As U.S. actions in Iran and Venezuela spark debate, partisan divides over presidential war powers hit record levels 

As debate over U.S. military action against Iran intensifies, a new report from the Institute for Governance and Civics (IGC) at Florida State University finds that most Americans believe presidents should obtain congressional approval before using military force, even as partisan divisions have grown increasingly sharp. 

The report, “Public Opinion on Congressional Approval for Military Force,” draws on more than four decades of survey data on presidential war powers and is part of the IGC’s broader effort to foster civic understanding and engagement through public polling. 

Key findings:

• In 2026, roughly 70% of Americans say presidents should obtain congressional approval before taking military action. 

• Support for requiring congressional approval has consistently exceeded 50% since 1980, peaking at 86% in 2013. 

• The partisan divide now exceeds 40 percentage points: 90% of Democrats favor requiring congressional approval, compared to 48% of Republicans. 

• Americans are more likely to support obtaining congressional approval when the opposing party holds the presidency. 

• Republican support for requiring congressional approval drops sharply after military action begins (from around 59% before action to 26% after), while Democratic support remains consistently high, at about 95-96%. 

“In the abstract, the public wants Congress involved before military force is used,” said Ryan Owens, director of the IGC. “But the partisan gap tells us that people don’t apply that principle consistently when their own party holds the White House.” 

The report also shows that opinions can shift quickly once military action is underway. In the most recent cases, Republican support for requiring congressional approval dropped substantially after strikes began, while Democratic support stayed consistently high.  

“The broad pattern is stable,” said Zach Goldberg, author of the report. “Who is in power – as well as whether action has already been taken – makes a real difference in how people answer these questions.” 

 Read the full findings and access data and figures in the latest report here: Public Opinion on Congressional Approval for Military Force. 

 About the Institute for Governance and Civics
The Institute for Governance and Civics (IGC) at Florida State University is dedicated to creating the next generation of effective citizens and responsible leaders. Established in 2023, the IGC supports a variety of initiatives that promote constitutional liberty, economic liberty, conscience liberty, and educational liberty through data-driven research, excellence in teaching, and intellectually diverse exchange. To learn more about the IGC, visit igc.fsu.edu or follow on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. 

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A new collaboration between Florida State University and nonprofit educational organizations is opening doors for Ukrainian scholars, empowering them with vital AI skills that can drive innovation and resilience in higher education. 

The Anne Spencer Dave’s College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College) and the Ukraine Task Force (UTF) have joined forces with the American Councils for International Education and the Digital Education Council (DEC) to deliver free, online artificial intelligence (AI) training for research faculty in Ukraine.  

Dina Vyortkina, associate dean for Innovation and Instructional Technology at Anne’s College and member of the UTF, coordinated the effort to provide DEC’s online course leading to a certificate for AI in Higher Education at no cost to 36 Ukrainian researchers.The researchers invited to participate are alumni of or current participants in BridgeUSA programs. 

“We have designed a comprehensive faculty professional development program for our colleagues in Ukraine,” Vyortkina said. “Completing AI literacy courses would be a great foundation for everyone before we embark on scalable AI initiatives that support teaching, learning, research and operations. We are looking forward to tangible outcomes and impactful changes.” 

Both the BridgeUSA Ukrainian Academic Fellows Program (BridgeUSA UAFP) and the BridgeUSA Ukraine Program for Resilience and Reconstruction (UPRR) build connections between Ukrainian and U.S. scholars for long-term collaboration in areas such as joint research, shared pedagogy, course development and publications. These programs are implemented by the American Councils for International Education with the long-term goal of helping Ukrainian universities educate and train professionals critical to the country’s recovery and reconstruction through lasting, productive collaboration with U.S. institutions of higher education.  

Housed in FSU’s Learning Systems Institute (LSI), the UTF was established in 2022 as part of the university’s broader internationalization strategy and aims to forge partnerships between FSU and Ukrainian scholars and educate the FSU community about Ukraine. Through the UTF, FSU has hosted six BridgeUSA Fellows and will host two more this summer.  

In June 2024, FSU became the first U.S. university to host fellows through the program: Taras Panchenko, Andrii Balandr, Andrii Roskladka and Natalia Safonova all spent the summer on campus collaborating with FSU faculty mentors. And in October 2025, the UTF hosted Sofiia Doskich and Kostyantyn Mezentsev through BridgeUSA UPRR.  

