News & Blog

Exhibit: Friday, February 28th through Thursday, April 30th, 2020

Reception: Tuesday, March 3, 2020, 4:00 – 6:00 pm, John C. Hitt Library room 223

The Women First at UCF Project is a collaboration between Dr. M. C. Santana (Women’s and Gender Studies), Dr. Robert Cassanello (History), Mary Rubin, Eli Jimenez, and Christopher Saclolo (Special Collections & University Archives). In this interdisciplinary project, the exhibit team envisioned documenting the legacy of women who occupied a rank, position or graduation as first in their field. Our desire was to create awareness of the impact and work of hundreds of women in our university’s history.

The first part of the project was to complete an exhibit as well as conduct oral histories, with the help of Dr. Anne Bubriski’s students from WST 3371 Woman and Leadership (fall 2019) and WST 3371H Woman and Leadership courses (spring 2020).

The design of the banners and the exhibit logo were done with the help of Dr. Joo Kim’s students enrolled in GRA 3202C Type and Design courses (spring 2020). The logo was created by Courtney Metzger. The banners were created by Horus Moreno, Mikayla Vendryes, and Markis Zarate (1970s banner), Nathalie Deligero, Daniel Denison, and Macey Humphrey (1980s banner), Tyler Berget, Daisy Dixon, and Justine Vadnais (1990s banner), Isabel Hernandez, Valeria Loyola, and Valan Tune (2000s banner), and Jawn Roppoccio (2010s banner).

All historical documents and photos were provided by Mary Rubin and Eli Jimenez in Special Collection & University Archives with help from the Digital Initiatives unit of the UCF Library. The exhibit team is responsible for the curation and wall design. All oral histories will remain in STARS, UCF’s digital repository, as well as in the University Archives at the John C. Hitt Library.

UCF Celebrates the Arts Panel: Friday, April 10, 2020 at 6:30 pm in the DeVos Family Room-Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

A panel discussion will be held during UCF Celebrates the Arts on April 10^th at 6:30pm in the DeVos Family Room-Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Several of women represented in the exhibit will discuss the exhibit and the lives of women at UCF. This will be the final event associated with this project. We hope listening and discussing the lives of these women will serve as inspiration for generations to come.

We realize that in our research and outreach we inadvertently overlooked important voices for this exhibit. We apologize for any oversight on our part and ask that you contact us and tell us your stories. Please share your stories with M. C. Santana at santana@ucf.edu.

UCF Libraries has jumped wholeheartedly into Women’s History Month 2020 with the help of the Women’s and Gender Studies Program and faculty from various disciplines across UCF.

Women First at UCF Project

Reception:
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
4:00 – 6:00 pm
John C. Hitt Library room 223

Exhibit:
Friday, February 28th through Sunday, April 19th, 2020

The Women First at UCF Project is a collaboration between Dr. M. C. Santana (Women’s and Gender Studies), Dr. Robert Cassanello (History), Mary Rubin, Eli Jimenez, and Christopher Saclolo (Special Collections & University Archives). In this interdisciplinary project, the exhibit team envisioned documenting the legacy of women who occupied a rank, position or graduation as first in their field. Our desire was to create awareness of the impact and work of hundreds of women in our university’s history.

The exhibit will be on display in the UCF John C. Hitt Library from February 28 through April 30, 2020.

The Women First at UCF exhibit reception is on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, from 4:00 – 6:00 pm in John C. Hitt Library 223.

Film: Filthy Dreamers

Wednesday, March 4, 2020
2:00 – 4:00 pm
John C. Hitt Library room 223

Join UCF Libraries for a film screening of the College Television Emmy award winning documentary, Filthy Dreamers. This student-produced project focuses on efforts to restrict academic freedom for women who attended Florida State College for Women in the late 1920s. Project faculty advisors Dr. Robert Cassanello and Dr. Lisa Mills with be joined by narrator Dr. Connie Lester to facilitate a discussion after the screening.

