Donnie Horner was appointed chief athletics officer at Jacksonville University, replacing Brad Edwards, who accepted a job at George Mason University.
“Dr. Horner is a proven leader of the highest character,” said JU President Tim Cost. “Student-athletes help form the backbone of our student community, and we take their success seriously, both on and off the field.”
Horner graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point with a Bachelor of Science, and played quarterback for the Army football team. He received an M.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Stanford University.
He currently serves as the school’s chief government and community affairs officer is professor of management in the Davis College of Business.
“Our highest priority is well-rounded student-athletes. We are proud of what we produce at JU: well-educated leaders of character who make good citizens,” said Horner. “I look forward to working with our coaching staff and student-athletes as we move forward.”
Baptist nurse was one of 20 finalists for national award
A Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville nurse was a finalist for the national 2014 Nurses’ Choice Awards.
April McNally, an in-patient wound care nurse at Baptist Jacksonville, was one of 20 nurses selected as finalists from hospitals and practices across the U.S. and Canada.
The Nurses’ Choice Awards, presented by medical device company Tangent Medical, were created to recognize clinicians who demonstrate excellence in improving patient comfort, satisfaction, safety and the overall quality of patient care.
Nancy Marlett, nurse manager for the Center for Endoscopy, CHF/Infusion Center and Wound Care for Baptist Jacksonville, nominated McNally, who she said “is motivated
by her deep desire to help others.”
“Nursing is her passion,” Marlett said. “Each day, April models the true art of advocacy for her patients. April has personally touched the hearts and souls of many people during her nursing career.”
McNally, who has been a nurse for almost six years and was the only finalist from Florida, said she was honored to be chosen as a finalist.
Gov. Rick Scott receives endorsement from JaxBiz
JaxBiz, a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization affiliated with JAX Chamber, has endorsed Gov. Rick Scott in his run for a second term as Florida’s governor.
“Gov. Scott has worked tirelessly to grow jobs and to, along with our state Legislature, create a business-friendly environment that encourages companies to grow and expand in Florida,” JaxBiz Chair Mike Hightower said in a news release. “It’s refreshing to see a leader come into office and do exactly what he said he would do — grow jobs and limit the governmental regulation that was holding business back. That leadership is what our region and our state need to keep moving our economies forward.”
Scott said he was honored to receive the endorsement. “I look forward to continuing to work with the community leaders in Jacksonville to help local business grow and offer more opportunities for area families to live their American Dream,” the governor said.
MaliVai Washington foundation students win scholarships
The MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation awarded scholarships to several students.
Marquis Atkinson, a junior at Paxon School for Advanced Studies, won a $5,000 scholarship after earning the George M. Soper Student Athlete of the Year Award.
Tequilla Walker, a seventh-grader at John E. Ford K-8, won the $5,000 Rick Murray “Don’t Quit” Scholarship.
Graduating Paxon senior Benzell Lang received the $5,000 Agassi Advantage Award, which includes a new computer to be used in college. Lang will attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point next year.
Extra Effort Scholarships went to Deyona Burton, Hendricks Avenue; Tiah Thomas-Jacobs, Jakaari Jones, Sedric Norris and Shavonna Davis, John E. Ford; Sylver White, Kirby Smith Middle School; Keyondra Merritt, Raines High School; and Bernard Thomas, Jervonnie Moody, Maliyah Davis and Adrienne Clark, Robert E. Lee High School.
Library participating in international initiative
The Jacksonville Public Library will take part in the Big Library Read program, a worldwide reading initiative.
Library card holders will be able to borrow e-book and audiobook versions of the Big Library Read book, “A Pedigree To Die For, Book 1” of the Melanie Travis Mystery Series by Laurien Berenson, through June 18 by visiting jpl.lib.overdrive.com.
The Big Library Read is an international program that gives libraries and library card holders unlimited simultaneous access to a popular title for a two-week period, creating a virtual, global book club.
Titles will automatically expire at the end of the lending period.
There are no late fees.
The program is made possible through a partnership between OverDrive, the leading supplier of e-books and more to libraries, and Kensington Publishing Corp., publisher of Laurien Berenson’s mystery.