“We anticipate that this new area of collaboration will lead to new research collaborations and the sharing of best teaching practices between BridgeUSA Alumni and peers at FSU,” said Vilma Fuentes, UTF program director. “This may also pave the way for future grant-funded opportunities.” 

The DEC’s “Certificate for AI in Higher Education” is a self-paced, 20-hour course that allows participants to gain the knowledge and skills needed to integrate AI effectively in teaching and day-to-day work. It’s intended for users of every level, helping them understand the fundamentals of AI, its implementation in higher education, responsible practices and practical use cases. Each module is practical, focused and directly applicable to higher education.  

American Councils is providing the course as part of its mission to strengthen international ties and connections between countries and cultures through excellence in academic, professional, and cultural exchange, language acquisition, educational developmentand research. Since 1974, their educational portfolio has grown to include 140 countries important to national security, prosperity and peace.  

“It’s a strong reflection of the partnership we have forged through BridgeUSA UPRR with FSU so far—one built on trust, shared purpose and a long-term commitment to lasting partnerships between Ukrainian and U.S. universities, including new opportunities for collaboration in areas such as AI in higher education, research and innovation,” said Ksenia Ivanenko, program manager for Higher Education Partnerships and Capacity, Field Operations at American Councils for International Education. 

In addition to completing the AI course, Ukrainian faculty can also participate in webinars facilitated by FSU colleagues. The project also aims to help Ukrainian faculty adapt existing university courses, embed innovative approaches and AI tools, contribute to the co-creation of AI literacy courses tailored to higher education in the Ukrainian language and local context, and conduct institutional AI assessments. 

“We are deeply grateful to Florida State University for its outstanding commitment to Ukraine, American Councils BridgeUSA UPRR, our program participants and alumni and for investing so much energy and care into this work,” Ivanenko said. “At a time when Ukrainian higher education continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience under immense pressure, this initiative creates meaningful access not only to practical AI skills but also to international academic exchange that can strengthen institutions and support the next generation of teaching and research.” 

For more information about LSI and the UTF, visit lsi.fsu.edu. To learn more about Anne’s College, visit annescollege.fsu.edu. For more information about FSU’s global footprint, visit global.fsu.edu. 

LSI strives to lead the way in creating innovative educational solutions that seamlessly connect theory with practice. Through advanced research, we develop industry-leading methods and implementation strategies to enhance systematic learning at all levels and in all environments. For more than five decades, LSI has been committed to driving measurable improvements in the performance of both individuals and organizations. 

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A Florida State University researcher has published the first peer-reviewed study showcasing how a critical thinking course increases long-term reduction in common reasoning biases and errors.

Professor of Philosophy Michael Bishop led the study that revealed that an appropriately designed critical thinking course can drastically reduce four common reasoning biases in students by boosting students’ awareness of the presence of these biases in people’s thinking and prompting them to avoid these biases in their everyday personal and professional lives.

“Critical Thinking Classes Can Reduce Common Biases: Results from a Field Experiment,” was published this month in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied.

“A good critical thinking class doesn’t teach students what to think; it teaches students how to think, whether that’s about important life decisions or social and political issues,” said Bishop, whose research covers the nature of rational reasoning and the nature of happy lives. “Prior to our study, there was little evidence that people who learn critical thinking skills in class continue to use these skills once they leave the classroom. Our research shows that we can teach skills that produce large and lasting improvements in how people think about issues that are important to their lives.”

The study revealed that the critical thinking class produced long-term reductions in four judgment biases: honoring sunk costs, or our tendency to continue a project based on the money and resources already spent; inferring causation from correlation; the regression fallacy, or our tendency to give unnecessary explanations for the natural tendency of outlier events to be followed by more typical events; and overlooking opportunity costs, or making a decision without considering whether there are better alternatives.

“I spent several years developing a critical thinking class at FSU based on a theory that J.D. Trout and I defended twenty years ago,” Bishop said. “This theory says that good reasoning is easy to use, generates accurate judgments and applies to important problems. In the study, Adam Feltz, a professor of psychology at the University of Oklahoma, Paul Conway, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Southampton in England, and I found that a critical thinking class informed by this theory produces large and lasting improvements in how students think.”

