Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorNovember 12, 2014

A large man in a black bear suit walks onscreen in a YouTube video. He stops in the middle of some guys tossing around two basketballs, makes some awkward 80s dance moves, and then moonwalks off the screen so well even Michael Jackson might have been impressed. More than 100 of my students watch the video […]

Guest AuthorNovember 11, 2014

My favorite time of year is autumn, when the weather is perfect and I am reunited with one of my loves: pumpkin spice latte. Everywhere I look I see pumpkins, golden-colored leaves, and children running around in their costumes eating leftover Halloween candy. And, of course, let us not forget about the wonderful breaks and […]

Guest AuthorOctober 14, 2014

My friends in the Human Resources world are noticing an alarming trend. Colleges and universities are pumping out thousands of highly qualified students eagerly awaiting their first paycheck in the workforce. Unfortunately, simply completing the necessary coursework and earning a high grade point average isn’t enough to make them a productive member of today’s fast-paced […]

Guest AuthorOctober 1, 2014

America the Beautiful. The words punch the elevator button in our memory, and trolley up meanings and classroom images from our innocent years in fourth grade. For the spacious skies of Montana. Amber waves of grain, swirling and roiling across an ocean of Kansas wheat fields. Purple mountain majesties reigning over Colorado. But you really […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 28, 2014

I’ve lived in Central Florida for more than 15 years and in that time I’ve seen quite a few serious weather events affect our community. Though the hurricane season starts in the summer, around here we tend to become especially aware of the storm possibilities in the early fall, when more tropical activity spins up […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 23, 2014

We live in a fast-paced society, driven by technology and air conditioners. What would be the motivation for someone to get outside their box and go outside? I have spent most of my life outdoors. I identify with nature; it is my home. But too many miss the opportunity to understand the value and relationship […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 10, 2014

Michael Brown was “no angel,” The New York Times reported, and “a handful” who later “overcame early struggles in school to graduate on time.” Trayvon Martin was a polite, shy volunteer, CNN informed us, while pointing out his 10-day drug-related suspension from school. Some media sources don’t attempt to show both “problems and promise.” Brown […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 3, 2014

The first few weeks of the school year can be overwhelming, especially at a university of nearly 60,000 students. As a graduate student, I see an uncertain, frightened look in the faces of many new students wondering what to do and how to succeed. So I want to share the advice that has helped me […]

Guest AuthorAugust 17, 2014

Everyone in the world eats salad of some sort. We enjoy all the different ingredients in our salads depending on what we have a taste for at the time. We expect the different types of ingredients we select to bring their own flavor to the bowl. When it is mixed just right, depending on the […]

Guest AuthorJuly 29, 2014

It’s a sweltering summer Sunday night in El Paso, Texas, at the city’s new downtown baseball stadium, where the local Triple-A team, the Chihuahuas, is leading the visiting Tacoma Rainiers at the seventh-inning stretch. As the hammerlock of the day’s 102-degree heat begins to release its grip, a sellout crowd of 8,607 fans rise to […]

Tag: UCF Forum

Laurie Uttich: The social media mirage — and what we’re missing

Vu Tran: Winter is coming – with its pressures and joys

Todd Dagenais: University working to make athletes “market-ready graduates”

Rick Brunson: One small candle of truth dispels a lot of darkness

Melody Bowdon: Weathering the storm surge of social media

Alaina Bernard: Get outside the box – and go outside!

Laurie Uttich: Don’t label teens dying in our streets — we mourn them all

Vu Tran: Be the best you can be – and then some

Anthony B. Major: Goldsboro and the lessons of diversity

Rick Brunson: As migrant crisis grows, Texas town responds with class