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USF Sarasota-Manatee award recipients embody spirit of giving and academic excellence during Spring 2006 Commencement ceremony

SARASOTA, FL, (May 5, 2006) – This Sunday evening during USF Sarasota-Manatee’s commencement ceremony, four university students and one professor will receive awards to honor their contributions to the university community.

Laurey Stryker, USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Chief Executive Officer, notes that this is an accomplished and diverse group of awardees.

“We are truly proud of these exceptionally talented individuals,” said Stryker. “They have given so much to our campus, each in a very unique way.”

Rebecca Jetter is this semester’s Golden Bull Award recipient – an honor bestowed upon an undergraduate student who exemplifies service to the community. Jetter knows a thing or two about giving. The education major is compelled by a sense of volunteerism that packs her daily routine with a schedule that would exhaust most people. 

In addition to taking a full credit load in the elementary education program, Jetter also finds time to serve as President of both the Student Government Association and Circle K International at USF Sarasota-Manatee.   

Some of her most recent civic activities include hosting a spaghetti dinner to raise money for a leukemia survivor, laying a water line at an orphanage in Honduras, and organizing a Holiday gift program for local elementary and middle school students from low-income families.  

As USF Sarasota-Manatee Student Affairs Coordinator Anne Dobson notes, Jetter has shown grace, tenacity, and leadership on a very tight schedule.  

“Rebecca displays an understanding and compassionate nature in the face of multiple demands on her time,” said Dobson. 

Jetter, who plans to join her fiancé in South Carolina as an elementary school teacher, explains that her drive to do good works stems from her desire to give back to the local community.  

“My personal belief is that to have a university, you have to have a community that supports it,” explained Jetter.  

“We are lucky enough to have people in our local community who generously donate their time or academic scholarships to the university,” said Jetter. “As a USF student, I feel that we need to give back. I can’t give money, but I can give my heart and soul and let the community know that we appreciate their generosity and care. We want to give back in whatever way we can.” 

The King O’Neal Award, named in honor of charter graduates Lucas King and Evelyn O’Neal, is presented each semester by the USF Alumni Association to graduating seniors who have maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout their college careers.  

This semester Nayda Rivera, a business administration major, and Pidge Kelley Taylor, an elementary education major, will both receive King O’Neal honors. 

Taylor was a recipient of the Para-to-Teacher Scholarship, which is designed to help paraprofessionals who currently work for the Manatee County school system to become certified to teach. 

Taylor, who will assume a new position as Technology Specialist/Data Coach at Anna Maria Elementary School in the fall, explains that her USF coursework has prepared her well for the real-world classroom experience. 

“One of the strengths of the program is that it has so many teachers as professors. A great number of our professors actually teach every day. They come back to our classroom and say this is not theory, this is what happened today, this is what I did, this is what I do.”  

Rivera also acknowledges her professors. “A big motivator for me has been that personal touch,” said Rivera.  

Rivera, who will also graduate with summa cum laude honors, set high scholastic standards for herself that she stubbornly refused to lower. “I could never let myself down -- I really wanted to own the knowledge,” explained Rivera. “The A’s came as an afterthought.” 

This well-rounded student, recently honored in Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities, will also be honored during Commencement ceremonies as the Outstanding Senior.  

The Outstanding Senior Award, presented by the USF Alumni Association, recognizes a graduating senior who embodies leadership, school spirit, community service, character, and scholarship.  

Rivera credits her mother for much of her success. “So much of this recognition is because of her,” explained Rivera. “Even when I had no aspirations, she supported me. Now I can make her proud.”  

An additional honor to be bestowed is The Webecke Award, created to honor the memory of USF Sarasota-Manatee Master of Business Administration (MBA) student Paul Searls Webecke, who died in a car accident in 2004. The award is given to a graduating USF Sarasota-Manatee MBA cohort student whose character and achievements reflect the life of Paul Searls Webecke. Fellow cohort students vote to determine the recipient of the award.  

Nicola Peterson, this year’s Webecke Award recipient, was moved by the recognition. “Searls was a larger-than-life person who was really able to bring people together, had great values, was musically talented, a wiz at computers, and very involved with his family,” said Peterson.

“I’m truly honored to be thought to reflect his values.”  

Peterson also notes that the tragic event of Webecke’s death brought the MBA cohort and Webecke’s family closer. “I’m very happy that his wife, Christina, will be at graduation to accept Searls’ degree.” 

Each semester, graduating students nominate a USF Sarasota-Manatee professor for the Outstanding Professor Award. On Sunday, Government and International Affairs professor Dr. Robert Barylski will receive the Outstanding Professor Award, a record tenth teaching award for the noted scholar. 

Barylski, who acknowledged that the Kent Fellowship teaching seminars he attended as a graduate student at Harvard University provided the foundation for his teaching methodology, was heartened by students’ endorsement of a classical style of teaching. 

“For me, the award is an express vote of confidence in intensive coursework,” said Barylski. “I focus on analytical thinking, writing skills, current events, and world affairs. I’m very pleased when my students acknowledge that they have learned a great deal.” 

Barylski, who notes that top achievers in his class perform at the highest national level, muses that demanding coursework has lead to his students’ success. 

“Each class requires three, three-hour essay exams and a course paper, written twice. When challenged and taught well, students rise to meet the best standards. It takes hard work to improve educational quality,” explained Barylski.

Barylski, an expert on Russia and the former Soviet Union, presented a paper on Russian oil politics at an international conference at Columbia University in March. This summer, the professor will travel to England to present a research paper on Russia's place in the new energy order at an international conference at Oxford University.

USF Sarasota-Manatee is an upper-level campus – serving people with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree seeking a baccalaureate or master’s degree, professional certification, or continuing education credit. The regional campus offers the prestige of a national Research I university with the convenience of a hometown campus, including classes in south Sarasota County at the MCC Venice site. For more information, visit www.sarasota.usf.edu