A Note from the Dean
Greetings
from Turlington Plaza! I hope this issue of Alumni CLASnotes finds you well,
especially for those of you here in Florida who endured a very intense hurricane
season last fall. Though Hurricanes Frances and Jeanne were particularly rough
in North Central Florida, our campus withstood the storms with only minimal
damage and has quickly rebounded. For those of you who were not so fortunate,
our thoughts are with you, and we hope you have been able to recover and rebuild.
In the eye of the storm was our own Stephanie Abrams, who earned a bachelor’s
degree in geography from UF in 1999, and is now an on-camera meteorologist for
The Weather Channel. Abrams brought comfort, as well as live forecasts, to millions
across the state while reporting in the midst of all five storms. I recently
had the chance to meet Stephanie and, I must say, I am continually impressed
by the caliber and dedication of the alumni we have produced.
From top presidential advisor Charlie Black to forensic investigators Heather
Walsh-Haney and John Schultz, it is clear that our alumni do not settle for
just making a career for themselves, they are working to make a difference in
the world. Today, our college has no greater mission than to prepare our students
for the increasingly interconnected world in which we all live and compete.
We have many programs and initiatives in our college geared at making a difference for our students—African Studies, European Studies, the Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, the Land Use and Environmental Change Institute, the France-Florida Research Institute and the Paris Research Center—where students learn about the world and prepare for leadership roles in their careers.
Your support in helping these programs continue to excel and making our students competitive in the world market is vital. We cannot compete with the top institutions without your help, and aiming for anything but the top echelon does not do justice to the extraordinary quality of our students. They are wonderful ambassadors, and you can be proud of their achievements and activities around the world.
Neil S. Sullivan, Dean
sullivan@phys.ufl.edu
Photo:
Jane Dominguez