May 3, 2013
Dear Students, Faculty, JU Parents and JU Community,
With the strong likelihood of inclement weather, we have decided to move Jacksonville University’s Spring Commencement ceremony indoors on Saturday, May 4, to the main auditorium of First Baptist Church at 119 W. Beaver St. in downtown Jacksonville.
The ceremony will begin at the originally scheduled time of 9:30 a.m. The venue is large enough to accommodate our entire JU community, and tickets will not be required.
Our decision was made in the interest of the safety and comfort of our students, their families and guests, and it will ensure that everyone may attend and enjoy the excitement of the Commencement celebration together in one place. The time and place of the Graduate Reception will remain unchanged: It occurs at 4 p.m. Friday, May 3, at the Alumni House, as originally planned.
For information regarding the Saturday venue change, including links to a map and directions to the First Baptist auditorium, please visit www.ju.edu. A .pdf with more information is available at http://www.ju.edu/commencement.
First Baptist is just 10 minutes from campus and easy to get to, but please be sure to build in ample time for yourselves to find the auditorium and park. First Baptist will offer plenty of free parking in its Garages 2, 3 and 4, which are all along Beaver Street on either side of the main auditorium.
We look forward to seeing you all on this exciting day, and again, many thanks for your flexibility and understanding.
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May 2, 2013
Dear Students, Faculty, JU Parents and JU Community,
I extend my warmest congratulations to all our Jacksonville University students graduating this Saturday, May 4. We have prepared a memorable program for this important occasion.
With the likelihood of inclement weather, we are evaluating best options regarding the event site. Our top priority is to enable all family and friends to experience the excitement of the Commencement celebration.
Right now, Option 1 is as originally planned: for Commencement to be held outdoors, beginning at 9:30 a.m. on the Science Green at JU. However, if weather prohibits us from doing so, we are finalizing Option 2: move the ceremony to the main auditorium of First Baptist Church at 119 W. Beaver St. in downtown Jacksonville (see directions and map at http://www.fbcjax.com/downtown/about-us/times-directions).
First Baptist is just 10 minutes from campus and easy to get to, and it offers plenty of free parking for our thousands of attendees. The venue is large enough to accommodate our entire JU community, and tickets will not be required. We are pleased to say all guests will be welcome (additional details on parking and other matters will follow on Friday).
While we have several on-campus options for an indoor Commencement, none would allow all families and their guests to enjoy the experience with their graduate in a single indoor venue.
IMPORTANT: We will announce the location of the ceremony at 1 p.m. Friday. Please watch for an email at that time, and visit our University website at www.ju.edu for the most up-to-date information and more specifics on the event.
We look forward to seeing you and your family members on this exciting day, and many thanks for your flexibility and understanding.
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April 19, 2013
Dear Faculty, Students and Staff,
Two words that should definitely fire you up this weekend: One Spark.
We all live in a great town; we learn and grow at a great university, and the two are located just 10 minutes apart. Many of you came to this area to be part of a stimulating environment, and right now through noon Sunday, right in our own town, is one of the most exciting events to hit our area in years.
One Spark (www.beonespark.com) is the first and largest crowd-funding event ever held in the United States, and it’s going on in a walkable, compact area just across the river from us in downtown Jacksonville. Many more One Spark celebrations are to come.
Our students, faculty and staff are being warmly invited to become part of this enterprising brainchild by attending and voting on startup projects being pitched throughout the event.
I was downtown two nights ago for the kickoff evening, and experienced -- along with more than 25,000 other local residents -- something truly special happening. Music, performances, creative pitches, dancing, educational lectures and so much more are taking place, all in a spirit of creativity and sharing. This is just the type of event that makes this city unique, and shows the potential for the connections between Jacksonville and JU.
I hope all of you will consider venturing out to this remarkable event. This is our “South By Southwest,” folks, and we should try to soak in as much of it as possible.
