PEL Honors Program presents panel in Orlando

Participating students included (l-r) Yadira Montes-Rivera, Lora Vineberg, Michelle Kiekenapp Nelson, Daryl Osburn, Dean Lloyd Chapin, Scott Maxwell, Andrew Latimer, Noel Lake, and Andrew (A. J.) O’Connell.  Professor Lloyd Chapin and Honors Director Catherine Griggs accompanied the students.

Students from the 2015-16 Program for Experienced Learners (PEL) Honors Program presented a panel titled Politics and Prose: Honors Texts and Contemporary Issues at the Magic of Honors 2016 Southern Regional Honors Council Conference held in Orlando from March 31-April 2. 

Student presentations explored the ways that engaging great texts empower honors students to achieve excellence in the world, particularly in the highly charged environment of a political campaign year. Dean Chapin moderated the panel.

After a successful, well-attended panel presentation, the group relaxed in a Cuban restaurant in Orlando.

The PEL Honors Program is designed for students who appreciate challenging coursework, are willing to take on in-depth projects, enjoy discussing complicated material, and engaging in scholarly discussions.

The Southern Regional Honors Council provides students the opportunity to interact with honors program students from eleven Southeastern states and Puerto Rico.

Tampa campus office manager wins Creative Loafing award

Craig Anderson '15 with Professor Helen Wallace at the awards event.

by Anne W. Anderson

photo by Alaina Tackitt

Craig Anderson '15, PEL's Tampa campus office manager and PEL academic writing coach,  has won the Readers' Pick Award for Fiction in Creative Loafing's 2016 Writing Contest  for his story "Lucky Stars". This year's contest attracted more than a hundred stories and poems, each addressing the theme of Green.

Fiction judge and local novelist Sheree L. Greer, commented that in Anderson's story, "which made it to my personal top three . . . green was about a rebirth and an implicit challenge to discover. The main character, Frankie-but-not-really, learned lessons in aim — from the misfire of a dart to the deliberate stroke of a thumb."

Creative Loafing editor David Warner read the fiction entries and selected the top ten, which he then sent on to Greer. Greer, who also teaches creative writing, composition, and literature courses at St. Petersburg College, selected first, second, and third place winners. (Read Greer's thoughts about the fiction entries HERE.)

All poetry entries were read by St. Petersburg Poet Laureate and Eckerd professor Helen Pruitt Wallace, who made her selections. (Read Wallace's thoughts about the poetry entries HERE.)

How does a green ninja turtle figure in to Anderson's story?

Additionally, the top ten entries in both categories also were posted on line for readers to choose their favorites. Winners and finalists were feted at a Reading and Issue Release Party on March 16 -- hence the Green theme -- at Creative Loafing's event venue, CL Space, in Ybor City.

Not only was Anderson's story readers' favorite, it also inspired the artwork for the March 17 issue cover, which contained the article about the contest winners.

Anderson, who graduated last year from Eckerd College's Program for Experienced Learners with a degree in Human Development and then returned for a minor in Creative Writing, has been accepted to Arcadia University's low-residency Creative Writing MFA program. He begins this August with a session in Philadelphia and travels, for the 2017 session, to Edinburgh, Scotland. Anderson's work also has appeared in Glitterwolf Magazine (issue 5), The Legendary (October 2014), and the 2014 Eckerd Review.

Anne W. Anderson is PEL's director of blended and online learning.

Out and About; Alumni News; Faculty/Staff News

Left: Julee Breehne, PEL admission counselor, attended a Transfer Fair for students who have earned their A.A. and are considering their next-step options. Pictured with Julee is Steve Ford, St. Petersburg College's Workforce Internship Program coordinator who also was working the fair, which was held on the Tarpon Springs Campus of St. Petersburg College. Julee and Kathy McDonald, PEL's director of admission and recruitment, attend similar education and career events on an almost weekly basis.

Right: Eckerd PEL's display at the GROW Financial Federal Credit Union Education Fair sponsored by the Tampa Bay Higher Education Alliance, of which Eckerd College PEL is a member.

Kathy McDonald, PEL's director of admission and recruitment, attended the fair, which was held in Tampa on May 4.

Alumni News

 

Forest Balderson '13 (Creative Writing) was honored recently when his poem "Dancing to Death" was selected for inclusion in plain china, the national literary review of undergraduate creative expression. The poem was first published in the 2015 Eckerd Review. Balderson currently is pursuing a master's degree in non-profit management and philanthropy at Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. 

