Maria Osterhoudt remembered as someone special

Maria Osterhoudt

Maria Osterhoudt was remembered Monday by her colleagues at the Tarpon Springs Campus as a talented, smart, loving person who would do anything for anyone.

“If she was here today she would be the one going around giving everyone a hug to try to make them feel better,” Provost Conferlete Carney said. “She had many, many friends here.”

Osterhoudt was killed Saturday night when she was shot in the head. Her husband Alan has been charged.

“Maria Osterhoudt was one of the most gifted people that I have ever known,” said Susan Cornett, Communications instructor at the Tarpon Springs Campus. “Any creative endeavor to which she put her mind and her hands exhibited her superior talent. She painted, using bold and vivid colors, including creating the ocean on a wall next to her pool by filling it with life-size tropical fish of every hue on a Caribbean blue background.

“She played classical and jazz piano with style and had even played professionally when she was younger. Her talents in web design have benefited both the college and her students over the years, and she was always on the cutting edge of the newest ways that technology could be used from basic power point to flash and animation. Most importantly, Maria knew no strangers and was always quick to flash an open and welcoming smile. “

Senior Security Supervisor Joe Berry was the recipient of many of those smiles. “She was really special,” he said. “She would always greet me with ‘how are you today officer Berry’?”

Math instructor Aurania Z. Stephanides was another close colleague who has fond memories.

“Employees can be replaced, but people can’t. Here at SPC, we are not just employees. We are skilled, talented, and creative people, who connect to each other. Maria Osterhoudt was one such person. Professor O was an O-utstanding professor and human being, who will be missed because of who she was as an educator and as a person.”

Funeral services for Osterhoudt will be at 11 a.m., Saturday, March 10 at Mt. Olive AME Church, 600 Jones Street in Clearwater. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Creal Funeral Home, 1940 7th Avenue South, St. Petersburg, 896-2602.

Her sister provided the following address for cards and condolences:

Professor Maria Osterhoudt
C/O Sylvia Clark
8121 Nightingale Road
Brooksville, FL 34613

News coverage of Osterhoudt’s death included:
Hernando Today (Tampa Tribune)
Tampa Tribune
News Channel 8
ABC Action News
Bay News 9
Tampa Bay Times
My Fox Tampa Bay

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Interfaith forum on voting at the Seminole Campus March 14

Questions about how faith influences voting decisions will be discussed by a panel of local religious leaders in Keeping the Faith at the Ballot Box, an upcoming interfaith forum at the Seminole Campus Digitorium on Wednesday, March 14 from 9:30-10:45 a.m. The forum, sponsored by the Humanities and Fine Arts department and the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions, is free and open to the public.

Speakers representing several religious traditions will discuss the relevance of their faith for establishing the criteria by which members select political leadership. Following their presentations and discussion, the panel also will field questions from the audience.

“The goal of this forum is to consider the importance of an informed world view in making important decisions,” said forum moderator Steven Sinclair, Assistant Professor of Religion. “A religion has limited significance if it is not relevant to choosing those who possess the authority to make binding ethical decisions for us at every level of civil government.”

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Basketball teams again qualify for state tournament

You can watch the men’s and women’s basketball teams compete in the 2012 FCSAA/NJCAA Region VIII State Championship beginning March 7 at Chipola College in Marianna.

The men (8-0, 19-7) will play in the first game of the tournament at 1 p.m. March 7 against Santa Fe College, the runnerup of the Mid-Florida Conference.

The women (7-3, 24-5) will meet Daytona State College, the Mid-Florida Conference runnerup, in game three on the women’s side at 8 p.m. March 8.

Be sure to also check out the brackets for the men’s and women’s teams.

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Madrigalians to perform at Carnegie Hall March 11

The Madrigalians, the college’s “music ambassadors,” will perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City on Sunday, March 11 at 8:30 p.m. The ensemble will perform a concert in collaboration with the New York City Chamber Orchestra and two other ensembles.

They were invited by Manhattan Concert Productions, said Vernon Taranto, Director of Choral Activities at the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. “They said that they would love it if we would be a part of this particular performance.”

The Madrigalians, a select choral performance ensemble comprised primarily of music majors, has performed nationally and internationally. In 2008, they performed in SPC’s Musical Ambassadors Russia Tour in which the group traveled to Russia to perform for audiences in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Orenburg. This will be the Madrigalians’ first performance at Carnegie Hall.

“We invite all different choral ensembles from across the country to submit recordings to see if they’re at the caliber that we’re looking for to perform,” said Barbara Van Pelt, Director of Administration at Manhattan Concert Productions. “Each group will bring their own singers and will combine together with a guest conductor.”

Their performance is part of the production company’s Masterworks Series that will take place March 8-12. Fifteen choral ensembles will rehearse and perform, and three of those groups will perform in each concert.

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SPC debuts new marketing campaign

St. Petersburg College unveiled its new brand and advertising campaign today, the result of months of research to hone a consistent message for the college, which has grown and changed dramatically in the past decade.

The college’s new tagline, Within Reach, exemplifies St. Petersburg College’s mission: to be an accessible, affordable foundation for student success in a wide range of educational areas.

