OCTOBER 2021 | HARBOR NOTES NEWS | USF ST. PETERSBURG CAMPUS
REMOVING OBSTACLES
USF receives $1.2 million gift to expand assistance to students with intellectual disabilities
The University of South Florida announced a $1.2 million gift from Andrew and Eileen Hafer to benefit UMatter, an innovative program in the College of Education created to provide young people with intellectual disabilities the opportunity to experience higher education and campus life. Hosted at the USF St. Petersburg campus, the program provides young people with intellectual disabilities learning and social skills, along with career training, to assist them with becoming competitively employed and living independently. READ MORE
PRESERVING STATE HISTORY
Governor appoints professor to Florida Historical Commission
A history professor known for his groundbreaking research and archival work on early Spanish Florida has been appointed to the Florida Historical Commission (FHC) by Governor Ron DeSantis.

Michael Francis, the Hough Family Endowed Chair of Florida Studies at USF St. Petersburg campus, was named to the commission along with four others. READ MORE
IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE
St. Petersburg Science Festival and MarineQuest goes virtual
People throughout the Tampa Bay area and beyond can get inspired, engage their curiosity and deepen their knowledge of science and art at the St. Petersburg Science Festival and MarineQuest on Saturday, October 16.

Like last year, the immersive experience connecting scientists, environmental organizations and cultural institutions with the public will be held virtually due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE
INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
International students adjust to life at USF despite challenges posed by global pandemic
USF is home to nearly 4,700 international students from 140 different countries, and for many of them, it wasn't easy to get here. The global pandemic presented all kinds of challenges, including delayed visas, medical tests and vaccinations. 

We talked with several students to hear about their experiences and what they overcame to study in America in the midst of a global pandemic. READ MORE
TELLING THE CITY'S STORY
Alumni's contribution chronicling history of local African American communities honored with key to the city
In 2002, journalist Jon Wilson heard about African American residents and businesses being displaced in the historic 22nd South Street corridor of St. Petersburg. He visited the location, talked with those affected, many of whom had been in the area for generations, and filed his story.

What started as a singular piece on the changing character of a community would turn into nearly two decades of chronicling the African American experience in St. Petersburg. READ MORE
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
New assistant program director for Office of Multicultural Affairs hopes to create safe space for all students
As the new assistant program director for the Office of Multicultural Affairs, DeWayne Anderson wants students to have the same college experience he did, where he felt welcomed and supported.

Anderson credits his mentor, who worked in the multicultural affairs office at his university, for helping him find a career in higher education.
FINDING A PASSION
Student wins graduate history award, conducts research in Spain on de Soto expedition to Tampa Bay
Morgan Greig has always been interested in history. But it wasn't until he enrolled in a paleography course where he studied historical manuscripts and learned to read Spanish documents from the 16th century that he discovered his focus.

Since then, Greig has traveled to Spain three times to conduct research with his professors and classmates and recently won the 2021 Leland Hawes Graduate Student Essay Prize in Florida Studies. READ MORE
IN THE NEWS