Students in the critical thinking class went through two phases of learning: a commitment phase followed by a recognition phase. In the commitment phase, students settled on the right way to think about certain problems and avoid biases. In the recognition phase, students learned to recognize the full range of cases to which those rules can be correctly applied. This two-step training process specifically targeted and corrected a variety of real-life instances of poor reasoning.

“Good critical thinkers make wiser judgments about how to invest their money, raise their children, run their businesses and treat their friends,” Bishop said. “They make smarter choices about whether to stick with a relationship, a job, a major or a project. They reason more clearly and persuasively about important issues.”

At the beginning and end of the semester, students taking the critical thinking course and students taking other philosophy courses evaluated several instances of reasoning. At the end of the semester, students in the critical thinking course improved significantly on four out of five biases tested, while students not in that course still did poorly on all five.

Sixteen months after the end of the course, students were asked to evaluate different instances of reasoning. Students who took the critical thinking class still proved much better at avoiding biases than students who did not, demonstrating how the lessons of properly designed critical thinking courses stick with students far beyond the classroom.

“Professor Bishop utilized results from earlier research to shape his teaching and obtained new research findings while teaching the course,” said Randolph Clarke, Department of Philosophy chair. “This study is an excellent example of how research and teaching enhance each other.”

Bishop, who earned a doctorate in 1990 from the University of California San Diego and served as an associate professor at Iowa State University and Northern Illinois University before joining FSU’s faculty in 2006, used previous research findings and his decades of teaching experience to develop the study, the results of which hold the potential to shape future approaches to critical thinking courses. 

“We all think we’re good critical thinkers,” Bishop said. “Our study suggests that for most of us, there is room — and perhaps a lot of room — for big improvements in how we think about the world.”

To learn more about Bishop’s work and research in the Department of Philosophy, visit philosophy.fsu.edu. 

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Florida State University’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is set to launch the M.S. in Data and Society, a new one-year graduate program through the Department of Sociology, beginning Fall 2026. 

Applications are now open, with a deadline of July 1. 

The program prepares students to collect, analyze and interpret data in ways that account for the social, ethical and policy dimensions of an increasingly data-driven world. 

“The M.S. in Data and Society is a vital addition to our college, reflecting our commitment to evidence-based decision-making and applied excellence,” said Tim Chapin, dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. “By blending sophisticated computational tools with a deep understanding of social and ethical contexts, we are empowering our students to not only navigate a data-driven world but to lead it with integrity and insight. This program ensures our graduates are uniquely prepared to solve complex challenges across the public and private sectors.” 

The 34-credit-hour curriculum blends quantitative and qualitative research methods with hands-on training in computational tools and geographic information systems, drawing on expertise across sociology, economics, urban and regional planning, political science and geography. 

Students complete independent research and a capstone experience, and the program is designed to finish in three terms: fall, spring and summer. 

The program is housed in FSU’s Department of Sociology, which ranks 32nd among public universities nationally and third among programs in the Southeastern region, according to U.S. News and World Report. 

Graduates will be prepared for careers in research, government, nonprofit organizations and the private sector. 

No GRE is required. Applicants must submit official transcripts, a resume and three letters of recommendation. Out-of-state students from states participating in the Southern Regional Education Board Academic Common Market may be eligible for in-state tuition. 

For more information or to apply, visit bit.ly/MS-data-society or contact kmcclellan@fsu.edu with questions. 

Learn more about graduate programs in FSU’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy at cosspp.fsu.edu. 

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Last Friday, the Anne’s College Research Showcase at the Augustus B. Turnbull III Florida State Conference Center brought together FSU faculty and staff to discuss research opportunities, grants and promote departmental collaboration.

Featuring more than 300 students and faculty from the renowned Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College), the event was an opportunity for participants to present their work that places an emphasis on real-world impact.

Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College, provided remarks at the showcase ceremony that summed up the everyday ambitions of the college’s research.

“Every year I look forward to this conference, which showcases the very best research activities being undertaken by our college’s faculty and students,” Andrew said. “While we come from various scientific disciplines and utilize a broad range of methodological conventions and techniques, we all share the common goal of using our research to maximize human potential.”

