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Cavanaugh Appointed Chancellor of Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education

UWF Alum Facing the Ultimate Arctic Challenge

UWF Lends a Helping Hand to Local Job Development Center

Cavanaugh Appointed Chancellor of Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education
Contributed by University Marketing Communications

On Monday, May 12, the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education named University of West Florida President John Cavanaugh as their next Chancellor, effective July 1. The PASSHE Chancellor has direct responsibility for 14 universities and more than 110,000 students, making it one of the largest public university systems in the U.S. and one of the premier leadership positions in public higher education.

“The decision to pursue this position was not easy,” said Cavanaugh. “Having had the privilege of getting to know many of the presidents in the Pennsylvania System, it was clear it is a system on the move with a very bright future. Additionally, the location of Harrisburg means that all of our family will be within about a two hour drive. And when we recognized that both my wife Chris’s and my family trees have significant, long branches in Pennsylvania, it became clear that this opportunity was like going home.”

Cavanaugh was selected by the Board of Governors at the conclusion of a nationwide search. The search committee that screened the initial field of candidates was chaired by Aaron Walton, who also chairs the Board’s Academic and Student Affairs Committee. Cavanaugh will succeed Judy Hample as chancellor of PASSHE.

“Dr. Cavanaugh is an outstanding leader with an impressive record of accomplishments throughout his career,” said Walton. “His broad range of experience makes him an excellent choice to lead the State System.”

During his time at UWF, Cavanaugh made significant progress in raising UWF’s recognition level across the region, state, nation and world, improving the quality of academic and support programs and business practices, creating new levels of pride in the university’s work force, investing in the region’s growth and development, creating greater levels of community engagement, and showing how collaboration can be accomplished with other educational, business and governmental organizations. He provided strategic direction for the university, especially in the areas of academic excellence, community engagement, fundraising, governmental relations and information technology. Cavanaugh also developed and implemented comprehensive partnerships with regional community colleges, including development of baccalaureate programs and enhanced articulation agreements. He redesigned the university’s budget and financial control systems and restructured the University Planning Council to ensure more open processes and effective planning.

“Chris and I take comfort in knowing that relationships survive, and past accomplishments lay the foundation for better things to come,” said Cavanaugh. “The difficult part relates to the many friends we have made here; we will truly miss you. We will also miss seeing the continued impact of the accomplishments we have achieved together. I fully expect to continue to hear great things about UWF.”

Cavanaugh holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Delaware. He also holds both a master’s degree and a doctorate in psychology from the University of Notre Dame, and he served as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Research in Human Learning and the Institute of Child Development. He was named president of the 10,500-student UWF in 2002. Cavanaugh previously served as provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington for three years, during which time he led all academic aspects of the comprehensive university, including budgeting, program development and staffing. He also held various positions at the University of Delaware, including vice provost for academic programs and planning and associate provost for graduate studies.

K. C. Clark, chair of the UWF Board of Trustees, will convene a meeting of the Board soon to name an interim president. The Board will work to ensure a smooth transition with the goal of keeping the momentum going that Cavanaugh set in motion.

"I have the greatest confidence in the team that Dr. Cavanaugh has put together at UWF," said Clark. "The administrators and faculty are professionals that demonstrate their dedication to UWF on a daily basis. I am certain they will come together to continue the successes we have enjoyed in the past, and that during this transition period, we will all remain focused on our primary mission of serving our students."

For more information, contact the UWF Office of the President at (850) 474-2200 or e-mail presidentsoffice@uwf.edu.

UWF Alum Facing the Ultimate Arctic Challenge
By Megan Tyson, University Marketing Communications

Passionate about preserving history for future generations, UWF alumna Susanne Grieve will go to any length to learn more about historic adventurers and explorers, even if it means suiting up in four layers of heavy gear, facing temperatures that fall to negative 96 degrees Fahrenheit and enduring three months of darkness 24 hours a day. The only American in a four-person conservation team at Scott Base in the Ross Sea region of the Antarctic, Grieve is working to preserve huts used by Antarctic explorers Capt. Robert Falcon Scott and Sir Ernest Shackleton. Sponsored by the Antarctic Heritage Trust, the project involves conserving artifacts such as cans of food, clothing, and medical tools, as well as the huts of these explorers who perished in the early 1900s.

“When we first stepped off the plane, there was nothing but total whiteness,” said Grieve, the first American to be selected by the Antarctic Heritage Trust for the 2008 winter conservation team. “It’s incredible to be a part of this experience. To be in the huts where these explorers had their last meals was pretty emotional for everyone on the team.”

