Year Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown
| Judy Bense |
Full Name: Judith Bense Awards: 2013 Champions Beyond the Game |
| FSU Career |
| FSCW/FSU Student | |
Year Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown
|
|
| Comments |
|
Selected as a Champion Beyond the Game in 2013 Dr. Judy Bense received her bachelor's (1967) and master's degree (1969) in Anthropology with a Specialization in Archaeology from Florida State University. She earned a doctorate in Anthropology/Archaeology from Washington State University in 1972. Dr. Bense founded the University of West Florida Anthropology/Archaeology program in 1980, with the establishment of the Archaeology Institute and served as director for 20 years. She was a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology from 1982 to 2001 when she became Chair of the Department of Anthropology in 2001. In 2006, she founded the Florida Public Archaeology Network, which is the largest statewide public archaeology program in the United States. Bense continues to serve on the Board of Directors. Dr. Bense's specialization in Archaeology is the Spanish Colonial period (16-18th centuries) and is one of the pioneers of Public Archaeology. Dr. Bense received the Order of Isabella the Catholica from the King of Spain Juan Ferdinand, and the Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society of Historical Archeaology. Dr. Bense became the 5th President of UWF on July 1, 2008
after serving the institution for 28 years. Her goals are to greatly
improve engagement with the community and region, increase and expand
student life on campus, and have the university serve as an economic driver
for northwest Florida. She serves on several Boards of Directors, Florida's
Council of 100, the President's Coalition of Northwest Florida, and the
Downtown Rotary of Pensacola. Bense is an active member and holds
leadership roles in the American Council on Education, the Association of
Governing Boards, the American Association of State Colleges and
Universities, the Gulf South Conference and the NCAA President's
Council. Dr. Judith Bense is President Emeritus and Professor of Anthropology/Archaeology at the University of West Florida. Bense joined UWF in 1980 and built an Anthropology/Archaeology program at UWF from scratch. This program today is one of the leading programs in Florida and the country known for its active research in Florida archaeology and outreach to the public. Bense has held almost every leadership position in UWF archaeology over the decades and led the program in the direction of historical archaeology and shipwreck research. In 2004, she worked to pass legislation and obtain funding for the Florida Public Archeology Network (FPAN), which is housed at UWF and operates eight regional public archeology centers throughout Florida. In 2008, she was appointed interim President of UWF, selected president in 2010 and served as its president through 2016. During her presidency, enrollment grew by 30%, six new buildings were constructed, visibility dramatically increased, athletic teams won four national championships, and the football program was started. As University of West Florida's first female president, she continues to inspire women to achieve both professionally and academically. Bense was inducted in the 2019 Florida Women's Hall of Fame and is the first woman from Northwest Florida to receive this honor. She has received several prestigious awards from professional organizations, the state of Florida, and Spain. These include the Evelyn Fortune Bartlett Award, a lifetime achievement award from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, the JC Harrington Medal, a lifetime achievement award from the Society for Historical Archaeology, the Senator Bob Williams Award for Outstanding achievements in Public Archaeology from the Florida Department of State, and inducted into the Order of Isabella de Catholica by the King of Spain for advancing Spain's contribution to the Americas. Bense has held leadership positions in state, regional and national professional archaeological organizations, capped off by the presidency of the Society for Historical Archaeology in 2005. Her new research book, "On the Edge of the Spanish Empire: The West Florida Presidio Era 1698-1763" will be available in 2021. This book synthesizes almost 40 years of research on the Spanish Presidios of West Florida 1698-1763. She has had three professional books published along with two archaeology books for the general public. Bense currently teaches in the Anthropology Department in the Fall semesters and is now preparing a series of academic articles on West Florida's Early Spanish occupation. She currently is Vice Chair of
the Florida Historical Commission, Chair of the Board of Directors for the
Florida Public Archaeology Network, is a founding board member of the
Center for Excellence in Local Government and is active in local civic and
service organizations. She and her brother Allan, manage the family hay
farm in Bay Count. |
| FSU Statistics |