Pictured above: Deni Elliott (left), interim vice provost and regional associate vice chancellor of academic affairs, and Martin Tadlock, regional chancellor, will helm the St. Petersburg campus for the 2021-22 academic year.
Courtesy of Kristine Paulsen and Martha Rhine
By Isaiah Sterling
Deni Elliott, interim vice provost and regional associate vice chancellor of academic affairs, and Martin Tadlock, regional chancellor, shared their personal goals and expectations for fall semester with The Crow’s Nest.
Elliott, previously a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, replaced Catherine Cardwell who departed USF to become the dean of university libraries at the University of Nevada-Reno. Although Elliott initially planned to retire from the university after more than 10-year tenure in education, she accepted a year administrative appointment earlier this summer.
In January, Tadlock announced he would be stepping down from his role as regional chancellor to return as a professor in the College of Education. Similar to Elliott, he changed his plans, but accepted a one-year contract extension to help USF ensure a thorough search for new campus leadership.
Q: What are your goals this semester?
Elliott: “Vaccinations, masks and social distancing and still creating community. Let’s figure out how to feel comfortable on campus. That is what is most important to me in terms of getting the semester started. For the year, I really would like to see faculty focus on creating an academic plan for the St. Petersburg campus that we can merge with a larger academic plan that will will hopefully be in process at USF.”
Tadlock: “Safety of our students, faculty and staff is a number one goal right now. With the virus resurging, safety has to be our number one concern coming into the fall semester, practicing, encouraging and expecting everyone to adhere to [COVID-19] expectations.”
Q: What challenges do you think USF will face?
Elliott: “The shared goal of administration, faculty and staff on the St. Pete campus is to help every student be successful. That gets challenging for all of us as we work to reach that goal despite the challenges of COVID-19.”
Tadlock: “I think challenges are opportunities. I think there are going to be a lot of opportunities this semester. The opportunity to search for someone to replace me in my position is coming. We have several interim positions on this campus as well. Several key leadership positions will become available after this year and bring an opportunity for people to put their thoughts forward about new campus leadership.”
Q: What can students and staff expect from the office of the Vice Provost/Regional Chancellor this semester?
Elliott: “Because I’ve been here so long, I am used to being accessible. That is not going to change now. I care about the students and faculty. I’m always here. By the middle of September, I plan to designate a half day each week for open office hours and people can come see me. I’ll be available for whoever wants to talk to me, for whatever reason.”
Tadlock: “They can expect what they’ve got for the past five years. I’m available. I’m here. We listen and we hear what people have to say with their best interest at heart. We want people to be successful. Students and staff aren’t going to get anything different in regard to that. That is just who we are.”
Q: How is USF prepared to return to pre-pandemic classroom standards?
Elliott: “Faculty are prepared to meet the needs of students who need to isolate or quarantine. Departments are prepared to meet the needs of students if a faculty member who is teaching face-to-face needs to isolate or quarantine. On the St. Pete campus, we prioritize student success. Every administrator, faculty member and staff member will do what we can to assist every individual student. Students should ask for what they need.”
Tadlock: “Our class schedule reflects the class schedule we had before the pandemic began. The percentage of classes that were fully online, hybrid or face-to-face then are still in the class schedule. We understand that we have to be able to pivot because our COVID-19 situation requires flexibility. We understand that we have to be prepared to move classes that are face-to-face to online temporarily at a moment’s notice. Florida is a hurricane state, we have always been ready to pivot. Being flexible is not new to us.”
Q: Would you like to say anything to students as they begin the fall semester?
Elliott: “I’m humbled by the trust that’s been put into me in terms of putting me in this position, and my basic question to everyone is how can I be of help to you?”
Tadlock: “Please come to campus excited about being here. Come with the expectation that we have safety protocols in place that we expect students to follow. Everyone here has a responsibility to take care of themselves. We know distancing helps. We know masks help. We know the vaccine helps. We have high expectations that our students know what to do — the right thing.”
Q: Is there anything else you would like to tell the USF community?
Elliott: “I want to help anyone, who doesn’t already, know our distinctive identity and what USF St. Petersburg brings to one USF which is special and different from the Sarasota -Manatee and Tampa campus. There are a number of things we can do here that serve one USF but also build on who we are as a campus community and the culture we have here.”
Tadlock: “I’ll be present and I’m going to be wearing my mask when I need to. I trust other people here to do the right thing — that makes me feel safe myself. I expect my leadership team to be as engaging as possible while we are practicing what we need to be practicing to remain a safe campus. I have members of my family who are at high risk for COVID-19 and I am still going to be on campus, but I feel confident that if everyone follows the protocols that we have been following, it is safe enough for me to be here.”