Ed Mahon '86 (Business Management), who subsequently earned a doctorate in management (DM) from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and an MBA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has written a new book, Transitioning the Enterprise to the Cloud: A Business Approach. More formally, Dr. Edward G. Mahon is the Vice President for Information Services and Chief Information Officer for Kent State University in Kent, Ohio.

Teresa Mast '15 (Business Management) has filed for the District 2 seat on the Sarasota County School Board. Mast was the 2015 PEL Commencement speaker.

Note: An alumni class includes all students who graduated between June of one year and May of the next year. For example, students who graduated in August 2015 are considered part of the Class of 2016.

What's new with you? Share your good news two ways:

• Share your personal and professional updates by emailing us at pelsuccess@eckerd.edu. We reserve the right to format announcements to fit style and other considerations. 
• Share Instagram Photos via live update on the Eckerd Alumni Engagement page by including the #EckerdNotes hashtag. 

Faculty/Staff News

Professor James Welch earned, this past month, a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction through the College of Education at the University of South Florida, Tampa. Welch's dissertation was titled "Developing Ethical Leadership in the Post-Enron World: An Analysis of Business Ethics Education in National Liberal Arts Colleges in the United States" Welch holds advanced degrees in business management, business administration, theology and law. Welch, a Command Chaplain with the Army Reserve, also recently was promoted to the rank of colonel.

PEL alumnae Renee Hamad '10 and Mary Miller '97 honored

Renee Hamad '10 with Eckerd College President Donald Eastman III.

On March 5, 2016, at the Alumni Award Breakfast, two PEL alumnae received awards from President Donald Eastman and Professor Catherine Griggs on behalf of the Women’s Resources Committee.

Renee Hamad ‘10 received the WRC Gender Justice Award. She is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of PEL. Renee served her internship at the Women’s Resource Center of Sarasota County and became so engaged in helping the women who used the center that she continued to volunteer and offer material support after the internship ended. She was the President from 2012-14 and continues to serve on its board.

Currently Renee is working to fund and establish more scholarships for the Daughters for Life Foundation, which offers awards and scholarships "to young women of any Middle Eastern nationality or background, whether Arab or Israeli, and regardless of religious affiliation, whether Muslim, Jewish, or Christian. Our goal is to invest in their potential for leadership and foster their success in whatever fields they choose to pursue."

With her daughter, a medical doctor, Renee recently sponsored a fundraiser in Sarasota that raised money for two scholarships, and she plans to continue this work

(l-r) Prof. Catherine Griggs, Mary Miller '97, and EC President Donald Eastman III.

Mary Miller ‘97 received the WRC Professional Achievement Award. Mary Miller is a graduate of PEL and has been a trustee of Eckerd College for many years. She was instrumental in inspiring the foundation of alumni chapters in PEL, of sponsoring events to bring alumni, faculty, and students together, of organizing a tennis tournament to raise funds, of sponsoring a scholarship and loan program, and of instituting the David and Blanche Colgan Memorial Prize for a graduating PEL student.

In nominating her for an alumni award, a PEL student wrote: “Mary Miller for her tremendous dedication to PEL students and Eckerd College.”

In 2004 Mary and Dan Miller pledged a gift to Eckerd College that resulted in the complete renovation of the Dan and Mary Miller auditorium, making it a premier venue for film. Mary has been a longtime supporter of film programs at Eckerd College.

2016 PEL Alumni Reception Photos

TechnoTips: 3 ways to help promote PEL on Facebook

by Anne W. Anderson

PEL changes lives! We know that, but what can we do to help spread the word? Tell someone.

A 1980s shampoo commercial started out with one woman telling two friends about her great shampoo. They told two other friends who each told two other friends . . . until, before long, the screen was filled with women using the product.

Today, we have other ways to tell friends. And, even if you only have a few Facebook friends and hardly ever post anything, you can still help PEL share the good news about the program. Here are three easy ways:

First: Find and Like the Program for Experienced Learners Facebook page

Log in to your Facebook page. In the searchbar at the top of the page (big red oval in the image to the left), type in Program for Experienced Learners and click the magnifying glass (search icon) or click Return/Enter.


As the second image (right) shows, you may not have to type the entire name. If a drop-down menu with a link to the PEL page appears (see red arrow) just click on the link.

The PEL Facebook page (below) should appear.

Yes! The PEL program has its own Facebook page!

Currently, we have 931 people who have Liked the page by clicking on the Like button (circled in red).

If you Like the page, then when PEL's social media managers Craig Anderson and Janice Writt post something to the PEL page, the post will show up someplace on your timeline page, the page you see when you open Facebook.


