Today marks the start of the 19th annual University of Florida Campaign for Charities, a campus effort to raise money for local and national nonprofit organizations. Last year, UF raised more than $1 million.

The campaign asks UF employees to donate to a list of 90 local charitable agencies, including the American Cancer Society, the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Alachua County Humane Society Inc.

“Imagine the impact of $1 million invested in our community each year by the generous employees of the University of Florida,” said Susan Crowley, University of Florida Campaign for Charities’ executive director. “In these times of diminished nonprofit budgets, our UFCC funds are vital to many agencies.”

The program started in 1993, and in each of the past six years, UF has raised more than $1 million.

“The UFCC has been the top charitable campaign in the SEC for six years,” Crowley said. “We are consistently among the top five universities in the nation in similar giving campaigns”

Employees can donate through payroll deduction, cash, check or direct bill. Online donations can be made using myUFL or the campaign’s website, www.ufcc.ufl.edu.

Donors can give to a specific charity, or they can contribute a general donation to support all 90 agencies.

The campaign runs until Oct. 24.

Buckman residents saved .81 kilowatt-hours per resident, per day in February 2011 compared with February 2010. This is a savings of 3,773 KWHs in Buckman Hall for February 2011 compared with February 2010. (.81 KWHs savings multiplied by 137 residents multiplied by 34 days on the meter reading.)

This year, 18 out of 23 residence hall communities used less KWHs per resident, per day. The KWHs savings were moderate and ranged from .03 to .81 KWHs less per resident, per day in these 18 halls. Five halls used more KWHs per resident, per day in February 2011 ranging from .10 to .52 KWHs more per resident, per day. One hall was excluded from the competition because of a disqualified meter reading from February 2011.

Cost savings campuswide as a result of this competition were minimal and are viewed in the context of a year-long budget for utilities. The utility charges campus residents pay are a pass through cost included in semester rent. Utility charges for the fiscal year are set each March and are based on usage averages established over many years and the prevailing KWH rates charged by local utility providers.

“Challenging residents to be more conscious of energy consumption is an excellent way to educate them about their responsibility within a global community,” said Sharon Blansett, Housing Green Team captain. “This year a high percentage of residence hall communities saved energy during the contest period.”

The Eco-Challenge: Battle of the Halls competition is co-sponsored by the Inter-Residence Hall Association and the Department of Housing and Residence Education Green Team. A water conservation contest was held in January and other conservation challenges occurred during the competition. Next week the overall winner of the challenge will be announced. The winning residence hall community will be recognized at a celebration to occur prior to Finals Week.

This was illustrated by a recent project exploring malaria elimination on Zanzibar. We needed medical doctors and biologists to obtain malaria and mosquito data, geographers and statisticians to map disease risk, climatologists to address seasonal risk, sociologists to help quantify human travel, mathematicians and computer scientists to model malaria transmission, economists to estimate the costs of eliminating malaria, and lawyers to explore plan implementation.

Just a snapshot of the skills needed, this shows why UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute (www.epi.ufl.edu) has been established. By fusing disciplines, EPI will develop outreach, education and research capabilities designed to preserve Florida’s health and economy, and to prevent or contain new and re-emerging diseases.

Andrew Tatem
Assistant Professor
Emerging Pathogens Institute,
Department of Geography

This tag line states that “The Gator Nation is Everywhere.” The UF International Center is charged with ensuring that this remains true. From our significant numbers of international graduates (residents of more than 100 countries) to the large cohort of international students (3,917 with homes in 134 countries, at latest count) to the number of countries (52) where more than 2,000 UF students study abroad annually, we really are everywhere.

Why, you might ask, is The Gator Nation so internationally committed? The simple answer is: Because it’s the right thing to do. We live in a world that is so intimately interconnected that a great institution cannot function responsibly without a significant global commitment – and we are a great institution!

David Sammons
Dean, UF International Center

Why do we get sick? Why do we get diseases like cancer and hypertension, the ones scientists call ‘complex diseases’? Is it something in the environment, something we do or in our genes? Why do some people, more than others, seem more prone to certain diseases?

These questions are at the heart of new research in the Department of Anthropology and the Genetics Institute. Our work is combining genetic and sociocultural data to investigate risk factors for hypertension. Lance Gravlee, a medical anthropologist, and I are studying hypertension because it is a condition subject to family history (genes) and also the environment (what you eat, how much money you make, etc.) Furthermore, it is subject to biological and psychological factors such as stress, which may result from racial discrimination and help explain why African Americans have a high prevalence of hypertension.

