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CAS thanks faculty and staff for their service[04.14.2014]
TAMPA, Fla. -– The University of South Florida College of Arts and Sciences hosted a lunch Wednesday, April 9, 2014, to honor its long-term faculty and staff. In total, 112 faculty and staff were recognized for their service.
The afternoon started out with a nice lunch and light conversation, followed by the award ceremony. Faculty of five years were called up to receive their gift card to the bookstore, then 10-year faculty and staff, then 15-year faculty and staff and so on until 35 years or more were called up to the front. The room filled with applause.
“Let’s not crash walkers into each other,” joked Elizabeth Bell, associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, as she called the names of faculty and staff who worked for 25 years or more, which she called “the silver group.”
Once all faculty and staff were honored and awarded, Department of Mathematics and Statistics Professor Manoug Manougian Ph.D., was called to speak about his 45 years at USF. He held up a black and white photo of an underdeveloped lot with hardly any buildings.
“This is a picture of USF,” Manougian said to his fellow staff. “I look at it every day to remind myself how much it has changed.”
Manougian filled the room with his memories from when he first started out at USF in 1968. He described the evolution of the campus, going from a land of sand and transforming into a beautiful campus with impressive buildings such as The Interdisciplinary Sciences Building, the Library and the Marshall Student Center. In a short period of time, the enrollment rose from a mere 40 students to 1,600. This is a testament, Manougian said, to the quality of education at USF.
“Yes, much has happened at USF since 1968,” Manougian said. “Back in my early years, it was hard to find people familiar with this ‘jewel in the dessert’ called USF. Today you’ll find that people are well versed about USF.”
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Eric Eisenberg, said that working at USF has given him the opportunity to impact lives and build something unique.
“I have been at USF for 20 years, and coming here was the best professional decision of my life,” said Eisenberg. “I am especially fond of the faculty I have known all this time, who have witnessed all of these miraculous changes along with me.”
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Filed under:Arts and Sciences Faculty Awards CreditsAuthor: Melissa Moreno Contact: