Mon Jul 6
Unruh and Koval will be collecting data about COVID-19 until after a vaccine is created. In late March, Lynn Unruh and Andriy Koval — two health management and informatics faculty members — and a medical student at Virginia Commonwealth University formed the Health System Response Monitor team for the United States. Reporting for the World Health Organization (WHO), the group analyzes…
Mon Jul 6
The University of Central Florida has launched 11 new graduate programs in direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The programs, which begin in the Fall 2020 semester, offer candidates a short series of courses that were specifically woven together to provide useful tools when facing COVID-19 related-challenges. The certificates, tracks and special topics courses cover…
Mon Jun 22
Joe Thalheimer ’08 has been a part of UCF’s Emergency Management team since 2014. Last week, UCF Associate Vice President of Public Safety and Chief of Police Carl Metzger ’03MS appointed Joe Thalheimer ’08 as the director of Emergency Management. The announcement comes after an exhaustive search. Metzger is confident in Thalheimer, who has led the department in an…
Fri Jun 19
Yara Asi ’07MA ’15PhD, a lecturer in the health management and informatics department, recently received the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award. The prestigious program provides 470 awards to researchers and teachers in over 125 countries. Asi will begin her two-year project in the spring of 2021 (depending on the effects of coronavirus at that time). Her work will…
Wed Jun 17
With many in-person services halted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, correctional agencies responsible for probation and parole have had to find new ways to help ensure people are receiving the help they need while also maintaining public safety. These agencies, which traditionally rely on face-to-face interaction, serve some 6 million Americans by helping them find…
Tue Jun 16
The Practical Access Podcast launched earlier this year with the goal of providing fast, flexible thinking about real-life problems for educators, people with disabilities and their family members. Lisa Dieker and Rebecca “Becky” Hines have been friends and colleagues for 16 years. Both are exceptional student education faculty members at UCF. Hines is an aunt to a person…
Tue Jun 16
Navigating what may be the “new normal” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic has left many people grappling with unknowns. From worrying about one’s own health and safety as well as their family members’ well-being, adapting to a remote-work situation or job loss, juggling new family schedules, experiencing isolation from friends and loved ones —…
Fri Jun 12
Aquote from novelist and activist James Baldwin encapsulated what it is like to be Black in America: “I know your countrymen do not agree with me about this, and I hear them saying, “You exaggerate.” Throughout that particular essay, Baldwin offers his nephew a critique of racism while warning him of the challenges he will encounter. In…
Thu Jun 11
Millican Hall is light up with rainbow-colored lights in honor of the 49 lives lost during the Pulse nightclub shooting on June 12, 2016 (Photo by Thomas Bell ’08) Zoe Williamson began the evening of June 12, 2016, partaking in a police ride-along with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office. By the end of the night,…
Wed Jun 3
For many years I’ve wanted to become a fluent speaker of the French language. While studying French in high school, I was intrigued with the culture of France, especially the cuisine and great works of art. As time passed, I often dreamt of visiting Paris someday. After completing my doctoral program, I received a faculty…
Thu May 14
We are pleased to announce several leadership updates at the College of Community Innovation and Education. With extensive experience as leaders in research, teaching and collaboration, we look forward to working with them in their new roles. Charles “Chuck” Dziuban, Ph.D. Coordinator, Rosen Foundation Educational Initiative Charles “Chuck” Dziuban will serve UCF and the college…
Wed May 6
The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority received a “gold seal” in January to become the first airport operation to earn full accreditation by the Emergency Management Accreditation Program. “Emergency management is essential in the aviation world,” says Keila Walker-Denis ’07, assistant director of airport operations in emergency management for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, which oversees Orlando…
Tue May 5
The first week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week, and we want to celebrate the hard work and dedication of teachers. This year, we spoke with four teacher education alumni about what inspired them to pursue a career in education and how they are navigating remote instruction and learning. Elementary Education: Chris Pombonyo ’12 Elementary School Teacher…
Tue May 5
Some states consider prenatal substance use as equivalent to child abuse or neglect. Anew study co-authored by a University of Central Florida researcher shows that laws that punish substance use during pregnancy actually do more harm than good. These unintended consequences include keeping women from getting the treatment they need and failing to reduce the…
Mon May 4
Each year, the School of Public Administration recognizes outstanding alums from the nonprofit management, public administration, emergency management, research administration and urban and regional planning programs. Awardees are recognized in conjunction with Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW). Celebrated the first full week in May, PSRW recognizes professionals who dedicated their careers to serving their communities.…
Tue Apr 28
After she graduates with her degrees in legal studies and political science and a minor in nonprofit management work, Naseeka Dixon will work at Straight Street, a nonprofit that helps care for the poor and homeless in Orlando. Naseeka Dixon remembers grocery shopping at a food pantry, especially one at a local church, with her…
Mon Apr 27
Few of us, if we’re honest, paid full attention to the actions of task forces or crisis and emergency managers — until mid-March. Now, the world practically turns on their every move. At a most coincidental time, UCF is about to graduate its first three students from the Masters of Emergency and Crisis Management (MECM) program.…
Mon Apr 27
Since Andres Acosta’s first day at Seminole County’s Office of Emergency Management, his internship experience has been anything but ordinary. He began in the middle of hurricane season, just as the emergency operation center was activated in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. Now, he’s working full-time as a manager in charge of a team of 10,…
Mon Apr 27
Frances Abderhalden, the first student to graduate from UCF’s doctoral program in criminal justice, wanted to know why suicides in jails were eight times more likely than in the general population and five times more likely than in prisons. So she went straight to inmates and asked them. She hopes to use her findings to reduce…
Thu Apr 16
Anew University of Central Florida study recently published in Metropolitan Universities indicates a need for university websites to better communicate with first-generation college students. This is important as first-generation college students make up about one-third of undergraduate populations but are more likely to not earn their degree than their counterparts. “As universities become more digitized, my research…