School of Arts and Sciences

Dr. Wesley Borucki, associate professor of history, served as a member of the Advanced Placement U.S. History Course Audit Scoring Guide Revision Team for The College Board. He also was reappointed as a senior reviewer and curriculum advisor for AP U.S. History by The College Board and served as a table leader for the 2020 AP U.S. History Exam Reading, where AP exams are evaluated and scored.

Dr. Thomas Chesnes, professor of biology and chair of the Biology Department, is the science advisor for Knox Theological Seminary as a part of the Science for Seminaries Phase II Project, funded through the Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion (DoSER) program within the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).  He is also a member of the John D. MacArthur Beach State Park Education Advisory Committee and the Lake Worth Lagoon Initiative-Habitat Working Group (Seagrasses), Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resource Management. He has given community lectures on Faith and Science, Climate Change and the role of Churches, and Seagrass Biodiversity.

Dr. Mirela Garren, assistant professor of French/humanities, was selected to judge the Pathfinder Awards program (Modern Languages section). Sponsored by the Palm Beach Post, this is one of the largest and most comprehensive high school scholarship programs in the state of Florida. Garren also was selected to present the awards for the Modern Language category on May 9 during an online ceremony.

Dr. Marsha Guntharp, professor of mathematics, was named the Palm Beach County Council of Teachers of Mathematics Post-Secondary Mathematics Teacher of the Year in May 2019. She also was awarded the Florida Council Teachers of Mathematics (FCTM) Kenneth Kidd Grant, from which she purchased three robotic cars (Rovers) for STEM activities. She is a board member of the FCTM.

Dr. David Horkott, associate professor of philosophy, continued serving as the service-learning faculty fellow. Service-learning is the theme of PBA’s current Quality Enhancement Plan. Horkott trained faculty members (in part) through a Canvas course he created. His presentation “Is Machiavelli a Teacher of Evil?” won best in category at PBA’s Interdisciplinary Research Conference.

Dr. Carl F. Miller, associate professor of English, won the Elaine W. Hughes Outstanding Advisor Award for the Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society out of more than 800 chapter advisors nationally. He also was appointed by the Children’s Literature Association to the Judith Plotz Emerging Scholar Award Committee and the Edited Book Award Committee.

Dr. Linda Raeder, professor of politics, was awarded a course reduction for the 2020-2021 academic year on the basis of her proposed research into the topic of political decentralization and secession.

Gregory Rummo, visiting assistant professor of biology, accompanied by Mark Kaprive, director of Campus Ministries & Missions and instructor of Intercultural Studies and science major Selena Ewing, led a mission trip to Peru’s Andes Mountains. Over a long weekend in January, Rummo took five pre-veterinary students to the annual meeting of the North American Veterinary Community. The group attended lectures and interacted with veterinarians, vet-techs, representatives from veterinary schools and industry experts in animal health.

School of Communication and Media

The School of Communication and Media received authorization from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to launch two new degrees: a B.A. in Digital Media Production and a B.A. in Gaming and Interactive Design. Both programs of study will launch in the fall 2020 semester in an online format.

Dr. Wes Jamison, associate professor of public relations, continued to serve as the chairman of the advisory board for the Animal Agriculture Alliance in Washington, D.C., and as a member of its issue management committee. He also serves as the faculty advisor for PBA’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Danilda Martinez, assistant professor of digital media production, served on the production team for NABShow 2020’s Innovative Storytelling Tools and Tech segment in association with #GalsNGear of Women in Film & Video (Washington, D.C., chapter). The movement works to ensure women in the technical fields of media production get high-level networking, access to gear and the latest industry technology, and visibility at major industry events.

Despite a shortened athletic season due to COVID-19, students under the supervision of Don Piper, professor of sports broadcasting, provided production coverage for video webcasts of 76 games on the Sailfish Sports Network. Additionally, students began providing play-by-play for all Sailfish athletic events and launched the Sailfish Sports Update.

Kyle Schnack, assistant professor of theatre, was appointed chair of the Steve Bayless Undergraduate Scholarship Committee for the Southeastern Theatre Conference. He also served as an adjudicator and presenter for both the Kravis Center Dream Award and the Pathfinder Awards. Schnack launched “I Will Shakespeare,” a homeschool theatre program focusing on the works of playwright William Shakespeare. The program staged two productions, one in partnership with the Center for Creative Education and the other via Zoom. Schnack’s innovative use of full-scale puppetry in the PBA Theatre stage production of The Wizard of Oz under his direction was a critical success.

