The awards are designed to honor elected officials, public-service professionals, nonprofit leaders and volunteers who have demonstrated leadership in and commitment to the field of public service.

“These awards recognize some incredible people in our community who have dedicated their lives to making the world a better place for all of us,� said Michael Frumkin, dean of the College of Health & Public Affairs. “They truly embody the college’s mission of Strengthening Communities: Changing Lives, inspiring our students as role models for the future careers.�

Many of the honorees attended a ceremony Wednesday evening at the Morgridge International Reading Center on the main Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ campus.

The 2016 winners are:

Exemplary Public Service Lifetime Achievement Award: Nelson

Exemplary Public Service Leadership Award, elected official: Gardiner

Exemplary Public Service Leadership Award, nonelected official: Ajit Lalchandani, Orange County administrator

Exemplary Public Service Organization Award: Central Florida Commission on Homelessness

Public Service Career Achievement Award: Pamela Landwirth, president and CEO of Give Kids the World

Young Public Service Professional Award, Jessica Schwendeman, assistant director of Volunteer Resource Center at Heart of Florida United Way

Several Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ graduates also were honored with Alumni Achievement Awards during Wednesday’s ceremony:

Public Administration, John Titkanich, ’01, city manager
 of Cocoa

Nonprofit Management,
Anna Eskamani, ’12 and ’15,
senior director of public affairs and field operations, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida

Urban & Regional Planning, Erin Sterk, ’08 and ’14,
city planner III, Osceola County

Research Administration, Winona Ward, ’15,
director of research, Management Services, University of California

Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Michelle Cechowski, ’12,
emergency preparedness manager,
East Central Florida Regional Planning Council

The annual recognition is part of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Public Service Recognition Week. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s School of Public Administration, the College of Health and Public Affairs alumni chapter, and the Central Florida Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration hosted the celebration.

Getting high school students to dream is not the problem. Getting them excited and ready to start their careers in college is, and that’s why Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and Evans High School â—� A Community School are teaming up at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Takeover Week Oct. 12-16.

Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students, faculty, administrators and volunteers will spend time at Evans this week helping students envision college as part of their future and then showing them the tools and roadmaps to get there.

Organizers are also delivering another message: College can be fun.

Knightro, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s mascot, the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ cheerleaders and the band will all perform at Evans as a way to showcase the fun side of college life. More than 30 student organizations will talk to students about the kinds of clubs and activities they can pursue from dance to engineering. Evans students also will get an opportunity to listen to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ admissions and financial aid officers talk about getting ready for college, successfully navigating the admissions process, and payment options.

“This is about connecting with students and families in our community and making sure they know that higher education can very much be part of their future,â€� said Michael Frumkin, dean of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ College of Health and Public Affairs. The college played a major role in organizing the event along with Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s Student Development and Enrollment Services division. “We want all students to know we are here for them and to help them best prepare for a successful journey to college.â€�

Last year, 15 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students were volunteer mentors to ninth-graders at Evans, offering the teens support and guidance for success in life. Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Takeover Week is another way to introduce more Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students to Evans. Organizers hope the event will also inspire them and others in the community to become mentors and to continue delivering the message that college is accessible.

And because getting to college isn’t just up to students, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is also hosting a parent-information session at Evans from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15.

During the session parents can watch several panel presentations about the admissions process, paying for college, and the benefits of alternative pathways to college, such as ROTC and DirectConnect to Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

Students and parents also will get the opportunity to see some of the innovative things students at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ are doing, including designing computer games, engineering devices that help the disabled, and much more.

A schedule of events:

Monday

11-12:30 p.m.: Kickoff with performances by Knightro, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ cheerleaders and dance team

2:30-4:45 p.m.: Cultural fair featuring 12 Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ clubs including Black Student Union, Colombian Student Association and Giving Back Evans Alumni.

Tuesday

11-12:30 p.m.: Outreach and mentoring of students

2:30-4:45 p.m.: Nine different sessions on everything from undergraduate admissions to academic resources at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½

Thursday

11-12:30 p.m.: Greek organizations

5-7 p.m.: Parent information session

Friday

11-12:30 p.m.: Student leadership opportunities at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ and performance by Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Band.

Leaders from the center and College of Health and Public Affairs recognized Simmons at the Sept. 25 board meeting of the Children’s Home Society of Florida in Orlando. CHSF and Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½Â partnered to help establish Evans High School in Pine Hills as the first community school of its kind the state.

Center Director David Bundy, former president of CHSF, thanked Simmons for his support of proposals in 2014 and 2015 to establish the center and award the state’s first community-school planning grants. The Legislature funded .

Simmons’ interest in community schools grew out of a 2013 meeting with Bundy and college Dean Michael Frumkin. After their meeting the senator requested a binder filled with information about community schools to review.

“The community-school concept was very much in keeping with his educational philosophy,” said Bundy. “He liked that community schools are an efficient use of resources and that they bring people together and remove barriers to student success.”

At the Sept. 25 meeting, Simmons received a black and gold recognition plate from Marklyne Joachim, an Evans’ graduate who benefitted from the community school programs. She is now a sophomore at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½.

Simmons later wrote of his joy in working with the partners and appreciation of the recognition. He also made note of his pleasure in meeting Joachim.