With approximately 233 PowerPoint and poster presentations, and more than 300 students and faculty presenting current research, the showcase covered endless topics that impact day-to-day life and span across several disciplines. Presenters tackled issues related to ultra-processed foods, artificial intelligence in the classrooms, workplace accommodations, mental health in schools and much more.

Joshua Newman, associate dean for research at Anne’s College, asserts that the caliber of work being conducted offers valuable solutions for both Floridians and a broader audience.

“Research is at its core is about value proposition, because we’re really trying to answer tough questions but provide solutions to problems that face families across Florida and the region even beyond,” Newman said. “In our college, we have a very strong commitment to making sure that we’re doing research that doesn’t just get published in journals but is making an impact in people’s lives.”

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Florida State University’s Ukraine Task Force (UTF) recently welcomed a leading analyst, lecturer and scholar on international relations to deliver a lecture and speak to classes about the everchanging political landscape of Eastern Europe.  

Kateryna Shynkaruk, a senior lecturer at Texas A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public Service in Washington D.C. and nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, delivered the talk “Ukraine and European Security: War, Identity and the Future of the International Order” Tuesday, March 10, in The Globe Auditorium as part of the Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Speaker Series.  

“My lecture was about European security and how it is affected by the Ukraine war and basically how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has completely overturned the European security architecture,” Shynkaruk said. “I thoroughly enjoyed the questions and answer session with students. They clearly were engaged and I was positively impressed by how closely they followed it.” 

Shynkaruk has published more than 30 articles on the topics of post-communist transformations in Ukraine and across Eastern Europe. She spent seven years working as a political analyst at the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and six years covering Ukraine’s foreign and security policy as a senior research fellow at the Kyiv-based Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting.  

She was grateful to be able to share her knowledge gained from these experiences with faculty, staff and students. 

“My hope is that there is this interest actually in European affairs, that it is strengthened through engagements like my visit and generally that there is more interest in Ukraine, in European security and European affairs built here among students,” Shynkaruk said. “My meetings with faculty members were another very positive experience, seeing how the faculty is interested in exposing more perspectives on European affairs. If I have inspired any of them [students] to follow our potential avenues that I mentioned, that would be an amazing outcome.” 

Housed in FSU’s Learning Systems Institute (LSI), the UTF was established in 2022 as part of the university’s broader internationalization strategy and aims to forge partnerships between FSU and Ukrainian scholars and educate the FSU community about Ukraine. 

One of the goals of the UTF is to reach FSU students and educate them about Ukraine, its current and historical relationships with Europe and Russia, and its relevance to American security and economic interests. In 2025 alone, the UTF hosted 21 Ukrainian visitors and offered 17 educational events. 

“I was hosted graciously by the Ukraine Task Force here at FSU. I was positively impressed by the work they’re doing,” Shynkaruk said. “When teaching students, I do believe that direct information is always better than interpretations through second and third-hand perspectives. So, whenever you have a Ukrainian expert or a Ukrainian coming from Ukraine at the table in the classroom, you will have students exposed to a real-life experience and perspective rather than reading about it.” 

Most recently, FSU signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (NaUKMA) last semester to expand global connections and outreach. The UTF also hosted two Ukrainian scholars last semester through the BridgeUSA Ukraine Program for Resilience Reconstruction (BridgeUSA UPRR), an exchange program funded by the U.S. State Department that connects Ukrainian and American researchers.  

“The work they [the UTF] are doing and the fact that they also bring people from Ukraine directly — some cultural presence, some academic presence — there is no better way to learn than to learn from the perspective of the ground,” Shynkaruk said. “The resilience of Ukrainian people, the challenges, the political landscape, all these pros and cons. If you don’t have a Ukrainian at the table, then this is an abstract conversation.” 

LSI strives to lead the way in creating innovative educational solutions that seamlessly connect theory with practice. Through advanced research, LSI develops industry-leading methods and implementation strategies to enhance systematic learning at all levels and in all environments. For more than five decades, LSI has been committed to driving measurable improvements in the performance of both individuals and organizations. 

For more information about the UTF, visit the UTF webpage on LSI’s website. To learn more about FSU’s global footprint, visit global.fsu.edu. 