Antonio Zarro, professor of cinema arts, completed his Master of Fine Arts in Television and Screenwriting from Stephens College. Zarro supervised 17 award-winning film productions and screenplays, including a Gold Telly Award, seven Media of Festival Arts awards at the Broadcast Education Association, four Communicator Awards, four AVA Awards and a Worldfest Houston award.

The award-winning news documentary Four Families in Mafraq, for which Israel Balderas, assistant professor of journalism, served as executive producer, continued to win multiple awards throughout the year. Balderas traveled to Northern Jordan in 2017 with PBA students to interview Syrian refugee families displaced by civil war. Adding to previous honors from film festivals and leading international awards programs, the documentary earned a Gold Award from the Telly Awards, a Platinum win from AVA Digital Awards and a first place in Public Affairs from the Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists. PBA graduate Tim DeMoss was director and editor of the film, assisted by Sarah Roulette.

In the Journalism program and student-led newsroom that Balderas supervises as faculty advisor, aspiring journalists won 17 student awards from three Florida-based news organizations. The program competes against larger Florida campus newsrooms, including University of Florida, Florida International University and University of South Florida.

A Syrian refugee and two of his children shown in the award-winning news documentary Four Families in Mafraq.

School of Education and Behavioral Studies

Dr. Vince Diller, assistant professor of athletic training, served on the Athletic Trainers’ Association of Florida (ATAF) University and College Athletic Training Student Committee and served as faculty for the ATAF Student Leadership Enhancement and Professional Success Program. He continued to lead the Transformational Advising Program through its second year supporting academically at risk students to identify their vocational direction and develop key resources to progress successfully in their major.

Laura Rendon Finnell, instructor of counseling and clinical director, was named vice president of Latino Concerns for the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development. Her three-year term began July 1, 2020.

Dr. Chelly Templeton, dean of Education and Behavioral Studies, has completed 15 years as a board member of the YWCA of the Palm Beaches. She has served in various capacities such as co-chair of the Run for the Roses Tea, Chair of the Early Childhood and Education committee, as well as vice-president. She serves on the board of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller, Palm Beach Commandry, an effort to help the sick and the poor.

Dr. Denise Breitkreuz, assistant professor of Health and Human Performance, served as a member of the Broward County Schools Health Committee.

Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy

Dr. Erin Dorval, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, was named a Luminary for CPESN (Community Pharmacy Expanded Services Network) Florida; and was appointed as a coach in the national community pharmacy initiative, Flip-the-Pharmacy; She also served as chair of the 2019-20 Educational Council of the Florida Pharmacy Association. 

Dr. Laura Rhodes, assistant professor of pharmacy practice, is both a luminary and the lead network facilitator for CPESN She is also serving as the CPESN FL Practice Transformation Team lead as part of another national community pharmacy initiative, Flip-the-Pharmacy. 

Jeff Snow, director of community engagement, was appointed chair of the 2020-21 Membership Committee of the Florida Pharmacy Association.  

Dr. Dana Strachan, associate dean of academics, was appointed to the Advisory Council of Global Health Outreach, the short-term medical missions division of the Christian Medical and Dental Association. 

Dr. Sara Trovinger, chair, department of experiential education, was elected 2020-21 chair of the Women’s Faculty Special Interest Group of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. 

The Catherine T. MacArthur School

The The Catherine T. MacArthur School partnered with the City of Boynton Beach to offer all the major classes in the Organizational Leadership degree on site. Students work in various departments including the Fire, Police, and Finance departments.

Dr. Art Johnson, professor of leadership, taught a one-credit PBA leadership course for the Solomon Leadership Program, a values-based leadership program that focuses on high school student leaders. The Catherine T. MacArthur School partners with the program’s sponsor, the Palm Beach Synagogue.

Johnson also enhanced the LifeWork Leadership curriculum with Dr. Sam Voorhies, director of the Center for Global Leadership. LifeWork Leadership is a one-year monthly leadership development program equipping business executives with “a roadmap to living with greater intentionality for God.”

Dr. Craig Domeck, dean of the The Catherine T. MacArthur School, provided a six-part leadership component for the Junior League of the Palm Beaches Cotillion Academy that prepares enrolled middle-schoolers for life and leading. Domeck facilitated strategic planning with the Board of First Serve, a local non-profit engaging young students to be impactful leaders in their communities through an extensive mentoring program. He also provides executive coaching for the leaders and key employees of First Serve to further enhance their efforts in Palm Beach and Martin counties.

