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SRQ DAILY May 13, 2017

"Good education transforms because it liberates."

- Donal O'Shea, New College
 

[Under The Hood]  A Surprising Bullet Breakdown
Jacob Ogles, jacob.ogles@srqme.com

In some ways, the Sarasota City Commission election this week played out very similarly to the first contest in March. The same two candidates came out on top, though flip-flopped in order, and the third-place finisher came in third. But a closer look at the figures shows how energy and intensity shifted over the last two months to turn a solid lead by winners into an absolute rout. And make no mistake, the election held Tuesday was a landslide, with Hagen Brody and Jennifer Ahearn-Koch winning respectively with the highest and second highest number of votes ever tallied in a Sarasota City Commission contest.

Even after seeing those totals, I must admit, I still presumed third-place finisher Martin Hyde would boast the most loyal vote base even if his supporters were so small in number that he could not win. So it came as a surprise to me when I learned that, unlike during the election in March, he did not have the highest total of bullet votes in the May election.

Let me provide some background on the bullet concept for the uninitiated. Sarasota, in determining who fills two at-large seats on the city commission, allows voters to select two candidates out of a field. But if voters only want to vote for one candidate and forfeit their other vote, they can do so. The practice, commonly called bullet or single-shot voting, is wise if you have one favored candidate you badly want elected. I don't particularly like this system, but it does provide politicos an interesting metric for measuring candidate enthusiasm afterward.

It’s how we could tell in March that Marin Hyde made it into the runoff based entirely on the strength of his dedicated bullet voters. Then, 426 of his 1,877 votes were single shots, a higher number than any other candidate in the field of eight could claim. On Tuesday, he boosted his votes, including bullets, and of the 3,117 votes Hyde received, 895 were single shots. It made sense such a high percentage of his supporters favored him exclusively; he was the only Republican in the race and ran almost on the promise he wouldn’t play nice with others.

But he wasn’t the leader in intensity. Ahearn-Koch, who had a remarkably low number of bullet votes in March considering she was the highest vote getter overall, ended up with more single shots than Hyde or Brody this time around. The 902 bullet votes show that while she dropped from first to second-place in totals, her core of dedicated voters could meet and in fact exceed those for Hyde.

The other interesting factor here was that Brody, who had the second highest number of bullet votes in March with 305 single shots, ended up with the least here, with 702 single shots. It’s the second at-large election in a row, following Suzanne Atwell’s win in 2013, where the top vote getter had the softest support. But as I said then, this sort of election system rewards the consensus candidate who has the broadest support, not necessarily the fiercest.

None of this should truly shock. The lead for Brody and Ahearn-Koch in the end proved so large that had every voter backing either candidate stayed home on Election Day, the two would still have won on the strength of early and absentee voter support. Of course Hyde trailed in many indicators; he lost.

What’s this all mean? I expect that will dominate discussion at the next Where The Votes Are event at SRQ headquarters, which will be held May 23.  

[Higher Education]  The Janus-Faced Nature of Graduation
Donal O'Shea, doshea@ncf.edu

For Floridians, May is when the traffic thins and you can show up at a restaurant without a reservation. Extraordinarily massive clouds decorate the late afternoon skies. And at our universities, students graduate: at State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota on May 5, at University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee on May 8, at Ringling College on May 11, at Eckerd College on May 21 and at New College on May 26.

Few events in one’s life are as powerful and as portentous as undergraduate graduation ceremonies. Their power derives from the tension that inheres in their Janus-faced nature: they mark an end and a beginning; a culmination and a commencement; a finish and a rebirth. One face looks to the past, marking the graduate’s successful completion of a rite of passage. The other face looks to the future, celebrating the graduate’s transformation.

From the one face, the degree certifies that the graduate has completed a prescribed course of study, as a result of which he or she joins a select group of individuals, be it a guild, a profession or, as Harvard graduation ceremonies traditionally proclaimed, the company of educated men and women. From the other face, the degree signifies that the graduate has emerged transformed.

Both faces inform the graduation ceremony. Academic regalia underscore initiation into a distinguished group. Seating arrangements emphasize transformation. (At orientation events when students first arrive on campus, students and members of their families are greeted as a group and seated together. At graduation, however, the students sit together as a group, with family members sitting behind and at the sides of the group of graduates. The implication is clear: While still surrounded by loved ones, the students have also grown apart from them.)

Some institutions emphasize one face over the other. Liberal arts colleges such as New College or Eckerd, but also the colleges of arts and science that lie at the heart of the nation’s great research universities, tend to favor celebrating transformation. New College graduations, where students wear costumes of their own choosing, unabashedly emphasize the transformational aspect.

To my mind, this is as it should be. Learning consists of forming and strengthening new connections among neurons in the brain. A brain with highly textured, abundant connections differs fundamentally from one without.

At New College, students enter curious. They graduate curious. But the graduates have learned to imagine broader landscapes on which to exercise their curiosity. They have learned to talk and to write about what matters to them, to test assumptions, to ask questions and to evaluate evidence. They have demonstrated that they can act productively on their curiosity and in so doing have acquired confidence in themselves.

Ours is a civilization built on specialization and 80 percent of New College graduates will be in post-graduate studies within a few years. But to judge by past graduates, virtually all will report, decades hence, that their four undergraduate years were the most transformative in their lives. For it is in those years that they acquired the tools—the habits of mind—that taught them not what to think, but how to think and, in so doing, set them free.

This brings us to the center of the two faces of graduation. Good education transforms because it liberates. No one can fully shape life’s circumstances, but freedom allows one to reflect on those circumstances and to decide how one will be, those circumstances notwithstanding.

Freedom undergirds our shared humanity. It does not depend on where we live, and is not a birthright. It can, however, be won in different ways: through a long life well-lived, through a reflective disposition and an enriching environment or through the good fortune of a first-rate education.

Little wonder that graduations are so powerful. They celebrate the transformation that frees the graduate to participate fully in the human experience. The group to which the graduate has been initiated is far more distinguished than a mere guild, or profession or company: it is all mankind. 

Donal O'Shea is president of New College of Florida 

[Education]  Endless Discoveries
Jennifer Vigne, jvigne@edfoundationsrq.org

Have you ever made a discovery that led to an exhilarating a-ha moment? Perhaps when you found a $20 bill in your pants pocket that you didn’t realize was there? How about some of the more notable discoveries such as Sir Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin or even Sir Isaac Newton’s discovery of gravity? Life was just never the same.

The Education Foundation of Sarasota County hosted a Discovery Tour yesterday by filling a bus full of our supporters, including donors, board members, and community representatives. We took them on a tour of three Sarasota County Schools to witness firsthand how donations translate into innovative and engaging programs through our EducateSRQ initiative. This was a behind-the-scenes peak at some of the 211 classroom and school-wide grants administered by the Education Foundation that our donors supported by giving more than $264,000, inspiring hundreds of teachers and touching thousands of students.

Booker Middle School Principal Dr. LaShawn Frost poignantly commented that Booker Middle is a place where students’ inner talent becomes outer strength. It is a developmental journey indeed and the Education Foundation strives to ensure students in our community graduate with purpose and prepared for a post-secondary pathway. Watching the students engaged in their classrooms with imaginative, dedicated and highly qualified teachers affirmed these grants are valued, needed and make an impact. We observed some students working in a hydroponics lab, others immersed in creative writing, while still others were actively coding or creating 2-D and 3-D art. Classes like these, where teachers are equipped to excel in their craft and where students are actively engaged, instill the joy of lifelong learning and being part of this “discovery” for students and teachers is the best reward.

We also visited Booker High School, where a school-wide grant allowed for the expansion of a semester-long curriculum course created to encourage freshmen to formulate ideas about their short and long-term goals, engaging them in preparation for a post-secondary future. We met students who enthusiastically explained their newfound knowledge of opera and learned how the supplementary activities provided cooperative learning experiences while aiding in memory retention. The tour ended with a blast! Students at Wilkinson Elementary, where grants were centered on a variety of STEAM explorations and reading initiatives, culminated in the detonating of their own rockets. The pure delight on the faces of these 3rd graders is an incredible motivator for the work we do.

Looking back on this school year, there were many incredible discoveries. We watched an introverted young student transform to lead a hackathon team, we observed a high school art student with the goal of pursuing a medical career explain the inspiration behind his art work to a captivated donor, and we listened to an inquisitive middle school class ask questions during a Career Explorations field trip to a local company who manufacturers medical devices. These discoveries were made possible because of generous donors who support the mission of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County, providing exhilarating a-ha moments for students, teachers and us.

Our work at the Education Foundation continues because we want more discoveries and more a-ha moments. We are putting the final touches on a new College & Career Center for Booker Middle School, expanding coding opportunities for students, exploring a new student entrepreneurship program, and brainstorming ideas with Sarasota County Schools’ leadership to align and support their priorities. As our work continues to help each student reach their full potential, yesterday’s Discovery Tour reminded me that because of the generous support from our community, life will never be the same.

Jennifer Vigne is president of the Education Foundation of Sarasota County. 