WomanFest 2020

Thursday, March 19, 2020
John C. Hitt Library room 223

Women in Academia panel – 10:00 – 11:00 am

UCF faculty members Dr. Linda Walters (Biology, Center for Success of Women Faculty), Dr. Amelia Lyons (History), Dr. Nessette Falu (Anthropology), and Dr. RoSusan Bartee (Educational Leadership and Higher Education) discuss their career paths, how to find a work/life balance, and their struggles faced and battles won as women in higher education. Panel moderated by Dr. Leandra Preston-Sidler (Women & Gender Studies).

Women and Body Image Workshop & Lunch – 12:00 – 1:30 pm – RSVP required

The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders will provide lunch and a presentation on body image, health, and wellness. Event is limited to 50 participants. Please RSVP at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/womanfest-2020-women-and-body-image-tickets-89623264597

Women’s History Trivia Contest – 2:00 – 3:30 pm

How much do you know about women’s history? UCF Libraries and the Women & Gender Studies Program are hosting a rousing pub-style trivia game featuring questions about interesting women in history, female firsts at UCF, and songs by well-known female musicians. Make new friends as we play in teams. Will you come out on top?

Women in STEM @ UCF panel

Wednesday, March 25, 2020
11:00 – 12:30 pm
John C. Hitt Library room 223

Join the Libraries for a panel discussion focusing on UCF female faculty’s experiences working in STEM disciplines and hear what actions they would like to see to increase female student participation in STEM fields. Panelists are Dr. Adrienne Dove (Planetary Sciences), Dr. Charissa de Bekker (Biology), Dr. Azadeh Vosoughi (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), Dr. Helen Huang (Mechanical Engineering), and Dr. Candice Bridge (Forensic Science). Moderated by Sandy Avila (Libraries’ Science Subject Librarian).

The 14^th Annual Student Book Arts Competition Exhibit, which features all entries, is on display at the John C. Hitt Library’s 5^th Floor exhibit area.

The Student Book Arts Competition at the University of Central Florida Libraries has been recognizing the artistic works of undergraduate and graduate UCF students in book arts! This year the competition extended its participation with artist books created by Rollins College students. The judges David Benjamin, Head of UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives, and Suzanne Oberholtzer, co-founder of the Book Arts Guild of Central Florida selected “young.” by Jennifer S. Flores as the winner. In addition, an Honorable Mention was awarded to “(UN)NATURAL” by Claudio Prado. Both artist books will be later added to the permanent Book Arts & Typography Collection at Special Collections & University Archives.

The exhibit runs through February 2020.

The UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives is pleased to announce the Beyond the Books: History of the UCF’s Library exhibit, which looks at the history of the University of Central Florida’s John C. Hitt Library including major renovations – both past and future – along with a selection of library resources.

When the University of Central Florida (then Florida Technological University) opened in 1968, the library was the only completed academic building on campus. As the student body grew, so did the campus. As campus grew, the library was renovated to better suit the needs of students. The first major renovation occurred in 1982-1984 and included money for the acquisition of artwork. With the addition of new UCF campuses, partnerships, and online learning, the library expanded resources for students needing to access materials remotely. The materials in this exhibit are from UCF Libraries’ Special Collections & University Archives.

The exhibit was curated by Elisabeth Jimenez, Special Collections & University Archives employee, and runs from November 2019 to January 2020. The exhibit is in the Special Collections & University Archives’ exhibit space located on the 5th floor of the John C. Hitt Library.

The exhibit “Thomas E. Azzari, The Art of Theme Parks: Stage Design and Production” features items from the “Thomas E. Azzari Theme Parks and Attractions Collection, 1973-2018” highlighting Azzari’s work as a designer of theme park productions. Included in the exhibit are drawings, illustrations, project paperwork, and photographs related to SeaWorld, Weeki Wachee Springs, and Silver Springs.

Thomas E. Azzari studied industrial design at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut and attended the ArtCenter College of Design in California. Azzari worked over forty years in the media and entertainment industry as a production designer, set designer, and art director.

The exhibit, curated by Sarah Ryschkewitsch, Intern, and Burak Ogreten, Senior Archivist for Special Collections, runs May to August 2019. The exhibit is in the Special Collections & University Archives’ exhibit space located on the 5th floor of the John C. Hitt Library.