St. Petersburg College serves more than 60,000 students annually online and at 10 locations throughout Pinellas County. Educational offerings range from courses for self-improvement, certificates, continuing education, associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees and, through the University Partnership Center, graduate degrees from partner universities.

This short video, sent to all employees Tuesday, gives an overview of how the brand message was developed, what it means and how everyone at St. Petersburg College is an integral part of putting students’ goals and dreams within reach.

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Volunteering at SPC now just a click away

If you are looking to share your talents as a volunteer at St. Petersburg College, we just made it easier. The Office of Volunteer Services recently launched a new online volunteer system that makes it simple to make a volunteer connection.

To get started, you can complete the online application process, and then log on 24/7 to search for opportunities at SPC that fit your schedule, talents and interests. Additionally, you can update contact information, upload an image of yourself and print out individual volunteer hour reports as needed. Information sessions will be held for volunteers at various campuses to introduce the new system.

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P. Buckley Moss to speak at Clearwater Campus March 20

P. Buckley Moss, who often is referred to as “the People’s Artist,” will speak at the Clearwater Campus on Tuesday, March 20 at 7 p.m. as part of the “Conversation with an Artist” series. She will speak about learning outside the classroom.

Moss, who resides part-time in St. Petersburg, is known for her paintings of nature, farm life, family and friends. She is an alumnus of New York’s prestigious Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Success did not always come easily for her. In school, she was perceived to be a poor student because she was dyslexic, but Moss achieved great success through art despite her learning difficulties.

As an adult, she has devoted a great deal of her time and effort to helping others. The P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education promotes the integration of art into educational programs with a focus on teaching children with learning differences. The foundation has helped to fund scholarships, awards and grants. Donations of her art also have raised more than $4 million for charities across the U.S.

During her visit to SPC, Moss will speak with students, staff and the public about the devotion of art and how it can be used in the classroom.

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SPC student offered internship after speaking before the Belleair Town Commission

Danielle Zupansic with son Bradley Zupansic

When Public Policy and Administration senior Danielle Zupansic spoke before the Belleair Town Commission Jan. 17, she wasn’t expecting to be offered an internship. The 24-year-old single mother addressed the commission and 175 attendees regarding the future of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel in a three-minute speech that was met by applause from pro- and anti-Belleview Biltmore participants.

After her presentation, Zupansic was approached by J.P. Murphy, Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Belleair.

“We talked a bit about it and he asked if I would be interested in an internship,” Zupansic said.

On Friday, Feb. 16, she will fill out paperwork for the internship and begin working for the Town of Belleair in an ongoing assignment.

“They’ve mentioned some projects I’ll be helping work on, such as the water system and disaster plans for the Town of Belleair,” she said. “If I do a good enough job, it might be kind of a career. It’s all happening so fast. I just spoke at the meeting about a month ago, and now it’s turned into something much bigger.”

Zupansic was only two weeks into her Policy Leadership class when Instructor Jeffery Kronschnabl mentioned the commission meeting, which was geared to provide opposing sides an opportunity to speak about the future of the ailing historic hotel.

Kronschnabl was looking for a student to speak about the topic at one of the council’s future meetings, giving the student ample time to prepare and present during class sessions. An ordinarily shy Zupansic surprised herself and her instructor by volunteering to speak that night.

“It was a topic that I was interested in,” she said. “It was sooner than I expected to get up and speak, but I figured you have to take your opportunities when they come up.”

The rest of the class was spent working together to help Zupansic brainstorm questions and an approach that would be appropriate for the meeting.

“It’s kind of a collaborative thing, which is part of what the class is about,” Zupansic said. “The class addresses collaborative leadership, trying to teach us about what is important about being a leader of public policy. It was still intimidating, but I felt more prepared.”

Kronschnabl partly attributes the success of her speech to her approach and understanding of collaborative partnerships.

“The government wants it, citizens want it; we just need to nudge them a little and take them there, and she took them there in her speech,” he said. “I expected her to get a good response, but I did not expect her to get a job offer on the spot. It truly is outstanding.”

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SPC in the News

The Seminole Beacon covered the recent graduation of 31 recruits from the Allstate Center’s Corrections Academy. The recruits will go to work for the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office Detention and Corrections Bureau.

The Beacon also previewed the Feb. 29 ethics forum on global citizenship featuring Benjamin Barber at the Seminole Campus.

The Tampa Bay Times noted the Feb. 24 St. Petersburg College Band Concert, the upcoming high school opera competition the college co-sponsors, an Opera at the Dali event featuring SPC adjunct instructor Caroline Ogle and quoted Palladium Manager Paul Wilborn in a story on acclaimed photographer Bud Lee.

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Community forum on Midtown education center

SPC will hold a community forum about the college’s plans for a new Midtown education center. The forum will be at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 16 at the Enoch Davis Recreation Center at 1111 18th Ave. S, St. Petersburg.

Listen or share your ideas as St. Petersburg College develops plans for its new center, located adjacent to the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center. Kevin Gordon, provost for SPC’s Midtown and Downtown centers, will be there. For more information, contact Bea Steele at steele.bea@spcollege.edu or 341-3338.

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