Welcoming UNF's new president Dr. Moez Limayem
UNF’s new president, Dr. Moez Limayem, started on Aug. 1 as our seventh president in the school’s 50-year history. Limayem (Luh-MY-em) comes to UNF from the Muma College of Business at the University of South Florida, where he servesd as dean and provided vital guidance and success in raising more than $126 million in gifts to the college. He succeeds interim president Dr. Pamela Chally, who served from September 2021 through July 2022, and Dr. David M. Szymanski, who served from 2018-2021. Learn more about Dr. Moez Limayem.
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UNF soccer alum starts professional career in OrlandoThais Reiss, a standout student-athlete and UNF alumna, recently signed with the National Women’s Soccer League Orlando Pride as a midfielder. Reiss joined the UNF Women’s Soccer team in 2016 after being spotted by an assistant coach during a trip to Brazil. She earned numerous accolades during her tenure at UNF, including ASUN Freshman of the Year, ASUN Player of the Year and UNF Female Athlete of the Year. Learn more about Reiss’ journey to professional soccer.
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UNF engineers contributions realized with Webb TelescopeTwo UNF engineers are seeing the fruits of their labor more than a decade after contributing work on the James Webb Space Telescope. Materials Science and Engineering Research Facility director Dr. Paul Eason and Dr. Philip Brooke, managing engineer with Exponent and UNF undergraduate engineering alum, worked together to flight certify composite panels for the telescope in 2010. The telescope launched into space on Dec. 25, 2021, and has since captured images in space that are truly mesmerizing. Learn more about how their work has impacted the final goals of the telescope.
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HCA Florida Healthcare partners for nursing simulation center
UNF and HCA Florida Healthcare, a leader in operating healthcare facilities in Florida, have launched a fully interdisciplinary simulation center that will deliver hands-on training to UNF Brooks College of Health nursing students. The HCA Healthcare Center for Clinical Advancement at the University of North Florida will be located at the UNF MedNexus facility on the Florida State College at Jacksonville Deerwood campus. This program will offer an incredible training opportunity for students to safely learn all levels of care and practice hands-on skills before entering clinical training at hospitals and medical centers. The program uses “Manikins” that can replicate experiences found in a hospital and allow students a chance to learn in different scenarios. Learn more about the simulation center and our partnership with HCA.
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Alum crowned Ms. Wheelchair USASara Gaver, a UNF health administration alumna and Jacksonville resident, was crowned Ms. Wheelchair USA 2022 and will start a year-long national speaking tour. Gaver was born with Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita, a condition that requires her to use a wheelchair and necessitates 24-hour medical assistance due to the limited use of her arms and legs. She is a strong advocate for access and disability rights. She currently works as a sales analyst for a global software company and does freelance social media management. Learn more about Sara Gaver and Ms. Wheelchair USA.
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Special Engagement Lecture - Malcolm Turnbull on "China: The Asia-Pacific Struggle for Control"
Date and Time: Wednesday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m.
Location: UNF Fine Arts Center, Lazzara Performance Hall
Cost: Free, but e-tickets required. Tickets are available
Former Prime Minister of Australia Malcolm Turnbull will speak as part of the World Affairs Council's lecture series tackling global issues.
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Healthcare Symposium and Alumni Reunion
Date: Friday-Sunday, Sept. 23-25
Location: Adam W. Herbert University Center
Cost: Symposium - $99, Alumni Reunion - free to all Health Administration alumni, however, registration is required
The Brooks College of Health invites its alumni to participate in a multidisciplinary conference aimed at educating, engaging and connecting students and professionals through relevant sessions about challenges in the healthcare industry. The official symposium will take place on Sept. 23-24. Meanwhile, The Alumni Reunion will take place on Sept. 24-25 and will include golf, VIP Reception, dinner at the beach, brunch and other activities.
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"Fore" Scholarships Golf Classic
Date: Monday, Sept. 26
Location: TBA
Foursome Packages: TBA
Join UNF Athletics at the annual "Fore" Scholarships Golf Classic for a day of golfing, networking and more to help raise money for student-athlete scholarships.
