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Best Orientation Exercise
     Last fall’s incoming freshmen at Jacksonville University got to know one another while lending a helping hand to the underprivileged. Getting a head start on their 50 hours of mandatory community service—a requirement for all JU undergrads—more than 100 students cleaned up Woodland Acres, an impoverished neighborhood. JU students painted three homes and a senior citizens community center, did landscape work, filed patient records at The Women’s Health Center, and volunteered at Woodland Acres Elementary School. "Everybody here is talking about JU," says Joyce Bizot, neighborhood coordinator for the Arlington-Beaches district of the city’s Neighborhoods Department. "We’re all so proud of the kids. They’re truly making a difference."

Best Feathered Friends
     Birds of a feather flock together, and Stetson University students united for a common cause last November—their 45th year of serving local community-service agencies. Through "Greenfeather," a campuswide fund-raising event, fraternities and sororities, residence halls, Circle K International, Baptist Campus Ministry, and honoraries joined forces to raise about $7,000 with activities including a chalk-art contest, a yard sale, and a bachelor and bachelorette auction. "Greenfeather is a great time for the Stetson community to work together and give back to the local area," says Kelly Dewey, chair of the 1999 Greenfeather Committee. "It’s a long-standing tradition that continues to burn brighter each year. Greenfeather is a great opportunity to get involved with service, leadership, and just plain fun."

Safest Skies
     The newest student association at the Florida Institute of Technology definitely is taking off. In March 1999, Lynda Bottos, a grad student in aviation science, founded the first-ever student chapter of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. "The purpose of the society is to promote air safety through exchanging ideas, experience, and information about aircraft and even spacecraft accident investigation," Bottos says. With more than 100 member-countries in ISASI, FIT boasts the only chapter entirely student-led and recognized as a student group at a school. The organization invites experienced guest lecturers and tries to point students in the right career direction. "Accident investigation is a very difficult job but also an important one," says Sharon Kennedy, Florida Tech’s ISASI president. "As the motto states ‘We hope to make aviation safer through investigation.’"

Best London Bridge
     "I am bloody excited for school" is the phrase buzzing around Florida State University. Because of its outstanding studies in London for 27 years, FSU now has a second home in Europe. Located in the middle of the British city, the eight-year-old Florida State University London Study Center consists of six connected buildings.
     Sessions range from a few weeks in the summer to a full year of traditional academic studies taught by FSU faculty and guest instructors. Students in majors such as theater, merchandising, design, and English meet renowned designers, tour cultural museums, visit historical sites, and also travel to Paris. "As our society becomes internationalized, it’s extremely important that students have an international experience," says James Pitts, FSU’s director of international programs. "Preparation for the new century needs to include the understanding of other cultures." With that in mind, FSU recently expanded its overseas offerings to include sessions in Vietnam, Russia, and Panama.

Best Senior Perks
     "Better late than never," echoes from the classrooms of Okaloosa-Walton Community College. To encourage nearby retirees to continue their education, OWCC introduced "PRIME Time," (Positive Retirement through IMaginative Education) classes that build a strong tie between the college and its retired friends. The returning students enjoy the landscape design course, "Gardening in Paradise," a class on native birds, and "Authentic Belly Dancing," which develops strength, increases energy, nurtures the creative drive, and builds self-confidence. Other courses include "Chef’s Choice," featuring culinary specialists from local restaurants, and "Creation or Evolution," a course helping PRIME Time students explore the controversial issue. The program has grown from 45 students in 1994 to more than 600 today. As Amanda Barker, director of continuing education, says, "Since our program has started, we have expanded into the senior population of Okaloosa-Walton, and our nine-credit classes have also extended to the part-time residents of our community."

Best New Major
     The latest Super Bowl demonstrated one point: many of the much-anticipated commercials were ads for web-based companies, proving that internet businesses rule our economy. Now, Barry University is training its grads to be leaders in this emerging field by offering degrees in the business field of e-commerce. In January 2000, Barry became the first Florida school to offer the degree. Barry expects to graduate the first class of e-commerce majors as early as spring 2001. "E-commerce is the business revolution of the 21^st century, and the Andreas School of Business at Barry University is preparing tomorrow’s business professionals to lead the revolution," says Dr. Michael Webber, assistant professor of marketing.

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