School of Ministry

Community of Hope Church’s “Hope University Summer Lecture Series” in Loxahatchee, Florida, featured three PBA faculty as guest lecturers: Dr. Victor Copan, professor of ministry and biblical studies; Dr. Nathan Maxwell, associate professor of biblical studies; and Dr. Kathy Maxwell, associate professor of biblical studies. Dr. Kathy Maxwell also was an invited speaker at the Word Became Flesh conference at Loyola University and recorded a podcast on biblical storytelling for Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City.

Dr. Brittany Melton, assistant professor of biblical studies, was promoted to Tyndale Fellowship Old Testament Chair as part of her academic service outside the university.

Dr. Terriel Byrd, professor of urban Christian ministry, was the guest speaker for “A Dialogue on Racial Reconciliation” at First Presbyterian Church in North Palm Beach, Florida.

Dr. Ryan Gladwin, associate professor of ministry and theology, has spearheaded the forthcoming PBA program for a B.A. in Global Leadership, a program entirely in Spanish.

Dr. Paul Copan, Pledger Family Chair of Philosophy and Ethics, has successfully fundraised across the country for the new Master of Arts in Philosophy of Religion program, set to launch Fall 2021.

The Graduate School of Ministry received full accreditation for its Master of Divinity and Master of Arts in Christian Studies programs from The Association of Theological Schools.

The School of Ministry hosted its annual Jess Moody Faith and Culture Forum with A Dialogue on Racism: Looking Back, Looking Forward, featuring speakers Jemar Tisby, the Rev. Dr. John Nunes and Dr. Oscar Garcia-Johnson.

School of Music and Fine Arts

Mark Aliapoulios, professor of voice, was a featured soloist for “An Evening of Rogers and Hammerstein” with the Snow Pond Symphony Orchestra in Sidney, Maine.

Heather Couch, assistant professor of art, was a featured artist at the Unleashed Art Fair hosted by Art Synergy and Vision 2020 at Industry Alley in West Palm Beach. She also participated in a two-person exhibition at the Box Gallery, served as the artist-in-residence in ceramics/sculpture at the Armory Art Center and had a wood-fire piece selected from a juried national call in a contemporary ceramics exhibition at the Jupiter Lighthouse Art Center.

Jin Hanley, associate professor of dance, performed a duet choreographed by Ericka Squire at Art Shift 2019 for the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County and presented a session titled “Implementing Pilates in Dance Technique Classes” at the National Dance Education Organization Conference.

Dr. Joseph Kingma, assistant professor of music, performed recitals across the nation, including performances at the Yamaha Artist Services Performance Series sponsored by the New York/New Jersey chapter of the American Liszt Society; Redeemer Concert Series in Queens, New York; Brahms violin sonatas with Kathryn Krueger in Deerfield Beach; Timucua Arts Foundation in Orlando; and the Oasis Musicale concert series in Montreal. Additionally, he presented a masterclass for the Pensacola Music Teachers Association.

Dr. Jason Lester, dean of the School of Music and Fine Arts, was re-elected the national treasurer of the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS), a 7,000-plus membership organization. Additionally, he joined a panel to discuss “Navigating Higher Education” at the NATS 56th National Conference that had more than 2,300 registrants.

Marilyn Mims, artist-in-residence, taught a master class at the Schmidt Vocal Competition.

Dr. Michael O’Connor, associate professor of music, reviewed a concert at The Society of the Four Arts by the Branford Marsalis Quartet for the Palm Beach Daily News, provided a lecture prior to the performance of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Kravis Center, reviewed the performance by the Chicago Symphony Quartet at the Norton Museum for the Palm Beach Daily News, provided a lecture prior to the West-Eastern Divan Ensemble at the Kravis Center and reviewed the performance of the Escher and Dover Quartets concert for the Palm Beach Daily News.

Dr. Tim Thompson, professor of music, was the guest speaker at the Palm Beach County Music Teachers Association meeting. Additionally, he was selected to be the program chair for the 2020 national conference for the Association for Technology in Music Instruction to be held in Miami.

Marshall E. Rinker Sr. School of Business

Dr. John P. Hayes, professor of marketing and communications, earned the Certified Franchise Executive designation from the International Franchise Association’s Institute of Certified Franchise Executives. Hayes is the Titus Chair for Franchise Leadership and director of the Titus Center for Franchising. Amidst the challenges brought by COVID-19, the center continued its far-ranging programs by offering franchise conferences via Zoom and by starting Franchise Hotseat, a web series that gives rising franchisors the chance to seek the mentorship, advice or financial support of established leaders of the franchise community.