For more information on this research, visit www.clas.ufl.edu/users/cmulligan/Webpage/, www.gravlee.org/research/ and www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0006821. For information on a community collaboration project in Tallahassee, visit
healthequityalliance.org/.

Connie Mulligan
Associate Director, UF Genetics Institute

The University of Florida is well known for prestige in academics and athletics, and now it’s your chance to continue this success by participating in the 2010 Census. The census information provides more than $400 billion in federal funding each year for the next 10 years. This funding goes toward transportation, education, health care and more. The census also determines the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Hopefully you are familiar with the “You+Me=CensUS” campaign. This is part of an awareness campaign by the 2010 UF Bateman Team, UF Administration and UF Student Government.
The 10-question census will arrive in mailboxes in March. Each off-campus household should fill out a single form and mail it back by April 1. Campus residents will receive instructions from their facilities’ staff. You will not be included on your parents’ form unless your full-time residence as of April 1 is with your parents.

It’s essential everyone participate so that the city and The Gator Nation receive deserved funding. For more information, visit
www.2010.census.gov.

Go Gators!
2010 UF Bateman Team

At the Bob Graham Center for Public Service, these statistics caused us to ask what contribution our university is making to prepare students for active citizenship. In addition to the excellent education provided, are we specifically training students to become the citizens our democracy requires, or do we assume that a fine – but general – education is sufficient?

Derek Bok’s book, “Our Underachieving Colleges” (2005), makes a compelling case that colleges need to do more. Bok will be at Digital Worlds Institute at 3 p.m. on Feb. 23, to start a dialogue that we hope will result in a more visible focus on civic engagement.

The Bob Graham Center also has received an Americorps grant, “Making Citizens.” This will assist in efforts to increase the number of immigrant staff and community members who take and pass the citizenship exam, help new citizens become active community members, and train Americorps members/students to become more engaged citizens.

For more information, visit bobgrahamcenter.ufl.edu.

Ann Henderson,
Director, Bob Graham Center

InsideUF includes:

• A biweekly print edition, which appears as the entire page three of the Alligator. This page is produced and paid by University Relations;
• The UF homepage, www.ufl.edu, lists two daily stories from a more extensive online version of InsideUF;
• The complete, daily updated e-newsletter is available at http://insideuf.ufl.edu/ or may be accessed by clicking the blue “InsideUF” on the UF homepage.

The daily online version provides campus news, such as upcoming events, awards and more. Next time you do an Internet search for UF news, you’re likely to read a posting from InsideUF. Stories from the online version are read approximately 2,500 times per month.

To make a submission, please coordinate with your college or unit’s communication professional. Submissions should be sent to insideuf@ufl.edu at least two weeks prior to an event.

Susan Stewart
Editor, InsideUF
Associate Director, Public Relations

We are pleased to start 2010 with several major developments here at the University of Florida.

Perhaps most prominent, UF colleges and departments are already in the process of hiring as many as 100 new faculty members. Made possible by judicious budgeting and increased tuition revenues, we are one of the only higher-education institutions nationwide to have such a large hiring campaign. Given the tight job market, we anticipate superb candidates, which should help to reverse the brain drain that accompanied our several years of budget cuts.

Earlier this week, we reached a major milestone in one of our most ambitious and far-reaching research initiatives: The grand opening of the Pathogens Research Facility. Tuesday’s events marked the completion of the 80,000-square-foot building dedicated to combating the growing threat of new and evolving diseases. The new facility, which includes biosafety labs and other unique features, will give our researchers in the Emerging Pathogens Institute all the tools they need to remain on the front lines in this important battle. This is an issue of vital importance to people everywhere, not to mention Florida’s economic engines of tourism and agriculture.

Later this spring, we will advocate for several important UF and higher-education causes in the 2010 legislative session. Of particular interest, we will ask state lawmakers to create a Blue Ribbon Commission to study the Florida Bright Futures Scholarship Program. We hope the commission will look into several issues, including the possibility of modifying the scholarship to create more need-based scholarships and summer school funding.

It is an exciting time to be at the University of Florida. Thanks to all of you for all your continued support. Your loyalty means the world to us as we embark on the many challenges ahead.

Have a great spring, and Go Gators!

Bernie Machen,
President

The program includes visits to laboratories of more than 50 researchers, a speaker competition for the top 25 senior-level high school researchers in Florida, and an opportunity for ninth- and 10th-grade students to give presentations about their research. Students are invited to bring posters to display throughout the symposium.