[From Brian Lamb]  Path to Preeminence
Brian Lamb

This week was one of mixed emotions for the University of South Florida Community. We accomplished our primary goal of student success by conferring degrees upon nearly 6,000 new graduates, helping our students achieve their dreams and earn their USF degrees.

We have also been addressing a significant impediment to our future success in our collective response to the last-minute introduction of changes in law to metrics that directly impact one of USF’s most important and publicly stated goals—achieving our rightful designation as a “Preeminent State Research University.” The Preeminent designation is a public recognition by our state of USF as a premier Florida research university, but it also comes with a significant additional investment in USF.

Since the preeminence program was enacted into law in 2013, USF has set out on a course to meet 11 of the 12 benchmarks in law, the threshold necessary for achieving the designation. Through the hard work of our students, faculty and staff since 2013, USF has achieved most of the benchmarks already. This spring, we met yet another metric by achieving a 90-percent retention rate during the Fall 2016 Semester. Importantly, we remained on track to reach the eleventh metric—the 6-year 70-percent graduation rate—next year after posting a 67-percent 6-year graduation rate this year. We already know—thanks to the graduates who walked across our stages this weekend—that a 70-percent 6-year graduation rate has been achieved this year. This milestone would have assured USF Preeminent eligibility in 2018.

In January, the Florida Senate filed legislation to convert the preeminence program’s 70-percent 6-year graduation rate requirement to a 4-year graduation rate of 50 percent or greater. The full Senate voted twice on this legislation and by votes of 35-1 and 36-2 endorsed this new threshold. The Florida House, in turn, filed similar legislation and even considered it in a House committee and endorsed the threshold as the appropriate benchmark to measure preeminence. At no point was it ever publicly suggested a 4-year 50-percent threshold was inadequate for determining preeminence.

In late April, I requested that the Board of Governors of the State University System certify what we believed to be true—that USF’s most recent 4-year graduation rate was 54 percent and that we continued to achieve the other 10 metrics we had previously met. The BOG performed the data certification and within days of our request notified the Legislature that if the change in law was enacted as expected, USF would qualify for the Preeminent designation immediately in 2017, one year ahead of schedule. No one jumped the gun. We were working with facts and a process that was transparent to arrive at this fairly straightforward conclusion.

Unfortunately, after being informed of USF’s metric achievement level and agreeing over the course of several public meetings to budget more dollars than originally planned for preeminent-achieving institutions, a policy change was introduced that had never before been publicly considered. At the final public meeting of the legislative session, a change in the graduation rate was proposed and immediately adopted to change the preeminence graduation metric to a 4-year 60-precent threshold. That was the first time anyone at USF or even most of our local legislative delegation had heard of this new threshold.

This last-minute change caused the loss of nearly $11 million recurring dollars in 2017-18, which USF would have shared in if designated Preeminent in 2017. But our institution’s leadership was more concerned about the second prong—pushing back the expected date by which USF could earn the Preeminent designation to 2020 or later when we project to reach a 4-year graduation rate of 60 percent. This is an unacceptable outcome for the Tampa Bay Region and for USF.

I have heard the USF System “should be grateful for the $42 million in increased funding it is receiving.” Let me be clear, we are very pleased. I would also like to point out that of the $42 million in increased operational funding the USF System will receive next fiscal year, nearly $35 million is from funding made available to all state universities awarded out based on institutional performance. Our local delegation worked hard to put the funding into those pots and the USF System worked hard to earn our fair share. That is what makes this preeminence decision so disappointing and something that requires an immediate plan for resolution.

Thankfully, leaders among our Tampa Bay Area Legislative Delegation, such as Senators Bill Galvano, Tom Lee, Darryl Rouson and Dana Young and State Reps. Danny Burgess, Janet Cruz and Shawn Harrison spoke out on USF’s behalf. We have secured a commitment that the leadership of the Florida Legislature is willing to sit with USF’s leadership and determine how best to get USF back on its appropriate path to preeminence. We expect this to happen as soon as practicable so we can bring a full resolution to this matter of significant concern and to report back to you immediately on this plan for resolution. Settling for anything less would be unacceptable for our institution and our region.

Brian Lamb is chairman of the University of South Florida Board of Trustees. 



[KUDOS]  Goodwill's CJ Bannister Honored By JFCS

CJ Bannister, a veteran who serves as the director of Goodwill Manasota's Veterans Services Program, was honored by Jewish Family & Children’s Service (JFCS) of the Suncoast during its 5th annual Tribute to Veterans Service to Community Awards Luncheon. Bannister served in the US Air Force, where she worked as a Crew Chief for three years and subsequently cross–trained to be a paralegal and worked with the JAG for the remainder of her service. She earned the rank of Staff Sergeant and earned many awards and medals before ending her military career as a non-commissioned officer in 2001. Bannister, who was nominated for the honor by Sarasota County Veterans Services, was hired in 2014 to lead Goodwill’s efforts to provide services to returning veterans, who face heightened risks of unemployment, personal problems and homelessness. She participates in Goodwill's Veteran's Task Force and assists numerous veterans’ organizations throughout the community. 