Dr. David Smith, professor of management in the Rinker School of Business, served as the keynote speaker at the Annual National Center for Academic Evaluation and Accreditation Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the premier accreditation body for universities in Saudi Arabia.

Dr. Alexandra C. Cook, associate graduate professor of accounting, served as treasurer of the Florida Family Office Forum and Executive Committee member for Young Friends of the Palm Beach Symphony. She was inducted as a member of ENRICH - Florida Women in Family Office. Cook was a panelist at non-academic conferences, such as Opal’s Impact Investing Forum and Opal Real Estate Investment Summit, and was the speaker at a Probate and Pumpernickel event. She also served on the Alumni Board of Palm Beach Atlantic.

School of Nursing

Added two new concentrations under the Nurse Practitioner Track: Adult Gerontology Primary Care and Psychiatric Mental Health. Over the past four years, students from the original track, Family Nurse Practitioner Primary Care, posted an overall pass rate of 97.96 percent for the Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate exam.

Received a renewed grant for $100,000 from Palm Health Foundation for the Volunteer Nurse Corps. Dr. Fontaine Timmer, director, and Dr. Deborah Morgan, associate professor and faculty advisor, lead the grant-sponsored work for vulnerable populations in Palm Beach County.

Dr. Bri Andrassy, assistant professor of nursing, again led the Nursing Global Health Mission Trip and also helped with the Bahamas Medical Hurricane Dorian Relief in September.

Dr. Lynn Erickson, RN to BSN Track chair and associate professor, was advisor to the Student Nurse Association.

Dr. Phyllis King, dean and professor of nursing, received the 2019 Excellence in Educational Research Award, 30th International Nursing Research Congress, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Dr. Jennifer Kuretski, associate dean and associate professor of nursing, held several offices, including: Palm Beach County Nurse Practitioner Council, president; Florida Comprehensive Planning Network, through AIDS Institute, Area 9 representative; and Palm Beach County Community Prevention Partnership, committee member.

Dr. Deborah Morgan, professor of nursing, was elected to the Research Committee of the Florida Organization of Nurse Executives and to the board of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Palm Beach County Chapter.

Dr. Sandra Ojurongbe, associate professor of nursing, became board certified as a Psych-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

Orlando Campus

Hosted the second annual Servant Leadership Conference for local business, church and community leaders. The theme was “It Starts With You.”

Conducted Facebook Live discussion featuring Shannan Lewis, campus coordinator; Martha Christlieb, admissions counselor; and Jeremy Couch, executive director; on the topic “The fears and challenges of returning to college.”

Conducted webinar on the topic, “Ten things every adult needs to know before returning to school.”

Dr. David Piccolo, program coordinator and associate professor of leadership, was asked to serve on the board of the Christian Education Association of America.

Laura Rendon-Finnell, instructor of counseling, was elected as vice president of Latino Concerns for the Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development.

Warren Library

Elizabeth Fairall, digital services librarian, served on the Business Reference in Academic Libraries Committee, part of the American Library Association, and on the Information Literacy Interest Group, part of the Association of Christian Librarians. She served as a mentor through the Association of Christian Librarians and as a judge for the PR Xchange Awards of the Library Leadership and Management Association. 

Michelle Keba, associate librarian for reference, served on the editorial board for the Journal of Library and Information Services in Distance Learning. She also helped launch a beta mentoring program for distance librarians as a member of the Association of College & Research Libraries Distance Learning Section Mentoring & Networking Committee. 

Accreditation & Assessment and Dual-Enrollment

Facilitated new program development through the SACSCOC process for the following: M.S., Computer Science (Fall 2020); M.S., Educational Leadership (Fall 2020); B.A., Gaming & Interactive Design (Fall 2020); M.A., Philosophy of Religion (Fall 2021).

In addition, the new M.A., Intercultural Studies program is in process for Fall 2021, and a Christian Studies minor is available for Fall 2020.

New concentrations for Fall 2020 include: Accounting Studies (MAcc); Business (B.S. Computer Science); Children’s Ministry (B.S. Elementary Education); Early Childhood Education (B.S. Elementary Education); Exceptional Student Education (B.S. Elementary Education); Intercultural Studies (M.Div.); Mathematics (B.S. Computer Science); Play Therapy (B.S. Elementary Education); and Recreation and Tourism Administration (B.S. Human Performance & Sport).