Chances are you may even run into some people with JU connections who are participating, like Stephanie Glen ’06, who’ll be at The Jacksonville Landing pitching her ground-breaking “Number Hunter” educational math TV show, or JU Annual Fund Coordinator Gracie Simendinger, who tells us she’ll be “anywhere and everywhere” helping out as a volunteer.
I invite you to be among the tens of thousands experiencing this phenomenon. It’s close by, easy to get to, and parking is free.
One Spark is geared toward the types of people we know excel at JU: intellectually curious folks looking for cutting-edge ideas, innovation and entertainment.
We live in a great town … and at a great school. To help both thrive, we need to all thrive together. Go enjoy One Spark.
March 8, 2013
To our students, faculty and staff,
As we continue to work together to keep Jacksonville University on its upward path, I want to touch base with you on several topics.
Florida Georgia Line concert
I would like to thank the JU community for your extraordinary support of the Florida Georgia Line performance, the largest on-campus concert in this University’s history. Last night, nearly 3,000 people heartily gathered on our campus for a celebration of music and friendship. The interaction among the students, alumni, faculty, staff, Board members and the broader community was unprecedented and heartwarming.
I’d like to particularly recognize and thank Josh Earley, Kaiti Chambers and Codee Fuquay for their hard work and preparation. We should also pay tribute to Derek Hall, Gordon Bass and Mike Bobbin for all they did to make this momentous JU community event possible.
Based on last night’s success, plan to see more of these type of events in the future!
JUSA election
I hope you will join me in congratulating the students listed below for their recent selection as your Jacksonville University Student Alliance (JUSA) representatives. I know many of these students personally; they are going to be great ambassadors and leaders of this campus in the coming year.
President: William Baxley
Vice President: Keith Taylor Jr.
North Campus: Marcus Noah, Luis Grossling
South Campus: Yasmeen Stogden, Brittany Bush, Taylor Salameh
Commuter: Christina Robb, Mackenzie Sanchez
College of Business: Joseph Ramsey, Zachary Azzarito
College of Fine Arts: Max Orozco
College of Arts and Sciences: Christie Charlebois, Youssef Ajjawi, Kelsey Wiggins, Chris Beachler
College of Health Sciences: Nathan Cook
Student Athlete: Kristina Robbins, Zoe Rocke
ROTC: Alyssa May Cardona
International Student: Jia-Siang Leong
Panhellenic: Bridget Korczyk
Interfraternity: Ryan Wagner
At-Large: Kelsey Martin, Courtney Jimenez, Brett Durda, Megan Tully
Campus beautification
You may notice a substantially increased level of activity on our campus as it relates to the grounds, plantings, walkways and landscaping. In increased cooperation with our partners, we are committed to making our campus more beautiful for all of us to enjoy.
I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.
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February 18, 2013To our students, faculty and staff,
Thank you all for your warm welcome during my first few weeks on campus. I’ve had a chance to walk our beautiful surroundings a number of times, and chances are some of you have even run into me.
Whether grabbing lunch at the cafeteria, attending our excellent Career Expo, roaming the library, seeing a great concert at Terry Concert Hall, gaining a new appreciation for the world of Orthodontics at the Lazzara Building or taking in so much of the action of our men’s and women’s athletic teams, I’ve been impressed with everyone I’ve met. The conversations have been open, honest and thought-provoking.
I want to keep that momentum going with all of you -- faculty, staff and especially students. Hearing your ideas and suggestions is so valuable to me as I work to keep Jacksonville University on its upward path.
So, let’s keep talking.
I’m setting aside some time each week for open office hours, where you can walk in and just say hello, shoot the breeze, tell me what’s working (or isn’t) and offer your ideas and solutions, too.
For starters, I’ve set aside 2:00 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, in DCOB Room 151, for you to stop by. After that, open office hours will be from 2:00-3:30 p.m. on the following dates:
- Thursday, March 7 – MSRI 226
- Thursday, March 14 – Lazzara 202 (Community Room)
- Thursday, March 28 – Oak Hall 153
So please consider adding one of these dates to your calendar. I’ll be there and hope you will, too. Let’s keep working together to make Jacksonville University the best it can be.
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