Experience Goodwill

[KUDOS]  Booker Middle Graduates 11 More Students From CNA Program

On Monday, May 15, newly pinned nursing assistants will cross the graduation stage and will be one step closer to fulfilling their dreams of becoming Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA).  The class of 11 will be the second cohort to graduate from the United Way Suncoast Booker Middle School Resource Center’s CNA program. The program was implemented to assist families in becoming financially stable and self-sufficient, as well as create access to career-laddering opportunities to begin a new chapter in their lives. Upon this graduation, 23 individuals will have successfully completed the rigorous seven-week program facilitated by the American Red Cross. 

CareerEdge Funders Collaborative

[KUDOS]  Circus Route Books To Be Digitized

The Ringling Archives have received a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) to digitize circus route books, dating from 1842-1969. Only 400 circus route books are known to exist. Similar to yearbooks, route books contain information about people, positions, events and the show’s season. After digitization and upload, these route books will become a storehouse of data useful to historians, researchers, writers, teachers and family historians all over the world 

The Ringling Museum

[SCOOP]  International Day of Yoga Celebration at Selby Gardens

Calling all yogis! Celebrate International Day of Yoga at Selby Gardens on Saturday, June 24th. Yogis of all ages and levels, studios and instructors are warmly welcomed. Head to the gardens with 10 of your yogi friends and at least one newbie at 8am to register for an 8:30am hour-long yoga session with DJ Neon Tiger mixing the tunes. This free donation-based yoga experience will benefit Selby Gardens and after you’re done with your downward dogs and warrior poses, participants will have free access to the gardens. 

Pineapple Yoga Studio

[SCOOP]  Perlman Music Program Alumni Performances

Don’t miss PMP’s Alumni performances this month. On May 17 from 6-9pm at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, a PMP alumni string quartet will perform Brahms, Mozart and Ravel to complement the horticultural and art displays of The Marc Chagall exhibition. Tickets are $50 ($40 for Selby Gardens members) and include full access to the Gardens, hors d’oeuvres and a complimentary craft cocktail, wine or beer. May 18 at 5:30 and 7pm, head to Gallery 21 at The Ringling. where PMP Alumni will play in the majestic gallery surrounded by classic European and American Art. Tickets are $15 and include admission to the Museum of Art’s permanent and special exhibition galleries and the Circus Museum from 5-8pm. On May 21 from 1-3pm PMP alumni return to Selby Gardens at Michael’s on the Bay. Prior to the performance, from 10am-12pm, PMP welcomes attendees to the Suncoast Instrument Petting Zoo, where everyone from two to ninety-two are invited to see, touch, hear or play a variety of string instruments and more! 

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens

[KUDOS]  Womens Resource Center Recognizes Three Wonder Women at its 2017 Founders Legacy Luncheon

Ashley Brown, president and CEO of the Women’s Resource Center, recognized three 2017 “Wonder Women” at the organization’s annual Founders’ Legacy Luncheon on May 5. Susie Bowie, executive director of the Manatee Community Foundation; Amanda Horne, co-owner of the Anna Maria Oyster Bar; and Dr. Jan Pullen, head of school at Saint Stephen’s Episcopal School were honored for their outstanding contributions to the community. The event also included a tribute to the organization’s founder and lifetime supporter Janet Entwistle. As Brown explained, “Wonder Women” are “women leaders who have made outstanding contributions in volunteer and/or professional activities in the areas of business, community leadership, education, healthcare, entrepreneurship or lifetime achievement.” 

The Women's Resource Center

SRQ Media Group

SRQ DAILY is produced by SRQ | The Magazine. Note: The views and opinions expressed in the Saturday Perspectives Edition and in the Letters department of SRQ DAILY are those of the author(s) and do not imply endorsement by SRQ Media. Senior Editor Jacob Ogles edits the Saturday Perspective Edition, Letters and Guest Contributor columns.In the CocoTele department, SRQ DAILY is providing excerpts from news releases as a public service. Reference to any specific product or entity does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by SRQ DAILY. The views expressed by individuals are their own and their appearance in this section does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. For rates on SRQ DAILY banner advertising and sponsored content opportunities, please contact Ashley Ryan Cannon at 941-365-7702 x211 or via email

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