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Two distinguished professors at the Florida State University Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College) earned recognition from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) for their outstanding work in their respective fields.

Nicole Patton Terry and Lara Perez-Felkner were each selected by the AERA for national education research awards and will be recognized April 9 at the organization’s annual meeting in Los Angeles. Patton Terry is the director of the Florida Center for Reading Research and the Olive & Manuel Bordas Professor in the School of Teacher Education. Perez-Felkner is the Professor of Higher Education and Sociology and is also an affiliated faculty member in the Department of Sociology.

“Drs. Perez-Felkner and Patton Terry are exceptional members of Anne’s College, and I am so proud of their contributions to their fields,” said Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College. “These awards are a testament to their dedication to excellence and their achievements in advancing education research.”

“Drs. Perez-Felkner and Patton Terry are exceptional members of Anne’s College, and I am so proud of their contributions to their fields. These awards are a testament to their dedication to excellence and their achievements in advancing education research.”

– Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College

The AERA strives to advance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education and to promote the use of research to improve education and serve the public good. The organization is dedicated to improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and evaluation and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results.

Patton Terry is the recipient of the 2026 AERA Exemplary Contributions to Practice-Engaged Research Award. The award is presented to an education research scholar or scholars in recognition of collaborative projects between researchers and practitioners that have had sustained and observable effects on contexts of practice.

Her research, innovation and engagement activities involve young learners who are vulnerable to having difficulties with language and literacy achievement. Patton Terry’s research has been supported by various organizations, including the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, the Spencer Foundation, and the William T. Grant Foundation.

She said the award is an example of how research creates real-world impact.

“This award reflects my conviction that public research universities are uniquely positioned to work alongside their communities in ways that leverage our research to advance positive outcomes,” Patton Terry said. “I am honored to have collaborated with so many partners in our schools in communities to make that mission a reality and I humbly accept this award on behalf of us all.”

Perez-Felkner is receiving the 2026 AERA Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award. The award recognizes individuals within AERA for distinguished research, professional practice and activities who advance public understanding of this field at any level in the education community.

Perez-Felkner’s research uses developmental and sociological perspectives to examine the mechanisms that shape opportunity pathways toward postsecondary access and success in scientific career fields. Her work has appeared in several education and social and behavioral science journals. Her research has been supported by external funders including the National Science Foundation, the Sloan Foundation and the Spencer Foundation.

The national award reflects nearly 20 years of research by Perez-Felkner, including particular attention to STEM fields like engineering and computer science.

“I’ve been fortunate to do this work in community with my very first students here at FSU and still today, as well as incredible colleagues nationally and internationally,” Perez-Felkner said. “I’ve been able to communicate findings to audiences including secondary and postsecondary faculty and staff, public audiences and scientific groups like CERN. This is a great honor from our largest professional association in the field of educational research that I’ve been part of since graduate school. It’s humbling to be recognized in this way, and I’m honored and motivated to continue.”

Patton Terry and Perez-Felkner join Lou & Elizabeth Bender Endowed Professor Shouping Hu as recent AERA honorees from Anne’s College. Hu was recognized last week as one of 34 exemplary scholars for the 2026 class of AERA Fellows.

Anne’s College was rated the No. 5 Best College for Education in America among public institutions in Niche’s 2026 Best Colleges in America rankings, and No. 8 nationally. For more information, visit annescollege.fsu.edu.

For more information on AERA, visit aera.net.

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A Florida State University professor at the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College) has been chosen as one of 34 exemplary scholars for the 2026 class of American Educational Research Association (AERA) Fellows.

Shouping Hu, the Lou & Elizabeth Bender Endowed Professor, earned selection to the AERA Fellows Program that honors scholars for their exceptional contributions to, and for excellence in, education research. The 2026 Fellows were selected by the Fellows Committee and approved by the AERA Council, the association’s elected governing body.

Hu will be inducted alongside his cohort during a ceremony at the 2026 Annual Meeting in Los Angeles on April 9.

“Being named an AERA Fellow is a tremendous honor,” Hu said. “This recognition reflects the collective impact of collaborative research focused on improving postsecondary student success, and I am excited to continue this work as new opportunities emerge in the age of artificial intelligence.”

