Dear Friends of Silverfield College,

I am continually grateful for the exemplary faculty and staff members of Silverfield, as they demonstrate a deep passion and commitment to serving the community within their day-to-day roles. It is in the moments outside of their official duties when their dedication to our community truly shines through.

Recently, our college participated in the Dreams Come True 5K, benefiting children with life-threatening illnesses or limiting medical conditions. Despite it being hosted early on a Saturday morning, our team showed up eager to make an impact. I want to thank all the members of our college who dedicated their time and resources in support of this life-changing nonprofit organization.

Next week, several staff members will be participating in the UNF Preschool’s Trunk or Treat. The celebration will give back to the children enrolled in the preschool, as staff will represent our college and support our preschool’s programming. This event is just the beginning of exciting festivities coming from the preschool this academic year in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

I invite you to learn more about the incredible faculty and staff who make up the Silverfield College of Education and Human Services in our 2025-26 Silverfield Annual Report.

Thank you once again to our faculty and staff for showing up every day and making our college a pillar in our community. Swoop!

Sincerely,

Congrats to our Silverfield honorees at the 2026 UNF Faculty Awards luncheon! These awards highlight excellence in teaching, scholarship, service and innovation.

• Dr. Madalina Tanase - Outstanding Graduate Teaching and Outstanding Faculty Service
• Dr. David Hoppey - Outstanding Graduate Teaching
• Dr. Amanda Pascale - Outstanding Faculty Scholarship
• Dr. Stephanie Smith - Outstanding Adjunct Teaching
• Dr. Elizabeth Hale Rozas - Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching

Silverfield sport management alumnus Austin Weeks gained hands-on experience with Sporting JAX, working across marketing, community relations, ticketing, operations and game-day experiences. His internship eventually led to a full-time role as Sporting JAX’s Community Relations and Fan Experience Coordinator.

Learn more about Austin Weeks.

Dr. Caroline Guardino, Silverfield Endowed Professor in special education and Director of the exceptional student education programs, joined leaders in Deaf education at NextSense in Australia, where she shared her research and expertise as a keynote speaker with educators from Australia and New Zealand. Her presentations highlighted international research on culturally and linguistically responsive teaching, differentiated instruction and supporting d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing multilingual learners and students with disabilities.

Dr. Elizabeth Gregg, Silverfield Endowed Professor in sport management, was quoted through Jax Today’s news article “How Jacksonville’s unprecedented commitment to girls’ sports sprouts opportunity.”

Dr. Tara Frazier, Associate Director of THRIVE and SAS, was an invited podcast guest speaker on the topic of “Beyond the Word ‘Transition’: Whose Future Are We Preparing For?” She is the current president of the Council for Exceptional Children’s national Division on Career Development and Transition.

Dr. Steve Dittmore, Dean of the Silverfield College of Education and Human Services, , received the 2026 Ron Gabriel Award from the Society for American Baseball Research for his book, "Jim Gilliam: The Forgotten Dodger." The award honors the author(s) of the best research on the subject of the Brooklyn Dodgers completed during the preceding calendar year.

Conner Thompson is a proud double Osprey, earning his bachelor’s degree in English from UNF in 2016 and his master’s in English in 2017. He is now completing his Ed.D. in educational leadership at Silverfield, after which he plans to pursue a career in research and teaching as an assistant professor in the field.

This August, Conner became the college’s doctoral fellow and program manager for grants and dissertations, where he supports pre-award grant development and edits doctoral dissertations. He also teaches composition. He first joined Silverfield as a graduate research assistant in 2025, after eight years teaching high school English, where he founded his school’s English dual enrollment program.

Outside of work, Conner enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife, whether rock climbing, backpacking, fly fishing or cycling. This winter break, they are heading to Patagonia to trek in Chile and climb in Argentina.

UNF receives NSA grant to lead regional AI cybersecurity curriculum and teacher training initiative

The University of North Florida received a National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity grant of more than $700,000 from the National Security Agency to develop curriculum on AI cybersecurity for K-12 students and teachers and expand access to emerging technology education across Northeast Florida.

Read more in the UNF Newsroom.

Silverfield professor explores the future of counseling in the age of AI

An associate professor in the school counseling program at the University of North Florida, Dr. Rakesh Maurya is exploring how emerging technology can support counselors while preserving the human connection at the center of the profession.

Read more in the Silverfield Newsroom.

UNF graduate student turns a passion for gaming into a career helping build UNF Esports

For Claire Campo, esports has always been about more than competition. What began as a childhood pastime playing Call of Duty with her younger brother has evolved into a career path, a research focus and a mission to help establish the University of North Florida as a leader in collegiate esports.

Read more in the UNF Newsroom.

Silverfield professor examines how supporting educators can help students succeed

Dr. Raven Robinson-Wilson studies what helps educators build the confidence, motivation and skills they need to thrive in the classroom and how stronger support for teachers can ultimately create better learning experiences for students.

Read more in the Silverfield Newsroom.

Saturday, Oct. 24 | 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. | J.B. Coxwell Amphitheater

Explore interactive activities, connect with faculty and students, and discover the exciting work happening across UNF in STEM.

Learn more about STEM on the Lawn.

Wednesday, Oct. 28 | 6:15 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Building 57, Room 1100A (and Zoom)

An in-person panel featuring education leaders from across Northeast Florida will discuss school and organizational safety from their perspectives as educational leaders.

The event will also be available via Zoom.

Collect aluminum tabs from soda cans, tuna cans, mushroom cans, olive cans and more, and bring your collected tabs to campus.

Tab collection deadline: Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2026
Tab collection location: Dean's Office (Building 57, Room 3600)

Silverfield College Of Education and Human Services

University of North Florida

1 UNF Drive

Jacksonville, FL 32224

(904) 620-2520