New certificates for Fall 2020 include Accounting (GR), Bible (UG) and Franchise Management (UG).

The office coordinated the annual University Planning & Assessment process, which resulted in 95 percent completion by the academic units, and 80 percent by the non-academic units.

The Dual-Enrollment Program collected $41,817 in fees, with one new school joining the partnership.

Institutional Research & Effectiveness

Provided reports of University data to external organizations for compliance and marketing, including IPEDS, NCAA, ICUF, College Board, U.S. News and World Report.

Supported campus decision makers with a variety of institutional and comparison-school statistics.

Participated in a new task group: BKD Contribution Margin Analysis, which informs the academic community on direct costs, revenue and the margin by major and course.

Collected student feedback in 1,251 classes in 2019-20 through IDEA Student Ratings of Instruction survey.

Administered the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) to 1,452 freshman and seniors and the Faculty Survey of Student Engagement (FSSE) to 334 faculty.

Participated on the assessment and implementation teams for PBA’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) on Service-Learning, “Reach Out, Reach In, Reach Up.”

 

Admissions

Hosted 19 new virtual traditional undergraduate events as well as monthly information sessions for graduate, evening and online programs.

Hosted 1,092 students and their guests on campus prior to the COVID-19 shutdown.

Created a Faculty Engagement Call Campaign allowing faculty to connect with admitted students.

Created multiple virtual residence hall tours.

Created a virtual campus tour in response to COVID-19.

Launched the “It’s oFISHal” student engagement campaign for new PBA students.

Athletics

The men’s basketball team was invited to the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament for the first time in program history, but the NCAA canceled all winter and spring championships. The team posted a 21-9 overall record and a 13-7 mark in the Sunshine State Conference.

The men’s soccer team played in the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year, advancing to the round of 16. The Sailfish finished the year 15-3-3.

Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams finished fifth in the Sunshine State Conference Meet, improving from an eighth place finish the previous year.

The men’s and women’s golf team each earned their first tournament team championship with the men winning the Griffin Invitational in Petersburg, Virginia, and the women taking the Battle for Royalty in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Scholar Awards: A record 345 department academic awards were given as student-athletes achieved a 3.20 or higher semester GPA. In addition, 34 students recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA in the spring semester while the department as a whole posted a 3.25 cumulative GPA for the 2019-20 academic year. A record 178 different student-athletes received recognition on the SSC Honor Roll while eight were selected to the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-District list and three to the CoSIDA Academic All-America list.

Individual Athletic Awards: Sailfish won 12 Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week awards, and seven student-athletes from four programs were honored with all-conference recognition. Cadu Cusatis from men’s soccer was named the SSC Player and Offensive Player of the Year while Sam Wolf from volleyball received the Freshman of the Year award. Men’s soccer saw seven all-region honors handed out from the United Soccer Coaches or D2CCA. Cusatis, Wolf and Gunner Gebelein from men’s lacrosse all received all-American honors.

Chapel

Dr. Eric Mason, lead pastor of Epiphany Fellowship in Philadelphia, spoke at Christival (Spiritual Emphasis Week).

Chapel Guest Speakers included Dr. Jimmy Scroggins, Family Church; Chris Tress, Bow Down Church and Urban Youth Impact; Dr. Jeff Robinson, Grace Fellowship; Dr. Chris Hall, Renovare; Dr. Heath Thomas, Oklahoma Baptist University; Roland Heersink, Faith and Work; Jeremy McKeen, former pastor of Truth Point Church; Rodrigo Rodriguez, guitarist; and David McCaman, First Baptist Church Boynton Beach. After services were suspended, Zoom prayer and worship meetings called Sailfish Strong were held.

Rinker Center for Experiential Learning

Thirty students participated in a semester study-abroad program, while 88 students and guests enrolled in the class-abroad program, going to nine countries.

On spring break 112 travelers spread out on eight service trips: one sponsored by the Center, one by the School of Nursing, and six from Campus Ministries and CM Global. All 15 of the planned summer trips were canceled because of COVID-19.

Center for Global Leadership

Led by Executive Director Dr. Sam Voorhies, in its first year the Center: completed a needs assessment and market scan; conducted some 30 presentations and engagements to share vision and build internal and external relationships of credibility for longer-term funding and program development support; developed a strategy and plan to guide early customer/client identification and program initiatives; established a partnership with the National Christian Foundation of South Florida and piloted the Life Work Leadership program to launch in January 2021; designed and implemented a leadership and team development strategy for the President’s Cabinet; and co-sponsored the Madeline McElveen Distinguished Preaching Series. (See also the Center’s endowment from the Watson Family.)

