Supporting Students at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

Every school at every level has the same challenge in the face of the coronavirus pandemic—what do they do to keep students safe while still maintaining educational deliverables? The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee is taking extra steps to ensure that the 2,100 students it serves have the support, resources, and opportunities they need to successfully complete their studies. 

One example of the “extra steps” occurred when Regional Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Success Brett Kemker, Ph.D., learned that students were experiencing challenges in connecting with faculty via email when they returned from Spring Break and shifted to full online course delivery, as mandated for all of Florida’s public colleges and universities. He immediately decided “the best thing our student success team could do was reach out to students personally by phone, just to check in and offer our support.” To no one’s surprise, he notes that, “the call-outs have been very well received.”

Megan Dudley, a sophomore majoring in Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, was one student who benefitted from the outreach efforts. “In my time as a student at USF Sarasota-Manatee, I’ve never felt more connected to a school than when I received the call from Student Services,” she said. “I was asked if I had any trouble adjusting and if they could be of assistance. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of concern they had for my academic success.”

Before the call was over, Dudley was able to schedule a phone appointment with an academic advisor to prepare for summer and fall course registration. “This call made me very appreciative of the amount of support I received from USF Sarasota-Manatee. The Student Success team could not have been more helpful at a time like this.”

USF Sarasota-Manatee was ready for the challenge of delivering courses remotely. Prior to the start of the pandemic, around 50 percent of its courses were already being delivered online to better meet the varying needs of students’ busy schedules. Moving the remainder of those courses to fully online was far easier than for some schools that had few, if any, online courses already running. The quality of USF Sarasota-Manatee courses, too, remains high in both of its online-learning platforms: real-time synchronous instruction for live audio and video, and asynchronous instruction, which enables students to complete assignments at their own pace.

“The collaboration across all of the USF campuses, among staff and faculty and here on this campus, has been tremendous,” E-Learning Services Associate Director Timi Hager said. “I think everyone feels we’re all in this together. It’s been inspiring.” Hager has been instrumental in strengthening the campus’ E-Learning Services office that provides a certification program, Quality Matters, to help faculty incorporate best practices into their course work, including the use of interactive lessons and video presentations.

Clara Villanueva, USF Sarasota-Manatee’s Associate Director of Development, notes that “it has been extraordinary to witness the USF Sarasota-Manatee community mobilize and pivot the spring semester to 100 percent virtual instruction, and I am particularly humbled by the efforts of our academic leaders as they provide extra care for the safety and well-being of our students and staff.”

More than that is happening, though. Because so many USF Sarasota-Manatee students remain in the area after earning their degrees, it makes sense that many now comprise the healthcare providers, teachers, hospitality workers, and military veterans in our community. Some USFSM student veterans have been called back into active reservist duty, while other students are working overtime shifts on the front lines to care for the increasing number of COVID-19 patients.   

Other USF Sarasota-Manatee students are experiencing the challenges of the stay-at-home mandate in different ways. Compared to typical college students—many of whom might be riding out this situation at their parents’ homes—some USF Sarasota-Manatee students are more likely to have their own households to support. Due to the shutdown of local restaurants and other businesses, quite a few of those families are facing unemployment, which means many could struggle to afford their continuing studies. To put it plainly, economic and food insecurity are becoming real and growing issues. 

But USF Sarasota-Manatee realizes that, and is acting. On March 30, they opened a new food pantry on campus to address food insecurity among some students. The “Support-A-Bull Pantry” will be sustained by campus donations and the Sarasota-based All Faiths Food Bank, which will provide non-perishable items.

At the same time, a special and separate appeal is being made to USF Sarasota-Manatee faculty and staff to support the pantry and other student programs through monetary donations during the annual Faculty and Staff giving campaign, which runs through July.

Villanueva adds that for anyone who is interested in helping, the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus has established two funds: the Support-A-Bull Food Pantry Fund and the Stay the Course Scholarship, which provides emergency relief for students facing financial hardship. “Should you wish to make a tax-deductible gift,” she says, “please call The Office of Advancement at University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee at 941-359-4603.” 

“We take great pride in being a close-knit community at USF Sarasota-Manatee, where we all work together to enhance our community through the power of education and a commitment to helping others,” said USF Sarasota-Manatee Regional Chancellor Karen Holbrook. “This will not change during these challenging times. In fact, our spirit of community and helping each other has been on full display during this pandemic and is one of the reasons we will emerge from this stronger than ever.”

From USF Sarasota-Manatee, we’ve come to expect nothing less.

For more information on the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee, please visit www.sar.usfsm.edu or call 941.359.4603.