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13th Annual Roar and Soar Jaguars Alumni Tailgate
Date and Time: Sunday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m.
Location: TIAA Bank Field, 1 TIAA Bank Field Drive, Jacksonville, FL 32202
Cost: $55-$65
Join the Alumni Association for the 14th Annual Roar and Soar Tailgate as the Jags take on the New York Giants. The tailgate will be back at the grassy Flex Field lawn next to the stadium with an elevated brunch menu, classic tailgate yard games, vendors, giveaways and more. Ticket and tailgate packages are available along with add-ons for season ticket holders.
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Dr. Tara Rowe, Ph.D., '11, '13, '19
Dr. Tara Rowe serves as the Associate Director of the Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and the Director of the THRIVE Program, which supports students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). She holds a master’s degree in special education and disability services, as well as a doctorate in educational leadership from UNF.
She received the 2022 Debra Husted Memorial Dreams Can Come True Award, which is given annually to an outstanding educator who provides exemplary transition services to their students with disabilities. A former student who submitted Rowe as a nominee said she embodies what this prestigious award represents for educators and students. “She’s a paragon of leadership, education, inclusion and a true advocate and pioneer for progressive change,” the student said.
Originally from British Columbia, Canada, Rowe left the cold weather in favor of the Australian sunshine coast where she spent five years working, teaching and traveling. Fluent in American Sign Language, she led a team of teachers educating in a deaf school.
After traveling to Florida, she visited UNF and learned about the deaf education and interpreting program and decided to study special education. “There’s a really good school for the deaf and blind in St. Augustine,” said Rowe. “I thought that’s where I was going to work. But then I was at UNF and never left.”
Rowe said the most important thing she learned during her time at UNF was the necessity of engaging on campus with faculty and staff. As a freshman, she met her mentor, Dr. Webb, who was both a full-time faculty member and the director of the Disability Resource Center. Dr. Webb admired how she was able to see things from both the faculty and administrative perspectives. Rowe originally assumed she’d use her special education degree as a classroom teacher, but Webb encouraged her to follow her passion and switch to Disability Services. “I’ve traveled all over the country with her writing research proposals,” she said. “It’s been really cool to see all that stuff happen simply because somebody else saw that I was good in this area, and I had no idea you could make a career out of it, and then to see it lead to where I am now.”
While pursuing her master’s degree, Rowe worked as an in-home behavioral therapist, concentrating on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). She noted “doing [her] in-home therapy job taught [her] so much about how to engage and build rapport with individual clients” which was helpful in her earlier years of connecting with struggling students who had a disability she wasn’t as familiar with.
Dr. Rowe is proudest of the growth of the THRIVE program. In 2012, after hearing concerns from some ASD students who were struggling outside of the classroom, she worked with Dr. Webb to create this program to help them with their independent living skills, career skills and social skills. She observed they “actually used the ABA model when developing the THRIVE program.” This structured peer-mentoring program for SAS started with six students in 2012, and is now celebrating its 10-year anniversary with 136 students enrolled.
Her favorite part of the job is working with the students, getting to connect with them across all disciplines and seeing the impact. Students on the spectrum who are participating in THRIVE have an opportunity to become paid mentors to incoming students on the spectrum. “That cycle has really shown the positive empowerment that happens when students are given these opportunities,” Rowe said.
Rowe feels like it’s important to have representation across campus, as she is involved with orientation, housing and other student groups to be able to create inclusive experiences for the students. She was also able to connect with others across the nation by attending a number of conferences with some of her students. “There’s so much stuff that happens when we travel and present together, but it’s so important for them to experience it because those are really good practice opportunities for career skills – just like job networking.”
Recently, she has been trying to organize a reunion for former SAS students to celebrate the 10th anniversary of THRIVE. When not at work, Rowe enjoys spending time with her two children (ages 4 and 6), either playing outside or going to the beach.
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