Student Development

As part of an ongoing effort for student Retention, more training sessions were given for faculty, staff and students in using Waypoint, the early alert system for identifying students having difficulties. As a result, Waypoint referrals increased by 42 percent over the previous year.

Peer tutoring under Academic Support & Transfer Experience continued after COVID-19 restrictions by using Zoom software.

The office of Disability Services registered 72 new students with disabilities, bringing the total number to 292. That represents 8 percent of the student population, the highest in the University’s history.

In Enrichment Workshops, five new topics were included: Situational Awareness, Mindfulness, Toxic vs. Healthy Relationships, Overcoming Shyness and Leading as a Team.

The Bridges Scholar Program ended, with its successful practices incorporated into a more robust program, Propel. Propel will allow provisional students to earn three college credits through a hybrid course of online and classroom experiences over a four-week period beginning in summer.

During COVID-19, Career Development continued to offer career services and support to students, with a virtual career fair replacing the in-person recruiting event that had been scheduled. The department joined with the Alumni Association to host a Zoom networking event for young alumni and May 2020 graduates.

Melody Bohannan, Career Peer and Handshake administrator in the Office of Career Development, won the FloridaAce 2020 Student of the Year Award, marking the second time a PBA student has won the prestigious award.

DIVE (Discovering Internships as Vocational Exploration) hosted Shawn Crowley, college recruiter for the company Cognosante, resulting in four PBA students being hired as summer 2020 interns with Cognosante.

First Year and Transfer Experience hosted eight Student Orientation, Advising and Registration (SOAR) events, three live and five virtual. With 29 First Year Peer Mentors assisting, 29 sections of FYE 1001 seminar were held. Degree Planning Parties attracted 284 first-year students.

MOSAIC, the multicultural student organization, offered a variety of opportunities for the minority student body, including MOSAIC House, where a diverse group of students live together and have community fellowship dinners with faculty and staff leading discussions on race-related topics. Other MOSAIC programs included a Student Leadership diversity workshop; the second annual Meet Your Neighbor for students of color to connect with faculty/staff of color; two chapel services; racial discussions hosted by Residential Life staff; and a movie screening and discussion of Just Mercy.

Health and Wellness secured a strategic partnership with TimelyMD to provide 24/7 medical and mental telehealth care for all students, beginning Fall 2020. The University Counseling Center assisted approximately 400 students in 1,500 counseling sessions, with no waitlist periods for any students. Student Wellness Committee (SWC) activities included chapel topics related to substance use and mental health issues as well as the health-related events StressLess Mental Health Awareness Day and Moonlight Yoga Night.

This office of Residence Life and Student Accountability focused on the retention of current residential students to reach the Master Plan goal of 65 percent of undergraduate students living on campus. This included holistic programming centered on community development and belonging, further streamlining the online housing selection process and new accountability software. In April 2020, during the housing selection process, there was a 7 percent increase in retention of students selecting housing for the upcoming year compared to the previous year.

Closing of residence halls began on March 23, due to the projected impact of COVID-19. Students returned home safely for the remainder of the semester to complete their academic work remotely. Accommodations were given to 25 students to stay on campus for the remainder of the semester due to special needs.

Student Activities, Involvement and Leadership (SAIL) events included Art After Dark, a coffeehouse featuring live student performances at the Norton Museum of Art; Offbeat, a Karaoke night in February; Sailfish Jack’d, a strong man and women competition during Homecoming Week 2019; a community caroling and tree-lighting event; and Yule Tide Gala, a Christmas dance drawing 500 students.

The Workship department sponsored 56 service projects where 1,168 volunteers served 4,088 hours. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service broke records, as Workship collaborated with the Jewish Federation of Palm Beach County. More than 750 volunteers, including PBA students, alumni, faculty and staff and members of the Jewish community served on 20 different projects throughout Palm Beach County. Since 1968 PBA students have served 3,561,977 hours locally, nationally and globally.

Retiring President William M. B. Fleming, Jr. and his wife, Pam, established the Fleming Service Scholar Fund, reflecting their commitment to service and to the vocationally transformative student experience provided by the University’s Workship program. Income earned by the fund will provide scholarships to students involved in community service within Palm Beach County.