Awards Committee will then review all nominations in order to make final recommendations to the Alumni Board of= Directors. Recipients and nominees will be notified and all awards will be presented during the Annual Alumni Jazz Brunch to be held at 9:00 – 11:00 am on Saturday, March 31, 2007. Details on registration for the = brunch will be forthcoming.

If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Missy Grace, UWF Coordinator of Alumni Relati= ons, 1-800-226-1893 or (850) 474-2758 or e-mail alu= mni@uwf.edu.

Donor News…=

UWF ANNOUNCES GIFT TO BECOME “ALL-STEINWAY SCHO= OL”

The University of West Florida announced the receipt of a significant gift from Helen Wentworth which has allowed the = UWF Department of Music to purchase 18 Steinway pianos (10 grand pianos and e= ight uprights) and receive the prestigious designation of “All-Steinway Scho= ol.” The remainder of the gift will initiate a “Steinway Piano Foundation” endowment ensuring the future maintenance, repair and restoration of the pianos for many years to come. This gift represents on= e of the largest cash donations by a living person to the UWF Foundation.

By becoming an R= 20;All-Steinway Schoo= l,” UWF will be one of only two schools in the state of Florida that have obtained this designation and will join the ranks of esteemed music programs around the= country such as The Juilliard School, Yale University School of Music and Oberlin College Conservatory.

“We (UWF) are= on a quest to become the best regional comprehensive university in America,” said John Cavanaugh, UWF president. “By 2010 the quality of UWF wil= l be recognized not only by our students, alumni and community, but also by national leaders and bench-marking organizations. Becoming an ‘All-Steinway School’ has allowed the Department of Music to take a large step in achieving this goal.”

Steinway is known throughout the world for its high standard of excellence. Its products are considered the best keyboard instruments for training students and are the choice of 90 percent of the world’s performing concert pianists.&nb= sp;

“We coined th= e phrase ‘…On Our Way, All-Steinway School by 2008,&#= 8217; said Kyle Marrero, chair, Department of Music. “I don’t think any of us dared to dream = that one person would make all of this come to fruition. Mrs. Wentworth h= as made it happen! Her generosity will have the single greatest impact = on the Department of Music, its future growth and success. Her gift will resound through the practice rooms, teaching studios, rehearsal halls and performance venues at UWF for many years to come.”

Wentworth, accompan= ied by members of the Music Department faculty and M= artha Lee Blodgett from the Office of Development, traveled t= o New York Dec. = 20 and 21, 2006. The purpose of the trip was to select five of the 10 grand pian= os (four Steinway B’s and one Steinway D). Wentworth was honored and received a commemorative gold Steinway= pin at a dinner with Steinway CEO, Bruce Stevens Dec. 20. The trip was topped off with a guided private tour of the Steinway factory. Also = on Dec. 20, the first 13 pianos were delivered to the UWF Music Department, = with the five that were hand-picked being delivered on Jan. 2. Dollarhide’s Music Center has been working non-stop to get everything unpacked, placed and tuned in time for the students’ return for the Spring Semester beginning Jan. 8.

“This gift re= presents the love my late husband, Warren Wentworth, had for Steinway pianos and h= is wish to have a named legacy within the Department of Music at the University of West Florida,” said Wentworth.

On Feb. 3 at 7:30 p= .m., the celebration will continue with the “All-Steinway Scho= ol” Student Showcase Concert in the Music Hall in the Center for Fine and Performing Arts (CFPA). This concert will feature current UWF piano stude= nts and special guest, UWF 2006 alumnus, Martin Tate. A representative from Steinway will be in attendance to officially declare the UWF Department of Music an “All-Ste= inway School.” Ap= proval will be sought to officially name the UWF Department of Music Piano Progr= am “The Warren and Helen Wentworth ‘All Steinway School’ Pia= no Program.”

Donations for the “Steinway Piano Foundation” endowment account are still being accepted and will ensure that the pianos are properly cared for and maintained for generations to come. For more information on how you= can help, contact the UWF Development Office at (850) 474-2758 or call the Department of Music at (850) 474-2147.

Alumni Pride<= /p>

Charmere Gatson is making waves in Washington D.C.…

At age 24 and just barely four years since earning her bachelor’s degr= ee, the University of West Florida’s own Charmere Gatson has tread some giant steps along her ‘pursuit of happiness’ and success, or “destiny,” as she calls it.

Most recently, Gatson gracefully has strode her way – with much professionalism and poise – into two new and significant life pursu= its: a detailee for the FY2008 President’s B= udget at the Executive Office of the President in the White House complex and an adjunct communication arts instructor – now online – for UWF’s newspaper reporting students.

“These opportunities are absolutely amazing, especially the personal invitations= I get to join the President and First Lady in social functions such as the holiday party – and bring my family as my personal guests,” t= he Pensacola nativ= e and Spring 2003 UWF graduate said. “I have such a passion for journalis= m, and that passion will remain alive within me; however, working on the President’s budget and utilizing my analytical and math skills, alo= ng with my writing skills, has just opened my eyes to so many more avenues d= own which I can venture.

“And believe me, this success took some hard work and overcoming of obstacles = to reach,” Gatson said. “I just have this burning desire to let other local African-American young women know that they can succeed and be somebody – even if they stay at home and go to college or start a career which I heard over and over that I couldn’t do. And look whe= re I’m at now!”

When she returned home last summer for a four-month job training period, she resumed teaching on-campus. “My objective during the summer was to = come up with an online learning course action plan to present to administrator= s, and each idea had to be supported with logical reasoning of how the stude= nts could benefit from predominately writing-focused e-learning.” =

And as she hoped, 2006 became Gatson’s last on-campus teaching experience. Administrators approved her plan, and on Jan. 8, she launched her e-learning version of Basic Newspaper Reporting, the prerequisite course = for many of UWF’s print and broadcast journ= alism students and an accepted Gordon Rule course.

Day-to-day during the workweek, Gatson cheerfully juggles a daily routine of analyzi= ng, proofing and writing her chapters of the President’s budget; upload= ing coursework, downloading completed assignments, grading stories and participating in intriguing and fun discussions with her students; and do= ing homework and studying for her latest educational pursuit of an MBA. The weekends come, and Gatson fi= nds time to travel home to Pensa= cola to participate in activities such as the Emmaus Kidz= mentoring program, Delta Iota Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and quality time with her family.&= nbsp; “People always ask me, ‘How do you do it,’ ‘When do you find time for yourself,’ and ‘Why do you always go home,’” she said, “and I simply answer: I enj= oy it all, and I want to make a difference in my hometown more than in any o= ther place.”

email: alumni@uwf.edu<= o:p>

phone: 850-474-2758 1-800-226-1UWF

fax: 850-474-2714

web: http://alumni.uwf.edu/<= /b>

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