“This recognition reflects the collective impact of collaborative research focused on improving postsecondary student success, and I am excited to continue this work as new opportunities emerge in the age of artificial intelligence.”

 – Shouping Hu, Lou & Elizabeth Bender Endowed Professor

The AERA is the largest national interdisciplinary research association devoted to the scientific study of education and learning. Founded in 1916, AERA advances knowledge about education, encourages scholarly inquiry related to education and promotes the use of research to improve education and serve the public good.

Hu is the founding director of the Center for Postsecondary Success (CPS) at FSU and serves as the co-director of the Collaborative Lab for the Advancement of Student Success (CLASS). His research interest examines issues related to postsecondary readiness, outcomes and success.

Throughout his career, Hu has published more than 100 journal articles and book chapters on his areas of research – authoring five books. He has become a leading expert on the role of artificial intelligence in higher education and the future of higher education in a changing world.

“Dr. Hu’s selection as an AERA Fellow is a well-deserved recognition of his relentless dedication to advancing postsecondary student success,” said Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College. “Through his leadership with the Center for Postsecondary Success and his prolific, forward-thinking research, he continually elevates the standard of scholarly excellence here at FSU Anne’s College. We are incredibly proud to celebrate this prestigious milestone with him.”

Hu joins a class that is the 18th group to be inducted into the AERA Fellows Program, which was established in 2007 to emphasize to new scholars the importance of sustained research excellence in the field.

AERA’s more than 25,000 members are faculty, researchers, graduate students and other distinguished professionals with rich and diverse expertise in education research. They work in a range of settings from universities and other academic institutions to research institutes, federal and state agencies, school systems, testing companies and nonprofit organizations.

For more information on AERA, visit aera.net.

For more information on Anne’s College and its top-ranked programs in education, visit annescollege.fsu.edu.

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Since 1977, Florida State University’s Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College) has recognized the excellence of graduates during the Distinguished Alumni Awards. This year, Anne’s College honored five alumni on Feb. 20 in historic Dodd Hall: Shiyi Chen (Ph.D. ’19), Jeffrey Fairbrother (Ph.D. ’00), Mark Ferguson (B.S. ’80), Cecile Reynaud (M.S. ’78, Ph.D. ’98) and Sandra Schultz (Ph.D. ’85).

“I am so proud to call all of these individuals alumni of Anne’s College,” said Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College. “Each one of them represents excellence, whether in a classroom, in a sport, in business, or in our communities. The Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony is not only our way of honoring these individuals but also to elevate them as role models to our current students, who are inspired to see the incredible heights achievable by our graduates.”

Sandra Schultz was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award, which is the highest accolade presented by Anne’s College to a graduate and recognizes individuals who have devoted their careers to making a difference in their field. Schultz is a renowned coach and professor, having spent 34 years at Miami Dade College in the classroom and on the volleyball court and softball field. In 2009, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching named her the Florida Professor of the Year. On top of her professional accomplishments, Schultz is also a lifelong equestrian and has served as a United States Equestrian Federation judge.

Cecile Reynaud is one of three recipients this year who received a Distinguished Alumni Award. Over 26 years, Reynaud defined greatness for FSU Athletics as the head volleyball coach, earning 635 wins, seven conference championships and three Conference Coach of the Year awards. She received USA Volleyball’s highest honor, the Friar Award, in 2016 and has previously served as president of the American Volleyball Coaches Association. She has also served as chair of Refuge House and was a founding board member and president of We Coach, an organization supporting women in coaching careers.

Jeffrey Fairbrother was also recognized with a Distinguished Alumni Award this year. Fairbrother is currently the dean of the College of Education and the Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology at Auburn University. Before his time at Auburn, Fairbrother held positions at Towson University for three years and 17 years at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is past president of both the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity and the American Kinesiology Association. He was also inducted into the National Academy of Kinesiology in 2025.

The final Distinguished Alumni Award recipient is Mark Ferguson. Ferguson is beloved in St. Petersburg, Florida, for his business, Ferg’s Sports Bar, which is now the largest of its kind in Florida and spans two city blocks. The business just celebrated its 33rd anniversary. Last year, USA Today named Ferg’s Sports Bar the best local sports bar in America. Ferguson is married to his wife of 32 years, Sherry, and the couple has two children, Jake and Erin.