A conservator for The Mariners’ Museum in Virginia at the USS Monitor Center, Grieve was selected from more than 400 applicants after an intense screening process for this seven month project working with other conservators. Grieve began her passion for archaeology at the University of West Florida working as an underwater archaeologist and went on to pursue her master’s degree in conservation from the University College of London.

“UWF has definitely played a big role in where I am now,” said Grieve. “I absolutely fell in love with the campus. I was able to have great discussions with teachers that I still talk with, as well as hands-on time and the opportunity to get practical experience on top of classroom experience.”

Grieve currently faces many obstacles throughout this project, from the harsh cold to the painful winds of up to 50 miles per hour. She will soon face three months of darkness and will only see 15 other people at the base.

"This has been the biggest challenge of my life personally and professionally because the artifacts are so unique,” said Grieve. “The biggest adjustment is the cold. Working outside, having the right clothing and taking precautions doing the smallest things. Nothing can prepare you for this environment."

Working nine-hour days, six days a week, the team will spend time conserving the camps of these explorers, which have been placed on the World Monuments Fund’s List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World. The team has been doing everything from vacuum sealing the food tins from the expeditions to also preserving individual artifacts like clothing as well as newspapers and books.

The team maintains a blog of their experiences to share with the public the personal stories of the conservators and what they’re experiencing through their work and the environment.

“Each member of the team specializes in a different type of conservation and brings something to the table for the project,” said Grieve. “Although sometimes there are no words to describe what we’ve seen or felt, it’s important for us to tell the world about our experiences. I know I’ve already been changed and although this environment can be cruel, it’s incredible to experience nature at its best.”

UWF is Creating Great Futures – Want to help? Visit uwf.edu/greatfutures. Learn about UWF’s Anthropology and Archaeology programs at uwf.edu/anthropology. Visit the Antarctic Heritage Trust Blog.

UWF Lends a Helping Hand to Local Job Development Center
By Megan Tyson, University Marketing Communications

Not only driven to help students take big steps towards their futures, the University of West Florida is also making sure to continue reaching out to the community to offer help and assistance to local organizations. Recently in collaboration with the Century Community Development Partnership Inc. (CCDP), UWF donated 20 computers, a chalk board and six work tables to help in the creation of a Job Development Center in Century, which will be under the direction of the CCDP. The purpose of the training center will be to teach lower income residents of the City of Century effective life-living skills and entry-level job skills. The center will also provide basic computer classes for adults and senior citizens, financial literacy and GED prep.

“The North-End of Escambia County has struggled for years against chronic poverty, under-education, a lack of job training, under-employment and a lack of housing,” said Pastor Irvin Stallworth of New Life Baptist Church of Century and president/executive director of the CCDP. “With this donation from UWF, the CCDP will establish a ‘Career-Path-Gateway Program.’ This program will introduce residents of our area to career opportunities, especially in the construction and construction technology trades.”

The goal of the project is to ultimately train technicians, journeymen and eventually, contractors. First, the center will work to attract and interest people in these career directions and offer basic career preparation. Trainees will then be directed on a career path and the center will work with their partners in career development to carry the trainees forward.

“Assisting the partnership helps us fulfill our mission to engage the community and help provide educational opportunities,” said John Cavanaugh, UWF President. “These computers will be a great asset for the Century community and will enable many to improve their job skills.”

The Century Community Development Partnership was founded in 2005, after Hurricanes Ivan and Dennis. The partnership is the vision of Stallworth. The mission of the non-profit organization is to provide relief to the poor, the distressed and the underprivileged in the Town of Century and the rural communities of Escambia and Santa Rosa Counties by engaging in and supporting activities that provide affordable housing, create jobs, eliminate blight and provide needed services; lessen the burdens of government,  neighborhood tensions, eliminates discrimination and combats community deterioration; and aid, support and assist by gifts, contributions, or otherwise, other corporations, community chests, funds and foundations organized and operated exclusively for charitable, educational or scientific purposes.

Additional Partners teaming with the CCDP on the Job Development Center include the Office of U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, Workforce Florida, Workforce EscaRosa Career Center, Office of Tourism, Trade and Economic Development and the Escambia School District.
           
For more information, contact Sylvia Maxwell, director for UWF Information Technology Services, at (850) 474-2972 or e-mail smaxwell@uwf.edu.