“Marklyne did such a great job sharing,” he wrote. “[It] made it really special that she was there too.”

In addition to being recognized by the center, Simmons was honored as Legislator of the Year by CHSF.

PHOTO (Left to right) Rob Matschner (CHSF-CF Board), Tara Hormell (CHSF), Charles Cromer (CHSF Board), Amy Ellis (Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½), Michael Frumkin (Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½), David Simmons, Marklyne Joachim (Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½), David Bundy (Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½), Jarvis Wheeler (Evans) and Summer Pfeiffer (CHSF)

Orlando’s WDBO FM will broadcast the debate from 7 to 8 p.m. from the Morgridge International Reading Center on the main campus. The debate is free and open to the public.

Mel Robbins, a trial lawyer and national radio news commentator, will moderate the student debate, and Dick Batchelor, founder of the Dick Batchelor Management Group and a former member of the Florida House of Representatives, will join the discussion panel. Michael Frumkin, dean of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s College of Health and Public Affairs, will provide the opening remarks.

The students speaking on the side of limited reform are: Kyle Ross, Todd Foster, Jack Flanary and Jessica Sirianni. Arguing for more reform are: Taylor Koshak, Chris Chambers, Brittany Hollenbacher and Justine Poteau.

“We appreciate the opportunity to explore important topics with the students and with the community,� Frumkin said. 

The debate will be broadcast on FM 96.5.

Three additional graduate programs from the university’s College of Health & Public Affairs were ranked near the top: Criminology (Criminal Justice at Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½) was ranked 26th in its category, Healthcare Management (Health Services Administration) was ranked 46th, and Public Affairs (Public Administration) was listed at 59th.

All four of the COHPA programs moved up in their rankings this year.

“Peer rankings such as these reflect our faculty’s dedication and commitment to offering the highest quality graduate programs,� said Michael Frumkin, dean of the College of Health & Public Affairs. “I’m extraordinarily proud of our growing national reputation.�

The College of Education also had two programs ranked in the top 25. Its graduate counselor education program ranked 11th and its special education graduate program ranked 14th. The College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL) also had a program listed at number 13.

Others from Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ in the top 100 of their specific fields were: Industrial Engineering (48), Computer Engineering (57), Electrical Engineering (62), Environmental Engineering (68), Best Engineering School (72), Materials Engineering (74), Speech-Language Pathology [Communication Sciences and Disorders] (73), Nursing (79), Social Work (89), Civil Engineering (81), Physical Therapy (99) and Best Education School (100).

More than 1,200 programs were reviewed for the magazine’s annual graduate-school guide. The scores are based on expert opinions about programs and a variety of statistical indicators that gauge the quality of faculty, researchers and students at each institution.

Highlights of the rankings will be on sale in the Best Graduate Schools book at newsstands beginning April 3.

View the full list of Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½â€™s rankings.

Provost and Executive Vice President Tony Waldrop informed the university’s Board of Trustees of the new designation on Wednesday.

Public Administration offers 22 graduate and undergraduate programs and serves nearly 1,000 students. The school’s areas of focus include nonprofit management, urban planning and emergency management.

The school’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Management has earned about $4 million in external funds and helped more than 200 nonprofit organizations.

“This is an amazingly innovative department,� College of Health and Public Affairs Dean Michael Frumkin told the trustees.

Public Administration is one of eight Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ graduate programs nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report.

Also at Wednesday’s Board of Trustees meeting:

— President Hitt expressed “great sadnessâ€� that Nancy Burnett, a longtime friend and benefactor of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, passed away last week.

Nancy and Al Burnett have donated $15.5 million over more than 30 years to support Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students and programs. The Burnett Honors College and Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences are named in their honor, as is the president’s on-campus home.

“Their gifts have benefitted thousands of students in our classrooms, in our research labs and on our athletic fields, and their generosity will continue to benefit Central Floridians for many years to come,� Hitt said. “Please keep Nancy’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.�

— Board members approved Chairman Emeritus status for Rick Walsh and Vice Chairman Emeritus status for Tom Yochum. Yochum attended the meeting, accepted a plaque and said he was thankful for the opportunity to serve the university for 10 years.

— The board welcomed newly appointed trustee Robert Garvy, chair and CEO of INTECH.

— The board heard an update on the university’s progress on developing a new policy governing academic integrity and misconduct. The Academic Integrity Task Force is in the process of receiving feedback from the university community.

— The board learned about a proposal to attach a large screen to the outside of the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Arena that could be used to showcase movies, away sporting events and university programs along with advertisements. Additional feedback about the concept will be accepted.

— Joel Hartman, vice provost for Information Technologies, was lauded for his selection as the 2011 Sloan Consortium’s A. Frank Maydas Leadership Award winner. The award acknowledges and celebrates leadership in online education.

— The board recognized Professor Linda Walters for being named one of the best biology professors in the country by The Coastal and Estuarine Research Foundation. She also earned the 2011 Florida Campus Compact Service-Learning Faculty Award for her excellence in linking Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ courses with community needs.

— Associate Professor H.G. Parza of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management was applauded for earning the John Wiley and Sons Lifetime Research Achievement Award from the International Council on Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Education.

— The board lauded the volleyball team for earning the 2010-11 Team Academic Award from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. The award honors teams that have matched their dedication to the sport of volleyball with excellence in the classroom.