Anne’s College also has awarded Shiyi Chen the Trailblazer Award, which was established in 2015 to recognize alumni who have made significant impact within their profession and have graduated within the last 10 years. Chen is currently a tenured associate professor of Child Development in the Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Idaho. She received an NSF-CAREER Award for her work investigating how metacognitive language supports children’s science learning. Additionally, she is a co-organizer and presenter at the University of Idaho Child Development Conference, as well as a co-organizer of the first North Idaho Tribal Early Childhood Education Conference. She has also reached thousands of children across rural Idaho through her Farm to Early Care and Education program.

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Florida State University’s College of Communication and Information hosted the 12th annual South Asian Media and Cultural Studies (SAMCS) Conference, a premier international forum for researchers, scholars and practitioners engaged in dialogue surrounding media and culture in South Asia.

The hybrid event Jan. 29 and Jan. 30 took place at The Globe Auditorium and online at the College of Communication and Information’s YouTube channel and the SAMCS YouTube channel. Attendees from around the world joined both in-person and virtually to discuss topics including contemporary challenges in journalism, cultural preservation and resilience, different demographic groups’ media engagement and identity expression through media in South Asia.

This year’s conference theme “Resilience and Renewal: Tradition, Innovation, and Media Futures in South Asia” explored the role of media and communications in preserving identity, sharing knowledge and responding to change across local, Indigenous and urban communities.

Michael R. Ogden, dean emeritus of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Zayed University in Dubai, delivered the keynote address, “Indigenous Responses to South Asia’s Climate Crisis,” that focused on Indigenous documentary, climate resilience and the role of South Asian perspectives in shaping global media futures.

An accomplished scholar, storyteller and documentary filmmaker originally from Oregon, Ogden served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Fiji before earning a Ph.D. in political science and pursuing an academic career. His work focuses on Indigenous communities, media and long-term responsibility in the context of a changing climate.

“If we are serious about the theme of this conference — resilience and renewal, tradition, innovation and media futures in South Asia — then we owe the pathfinders a new politics of representation,” he said.  

He explained that the challenges faced by the world today really have to do with how we think about time. Through examples from South Asia, Ogden demonstrated the Seventh Generation principle, an Indigenous philosophy that says every decision made today should consider its impact on people living seven generations in the future.

“When you make a decision today, you are accountable to descendants seven generations into the future,” he said. “If we assume that one human generation is roughly 25 years, that’s a decision horizon of nearly 175 years.”  

The conference continued Friday, Jan. 30, with opening remarks from Michelle Kazmer, dean of the College of Communication and Information.

“This marks the 12th year that a group of students, faculty, alumni and friends have worked together to organize this important forum,” Kazmer said “I hope that this is a chance to learn more about South Asia, make new connections, get in touch with old friends, and to build relationships with colleagues from around the world.”  

The program consisted of four presentation panels, where speakers representing universities from around the world including countries like India, Pakistan, Belgium and Bangladesh spoke on topics ranging from media innovation in South Asia to resilience and representation. The panels are available to watch on the SAMCS YouTube channel.

Taimur Shamil, a national security and foreign policy expert from Pakistan and based in New York, delivered the closing keynote. His talk, “The Narrative Power: Mapping South Asian Think Tanks and Their Influence on Policy Formulation,” focused on how South Asian think tanks shape public debate and influence policy formation.  

“Think tanks are the architects of reality,” Shamil said.

He described South Asia as a politically complex region shaped by geography, security disputes and development challenges, and argued that think tanks help create the language and data used in public debate. During the question-and-answer portion of his talk, Shamil emphasized the importance of grassroots engagement and including multiple perspectives while acknowledging ongoing concerns about bias and how research gets translated into real policy.

“Ideas actually generate from the grassroots level, and a researcher must be connected with the people because that is where the ideas are,” he said.   

From journalism and film to digital storytelling, strategic communications and grassroots media, the conference included a range of perspectives on how tradition and innovation intersect in everyday practice.

“This annual conference brings together students, scholars and practitioners to create space for deeper understanding and long-term collaboration,” said Steve McDowell, FSU’s assistant provost for International Initiatives and interim dean of The Graduate School. “The conversations that happen here continue to shape research, teaching and global engagement at FSU, in South Asia, and beyond.”

