MARCH 2021 | HARBOR NOTES NEWS | USF ST. PETERSBURG CAMPUS
RETURNING TO CAMPUS
USF preparing for a full return to in-person courses and on-campus activities in fall 2021
The University of South Florida is preparing for a full return to pre-COVID in-person course delivery and on-campus student activities beginning with the fall 2021 semester, USF President Steve Currall announced in a message to students, faculty and staff. In addition, USF intends to significantly increase the number of in-person classes and student activities offered on all campuses in summer 2021, especially during the summer session B that is scheduled to begin on June 28. READ MORE
FLOODING & SEA LEVEL RISE ACT
Florida House Speaker visits USF's St. Petersburg campus to unveil robust plan to combat flooding and sea level rise
Florida House Speaker Chris Sprowls visited the University of South Florida’s St. Petersburg campus to announce a broad legislative package that would designate $100 million per year to offset the effects of flooding and sea level rise in the state.

Using the campus’ picturesque waterfront as a backdrop, Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, a USF alumnus, outlined his vision before a group of lawmakers, university leaders and members of the media. READ MORE
STUDENT SAVINGS
Textbook affordability initiative saves student body more than $1 million
A textbook affordability initiative at USF’s St. Petersburg campus has saved the student body more than $1.08 million over the past five years, dropping the average cost of course materials per credit hour from $44 to $26.

Begun in 2017 to address the rising costs of textbooks and educational materials used in classrooms, the initiative has spurred the campus to amass a combination of textbooks on reserve, e-books and online journal articles that are available to students. READ MORE
NEW BOARD MEMBER
Lawyer and community leader Lisa Brody appointed to USF St. Petersburg Campus Advisory Board
The University of South Florida Board of Trustees appointed Lisa Brody to a four-year term on the USF St. Petersburg Campus Advisory Board.
 
Brody is the assistant deputy director and managing attorney for the St. Petersburg office of Bay Area Legal Services, the largest nonprofit public interest law firm in the Tampa Bay area. Brody joined the firm in 2002 and supervises the delivery of legal services to income-eligible clients in Pinellas, Manatee and Sarasota counties. READ MORE
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Associate dean of Nelson Poynter Memorial Library receives national award
Kaya van Beynen, the associate dean of the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library and USF Libraries Research and Instruction, has been named the 2021 Distinguished Education and Behavioral Sciences Librarian Award winner.
The prestigious award is given each year to an academic librarian who has made an outstanding contribution through accomplishments and service to the profession. READ MORE
THE MOTHER-FATHER-BABY TRIANGLE
New book explores family dynamics during pregnancy and early infancy
For more than 25 years, Psychology Professor and Family Study Center Director James McHale has been supporting researchers and clinicians in seeking to better understand the three-person, or triangular, relationship system created by two parents and babies in diverse families.

A new book edited by McHale and former doctoral student Regina Kuersten-Hogan, an associate professor of Psychology at Assumption College, has gathered family researchers from six different nations to pose a new question – when does this triangle first begin exerting its influence? READ MORE
BUILDING COMMUNITY
Student Life & Engagement director receives Legacy Leader Award from national college union association
Dwayne Isaacs, director of Student Life & Engagement, has received the 2021 Legacy Leader Award from the Association of College Unions International (ACUI). The award, which is voted on by fellow ACUI members, recognizes individuals who have been instrumental leaders in building community by promoting the role of the college union and student activities on campus. READ MORE
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