Another component of JSEHS is UF faculty lectures. This year’s speakers include Dr. Lyle Moldawer, vice chair of research, Laboratory of Inflammation Biology and Surgical Science, and Charles Telesco, professor, department of astronomy.

JSEHS is hosted by UF’s Center for Precollegiate Education and Training, the U.S. Armed Services and the Academy of Applied Science. For more information, please visit www.cpet.ufl.edu/JSEHS or call 352-392-2310.

Mary jo Koroly
Director, Center for Precollegiate
Education and Training

What a wonderful place to call “work”!

UF is grateful for you, too, and seeks to demonstrate that gratitude through the variety of benefits it offers its employees. Beyond its outstanding health and retirement plans, the university offers a range of programs to improve your life and well-being.

This year, as you make your New Year’s resolutions, keep in mind the health-related programs offered through Living Well, Healthy Gators 2010 and the Employee Assistance Program. Broaden your horizons by signing up for a training program, taking a college course through the Employee Education Program or by visiting the UF library.

I hope you will join me this holiday season in pausing for a moment of gratitude for the abundance that surrounds us.

Paula Varnes Fussell
Vice President for Human Resource Services

So how does the arts community find and foster the next generation’s patrons?

The University of Florida Performing Arts Student Encore Circle was created to engage students interested in the arts, support other arts organizations through volunteer efforts and coordinate social events infused with meaningful artistic learning. Members support the arts while also receiving exclusive benefits, like backstage tours.

My fellow Gators, consider the worth of your time and money. The habits we form here can encourage the beginnings of a life-long appreciation for the performing arts.

For more information on the Student Encore Circle, visit http://www.performingarts.ufl.edu.

Mallory Zuckerman
President, Students for the Performing Arts

Another example is the international competition, Solar Decathlon Europe. A group of DCP faculty and 75 students is leading a multi-college team to design and build a full-scale house powered entirely by solar energy. The house, constructed and tested in Gainesville, will be deconstructed and shipped to Madrid, Spain, for the final construction and exhibition next May. This serves as an excellent hands-on learning experience for the students involved.

Staying at the global level, an interdisciplinary DCP faculty team will offer a master’s program in sustainable design in Singapore. The program will integrate distance education and on-site instruction. Along with the Bachelor of Science in Sustainability and the Built Environment launched last fall, DCP is supporting UF’s well-deserved reputation as a national leader in advancing sustainability.

Christopher Silver
Dean, College of Design, Construction and Planning

Nothing could be more important when many students, faculty and staff will have been in some way affected by this year’s flu virus. Various departments within the university, along with the Alachua County Health Department, are working together to ensure campus safety in response to this year’s H1N1 influenza illness.

The Student Health Care Center will assist in vaccination efforts for seasonal and H1N1 influenza shots. We are expecting the H1N1 vaccine on campus this semester, and a plan is in place to initially vaccinate those considered high risk or who have direct patient-contact. As more doses become available, high volume vaccination initiatives will likely occur.

A Web site, www.ehs.ufl.edu/H1N1/, will serve as the primary communication tool for university efforts this flu season — including frequently asked questions and self-care guidelines. If you have questions or want to discuss your symptoms, contact your health care provider.

The fall is always a busy and exciting time as we face new challenges, but if we work together we can meet these challenges head-on and charge forward to a successful and healthy spring!

Take care,
Phillip L. Barkley, M.D.
Director, UF Student Health Care Center
Clinical Associate Professor, Community Health & Family Medicine

They represent new beginnings, and strong, long-lasting foundations — especially relevant as we establish new homes for important components of UF and Shands HealthCare. Soon we will open three major buildings: the Shands Cancer Hospital at UF, the Biomedical Sciences Building and the Emerging Pathogens Institute. More than just bricks and mortar, the facilities represent our commitment to offering the best medical treatments, to improving scientific and scholarly research collaboration and to ensuring excellence in education across the health sciences.

They open their doors at a time when we are implementing our vision of an integrated academic health center, bringing together the Health Science Center and Shands such that the whole is greater than its parts. In doing so, we’ll better position ourselves to define our niche in the marketplace, maintain our national leadership status in the realms of research and education and continue to excel in delivering topnotch patient care. This strategic synergy will propel us forward.

I’m excited about what we will accomplish. The building blocks are in place. Let’s move ahead together.

David S. Guzick, M.D., Ph.D.
UF Senior Vice President for Health Affairs
President, UF&Shands Health System