McDowell, who also serves as the John H. Phipps Professor of Communication in the College of Communication and Information, planned the conference alongside a committee led by Vaibhav Diwanji, a research assistant professor at the University of Kansas and two-time alumnus of FSU’s School of Communication. Originally from India, Diwanji said he’s proud to continue offering a global platform that brings together scholars, practitioners and policymakers without any registration cost.

“As an FSU alumnus, it’s especially meaningful to see this space continue to grow as a platform for dialogue, collaboration and new ways of thinking about media and culture in South Asia” he said.

The conference was also hosted in collaboration with the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Ruth K. Shepard Broad International Lecture Series and the Center for Global Engagement’s Engage Your World Speaker Series.  

The conference also included a photo exhibit and book launch highlighting the work of Kids of Kathmandu, a nonprofit organization connected to Bhushan Dahal, a doctoral candidate from Nepal pursuing a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy at the FSU Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences. The photos and book document a decade of the organization’s work building schools in Nepal in partnership with local community groups.

The annual event aims to spark new ideas, conversations and scholarly collaborations through engaging presentations, discussions and shared experiences to celebrate and amplify underrepresented voices in South Asia, and beyond. The modern nations of South Asia include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.  

To learn more about the College of Communication and Information at FSU, visit cci.fsu.edu. For more information about the SAMCS Conference, visit comm.cci.fsu.edu/faculty-research/south-asian-media-studies/south-asian-media-studies-conference/.   

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Florida State University Margaret A. Sitton Endowed Professor Michael Ormsbee has been selected for the 2026 Digital Science Communication Fellowship, a national program as part of the Museum of Science’s (MoS) Global Science Creator Network, dedicated to strengthening scientific communication and public understanding.

The fellowship operates at the intersection of scientific communication, public engagement and digital media. The Digital Science Communication Fellowship is the inaugural cohort pairing scientific experts with influential digital creators to help scientists better leverage social communications platforms, creating greater visibility and impact around their work.

Ormsbee serves as director of the FSU Institute of Sports Sciences and Medicine, a state-of-the-art research center focused on advancing human performance, nutrition and sports medicine. He is a professor within the renowned Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College).

“I’m genuinely honored to be selected for the MoS Digital Science Communication Fellowship from a worldwide pool of applicants,” Ormsbee said. “As a scientist, I’ve always believed that discovery only matters if people can understand and connect with it. We’re moving beyond research locked inside academic silos toward a new era of borderless, digital science communication, where storytelling, visualization and creativity bring data to life for the public. This fellowship is an exciting opportunity to help lead that shift and reimagine how we share science with the world.”

“As a scientist, I’ve always believed that discovery only matters if people can understand and connect with it.”

– Michael Ormsbee, Margaret A. Sitton Endowed Professor

The program is designed to equip those scientists with the skills needed to successfully communicate their work with clarity, accuracy and cultural resonance across digital platforms. Fellows receive advanced training in digital storytelling, behavioral science, audience strategy and civic-minded communication, and work closely with mentors from leading academic institutions, research laboratories, media organizations and scientific agencies.

“Through our Science Communicator Fellowship, a key initiative of our Global Science Creator Network, we’re training scientists, researchers and experts to communicate more effectively on digital platforms and connect with audiences interested in their work,” said Tim Ritchie, Gwill York President of the Museum of Science. “By pairing them with experienced digital mentors, we’re meeting people where they already are and building trust in science through stories that inspire active hope.”

Ormsbee will join a cohort of more than 40 fellows from across the United States in workshops, mentorship sessions and hands-on communication labs culminating in a public capstone presentation in Boston. Learn more by visiting the Museum of Science Fellowship Program website.

For more information about Anne’s College, visit their website at annescollege.fsu.edu.

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As the director of Florida State University’s Cardiovascular & Applied Physiology Laboratory (CAP Lab), Joseph Watso is leading the way on research aimed at supporting better heart health.

Cardiovascular disease continues to be the leading global cause of death. Watso’s team at the CAP Lab, part of the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, works daily to advance knowledge on the modifiable factors that people can change to reduce their risk of developing chronic diseases.

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