How this helps: The more people who Like the PEL page, the more seriously Facebook treats PEL posts.

This means people who have Liked the page are more apt to see the posts at the top of their timeline page, and it means the Eckerd PEL page might start appearing on the right rail of other people's screens. In other words, it helps PEL get more exposure.

 

Second: Like and Comment on posts. 

Like: When you see a post from PEL on your timeline, Like it (see the red circled area in the image to the right) by clicking on the Like word/icon. Nothing special happens on your page, but it tells Facebook people are paying attention.

If the post contains a link to one of our newsletters, click on the link and read the article -- or not.

Comment: Even better, leave a Comment. Even a couple of words like "Great news!" or "This sounds like good information." or even an emoticon face will add weight to the post. The post also may appear on some of your friends' timelines with a small note that says you commented on this post. Now you not only have told us you saw the post but you also have begun to help your friends see the post . . . kind of like posting a note on a bulletin board.

How this helps: Liking a post does two things: It helps keep our social media managers from feeling lonely and lets them know people are paying attention. It also helps Facebook take the post more seriously so more people see it.  Commenting on a post takes the sharing one step further and creates a bulletin-board post on your timeline page.

Third: Share a post.

Click on Share and you deliberately place the post on your timeline page. Now the post appears more prominently, and it is more likely that your friends may Like or Comment on it, too. Check out these two articles to learn more about the differences in effect between Likes, Comments, and Shares. Want more information about the math behind how Facebook weights posts? Read this article about EdgeRank.

Tell a friend -- or two or 2000+ -- about PEL!

1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 + 32 + 64 + 128 + 256 + 512 + 1024 = 2047 people reached in just 10 interactions

Anne W. Anderson is PEL's director of blended and online learning. 

Coming in April: Think Outside the Major, FREE professional photos, Dress-to-Impress field trip, Career Fair & more!

Akin-Tunde Akintewe '15 (Visual Arts) will be part of the April 6 panel.

Navigating the college-to-career-to-career-to-college-to-career maze can be challenging even for PEL students, most of whom already have, to some extent, established themselves in the working world. Never fear! Check out these panel discussions, workshops, and other opportunities sponsored by Eckerd College's Career Services, a program of the Center for Career Planning and Applied Learning:

Wednesday, April 6, 7-9 p.m. in Fox Hall (CPS) "Think Outside the Major," hosted by Associate Dean and Executive Director of the Center for Career Planning & Applied Learning Andrew Black and PEL Executive Director Amanda Hagood, is part of the College Program Series. This term's panel will be moderated by Jacob Kent '18, a current residential student majoring in Communication and features:

• Akin-Tunde Akintewe '15 (PEL/Visual Arts), Regional Narrowband Technical Manager with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command,
• Chapin (Ellinger) Bellina '94, Associate Publisher of Marketing for Entertainment Weekly, and 
• Kaiya Waddell '06, Industry Manager for Democratic Politics at Facebook.

Mentors from the Eckerd community, including Diplomat in Residence Donna Oglesby and Dean of Students James Annarelli, also will be on hand to answer questions and offer insight into how to transition from classroom to career. This panel discussion is part of the College Program Series (CPS).

Thursday, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. (CPS) "Coming out in the Workplace" in Miller Auditorium Fox Hall. Please note the venue has changed! [Updated 04/04/16 at 4:02 p.m.]

Saturday, April 8 at 10 a.m. Dress to Impress Field Trip to International Mall in Tampa. Meet at the mailboxes at 10 a.m. Email Krystal Fogarty at fogartkm@eckerd.edu to reserve your spot.

Monday, April 11, Noon to 4 p.m. First Impression, Fashion, Elevator Pitch, Networking resources, and Professional Photos for LinkedIn. Look for tables to be set up on campus.

Employers filled Fox Hall at a 2015 Career Services Fair.

Wednesday, April 13, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Eckerd College Career & Internship Fair, held in Fox Hall, features more than 50 area businesses representing a variety of fields. Director of Career Services Grant Bailey said, in an email, the companies attending represent a variety of fields including finance, marine science, research, technology, and sports.

Employers attend the Eckerd College Fair because they value Eckerd's reputation for fostering skills such as "collaborative leadership, innovation, analysis and critical thinking, problem solving, research, oral and written communication skills, and a commitment to service," according to the information sent to interested employers.

PEL students are welcomed, and students do not need to register for the event.

"Simply show-up in professional attire, as if you were going to an interview," Bailey wrote. He also suggested students bring copies of their resume, preferably in a nice folder.