It was a pleasure to host visiting Fulbright Scholar Professor Andrei Valodzkin (hosted by my Department, the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies in the College of Arts & Sciences over on the Tampa campus) in Madeira Beach and at USF St. Pete.
Earlier in the semester Prof. Valodzkin joined us for the Florida Political Science Association Annual Meeting panel on US-Uganda Relations (April). Panelists were researchers at the Great Lakes Center for the Study of the United States at Makerere University. See this post for more about the panel:
https://drjsmafricanacademicadventures.blogspot.com/2026/04/florida-political-science-association.html
Since then, Prof. Valodzkin and I had been trying to find a time in our schedules to meet to discuss future research cooperation. Finally we were able to make arrangements for him to visit me in Madeira Beach in late June. First, he was able to learn more about local government by attending our Civil Service
Commission meeting and visiting with our City Manager Mike Helfrich.
After the Commission meeting, we stopped by the Gulf Beaches Public Library. Prof Valodzkin was able to "sign" the Declaration of Independence and peruse the America@250 exhibits. After a beach BBQ dinner and after dinner walk along Madeira Beach, we drove to USF St. Pete for a campus tour.
The professor's research focuses on the Great Lakes region, and I am delighted to note that he will be one of the
contributors to our volume about US-Uganda relations (a research collaboration that grew out of my Fulbright award to Makerere University in Uganda). We are both grateful for our Fulbright awards that have furthered our research partnerships across 3 continents (in this case, North America, Europe, Africa).
For more about USF St Pete https://www.stpetersburg.usf.edu/
For more about the City of Madeira Beach https://madeirabeachfl.gov/
For more about the Gulf Beaches Public Library https://gulfbeacheslibrary.org/
For more about the Fulbright Program https://fulbrightscholars.org/
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| Learning more about local government in Florida, attending the Coty of Madeira Beach Civil Service Commission Meeting (where I serve as a Commissioner) |
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| With the City Manager of the City of Madeira Beach and the Chair of the Civil Service Commission |
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| the City of Madeira Beach Fire Department |
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| visiting the heart of the community, the local public library: Gulf Beaches Public Library in Madeira Beach |
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| at a special exhibit celebrating America@250 one can "sign" the Declaration of Independence - and then ring a bell - to receive a copy of the US Constitution and the US Declaration of Independence |
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| thanks to my husband for grilling up a summer BBQ at the beach bungalow |
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| quick walk on the beach before heading to USF |
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| made time for a tour of the USF St. Petersburg campus |
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| learning more about the marine life that can be seen on our beautiful waterfront campus |
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| the College of Arts and Sciences on the USF St Pete campus |
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| USF St Pete, waterfront campus that is in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg |
