Stetson Magazine by Stetson University

STETSON U

Who Are Today’s Students?

FIRST WORDS

t seemed only appropriate that we use a photo on the cover

of Scott MacKenzie Williams with his emblazoned tattoo in Latin Acta Non Verba (Action Not Words). Those words sum up the ethos of Stetson students. Let me give you some examples. Three Stetson students — senior Courtney Allbee, junior Viviana Vasiu and freshman Kalee Ball — helped put together this issue. Each is different. I’ve worked with Viviana for almost a year now, and she brings so much to our magazines. She’s student editor of our other magazine, VISUAL, that goes to high school students to get them interested in attending Stetson. She’s from Romania, so English is not her first language, but she writes like a dream. And she’s smart. She makes great grades, and because she is driven, she puts so much pressure on herself to do well. Both her parents are lawyers, and she wants to become a lawyer too. Courtney truly knows and loves Stetson. She helped find the many other student writers for this issue. Coordinating all their schedules was a nightmare, but she pulled it off. She’s active too. She is a football and basketball cheerleader who is also a leader in her sorority, Pi Beta Phi. Kalee’s the newest member of the magazine staff. She’s written several pieces for this magazine, but my favorite is “It’s Not the Zombie Apocalypse, It’s Just Freshman Year.” Who are today’s Stetson students? We asked that question at the beginning because, quite frankly, like Viv, Courtney and Kalee, they’re all so different with diverse backgrounds and life experiences. But the Millennial experts try to sum up this generation in a few words or phrases. And that’s where our issue begins. This issue focuses on “Stetson Millennials: A Special Report.” We talk with faculty, staff and students to answer the question behind this issue. In “Who Are Today’s Stetson Students,” we plumb deeper to better understand them. In “Millennial Mash-Up,” we ask several upperclass and freshman students to give us their take on this Stetson generation. We ask our students the tough questions, too, and let them respond in their personal essays to several troubling issues we face. Moreover, we investigate the Stetson experience that takes our students beyond the classroom through research with faculty, internships and volunteer activities. Finally, in a photo essay, we visit where they live. This issue, then, focuses on students who believe in “Action Not Words.” They are Stetson. —Bill Noblitt Editor, stetson magazine

STETSON U

V O

On Page 44, sophomore Erin Kiniry of Denver talks about where she lives.

S t a ff

D e pa rt m e n t s

F e at u r e s

President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D.

Inside First Words Cover Reflections on this issue.

Vice President for University Marketing

Greg Carroll

Editor and Art Director

Bill Noblitt

Editorial Assistants

Courtney Allbee, Viviana Vasiu, Kalee Ball & Donna Nassick Photographers Will Phillips & Brendan Rogers

2 Letters Reaction to the last issue. 3 First Person A student describes the fear of freshman year. 4 Beginnings News about Stetson.

24 Millennial Mash-Up We ask Stetson Millennials in a question-and-answer session to tell us about themselves.

Production Coordinator Heather Mienhardt Contributing Staff Writers

Janie Graziani, Mary Anne Rogers, Davina Gould & Brandi Palmer

Ronald Williamson, Trish Wieland, George Salis, Amy Gipson & Tim Clydesdale

Class Notes Editor

Cathy Foster

48 Inquiry Research and scholarship at Stetson. 50 Games Lacrosse is boss.

52 Giving

54 Alumni

magazine is published three times a year by Stetson University, DeLand, FL 32723 and is distributed to its alumni, families, friends, faculty and staff. The magazine is printed on FSC-certified paper. The College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration and School of Music are located at the historic campus in DeLand. The College of Law is in Gulfport/St. Petersburg. The university also has two satellite centers: The Tampa Law Center and the Stetson University Center at Celebration near Orlando. stetson

56 Homecoming Extravaganza 58 The Classes 64 Endings President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., discusses Stetson’s enrollment growth. 65 Parting Shot A photo of Palm Court at sunrise.

Who Are Today’s Students? The authors who write about Millennials give conflicting opinions about them. So who are today’s Stetson students?

We Answer the Tough Questions Stetson students answer our hardball questions about such issues as climate change, poverty, war and peace.

40 The Stetson Experience Research with faculty, internships and volunteer activities take Stetson students beyond the classroom. 44 Where We Live What better reflection of our students’ personalities than where they live?

LETTERS

Be More Inclusive

ments, the study of old masters, the reading of great literature like Dante’s Inferno. The list goes on. I, too, remember having to create a musical composition. The assignment was embraced by every student with enthusiasm, which speaks volumes for her ability to inspire. Albert Einstein must have had Professor Johnson in mind when he said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creating expression and knowledge.” Yes, she was my favorite teacher, and, no, I didn’t receive an “A.” —Lorinda Brand Craig, ’62

I am writing concerning the small article in stetson magazine on the football team returning to Stetson after 57 years. I understand the sign of the times that 57 years ago the football team had all white players. But 57 years later that has changed, and I feel the players pictured in the article should have reflected that change with at least one person of color included in the article. Overall, however, the magazine was great. —Concerned parent of a Stetson Student

A Question of Balance While the good Dr. Jamil Khader’s credentials (in the article titled “Fulbright Scholar Heads to Palestine”) are to be admired and his passion for peace applauded, how ironic that an edition of stetson magazine devoted to the virtues of liberal arts learning would allow such a biased article to be written. The Palestinian/Israeli conflict is much more nuanced and twosided than the article reads. Jews have continually lived in what is now Israel proper and the territories since the day the Romans changed the name from Occupied Judea to Palestine. Jews lived there for 3,000 years before that inglorious moment in European hegemony. It was called The Kingdom of Israel and Judea pre-Roman occupation. When pointing the finger at the perpetrators of ethnic hatred, both sides need to look deep in their hearts to find compassion for their fellow man. —Ken Greenberg Englewood, Colo. Spouse of Stetson Alumna Anna M. Greenberg, ’90 Editor’s Note: We would like to run all letters to the editor in their entirety, but, unfortunately, we cannot for space reasons. Therefore, Mr. Greenberg’s letter was edited. 2

STETSON

Our Stetson Facebook Question: How Would You Describe the Millennials?

A Correction I recently received stetson magazine and noticed the section on Page 59 that mentioned the Robert E. Gawley Memorial Fund that was established for my brother Bob. Although I am grateful for the acknowledgement, I need to point out that my sister, Janis (not Janice), and I did not set up the fund. It was selected and established by Bob’s wife, Lorraine Gawley, and his sons, John and James Gawley, to honor the important role the Stetson Chemistry Department made on Bob’s career choice and his life. Thank you for understanding the importance of this minor correction. —Sally Gawley Ginn, ’76

Kudos Congratulations on the finest-looking magazine ever to come out of Stetson! I particularly enjoyed the article on Joe Romano. It shows how

local businesses become a part of our lives and treasured memories. —Jim Cain, ’80 Author of All My Secrets of Organic Gardening and Solar Cooking (So Far)

A Debt of Gratitude When I read the letters in the last issue submitted by alumni Fred Clark Jr. and Pris Campbell, both of ’63, who listed Professor Kathleen Johnson as one of their favorite teachers, I felt compelled to add my remarks. Their characterization of her as marvelous, energetic and amazing captured the essence of why she was such a great educator. Her passion for the fine arts and humanities was so intense that it was contagious. I owe her a debt of gratitude for instilling in me the love of music, literature, architecture and everything in between: the ethereal sensation when listening to Gregorian chants, the awe of great architectural achieve-

I think that the whole generation gap is overdone. Yes, there are differences in Boomers, Xers, Millennials, but we are not all that different. Some of the differences are based on the technologies we grew up with. Underneath all that, there are selfish and generous people in all generations. —Steven Clark, ’00 Lower standards, higher expectations. —Francisco “Franco” Boden Senior Business Major Enjoy more resources, face more challenges. —Iris K. Hao Sophomore Finance Major stetson magazine welcomes letters to the editor. However, we ask that you focus your letter on a topic or article in the magazine. Because of space limitations, we may edit some letters. Send letters by email to wnoblitt@stetson.edu, by fax at 386-822-8925, or snail mail to Bill Noblitt, Office of University Marketing, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., 8319, DeLand, FL 32723.

FIRST PERSON

It’s just freshman year

It’s Not the Zombie Apocalypse By Kalee Ball Stetson Freshman, English Major

It’s almost Halloween, and I’m thinking it’s no secret that being a freshman is scary, possibly scarier than World War Z, the popular summer movie about a zombie apocalypse. I experienced this myself a mere two months ago. I was full of questions but also wonder, because I was ready to experience something new. Imagine this: moving far away from home and into a residence hall with someone you have never met. Thank goodness for social media. At least I talked with my new roommate a few times over Facebook. “Will I get along with her?” I wondered. Yes, being a freshman is a strange experience, even with FOCUS Orientation, a time to immerse yourself into all things Stetson and get yourself settled into your new home. You’re attending classes with people from everywhere, so questions pop up. What will they think of you? Will the classes be too hard? These are all questions that run through every college student’s mind, no matter what year they are or where they go. Doubt runs rampant, especially with freshmen at Stetson because of its rigor. Most of us have never experienced anything like Stetson. And few of us have ever been away from home for more than a month, except for maybe summer camp.

I’m stunned at how much academic work I have to do. I have so much to read for my classes, so many papers to write and so many experiences to live. Where do I start? Failure is unacceptable but very real at a place like Stetson. It’s almost overwhelming. And there’s really nothing that compares to the newness of it all. It’s nearly indescribable. It’s chaotic and endlessly busy but also a wonderful adventure. You can never know what to expect, whether in your classes or with your new friends. On the first official day of my freshman seminar, the professor surprised us all by recording class and putting it on Twitter. By now, my classmates and I are used to it. Being able to watch the lecture again to see what was missed has been extremely helpful. At Stetson, you have to be prepared for anything. Stetson encourages you to experience all you can, to dare to be significant. But you can’t do that unless you put yourself out there. In fact, once I arrived on campus, I threw myself into the fray. I joined two clubs — Hatter Harvest and the Tri-Hats — that have served to make my freshman experience so much better than it would be without them. I’m beginning to feel centered — at least until midterms. Hatter Harvest is Stetson’s gardening club.

Its goal is to advocate for environmental sustainability through organic gardening and community development. It’s teaching me how to care for our Earth through the cultivation of our garden. As a result of my involvement in the club, I have gotten to know many people who care about the environment just as much as I do. Tri-Hats is the triathlon club. I would have never tried a triathlon if I hadn’t found this Stetson club. I previously had only a background in cross-country and track, but joining this club has been the best decision of my athletic career. I am motivated so much more than I ever was in high school. Not only is college a unique experience, but so is being a freshman in college. We freshmen sign up for every organization at the Org Fair and get a million emails in the first month. It’s almost a tradition, according to our FOCUS leaders. But it’s only because we’re searching for our niche. Being a freshman is all about finding your place, which is what makes it an experience unlike any other. Finding that niche is what makes Stetson such a special place. And I need to keep reminding myself: It’s not the zombie apocalypse. It’s just freshman year. õ STETSON

BEGINNINGS

Holler Fountain’s Colorful History As a student at Stetson, the odds of having at least one memorable moment near Holler Fountain in the Palm Court is almost guaranteed. The iconic fountain, once referred to by a past Stetson president as a “fountain of youth,” has stood indelibly for more than 60 years as a symbol of pride and community in the university landscape. Like us, it also transforms with age and trends. Those who returned for Stetson Homecoming may have noticed that the centerpiece of the university went from Hatter green to aqua blue, which caused quite a stir around campus this fall. “The aqua blue color is not ‘new’ but rather the original color of the cast-iron fountain,” explains Al Allen, associate vice president of facilities management. The 4

STETSON

original color was discovered when the fountain was renovated in 2001, and it was that original, very bright blue hue that greeted students when they arrived on campus this past fall semester. The campus centerpiece was built in DeLand, commissioned by Earl Brown of Florida Exhibits Inc., who designed it to symbolize the hopes and ambitions of the many builders of Florida. It was constructed as a presentation piece for the 1937 Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland and at the World’s Fair in New York in 1939-40. The fountain is known as an Aqua-Lux type (water and light), and at the time, it was “unsurpassed in beauty and size in Florida and the United States,” according to Brown. It was built in the center of campus, known at the time as the Quad, for Stetson’s Baccalaureate Service in June 1951 as a gift from William E. Holler Jr. He donated

the fountain in memory of his father, William E. Holler, who was an executive with General Motors. The inscription on the plaque commemorating the elder Holler reads, “Built for the future, while others think only of today.” Then Stetson President J. Ollie Edmunds wrote the following: “What could be more appropriate as a symbol of Stetson University than a fountain! Mrs. Alfred I. duPont, who has been such a generous benefactor of Stetson and other privately supported colleges, recently described these institutions as ‘fountains for the free-flowing of forces that will keep vigorous our heritage and our hope.’ Stetson University was founded in 1883. Since that time thousands of young men and women, from every state and many countries … have learned of their heritage of self-respect, selfreliance and individual initiative. From this spiritual fountain of youth they have gone out into the world to take their place as ministers, teachers, lawyers, doctors, governors, legislators, judges, businessmen and responsible men and women, in scores of other walks of life.” Holler Fountain in Stetson’s Palm Court certainly has a long and colorful history, and we’d love to hear your favorite fountain story. Send us a letter to the editor. Dave Rigsby, known as Stetson’s “dean of green” and grounds manager, recently shared this remarkable tale: “On my way to the beach with my kids many years ago, a Volkswagen zipped past us with a shark tied to the roof. The tail draped over the windshield, and the body was on top. The head lay on the back window. It was about 8 feet long. “My kids asked, ‘Dad, why is that huge fish on top of that car?’ Jokingly, I told them they were going to put it in the fountain. When I got home from the beach, Public Safety called me and said I needed to see something at the fountain. Sure enough, that shark was in the fountain!” —Trish Wieland

A Stetson music student practices for future success.

Can Music Make You Successful? Music moves people, both emotionally and figuratively. It holds the power to connect people across cultures. But can it also contribute to a person’s success? Joanne Lipman’s New York Times article “Is Music the Key to Success?” addresses this question. In her article, she writes: “Condoleezza Rice trained to be a concert pianist. Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, was a professional clarinet and saxophone player. The hedge fund billionaire Bruce Kovner is a pianist who took classes at Juilliard.” Lipman cites multiple studies

that link studying music to academic and future achievement. “But what is it about serious music training that seems to correlate with outsized success in other fields?” she asks. “Can you achieve success without having any music training at all? Of course!” declares Stetson School of Music Dean Thomas Masse, D.M.A. “So, is music the key to success?” Masse asks. “Well, no. Does it contribute for certain people? I think so, in addition to enriching your life artistically.” The celebrities interviewed in Lipman’s article collectively believe that their music training helped them to develop discipline, problem solving, collaboration, pattern Photo by Jason Jones

recognition and better listening skills. Musicians experience a type of training that forces them to develop what Chuck Todd, the NBC chief White House correspondent, calls the “drive for perfection.” Masse agrees: “I think if you talked about the drive for perfection with any of the greatest artists in the world today, you will find that they will never feel complacent or satisfied with where they are today.” Masse has felt this in his own studies, being an accomplished clarinetist and pianist. His drive for perfection is operating even when he has practiced a piece 1,000 times. He asserts that he

always finds passages that he didn’t play exactly right and needs improvement, saying that “we [musicians] are always striving to do things a little bit better.” This repetition contributes to musicians’ skill of pattern recognition. This, in turn, helps them to develop better communication skills, according to Masse. “If you cannot communicate in a clear, concise and precise manner, you’re not going to be that successful at drawing people into your world,” explains Masse. He believes that communication and pattern recognition are a key part of success. With music, the artist is making an interpretation of something someone has created in the past. They are forced

to communicate with the other members of their orchestra. If they don’t, the piece simply won’t sound the way it should, he says. This type of auditory learning gives serious musicians the benefit of becoming better listeners, which contributes to their success outside the field, Masse points out. People who don’t train to be musicians can be just as successful as people who do, according to Masse. It’s the tools, though, that music training teaches that give musicians an edge. “The tools that I learned as a young musician in terms of getting the details right or not taking shortcuts helped me to be successful,” says Masse. —Kalee Ball STETSON

BEGINNINGS Professor Robert Sitler’s class ponders the university’s values at the beach.

How Do We Live Our Values? Can First-Year Seminar freshmen teach the university anything about values? You bet they can in Modern Languages and Literatures Professor Robert Sitler’s First-Year Seminar titled “Living Our Values.” On the last day of class, Sitler, also the university’s values commitment leader, invited Stetson President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., and Dean of Students Rosalie Carpenter to hear about the students’ exploration of university values during the semester. Libby began the conversation by giving a history of the university and how its values have evolved over time. She pointed to the university’s strategic plan that stresses “living our values more deeply” and said, “This is the foundation of everything we do.” Stetson’s core values statement declares that the university “values the development of the whole person and is committed to engaging and building lifelong connections with the larger world through Personal Growth, Intellectual Development and Global Citizenship.” These include the values of personal and social 6

STETSON

responsibility. And the freshmen voiced concerns about how Stetson should live out its values. “How should we engage the entire community — faculty, staff and students — with our values?” asked Makeda Smith, a teaching apprentice for the class. She urged more effort be put into “encouraging students and staff to know, learn and develop personal values.” Libby pointedly asked her own questions. “How do we know if Stetson is, indeed, living out its values? Is it important that every single person here embrace our values?” The students agreed with Libby about how difficult it is “to measure and determine if students, faculty and staff are fulfilling every value.” Right now, each school or college has cultural credit requirements. At least in this seminar, the students wanted to change the title of “cultural credits” to “values credits,” because then their efforts would be focused more clearly on values. “Is it best to force people to do things so that they get their cultural credits?” Sitler also asked. “I can see both sides — changing the name from cultural credits to values credits might help. Shouldn’t we be doing these things because they are the right thing?”

William Moffitt, a freshman from Clearwater, Fla., shook his head: “I want to do it my way and not have someone tell me how I’m supposed to earn these credits. Maybe we could structure how we get credits around one year focusing on music and art, the next year business, and the year after that social sciences.” Carpenter asked the group: “How do we create experiences that enhance your learning about values?” In a list of perspectives presented to the class, the students believed that much of that is already happening: “Stetson provides opportunities for students and staff to implement our values.” In the values perspectives document, the students also indicated that “cultural credits should move away from being mandatory because it can discourage students from fulfilling the requirement.” Several wanted university values events promoted more broadly. “There are often values events that we don’t know about,” said freshman Danielle Green of Miami. Like any open-ended discussion, however, there were more questions than answers. To learn more about Stetson’s values discussion, visit www.stetson.edu/other/values. —Bill Noblitt

Stetson College of Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz announces new Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication.

New Legal Institute Created Stetson University College of Law has recently launched the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication to serve as a nexus of research, teaching and service to improve the quality of legal communication — particularly legal writing — among law students, lawyers, members of the judiciary, and other professionals. “The creation of the Institute for the Advancement of Legal Communication, combined with the Center for Excellence in Advocacy, demonstrates Stetson’s commitment to helping the next generation of law students build the two primary skills necessary for professional success — oral and written communication with the courts, the public and clients,” says Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz, J.D.

Stetson’s legal writing program is ranked fifth this year by U.S. News & World Report. “The message from every constituency law schools serve — lawyers, bar associations, students, and the public as consumers of legal services and information — is that legal communication deserves more attention as a topic of investigation and instruction,” says Kirsten Davis, director of the institute and the legal research and writing program at Stetson. In addition to Davis, the founding faculty of the institute includes scholars who are nationally recognized for their work in legal research and writing. Stetson requires first-year law students to complete seven credit hours of Legal Research and Writing. The law school also offers several advanced research and writing courses, including Pretrial Practice, Advanced Legal Writing, Advanced Legal Research,

Negotiation and Arbitration, and Client Counseling. Across the country and around the world, Stetson’s student moot court teams are regularly recognized for their outstanding brief writing. —Brandi Palmer

MBA Students Help Kids’ Home Probably no one expects a heartwarming experience from an MBA class assignment. It’s not a common reason to take Organizational Theory and Behavior 519 taught by William Andrews, Ph.D., associate professor of management and chair of the Department of International Business. But it happened to Dana VonBrocken. And Brent Pafford, too, and Kirsten Shippert and other classmates who consulted

this fall with Florida United Methodist Children’s Home in Enterprise, Fla. The class project was a highoctane mix of learning and community service to produce a valuable management tool for the historic nonprofit. But it also gave students a close, personal glimpse into the lives of abused and neglected children and the faithdriven people whose humanitarian mission is to help them. “It was a world a lot of us had never seen,” says Shippert. “We were exposed to very personal stories and truly passionate and incredible individuals,” says VonBrocken. “It was nearly impossible to emotionally detach and perform my role from a purely analytical standpoint,” explains Pafford. In greater and lesser degrees, however, students kept emotions at bay while performing professional-grade work that garnered praise from Andrews and from Becky Dotson, president and CEO at the children’s home. The home began as an orphanage in 1905 and provides a range of care for an average of 400 children and teenagers a month. Students’ findings were right on target, asserts Dotson. “Their work is incredibly helpful to me as the new CEO,” she says. “They did an exceptional job capturing the correct information that brought about solutions to several concerns relative to high employee turnover.” Students began work Oct. 14, says Jillian Ragia, chosen by the class to coordinate the project. Strategies were decided. Teams were formed. Tasks assigned, and interviews conducted with former residents, administrators, house parents and others. Mentored by Andrews, students identified core themes, drew solid conclusions, and wrote nine convincing recommendations. The entire class delivered its collaborative qualitative analysis report to the client’s top management. “We were able to synthesize, support and present some com-

pelling recommendations,” says Andrews, who offered the services of his class when he was contacted last summer by children’s home management. “We were definitely taking a risk proposing some of our ideas,” says Ragia, a healthcare data analyst, “but they were satisfied with everything we brought forth, the good and the bad.” The fast and focused consult increased students’ expertise in management analysis, but they say they also learned broader career skills during the “real-life work,” as Ragia termed it. She learned to delegate, a new experience for her, and also to be more patient and trust in teamwork. “We learned a lot about how to approach sensitive topics with utmost tact and how to connect with strangers and gain their trust,” says Shippert. The analysis is valuable for the home’s leadership team, adds Dotson, who complimented the class, Andrews and Stetson for its community service. She hoped students found meaning in the “up close and personal view of the lives of abused and neglected children.” She needn’t worry. “I personally experienced a reality check,” says Pafford, a piano teacher and accompanist who hopes for a career in music/arts administration. “Our desire was not just to receive a good grade, but to help this organization change the lives of kids in dire circumstances.” “I never thought anything I did in my MBA would stand to benefit anyone besides myself, let alone actually serve the greater community,” says Shippert, who teaches piano, directs a church choir and is on track for a career in opera performance. “At its core, it was a consulting project,” says VonBrocken, a parttime Disney worker who’s eyeing a career in film and theater production. But as they talked with what Shippert calls “very inspired, mission-driven” people about life and work at the home, their hearts were touched. —Ronald Williamson STETSON

BEGINNINGS 8

Family Enterprise Celebrates 15 Years In 1998, skeptics questioned both the need and staying power of a center wholly devoted to family business, even though the idea was proposed by Paul Dascher, Ph.D., then dean of Stetson University’s School of Business Administration. They were wrong on both counts. Now 15 years old, Stetson’s Family Enterprise Center (FEC) is a beacon of global influence for family businesses and a powerful training ground for the next generation of family business leaders. “We’re on the world stage, and the work we do is disseminated to family enterprises globally,” says Thomas Schwarz, D.B.A., dean of the School of Business Administration. “For a small institution like Stetson, that is no small feat.” Greater confidence in the need for the new center came on the heels of its creation when a published survey revealed unknown facts that raised eyebrows: Significant numbers of Stetson students not only sprang from family business homes, but also expected to have careers in the family business. About half the business majors came from a family that owned its own business, as did a third of the entire student body. “Suddenly, we saw the giant elephant in the room — family business. Almost no school had recognized that,” recalls Greg McCann, J.D., a business law and ethics professor whom Dascher asked to create what is today’s Family Enterprise Center. “Very quickly we realized that all these students have this profound common issue in their lives, and we asked ourselves, ‘Why haven’t we helped them?’ ” Today, the question is moot. Still a relative youngster, the FEC’s influence penetrates academic institutions across the continent and beyond the hemisphere as its success is emulated and its achievements mount. It offered the STETSON

country’s second family business minor, then a major — the country’s first. It has garnered numerous prestigious awards, national and international, as has the “holistic model” created by McCann and advisers and adopted by many similar programs. At the core of the model is development of the next generation of family business leaders. Its strategy is fixed in a strong trifold foundation of teaching, research and outreach. “All the pieces affect one another,” says McCann, now FEC director. The first course for a Stetson Family Enterprise major requires each student to create a dynamic life plan. As students advance, the life plan grows to include continuing dialogues with family, mentors and intern work experience. Refined by one-on-one coaching with faculty, the plan becomes a portfolio of confidence, understanding and vision that demonstrates its worth in the marketplace. That plan, graduates say, changes lives. Research by FEC scholars informs America’s family enterprises as current data and experience is mined by faculty and associates, then analyzed to improve teaching and outreach. Outreach itself takes many forms but is epitomized by the Transitions Conference, held each year in Florida and California and co-hosted in partnership with Family Business Magazine. The conferences attract a broad-based gathering of foremost family business figures who engage, learn and teach one another. All through the year, members of the FEC faculty are involved in seminars, workshops, consults and speaking engagements at universities and family businesses. It would have amazed those 1998 skeptics to know that a group of European universities recently asked the FEC to assume the role of knowledge partner in an international research consortium focused on family enterprise. —Ronald Williamson

No-Smoking Policy Adopted Stetson joins a growing list of U.S. colleges and universities to enact a policy to prohibit smoking and tobacco-related products beginning Aug. 1, 2014. The policy will affect Stetson’s residential campuses in DeLand and at the College of Law in Gulfport. The policy prohibits all forms of tobacco use, including e-cigarettes and a variety of smokeless products in Stetson buildings, structures, grounds, and parking lots, and in university and personal vehicles while on Stetson

University grounds. “I am proud that Stetson University residential campuses will be completely smoke- and tobacco-free next August,” declares President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “Stetson is committed to providing a safe and healthy living, learning and working environment for our students, faculty, staff, alumni and visitors.” Stetson began implementing smoking restrictions in 2007 by banning smoking near buildings and air vents. The new policy is the result of several years of research, focus groups and a university task force that determined that smoking was inconsistent

Expanding Our Reach

with the values of the university. Stetson will offer a variety of resources to help members of the university community quit smoking, including a series of free education programs about smoking and free resources for those who want to quit that include cessation products and classes. The university task force determined, “Our university commitment to health and wellness, one of our shared values, requires us to protect nonsmokers but also to support smokers in reconsidering a behavior that has been scientifically proven to have serious longterm health consequences.” Compliance with this new

policy rests with all members of the Stetson community. Community members are empowered to respectfully inform others about the policy in the ongoing effort to enhance awareness of and encourage compliance with this policy. Stetson will use the next 10 months to continue to educate the Stetson community and visitors about the new policy with a series of information sessions, health fairs, and human resource training sessions, student tours of campus, in marketing materials and on its website at www.stetson. edu/breathe-free. —Mary Anne Rogers

Like many of you, I had no idea StetsonU Talk Radio existed, even though more than 20,000 others obviously did. It turns out that Blog Talk Radio is an Internet site where people can record and publish their own podcasts for others to download or listen to. StetsonU Talk Radio is found at www.blogtalkradio.com/stetsonuniversity. According to Janie Graziani, director of news and media relations, Stetson jumped on the Internet talk radio bandwagon to spread the word about the university outside Central Florida. “Stetson’s brand and visibility have been enhanced through StetsonU Talk Radio,” adds Graziani. By launching StetsonU Talk Radio, Graziani and Mary Anne Rogers, director of news and public relations, expand Stetson’s reach across the globe to anyone with a computer, smartphone or tablet and Internet access. “More people get news about Stetson online than through any other medium,” says Graziani. “Online readership and viewership outpace traditional print and broadcast by 100 to 1,” she adds. Why Blog Talk Radio? “We wanted to engage listeners in the university’s intellectual life, values and events,” Graziani explains. “It’s another tool in our public relations kit to publicize Stetson and the ideas being discussed here.” Site visitors can download any of the programs as podcasts. The topics run the gamut. For instance, Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey, the founders of Barefoot Wine, were interviewed. They discuss how they started their company with no capital and no knowledge of the industry. The most popular podcast, however, is from President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., when she addressed the DeLand Chamber of Commerce. “We conduct interviews that concern everything from business

success to classical guitar,” says Graziani. The benefits of StetsonU Talk Radio over printed articles are obvious. Because it’s accessible anywhere with an Internet connection, the university can reach more people with little effort or cost. Printed articles cost more money and take more time. “Talk radio is a great way to stay in tune with Stetson’s events, because it can be uploaded and accessed almost immediately after production,” Rogers says. Rogers relates how someone contacted her about an interview needed the next day. Because of StetsonU Talk Radio, it was easy and quick to upload. The stories come from a variety of sources, including Stetson’s College of Law and the Center at Celebration. —Kalee Ball

Bar Passage Rate Best in Florida Stetson University College of Law alumni had the highest bar passage rate in the state this summer with 89.3 percent of Stetson graduates passing the Florida bar exam on the first try. Among all first-time test-takers in Florida, 77.2 percent of candidates passed the July bar exam. “Stetson graduates are prepared for the legal profession, and their performance on the July bar is further testimony to their ability to perform with professionalism under pressure,” says Stetson Law Dean Christopher M. Pietruszkiewicz. Stetson’s bar passage rate has steadily climbed over the past decade. Stetson’s bar preparation program includes bar preparation workshops, an essay-grading program, and a study plan to help graduates track their progress while preparing for the exam. In February, Stetson’s bar passage rate was 93.9 percent, the second-highest among law schools in the state. —Brandi Palmer STETSON

BEGINNINGS 10

Stetson’s High Rankings U.S. News, Washington Monthly and MilitaryFriendly.com have named Stetson a top university. Thus, Stetson University again has earned national recognition for its rigorous academics, commitment to social mobility and service, and military friendliness by ranking among the top universities in recent national surveys. “At Stetson, we take pride in being recognized as an academically rigorous institution that places a high value on global citizenship, personal growth and social responsibility,” says Stetson President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D. “Stetson provides a personalized learning experience to each student, based on top quality faculty and focused on learning outcomes,” Libby continues. “We challenge our students to go beyond success — to become significant in their communities, nation and the world.” Among the recent rankings are: • U.S. News & World Report’s 2014 edition of “Best Colleges” ranked Stetson 5th in its list of Best Regional Universities (South), 5th on the list of Best Value – Regional Universities (South), and 222nd on the list of Best Undergraduate Business Schools, a list that includes schools from all over the country. Stetson’s category in the first two rankings includes universities that provide a full range of undergraduate majors and master’s programs but few, if any, doctoral programs. The 625 universities in the category are ranked by region. The third list includes all universities in the U.S. that offer undergraduate business education. • Washington Monthly ranked Stetson 6th among all universities on its list of 2013 Master’s Universities. Schools are rated based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge STETSON

scholarship and Ph.D.’s), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country). • MilitaryFriendly.com has included Stetson on its list of 1,868 schools throughout the country that exhibit leading practices in the recruitment and retention of students with military experience and are committed to providing a supportive environment for military students. “While we are interested in national rankings, we always encourage prospective students and their parents to visit Stetson for a broader, well-rounded perspective of all that Stetson has to offer,” says Libby. Stetson emphasizes active learning and has a low student/teacher ratio of 12:1, and 56 percent of classes have fewer than 20 students. Only 0.2 percent of classes have 50 or more students. Other factors leading to a top ranking include a 60-percent acceptance rate of applicants and 58 percent of students finishing in the top quarter of their high school graduating class. “We are very pleased to be ranked so highly among our peers,” says Greg Carroll, vice president for Stetson University Marketing, “and we are excited about the future.” Some of the statistics in the U.S. News data were gathered before the launch of many significant changes implemented in 2009 and later. “The university has made great strides over the past few years in attracting students who are a great fit for the institution. That has already begun to impact student retention and graduation rates as well as enrollment,” Carroll continues. Stetson’s undergraduate enrollment this year is 2,729 compared to 2,516 in 2012. For the first time in recent university history, students were put on a waiting list, and Stetson was forced to rent rooms for students at a nearby hotel because its residence halls were full. —Janie Graziani

Stetson Goes SCALE-UP “Stetson is a place that encourages faculty to dream,” says Associate Professor of Biology Alicia Schultheis, Ph.D. And that’s exactly what she did. She dreamed of creating a learning environment for a diverse group of students to impact their educational growth, and she made it happen. Schultheis strongly believes Photo by Jeremy Caldwell

in the importance of learning, as opposed to retaining information through lectures. She aspires to create an environment that is beneficial to students in a way that allows them to store knowledge in their long-term memory. “While lecturing is a very efficient way for professors to teach, research shows that interactive learning is an even better way for students to retain information,” Schultheis says. After studying literature on successful student

Associate Professor of Biology Alicia Schultheis works with a group of students in a new SCALE-UP classroom.

learning and researching classroom configurations, Schultheis’ dream became a reality. Through her studies, she discovered the SCALE-UP classroom style. SCALE-UP is an acronym for Student Centered Active Learning Environment for Upside-down Pedagogies (i.e., teaching methods). As a result of Schultheis’ action, Stetson has invested in its first SCALE-UP classroom, located in Sage Hall, that accommodates 72 students.

This classroom is technologically oriented, consisting of: • A tablet that professors use to project what they write onto large, white screens around the room; • Four large white screens that project the images from the professor’s tablet or students’ laptops; • Eight flat-screen televisions that also serve to project images from the professor’s tablet or students’ laptops; • Eight speakers installed in the ceiling;

• Hand-held clickers (available at the Stetson Bookstore) that students use to respond to quizzes projected on the screens; and • Eight dry-erase boards. All of these are spread out around the classroom, making it easy for students to see what is being projected. Aside from all the technology, the most significant features of this classroom are the eight circular tables that seat nine students each. In the center of each of these

tables is a connection that allows students to project what is on their laptops or tablets to the large screens. The purpose of these tables is to allow students to interact and work together to gain a better understanding of the class subject. The tables force students to communicate with one another, allowing them to create a better learning environment, Schultheis says. “Students often have a hard time remembering certain information that was taught in a previous class,” says Schultheis. “This interactive learning strategy will benefit students’ knowledge and memory in the future.” Schultheis uses an “upsidedown” approach when teaching her classes. This requires students to take part in outside learning and bring what they learn to class. Thus, she assigns readings or recorded lectures posted online that students must read or listen to before class. Schultheis can track online the students who have read or listened to the lecture, and she sends them reminders to complete these tasks before coming to class. Reading and/or listening to lectures before class allows students to come in and use their class time to discuss and review what they learned. By using this method, students take more of an active role in what they learn. The SCALE-UP classroom is prime for this type of “upside-down” method, in which students are placed in a social setting that forces them to communicate with one another and talk about what they learned. Stetson plans to install more SCALE-UP classrooms in the future and is currently planning a way to divide this particular classroom in half so that more classes will have access to this type of learning environment. The university is also working to upgrade the lighting, redo the HVAC, and add more outlets. This is a great start for a new learning environment that will significantly improve students’ academic performance. —Courtney Allbee STETSON

BEGINNINGS

Changing Lives “It was transformative for all of us,” says Ranjini L. Thaver, Ph.D., professor of economics and a specialist in areas of poverty, microcredit and international trade. As part of an independent study class, Poverty and Prisoner Rehabilitation, Thaver — along with her four students, Daniel Humphrey, Kristen Jones, Emily Lang and Jimmie Lopez — collaborated with Horizon Communities in Prison to help mostly soonto-be released prisoners at Tomoka Correctional Institution. Specifically, the group helped the prisoners by running an entrepreneurship workshop. Horizon Communities in Prison is a nonprofit, interfaith organization dedicated to reforming the lives of prisoners through restorative justice, as opposed to retributive justice. The method offers various educational classes within the prison system — something Thaver and her students are passionate about. “I believe in the basic respect and dignity of all human beings, and that’s the philosophical basis of my classes,” says Thaver. And that is what they demonstrated at Tomoka Correctional Institution, where they went every Monday evening for seven weeks. “We all sat around one table among our ‘clients.’ We never really thought of them as prisoners when we were there,” explains Daniel Humphrey, sophomore double major in economics and political science. The workshop was discussion-based, rather than a traditional lecture. 12

STETSON

“We explained to our clients that it’s just chance. We could have been in similar situations,” says Kristen Jones, junior psychology major. “There’s no way we could ever understand what they’ve been through. So putting ourselves on their level really helped them connect with us and us with them.” The clients came up with ideas for businesses, based on skills and talents they already possessed, everything from starting a restaurant to opening a dog-training facility. During the workshop, Stetson students personally worked with one to three clients to do further research and help them flesh out business plans and skill sets. “They are really excited about their ideas. They feel like they really have something to start out with,” says Emily Lang, junior economics major. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world, even though its crime rate is similar to that of many other countries, according to Thaver. A combination of the commercialization of fear, the privatization of prison systems, the focus on punishment rather than rehabilitation, among others, has fueled higher prison rates. “My class, with the unconditional support of Warden Terry Royal of Tomoka CI, was an attempt to contribute to rehabilitation by educating soon-to-bereleased prisoners,” says Thaver. “In Florida, one out of every three released offenders will return to prison within three years,” Lang says. The hope is that reentry programs like this one will help lower this statistic. —George Salis

Innovative Entrepreneurship An innovative effort to awaken entrepreneurial spirit, boost job skills, and improve local economies has begun in Volusia and Flagler counties with the help of faculty, alumni and a student of the Stetson School of Business Administration. “Startup Quest is one of the best entrepreneurship training initiatives I have ever seen,” says William Andrews, Ph.D., chair of the school’s International Business Department, an expert in entrepreneurial business and a mem-

ber of the Startup Quest advisory board. “It combines systematic training with the immediate requirement to apply it to a ‘live’ opportunity.” There is great potential in having entrepreneurial skills injected into the local workforce, say those who helped launch the first of three 10-week cycles funded by a federal labor and employment training grant through the Center for Business Excellence (CBE) in Volusia and Flagler counties. “We’ve had a successful beginning,” says Luis Paris, assistant professor of international business and management at Stetson and CBE’s business development and

communications manager. “We laid the groundwork, established the right partnerships, and learned what worked and what didn’t. We couldn’t be more pleased.” The program targets the unemployed and underemployed and began with 76 people divided into small, simulated startup teams mentored by experienced and successful local entrepreneurs. Using vetted ideas, teams plunged into classes on market analysis, financial projections, advanced technologies and management. Business plan presentations in August ended the program’s first cycle. “I viewed the program as a

‘teach a man to fish’ opportunity,” says the only student mentor, Francisco Boden, a senior at Stetson and an award-winning business major with real-world entrepreneurial experience. Boden says his team gained the skills and confidence to launch a startup company and put themselves to work instead of looking and waiting for a job. Andrews expects creation of sustainable startups over time. The top business plan marketed a device that diagnoses cancer without a biopsy. The winning team received $4,200 in cash and prizes. Tuyet “Hannah” Nguyen, a recent graduate of Stetson, was on that team. Her passion for social entrepreneurship began at Stetson, and she jumped at the chance to get free training. “Opportunities like this don’t come around too often,” explains Nguyen. “I gained an enormous amount of the most up-to-date knowledge, tools and resources from seasoned professionals. The lessons were priceless, and I gained real-world business skills.” For Boden, it was an opportunity to hone his skills and share his experience with the community. He put his degree on hold in 2009 to engage in entrepreneurship and has participated in seven startups and consulted on others. His team developed a system to help social organizations identify high quality recruits using algorithms and psychographic modeling. Other teams worked on ideas for safer highway barriers, better solar panels, a system to help students read, and one to monitor movement of foundations in bridges, viaducts and overpasses. Three of nine teams are talking with potential investors, and one is moving toward a startup, says Paris, who manages the program. Participants will be monitored to assess the effectiveness of the training, says Robin King, vice president of CBE’s Workforce Development Board, one of eight in Florida trying Startup Quest. —Janie Graziani

Celebrating Values Day During the fall semester, Stetson welcomed President of New Orleans’ Dillard University Dr. Walter Kimbrough to the DeLand campus as keynote speaker for the university’s annual Values Day. (For more information, visit www.stetson.edu/ values-day.) For this event, which represented a collective exploration of Stetson’s values commitments, classes were canceled, enabling students, faculty and staff to attend the events scheduled for that day. Kimbrough is one of the youngest university presidents in the United States. He uses his fluency in social media and familiarity with youth culture to inform his dynamic and practical approach to issues of racism and educational reform. His outspoken activism challenged and inspired the Stetson community to deepen its commitment to fostering lives of significance. Kimbrough’s visit was a natural extension of Stetson’s long-standing and expanding commitment to social justice. Building upon nearly a century of values-shaped education through its ties to the Florida Baptist Convention, the late Stetson President Doug Lee led the university through redefining its values more inclusively and integrating them more fully throughout the institution. Under Lee’s leadership, Stetson began the tradition of Values Day. More recently, President Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., has reinvigorated these commitments through an action-oriented process primarily directed by Stetson faculty and staff and informed by students, alumni, administrators and others in the Stetson community. As a result of Libby’s work, Stetson has taken concrete steps to enhance its commitment to diversity and global citizenship, to encourage our integration of spirituality and healthy living, and

to continue to develop the intellectual life of the university. The day had three basic phases: • Dr. Walter Kimbrough, keynote address; • Lectures and workshops organized by Stetson faculty and staff; and • Follow-up discussions for recommendations on better integration of Stetson’s values commitments. For the most up-to-date information about Stetson’s values commitment, visit https://www2.stetson.edu/secure/values-comments/ values-working-groups. —Professor Robert Sitler, Ph.D. Modern Languages and Literatures Values Commitment Steering Team

Stetson Law Wins Competitions The Stetson University College of Law team of Jeremy Bailie and Kevin Crews won the National Veterans Moot Court Competition in Washington, D.C. The team, which was coached by Associate Dean Michael Allen and Jason Stearns, JD ’08, also won the best petitioner’s brief award. For the second time, Stetson won the John Marshall Law School International Moot Court Competition in Information Technology and Privacy Law in Chicago. The team of Nathan Hart, Brandon Pfluger and Melaina Tryon was coached by Larry Miccolis, JD ’09, and Professor Brooke Bowman, JD ’02. The Stetson team of Tai Lowry, Khalil Madani II, Daniel Miles and Lisa Ungerbuehler won the Florida Justice Association Mock Trial competition at the George E. Edgecomb Courthouse in Tampa. Twelve teams from across Florida competed. Trial Advocacy Fellow Lee Coppock, JD ’96, and Grant Gillenwater, JD ’12, coached Stetson University College of Law’s two teams. —Davina Gould STETSON

STETSON

s t etso n m il l ennia l s: a spec ial re po rt

Who Are Today’s Stetson Students? The experts seemingly offer conflicting opinions about this generation. So who are these Stetson Millennials? B y

B i l l

N o b l i t t

People try to put us d-down (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) Just because we g-g-get around (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) Things they do look awful c-c-cold (Talkin’ ’bout my generation) —The Who

On the trail of this Millennial generation, I can’t help but think about my own, the Baby Boomers, and what influenced it. The Vietnam War, a war the most powerful nation on Earth lost, was the centerpiece of my generation. We witnessed a Cold War, too, where two superpowers could annihilate each other and the rest of the world in a nanosecond. Watergate showed how dishonest politics can become. We witnessed on television the murders of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Bobby and civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But on the positive side, we also watched a man walk on the moon, a technological marvel braved by our heroes, and we saw significant strides in civil rights. Of course, we were not the Greatest Generation that saw us through a Great Depression and a world war. Nevertheless, we had our moments. We even survived disco. The historic markers for Stetson’s current student generation, the so-called Millennials, are no less evident. As children, they repeatedly saw on every channel two jets crash into the Twin Towers, bringing the Middle East conflict to our front doorstep. They experienced and saw the War on Terror up close as soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq. They witnessed their family members and neighbors face the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression. They hear about climate change and wonder how it will impact their futures and their lives. And the technological boom keeps them forever connected to friends and family on their smartphones and tablets. Yes, generations are different because of the life events that shape them. But who really are today’s Stetson students? Are they different from what the literature makes them out to be, and, more important, are they truly distinct from previous generations? First off, what do you call them? “Millennial” is the term most use. However, the experts also call them Generation Y; Emerging Adults or the Boomerang Generation because some end up living at home after college; Generation Next; and the iGeneration because they’re seemingly attached to their smartphones and tablets 24/7. This article’s photos of Stetson students are by Jason Jones.

STETSON

A host of books and their authors wage a word war about this particular group and give conflicting views of what makes Millennials so special. For example, one book, Generation Me, calls the Millennials selfish and narcissistic. At the same time, another book, The Millennials Go to College, says they are more civic-minded and optimistic than previous generations. Stetson’s faculty and staff bring their personal perspectives on the attributes that define this generation. And Stetson students themselves seem to agree to disagree with some of the findings. (For more about Stetson students’ views, see the article on Page 24.) Then, some Stetson students don’t seem to line up with Millennial descriptions. Veterans, international and nontraditional students at Stetson have far different life experiences than their counterparts. How do they fit in? The Literature and Their Authors A dizzying array of books, articles and broadcast news programs claim to know the Millennials. Gallup, Harris, Pew, Roper and other polls have surveyed and dissected Millennial psyches. Is there a more probed and prodded generation? For example, a 2010 Pew Research Social Trend Report, Millennials, A Portrait of Generation Next: Confident. Connected. Open to Change, says that this generation is more liberal than previous generations (although a 2013 Esquire-NBC News survey found them more middle-of-the-road), self-expressive, upbeat, more ethnically and racially diverse than older adults, less religious and less likely to have served in the military. The report also states: “They are history’s ‘most connected’ generation. Steeped in digital technology and social media they treat their multi-tasking hand-held gadgets like a body part — for better and for worse. “Whether as a by-product of protective parents, the age of terrorism or a media culture that focuses on dangers, they cast a wary eye on human nature,” the report points out. “More so than other generations, they believe government should do more to solve problems.” At the time of the 2010 Pew report, “about onein-eight older Millennials said they had ‘boomeranged’ back to a parent’s home because of the recession.” A recent Rolling Stone survey shows that one in three Millennials do, in fact, return to live with their parents. Other media have joined the fray. TIME magazine’s recent cover declares in all caps: “THE ME ME ME GENERATION: Millennials are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents; Why they’ll save us all.” Furthermore, in such books as Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation and 16

STETSON

Two authors describe Millennials as special, sheltered, confident, conventional, team-oriented, achieving and pressured. Millennials Go to College, authors Neil Howe and William Strauss first offered the seven attributes of Millennials. They describe Millennial college students, those born between 1981 and 2000 or thereabouts, as special, sheltered, confident, conventional, team-oriented, achieving and pressured. They coined the term “Millennial” in 1991, about the time the World Wide Web debuted. “You can understand how today’s kids are on track to become a powerhouse generation … perhaps destined to dominate the 21st Century like today’s fading and ennobled G.I. Generation dominated the 20th,” they optimistically write in Millennials Rising. “Indeed Millennials have a solid chance to become America’s next great generation, as celebrated for their collective deeds … as the generation of John Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Joe DiMaggio and Jimmy Stewart is celebrated today.” In fact, looking at the positive side of this generation, drug use and teen suicide rates overall are down, while nine in ten (according to Millennials Rising) describe themselves as happy, confident and positive. They are also the most educated generation in U.S. history. In their book, Generation on a Tightrope: A Portrait of Today’s College Student, Arthur Levine and Diane R. Dean use this description: “They are digital natives … are more comfortable with diversity than the previous student generations … think globally … are experienced networkers … and teamwork is growing more and more important.” At the same time, Millennials, according to Levine and Dean, are a “timid generation of rule followers, are selfcentered and have little experience with failure, are immature, needy and tethered to the adults in their lives, are tribal, who confuse effort with excellence and quantity with quality.” Tim Clydesdale, author of The First Year Out, counters: “The claims about Millennials, GenX and GenY are not worth the paper they are written on! No serious scholar uses these arbitrarily defined and incompatible ‘theories’ created from spotty and selective evidence to

generate speaking and consulting fees for their author-promoters. It’s about the money these ‘generation promoters’ are making. “The bottom line is that generations are far more similar than they are different, that young adults are entering a far more difficult global economy than previous generations, and that there’s been a slew of macro-cultural changes that young adults have inherited,” he adds. To underscore his argument, Clydesdale points to a 2009 Chronicle of Higher Education article titled “The Millennial Muddle.” The author, Eric Hoover, points out that “Howe gives about 60 speeches, often followed by customized workshops. He speaks at colleges, elementary schools and corporations, and he charges between $5,000 and $14,000, plus travel expenses. Howe has also consulted with some of the globe’s biggest companies, including Nike, Hewlett-Packard and Kraft Nabisco.” Similarly, Stetson Associate Professor of Psychology Chris Ferguson, Ph.D., who has studied the gaming habits of Millennials and found no connection between societal violence and violent video games, wonders if the labels are accurate. “I can remember these kinds of discussions taking place when I was younger. You know like ‘Kids today with their music and their hair. Back in our day, we were much more respectful.’ So to some extent, it’s kind of the same narrative since ancient times.” As Hesiod wrote in the eighth century B.C.: “I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words. When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly [disrespectful]….” “If you actually look at the data on kids’ behavior, the worst generation on record was really the Baby Boomers,” Ferguson continues. “They were the most violent, had sex the earliest, used the most drugs, got pregnant and dropped out of school most often.” Much of what experts say about Millennials, according to Ferguson, makes them sound like “some sort of goblin that’s been created in our midst, and we need to figure out how to communicate with them. Something like: ‘We need to guide these primitive creatures with these strange brains that modern society and its technology have corrupted. If we don’t put things into text messages, then they won’t be able to comprehend us.’ ” Fear and a Desire for Action On the other hand, some faculty, such as Religious Studies Professor Phillip Lucas, Ph.D., agree with much of what the Millennial

STETSON

experts have observed in their research. In fact, he gathered a group of faculty to look at the literature and refine Stetson’s First-Year Seminar courses with reference to that Millennial research. He remembers the intense faculty workshops, including a whole series on understanding this generation of students and how they differ from the Boomer generation. “We put together a couple of workshops looking at what’s been written about Millennials, not taking everything we read as the gospel truth, but saying let’s look at these perceptions as a jumping-off point for critical analysis,” Lucas points out. “Some of our ideas for refining the pedagogy of the freshmen seminars came from Clydesdale’s book The First Year Out because it looked at students who had just graduated from high school,” he adds. “We wanted to craft courses that would meet this new generation of students where they are, taking consideration of their priorities and values and the distinctive features of their worldview.” Lucas’ experience with this generation has taught him a few things. “This generation follows the rules,” he says. How does this affect classroom structure? “They want an organized, comprehensive syllabus that tells them exactly what is expected of them for each class,” he explains. “This includes how many books to read, how long the papers should be, how much they’re expected to participate in class.” He notes it is important to help these students learn to question rules and norms, “something my generation did not have difficulty doing.” Lucas understands something else about this generation. They are not a generation “that wants to get out there and change the world into some grand utopian new age,” he asserts. “Rather, they want to address pressing societal problems and make the world a better place. They seem more realistic than the starry-eyed Boomers.” Because of the pressing issues plaguing our world, Lucas observes that these students can be fearful for their futures despite their selfconfidence. “I always have some students who come to my office and say: ‘Dr. Lucas, I’m just terrified. I don’t know what I’m going to do after I graduate.’ At the same time, they’re confident that they will work something out and usually do, often in creative ways that reflect a mature level of self-awareness.” Similarly, American Studies Professor Paul Croce, Ph.D., describes this generation as young people with “fear but a desire for tangible action.” “Sure enough, there’s a lot to be afraid of: The problems are big,” Croce explains. He especially sees these traits manifest themselves

Professor Paul Croce describes Stetson Millennials this way: fear but with a desire for action.

in his First-Year Seminar class. Specifically, the students explore American environmental issues through the lens of three whats: “what happened, so what, and now what.” By the second half of the semester, he notices, “students sounded hopeless because problems seem out of reach. “Far from being lazy or indifferent, they are just overwhelmed,” he adds. Croce assigns students to write essays as discussion starters in class. “One student responded to idealistic proposals for solving environmental problems by saying, ‘These are nice ideas, but you can’t do that because they’re impractical.’ “This is why Stetson’s liberal education is so crucial, especially in the First-Year and Junior seminars,” he says. “This kind of education puts knowledge in the service of hope, with emphasis on the art of explanation for student expression of their own values.” At Stetson’s College of Law, the students are older than their undergraduate counterparts in DeLand. Does Law Professor Kristen Adams find some of the same Millennial attributes in law students? “The traits are similar in some ways, but in others not so much,” she says. “Our law students are relationship-focused and enormously caring of one another. And because they have such confidence, they do sometimes act entitled and impatient, but most of the time these attributes exhibit themselves in wonderful, not negative, ways.” A GenXer herself, Adams remembers last year when law students anticipating their graduation were asked to write 300-character essays about the value of their Stetson law experience. She expected them to focus on their credentials or their academic activities, such as working on the law review. “Instead, they wrote about their volunteer and leadership experiences,” she recalls. “They are very civic-minded.” Student Life Perspectives The group that works most with undergraduates on a multitude of levels outside the classroom is Stetson’s student life staff. Collectively,

they help students through success coaching and academic advising, student residential living, fun and fitness activities and their future jobs or graduate programs. In short, they follow Stetson students from the moment they arrive on campus until they graduate. Some even prepare faculty for this generation of Stetson students. Lua Hancock, assistant provost for Student Success, for example, runs seminars with faculty to help them understand the attributes of this generation of Stetson students. Her opinion about Millennial research findings? “There’s overlapping confusion between developmental theories and generational theories,” she asserts. “So, yes, each generation is slightly different — particularly this generation, because of the technological wave and how they have grown up in a more diverse world.” In the faculty seminars, she will ask Stetson professors to reminisce about their freshman years. Faculty admit to her that, yes, many similarities do exist between their generation and that of the Millennials. Faculty tell Hancock “18-year-olds from any generation are a little self-absorbed, are concerned about their relationships, and want to know about separating from their parents.” That’s timeless. “So, to me, it’s interesting to look at how natural human development gets mixed up with what’s been written about this generation,” she says. Hancock has done a lot of research on Millennials, and she uses that research to help them become successful at a rigorous university like Stetson. Furthermore, she recognizes that the kind of student Stetson recruits understands the university’s values and its academic rigor. “When talking about these aspects, students have told me that this is what they signed up for,” she says. “They like it.” At the same time, these current students have inflated expectations. “You ask them what kind of grades they made in high school, and they tell you,” Hancock says. “Then you ask them what kind of grades they expect to make at Stetson, and they tell you the same grades they made in high school. I have data that show the same responses year after year. The actual grades they make at Stetson are on average a half-grade to a full-grade point below what they anticipated.” Stacy Collins, director of the Academic Success Center, is a member of Hancock’s team. As director, she often deals with those students who are facing an academic challenge at Stetson. She agrees with Hancock that it’s difficult to pigeonhole this generation into neat little categories because “they are all so different.” In fact, she finds flaws with generational theory. “Veterans, for example, usually don’t STETSON

match the Millennial characteristics,” she says. “They’ve had life experiences that a lot of our undergraduates have not had. When we talk about Millennials, we have to acknowledge that those descriptions can’t cover everybody.” Although some have called Millennials selfish, Collins sees a different side. The Academic Success Center used to hire students to take notes in class for some students with disabilities. “We looked at asking for volunteer notetakers,” she says. Her office began “All Hatters Matter,” a campaign to make Stetson more accessible to all students. The results surprised her. All the note-takers today are volunteers who “believe in social justice and making Stetson more accessible.” The Nontraditional Student Sonja James-Gaitor’s family drove through a hurricane from Cleveland, Ohio, so she could attend Stetson. “We were afraid,” she recalls. A social sciences senior, she is in her 30s and has four children. She also volunteers to help teenage girls at a juvenile correctional facility, helps with university events, is a mentor for other nontraditional students, and founded the Nontraditional Students Association. She’s busy. “Most times I stay on campus so I can get my academic work done,” she says, “because I know when I get home I’m expected to be Mom and wife.” For those campus events, James-Gaitor frequently brings her children with her. She calls her husband, Christopher, a nurturing nurse who supports her dreams. While driving through the hurricane, she called Wayne Bailey, Ph.D., political science professor, and told him she didn’t know whether she could make his first class. “We skidded into campus,” she remembers. “I made it to my 9 a.m. class with no sleep. “And Dr. Bailey is hard,” she notes. “I was in tears and curled up into a ball on my bed because I wasn’t sure I could make it at Stetson.” At first, she felt lost “like I was an old person in college.” Founder and president of the Student Veterans Association and a sophomore social sciences major, Christopher Griffin’s background sets him apart from his fellow students as well. This is because at 24 he’s older, and he’s experienced the War on Terror firsthand. While Griffin, a medic in the Iraq War, doesn’t fault these students for not having had rockets fired at them, he does know one thing. “I feel guilty being here and sitting in class while my comrades are still fighting and dying over there,” he says. “I feel like we don’t care.” Though not necessarily nontraditional, international students are different from the typical Millennials too, according to Eric Canny, 20

STETSON

‘The technological boom hit us like a Mack truck,’ says Academic Success Director Stacy Collins.

executive director of WORLD International Learning. Try to imagine, Canny says, landing at Orlando International Airport from, let’s say, Saudi Arabia and seeing the United States for the first time. “There’s a shock to international students when they first come to Stetson,” he points out. If they’re from China, for example, they might have difficulties when a professor poses a question in class. “In China, their culture teaches them to go back to their rooms and ponder that question,” he explains. “They feel they’re being disrespectful if they try to answer the question at that moment in class, but those are our faculty’s expectations.” One way international students are similar to their American classmates is that they, too, have helicopter parents. “Let’s look at our international students from China again. Imagine having only one child because of Chinese law,” he emphasizes. “The parents’ hopes, dreams and aspirations are put on that one child.” Of course, another way some international students are similar to American Millennials is that the economic downturn has hit them as hard as their U.S. counterparts. “In Spain, for example, youth unemployment is over 50 percent,” Canny elaborates, “so more of these students are living at home once they graduate.” In many ways, then, some international students are typical Boomerang Millennials, returning home to wait out the recession. Similar, yet different. Canny believes there is a danger to making broad assumptions about this generation. “I believe the traits are more human and cultural traits than generational traits,” he explains. How Technology Affects Millennials Ask Collins how this generation is different, and she responds: “The technological boom hit us like a Mack truck and progressed so quickly, more quickly than we could ask ourselves, ‘Is this good for us?’ ” She believes, then, that technology has shaped this generation. In fact, one student says that a romantic relationship isn’t official until it’s Facebook official. This

means that until you post your relationship status on Facebook, it isn’t quite real. A recent Rolling Stone poll of Millennials, for example, shows that 80 percent use social media one hour or more a day. Sims Kline, a research librarian at the duPont-Ball Library, has helped students with their research papers for decades, and he sees the same thing. He compares the students of 1976 when he first arrived to those today: “When you wanted to do research on the Acropolis, you would first go to the card catalog and look up books on the topic. Then you would get out a periodicals index and find scholarly journal and magazine articles. “But today,” he adds, “a middle school student can go on the Internet and produce in seconds scores of articles and books on the Acropolis.” That technological speed has led to something else that’s like a science fiction short story. One minute in time, a person goes through the plodding, dinosaur-like method of research, using a card catalog and a periodicals index. In the next minute, the researcher is listening to music on a smartphone, looking at dozens of Web pages on his or her tablet or laptop, and texting or posting on Facebook. “No one could have imagined this picture in 1976,” Kline says. Dean of Students Rosalie Carpenter sees another side of this technology use. “I believe technology for the Millennials gets in the way of conversation,” she says. “I’ve heard of students doing Facebook chatting with one another in the same room. “And they’re connected to their past because of technology,” she says. “They stay connected with their home, family and friends in ways we could not have imagined. Technology, then, may keep them from growing and changing.” Parents of Millennials Lynn Bria, Stetson women’s basketball coach, tells the story of one of her player’s moms flying in to do her daughter’s laundry. “Are you serious?” I ask. “Absolutely serious,” she replies. In many cases, Bria finds that today’s students are too dependent on their parents. “Many of them don’t know how to handle conflict. They hide behind their phones. In fact, they will text someone angry rather than talking to them face-to-face or even calling them. And their parents do intervene and solve their problems for them.” Carpenter believes this is sometimes the case too. “I know a student who was stuck in an elevator, and instead of calling one of her friends to get her out, she called her mom.” She has read that students call their parents on

STETSON

average about 3.8 times a day. Similarly, the Rolling Stone survey shows that 55 percent stay in contact with their parents every day. “Parents will sometimes even register their students for classes,” Carpenter adds. “This can sometimes slow down a student’s transition to college. Part of growing up is figuring out how to work out problems for yourself. If parents do this for you, your growth is affected.” Something else is at work here. “Our students want to make their parents proud,” says Hancock. And the amount of parental involvement depends on the individual student. For example, she knows some parents who let their students solve their own problems. Some students even pay for their Stetson educations by themselves, she points out. “So I would hate to throw all parents into one basket and say all of them have done everything for their student.” “For the most part, our students at Stetson come from very strong families,” Lucas stresses, adding, “so they’re confident because they have high self-esteem.” A Statistical Profile Stetson Millennials are serious students. “I expect more out of Stetson students,” says Ferguson, “and they deliver. Stetson’s more selective, so as a faculty member, I feel more comfortable giving them more difficult assignments and grading them a bit harder.” In fact, incoming students scored almost 100 points higher on the SAT than they did in fall 2009. The statistical profile of Stetson students offers a glimpse into who they are. This year’s undergraduate class is the largest in the university’s history. More than 850 full-time, firsttime-in-college students joined the Stetson family, bringing total enrollment to 4,044, including graduate programs and law. That’s a 6.7-percent increase in overall enrollment over fall 2009, while also increasing quality markers like GPA and test scores. More than 72 percent come from Florida while 28 percent hail from other states and other countries. A little over 65 percent of Stetson’s undergraduates are white. Minority undergraduate enrollment is about 35 percent. Their top majors are psychology, finance, integrative health science and English. How do they compare to the previous generation? Stetson has used the Cooperative Institutional Research Program’s (CIRP) survey for decades to test their opinions. When compared to those in 1988, the results show that students have changed — somewhat. Students were asked: “During the past year, how much time did you spend in a week … ? • Partying two hours or less (1988–22.6 percent; 2012–78 percent);

‘Our students want to make their parents proud,’ says Assistant Provost for Student Success Lua Hancock.

• Socializing with friends over 16 hours a week” (1988: 33.2 percent; 2012: 14 percent); and • Doing volunteer work (1988: 49 percent did none; 2012: only 16 percent did none). In many of the questions, the percentage remained the same for students from 1988 and 2012, respectively, including watching TV, studying, exercising and playing video games. Moreover, the top reasons they attended college were “to learn more things that are interesting to me” (1988: 72.3 percent; 2012: 76.8 percent); “to gain a general education and appreciation of ideas” (1988: 65.8 percent; 2012: 72.3 percent); “to make more money” (1988: 67.4 percent; 2012: 71.2 percent); and “to prepare for graduate or professional school” (1988: 58.9 percent; 2012: 61.3 percent). The Millennials Strike Back For the best explanation of Millennial attributes gone awry, look at the short film titled “The Best Response When Anyone Calls Young People Lazy Today”at http://bit.ly/18OGxaI. Here’s the Millennial counterargument: Millennial 1: I’m a Millennial. Millennial 2: And I’m sorry. Millennial 3: We’re self-centered. We’re entitled. We’re narcissistic, lazy and immature. Millennial 4: And we’re super sorry about that. Millennial 1: We’re the worst. If only we could be more like our parents. Millennial 2: Yeah, like the Baby Boomers. You guys were great. All: You gave us great music, ’60s counterculture, psychedelic drugs (as the Millennial turns a corkscrew index finger near her head), a lot of great movies too (another says as she scrolls on her iPhone). Millennial 4: Like Jurassic Park. It was awesome. Good job with that one. Millennial 1: We don’t know what happened. You raised us to believe that we were special. Millennial 2: So special that we didn’t have

to do anything to earn it. Millennial 3 holding trophy: I got this trophy for existing in soccer. Millennial 4: That’s pretty special. Millennial 1: We have no idea what went wrong. Millennial 2: You tried your best. You insisted we all go to college, and now we’re the most educated generation in American history. Millennial 3: Instead of living in our parents’ basements and waiting tables, we should just go and get real jobs like you did. Millennial 4: There’s not a lot of jobs out there since those got outsourced in the ’90s. Millennial 1: And the ’90s were great. Do you guys remember Full House? Good show. Millennial 2: We graduated into the recession where 90 percent of the jobs are part-time. Let’s be honest. We just don’t like hard work. Millennial 3: What’s the deal about that recession anyway? Millennial 4: Did it have something to do with the housing bubble that started in the ’90s? I was still pretty young back then. Millennial 1: And we’re really sorry about messing up those two wars you got started. Sorry so many of our friends died. Millennial 2: We just can’t do anything right. Millennial 3: It’s not like we jacked up manufacturing prices. Millennial 4: Destroyed the manufacturing industry. Millennial 1: Started two quagmire wars. Millennial 2: Destroyed the global economy. Millennial 3: And left our offspring with a devastated planet stripped of its natural resources. Millennial 4: It would be crazy if there was a generation that recklessly awful, huh? Millennial 1: But we do text too much. Millennial 2: So, on behalf of all the Millennials, we’d like to apologize for being so terrible. From now on, we’re going to be just like the Baby Boomers. How Millennial Are You? I took the Pew quiz that gauged how much of a Millennial I am. I answered honestly, pointing out that I did read a newspaper in the past 24 hours, that no, I do not have any tattoos or piercings, and that I did not play a video game in the past 24 hours. (You can take it too at http://bit.ly/1bIFhTk) I still scored 67 out of 100. I needed at least a 73 to be considered a member of this generation. Instead, I scored as a GenXer, not bad for a man deep in his Boomer years. õ Bill Noblitt is editor of stetson magazine. STETSON

Stetson Millennials Tell Us Who They Are in a Question-and-Answer Session

m i l l e n n i a l

MASH-UP

To find out about today’s Stetson students, stetson magazine asked one freshman group and another of upperclass students pointed questions about how they see themselves. Since we asked similar questions to each group, we combined their responses. The upperclass group included Brendan Beitler of Tampa, Fla., a senior finance major; Veronica Casal of San Juan, Puerto Rico, a junior integrative health science major; E. Krystal Somaza of Caracas, Venezuela, a finance and economics major; Maurie Murray of Pensacola, Fla., a senior digital arts major; Suzanne Lopez of Orlando, a senior management and MIS double major; Elizabeth Pfaff of Orlando, Fla., a sophomore management major; and Courtney Allbee of Pembroke Pines, Fla., a senior communication and media studies major. The freshmen included Ricardo A. Ramos of San Juan, Puerto Rico, an accounting major; Molly Belmont of Philadelphia, Pa., a marketing major; Charlotte Grace of Pensacola, Fla., an elementary education major; and Kalee Ball of Jacksonville, Fla., an English major. So who are today’s Stetson students? Let’s let them tell us in their own words. stetson magazine: How would you characterize or describe Stetson students today? Lopez: I would say “involved.” Everyone is highly involved in his or her classes. We’re also involved with a lot of extracurricular activities, such as SGA or Greek life or another club or doing research with faculty or having internships, studying abroad. We are all highly involved people.

STETSON

Beitler: I would say involved and engaged. Allbee: Stetson is so small that it forces you to get to know people, so I would use the word “diverse.” Grace: Stetson students are people who value education. They’re motivated to get a degree. They have this plan for their future. The students care about what they’re studying. stetson magazine: Would you say, then, that you are inclusive and that you are more accepting of difference and diversity? Belmont: Yes! Every single type of difference. Grace: I think our generation is definitely more accepting. Beitler: Stetson helps you adapt to different cultures. Stetson gets you out of your comfort zone. In terms of generations, I would say that we are a lot more accepting. Lopez: I also think Stetson provides a better atmosphere to accept others and be exposed to diversity. I am in the business school, so a lot of my classes have international students in them. They bring a different perspective to class. We want to know how it is where they’re from. stetson magazine: What do you think of what TIME magazine writes about you on its cover? “Millennials are lazy, entitled narcissists who still live with their parents.” Does that offend you? How would you characterize what this cover says? Grace: I think it’s half and half. There are a lot of people who are gung-ho and want to make the world a better place. My parents live in a wealthy area. If you look at our high school’s parking lot, it’s as if people all have nice cars — in fact, some people might call it

a luxury car lot — because their parents buy them that stuff. And they feel so entitled. They get most everything they want. But there are people who do want to make a difference. Belmont: I believe Stetson is reflective of people who want to change the world. But we do like our social networking and go, “Oh, how many followers do I have?” I admit that social media is important to me. Ramos: My school was for middle-class kids. They weren’t like, “I’ve got mine, and I don’t care about anybody else.” But there were some students who didn’t care about anyone but themselves. On the other hand, there were those who wanted to help others. Maybe it’s a broad generalization about our generation. It is true: We love our social media. We need to know how many followers we have on

The Upperclassmen Back Row: Suzanne Lopez and Veronica Casal Center: Courtney Allbee and Maurie Murray Third Row: Elizabeth Pfaff, Brendan Beitler and E. Krystal Somaza

Facebook. I want to be more popular than you, and you want to be more popular than me. Murray: We were kind of left with a mess, though. There was a recession. The housing market went down. There were barely any jobs available. They were thinking about cutting all sorts of school funding where I’m from. When you have to be an adult going out into that world, it can be tough. Quite frankly, the older generation caused it. Beitler: Our parents are complaining about us being selfish, yet they were the ones who caused these problems. Stetson Magazine: How is that? Beitler: Well, I mean, here’s a perfect example. When you go to Publix, and you see a kid screaming for a cookie because Publix gives out free chocolate-chip cookies to kids. The

parents say: “No, no, not today. You haven’t been good, so you don’t deserve a cookie.” The child starts crying, and then the parent gives in. “Fine, I will give it to you.” Lopez: Yeah, I agree. Parents don’t know how to say “no,” or they are afraid to say “no,” because then they believe their children won’t like them. A lot of our parents tried to protect us from the realities of the world when we were growing up. So, a lot of people I know don’t understand finances or practical things that you need once you graduate from college. You lack different practical skills because your parents have always taken care of them for you. My parents taught me how to balance a checkbook and how not to go in debt. Most kids don’t understand how to do anything like that. Some parents put some of us at a disadvantage.

Somaza: About the parents part: I am from Venezuela, so it’s kind of different there. We live there with our parents until we get married. My culture is family-based. Therefore, we don’t have that thing where we get everything we want because our circumstances are different. Cultures are different. If I cried to get something, I’d get spanked. Pfaff: I don’t feel like my parents really sheltered me from the real world. I know how to balance my checkbook. And I knew a couple times we were barely making ends meet. But we were born in a time where people started to have the desire for immediate gratification. Twenty years ago, few people had cellphones. Now by the time you turn 10, you have a cellphone. And by 2000, people wanted more and wanted more immediately. STETSON

stetson magazine: So, the technological boom has dramatically affected this generation? Lopez: Definitely, because we can have essentially almost anything we want in seconds. You have access to the shows that were on television last night. There are just so many different ways that we can get what we want as soon as we want it. We have gotten used to always getting what we want and quickly. Belmont: Social media is “right now,” and that’s what I’m all about: the right now. And I believe that a lot of us are about the right now. Social media has brought about change, and great things have come about because of social media. The world is more connected because of social media. We are so focused on our social media, and social media helps us to change the world. You can contact any celebrity if you really want to. But we all freak out when we don’t have Wi-Fi. Grace: Without databases on the library website, I’d fail college. stetson magazine: What happens after you graduate, and life smacks you square in the face? Will you be able to adapt? Ball: Personally, I believe I’ll be able to deal because while I was sheltered from a lot of society, my mom didn’t shelter me from a lot of problems. She’s a single mom. It’s taught me to be frugal about my money, and it’s taught me to be more educated about what’s going on. So I feel like I’ll be able to deal with any problems life throws my way. Grace: I have no idea. I feel like no one was really prepared for the economic downturn. My neighbors were doing fine, and then all of a sudden he lost his job, so they had to make it work. I used to babysit for them every day after school, and after he lost his job, that stopped. They weren’t prepared for it. Murray: I think our people skills are stunted. I go on Facebook, and I see people talk about their relationships. I am just like: You have a phone. Call somebody. Let them know what the deal is, and let that be that. Somaza: I feel like our society, our generation is not sheltered. I feel like we adapt to change because we can. Beitler: A lot of times when you are “Oh, how do I do this?” People say, “Google it.” Being in a fraternity, we have to wear ties a lot. So, some people don’t know how to tie ties or bow ties, and there are instructional videos all over YouTube. By the way, I have had a job since I turned 15. My parents wanted me to learn the worth of a dollar. I went to a public school, but in my area, it was like a private school because our parking lot also looked like a foreign motor dealership. But I had to buy my own car. 26

STETSON

Lopez: I feel like we all have the ability to adapt to change. So once you graduate, you go out into the real world, and you try to get a job. If it doesn’t work out, you have to keep trying and persist. But there are many people in our generation who expect it to be handed to them on a silver platter. A lot of people think they are too qualified to go and work a menial job. I work at Disney making a little more than minimum wage. And the people I work with are of different ages and from all different walks of life, and I have learned so much from them. You don’t have to start at your dream job. You can work your way up. And I feel like a lot of us think because we have a college degree, we are entitled to a certain level of job status and salary. But, especially in this economy, that isn’t necessarily guaranteed. Allbee: Failure isn’t an option. You have to do what you have to do to make money until you find your career. stetson magazine: Do you feel like Stetson has prepared you well for the future? Allbee: I definitely had a lot of work experience here. I’m in my second internship. This is an advantage when you are applying for jobs. It is good to put on your résumé. So, I think it has. And Stetson gives you the social skills. This school is so diverse that it forces you to get out of your comfort zone and meet people. And that’s such a crucial part of finding a job. Stetson has definitely prepared me. stetson magazine: I’m going to read you some words that have been used to describe the Millennial generation. Tell me whether you agree with them or not. The first one is “special.” Casal: Personally, I don’t think I would use that to describe us, although my elementary school back home had a philosophy that everyone’s a winner. Pfaff: Realistically, we live in a highly competitive society. That’s where a lot of the selfishness comes from, too. Some people don’t mind stepping on other people’s toes to get ahead. It’s good to feel special about yourself and have high self-esteem, but you can take that too far. Beitler: I can see how it’s fitting for us in general because of the “everyone’s a winner” society. Once you get to college, though, it’s a little bit more of a reality check, because the professors are a lot tougher. Once we get to the real world, and we get denied for the five jobs we applied for, it’s a harsh reality check. That is something that we haven’t been trained to adapt to. Murray: It depends. Some people grew up always being a winner. Others try to always be winners but were never given that trophy. Somaza: My parents told me I was special,

but at the same time, I had to work to be considered special. I had to have the best grades. If I play a sport, I want to win, and that’s why I am really competitive. However, I have to work for it. Pfaff: To whom much is given, much is also expected, and Stetson gives all of us a whole lot. We have a lot of opportunities to get involved in organizations, to have jobs on campus, and to have all these doors open up for us. Lopez: I agree that many in our generation think we are special. My dad sent me a YouTube video of a high school graduation, and the speaker said the problem with everyone being special is that no one is special. Once we graduate, we are going to go to a job, and we believe we are going to do all these amazing things. But we are not going to get recognized and patted on the back and hoorah, hoorah, here’s a cookie, here’s a certificate, here’s an award every step of the way. Beitler: One thing my papa told me was if you are doing a good deed to get recognized, then you are doing it for the wrong reasons. So, you shouldn’t really be doing something for the recognition. You should do it because it’s the right thing to do. stetson magazine: Do you feel that your generation is civic-minded, that you have a responsibility to others less fortunate than yourself? Ball: For my high school, you had to have at least a hundred hours of service. Of course, everyone was trying to get service hours all the

The Freshmen

Molly Belmont, Charlotte Grace, Kalee Ball and Ricardo Ramos

time. I’m not going to lie. That’s the reason I did it too. But then I did it because I cared and not for the hours. Beitler: In high school, we had to do 200 community-service hours by graduation. And by forcing us to do that, it’s more like it’s for me. I need to graduate. Stetson Magazine: Did you do that just so you could graduate, or did you do it because it was the right thing to do? Casal: In high school, I did have that requirement. But coming to Stetson has changed my perception. I became involved in other community-service organizations. But the point of it all is, yes, it’s good to start with a push by requiring volunteer work so you get acquainted with giving back. I believe it’s good to have that first push. And after that, you get into it on your own, and it becomes something that you do because you want to. Pfaff: I think it also depends on your family. My family raised me to always give back. My parents took me as a child to a homeless shelter every month to serve dinner. stetson magazine: What did you learn from that, though? Pfaff: I learned that I am no better than anybody else. Allbee: I also think that what we choose to volunteer for and support has a lot to do with our past experiences. For example, my brother had leukemia when he was younger. He is good now. He survived. And my mom recently had colon cancer. Therefore, cancer has a huge

impact on me. Cancer has affected my family. After experiencing that, you don’t want anyone else to go through that. Somaza: Back home, most of us are Catholic, so we were taught to give back, and we were not rewarded for it. It’s different for each individual. And for me back home, I would just do it because it’s fun. stetson magazine: Another word: “sheltered,” and you are self-confident because you have been sheltered and made to feel special. Lopez: I would agree. Obviously, there are going to be people who have low self-confidence, but that happens in any generation. But we are very confident in our abilities, sometimes a little too much, and this leads to a feeling of entitlement. But I don’t see it as necessarily a bad thing as long as you don’t cross the line from confident to cocky. Beitler: I played baseball for 13 years. So, I was confident that I was better than a large number of players, but I am very confident that I was not always the best. Some people definitely have excessive confidence. That could come from how everything is handed to them and how few things are truly earned. And a-trophy-for-every-kid kind of mindset doesn’t help, because it’s false confidence. stetson magazine: “Conventional.” Murray: We like breaking the right rules. While that’s happening, we are still having major racial inequalities, gender inequalities, sexual-orientation inequalities. Lopez: Over time, we will see a move away from it. But our parents or grandparents did civil rights in the ’60s, and we are almost 50 years past that, and it’s still an issue today. Beitler: I remember when I was in grade school reading about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and that people actually had separate bathrooms for black Americans. Just the fact that there was such segregation back then seems ridiculous. For us today, sexual orientation is our civil rights cause. Murray: At the end of the day, though, there is a cafeteria effect. By the time you get in the fifth grade, you are already socialized to sit with people of your own race more than others. Somaza: I’m considered Hispanic or Latina, and I don’t feel like people are being racist with me if they sit apart from me. I sit in the cafeteria with my Latino friends because I speak Spanish, and I like to be with them. It’s just things you have in common with them. It’s just more of a cultural thing. stetson magazine: Another descriptor: “Team-oriented.” Murray: I wouldn’t say so. I am not teamoriented. I hate team projects. Lopez: When it’s mutually beneficial, we are

Who are today’s Stetson students? Let’s let them tell us in their own words. team-oriented. I am in a sorority, and I am on the executive council. Therefore, we are working together toward the same end, and we all want to see our sorority succeed. So we all work together to make that happen. When everyone on my team is pulling his or her weight and working toward the same goal with me, then I think we are more team-oriented than the previous generation. Casal: I think a lot of us know what we are good at. I know I am not really a numbers person. When I work on a team, I look for people who complement my strengths and make up for my weaknesses. stetson magazine: That you’re “achieving” and “stressed.” Somaza: I read an article the other day that our generation has the biggest depression rate ever. And I feel it’s because we have these really high goals. When we don’t reach them, our world crumbles. Because of this, we are under a lot of stress. Grace: I read a statistic one time: The amount of anxiety in an average high school student today was enough in the 1950s to get someone put in a mental institution. The amount of depression, anxiety and ADHD for our generation is astronomical. Beitler: If something goes wrong, then we put it on ourselves. So, it’s “why didn’t I do it? What went wrong? What can I do better?” I think more people are quick to blame themselves if something doesn’t go right. stetson magazine: Hearing these words, do you feel that your generation is stereotyped more than past generations? Murray: I think they’re an overgeneralization. I believe when many of these authors write about Millennials that they’re probably referring more to upper-class and middle-class students. Beitler: We are put in the spotlight right now, and we are the guinea pigs in terms of generations. And I know that our parents’ generation was probably analyzed just as much. õ STETSON STETSON

27 27

What Can Be Done to Improve Healthcare? Once sick, most people go to the doctor to diagnose and treat the condition. But the effectiveness of drugs used by those in modern medicine has blinded many to the benefits of being proactive in the prevention of illness. Most sickness is unnecessary. It is a matter of cause and effect. If you participate in high-risk behaviors, such as sexual promiscuity, illicit drug use, eating only junk food — the causes — you will be more prone to sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and obesity-related illnesses — the effects. A proper understanding of cause and effect is the key to solving the healthcare crisis. —Alex Beckett Senior Integrative Health Science Major Naples, Fla.

We Answer the TOUGH

QUESTIONS 28

STETSON

Is Race Still an Issue? Yes. That is the nature of the society we live in, and I have not been immune to the racial stereotypes that are projected on certain people. As a young mother of three, people believed that I was just another “welfare queen,” when in actuality I worked at one of the most prestigious, mid-sized law firms in Cleveland, Ohio. My children all have the same father, and I was married. But on the street or when taking public transportation, people looked at me as if I were personally sucking the system dry of resources. —Sonja James-Gaitor Senior Social Sciences Major Cleveland, Ohio Founded Nontraditional Student Association

STETSON STETSON

2929

How Do We Stop Terrorism? Although crimes against humanity, such as terrorist acts, are inexcusable, they are not (in every way) unexplainable. Any time that a society or people feel as though they are being subjugated to the ideologies, politics or religions of a nation that has more power than they, feelings of helplessness and anger are likely to be experienced. In order to fight against terrorism or the possibility of another attack against the U.S., we need to collectively step back and examine our relationships and interests internationally. Seeing other nations as people first and approaching any differences or conflicts from this standpoint are vital in our attempt at eliminating terrorism. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Cody Cartledge Senior Communication and Media Studies Major Lake Mary, Fla.

STETSON

How Do You Know Right From Wrong? The difference between right and wrong is drilled into our minds from the minute we, as humans, are born. We are taught to develop morals and behave in a way that is acceptable to society. These morals are formed from our emotions and social experiences. Therefore, we can only know what is right and wrong based on our interactions with others. The morals of the majority form the objective framework that our personal morals are based on. This framework expands and changes over time based on what the majority believes. Our morals form the very essence of our being. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Kalee Ball Freshman English Major Jacksonville, Fla.

STETSON

Is War the Answer? War can liberate a people and send them on a better path, but it can also create a new enemy through the disgruntled father who lost his child in an accidental death during a firefight. As Americans, we need to be more engaged and informed in our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foreign-policy decisions. We have to speak up when we feel that a certain action with drones or ground troops is wrong. â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Christopher G. Griffin Sophomore Social Sciences Major Wake Forest, N.C. Founder of the Stetson Student Veterans Association

STETSON

How Do We Ensure Justice? Ensuring justice requires everyone to bravely and passionately pursue fairness. Balancing the scales of justice is a responsibility placed upon everyone’s shoulders. However, how you choose to fight the good fight is up to you, so long as you fight it. Some may join activist organizations that demand justice, while others may pursue career paths that teach them how to advocate for justice. Regardless of what direction you choose, know that you have the power to fight for justice every single day by simply standing up for what is right. In the wise words of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” —Natasha Vasquez Stetson University College of Law  Candidate for Juris Doctor, May 2014 Vineland, N.J.

Photo by Mark Wemple

STETSON

Can Peace Happen in Our Lifetime? Between political debates and Miss America, this question, I believe, has lost any serious significance. Written off as unrealistic and utopian, world peace is an idea our global community doesn’t take seriously. But therein lies the problem! Sociodynamics has a principle known as critical mass (stemming from the same principle in physics regarding nuclear chain reactions). In short, this principle states that for an idea to gain universal acceptance it only need be adopted by a sufficient percentage of the population to become self-sustaining in its growth toward universality. So can peace be worldwide? Of course! But more of us need to buy into the idea and take it seriously too. Only then will we reach that “critical mass,” the point of no return that causes a chain reaction for global peace. —Scott MacKenzie Williams Senior Management Major Richmond, Va.

34 34

STETSON STETSON

What Do You Value? There are many things in life I value, which makes it difficult to narrow it down to just one. However, I would have to put family at the top of this list. My family always has and always will play a crucial role in my life. I wouldn’t be at Stetson if it weren’t for them. They have shaped who I am and have blessed me with a countless amount of privileges, such as a roof over my head, food on my table, clothes on my back, healthcare, and education, just to name a few. The most valuable gift, in my opinion, is knowing that no matter what obstacles I may face, my family will always be there to fall back on and help me overcome whatever comes my way. —Courtney Allbee Senior Communication and Media Studies Major Pembroke Pines, Fla. Basketball and Football Cheerleader

STETSON

What Can We Do About Climate Change? Though many of us donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tend to think about climate change affecting our daily lives, it IS occurring, and there are many ways that we can make a difference. It is so easy to make simple changes in our daily routines. For instance, we can ride a bike or walk to class or work, use less water, turn off the lights when leaving a room, recycle, and eat locally. These things may seem obvious, but they can help protect the climate, reduce air pollution, and save you money! â&#x20AC;&#x201D;Brooke Thompson Junior Marketing Major Naples, Fla.

STETSON

How Can We Reach Full Employment? At the current job growth rate, it is estimated the U.S. economy won’t reach “full employment” until 2020. However, I believe that if we want to accelerate employment, we need to stimulate the private sector, which will encourage the hiring of new employees. If full employment is a main goal, then we should help spur private-sector confidence and encourage that important segment of our economy to expand. If we do this strategically, the U.S. could reach full employment by 2015-16. —Christian Roeder Senior Finance Major Safety Harbor, Fla. Roland George Investments Program

STETSON STETSON

37 37

What Can Be Done About Poverty? Poverty is no longer something that comes in small increments to just a few people. It’s everywhere. What can we do about it? Well, I think that education is the foundation for cutting poverty. Access to higher education is one of the most efficient ways to help the poor get back on track and make a decent living. The New York Times headline tells it all: “College Graduates Fare Well in Job Market Even Through Recession.” And college graduates make more over their lifetimes than those without a college degree. —Viviana Vasiu Junior Pre-Law/English Major Cluj-Napoca, Romania

STETSON

Are You a Feminist? No, I wouldn’t consider myself a feminist. Having the privilege of living in such a great country makes it easy for women to have roles in society in whatever they want to do. I’m sure if I lived back in the ’60s I would have fallen into the role of a feminist, but as of now I feel like men and women, for the most part, get the same fair treatment. —Anna Dudley Sophomore Marketing Major Inverness, Fla.

STETSON

The Stetson Experience

Extends Beyond the Classroom

SCENE I: Looking into the eyes and faces of schoolchildren in poverty and listening to their unfortunate, touching stories proved a powerful catalyst to Courtney Williams’ understanding. The faces fueled her passion to improve the lives of poor children and their families. “Those experiences helped cement the ideas I was learning in class and understand them in a real and practical way,” says Williams, ’12, whose volunteer work at Stetson shaped her life and career. SCENE II: Her bosses threw senior Katherine Cabral into the breach the day before a government shutdown in Washington, D.C. A new intern, she was dispatched to senatorial offices on Capitol Hill to discuss proposed legislation. She wasn’t sure she was ready, but another intern showed her how it’s done, and they were off. “It was one of those experiences where I had to learn fast,” remembers Cabral, an intern in Washington, D.C., last fall. It was her “best experience” yet. SCENE III: Student voting behavior has nothing to do with Mariamne Harrington’s graduate assistant work in student affairs at Kentucky’s Bowling Green State University. But almost every day, she uses practical skills learned in her senior research project on voting, applying them to her work with fraternities and sororities. “I never could have guessed how much I was going to learn in that research and how useful the information would be to me,” stresses Harrington, ’12. These three quite different scenes challenge the notion that a quality college education occurs only on campus, in classrooms, lecture halls and libraries. The skewed perspective 40

STETSON

ignores deep, broad, rich streams of student learning outside classroom walls. Such learning is almost always related closely to classroom work and usually occurs off campus, but it adds the rich dimension of practical experience. “All our classroom teaching supplies only half of the path to the kind of learning and development we strive to foster,” says Paul Croce, Ph.D., professor of history and American studies. “The other half is experience, especially experience related to the ideas and information that students learn in the classroom.” Senior Mark Marcus would agree. Cost accounting classwork was troublesome for the accounting major. But the subject clicked for him when he helped set budgets for Siemens’ energy managers during an internship last summer. “There were plenty of times when I had tasks that made me say, ‘Oh, so this is what the professor was trying to teach me.’ I couldn’t get that type of exposure in the classroom,” says Marcus of Gainesville, Fla. “Some things about cost accounting definitely made more sense when I applied it to real-world tasks.” “The most powerful human learning is produced during active interaction, not passive absorption,” says John Tichenor, Ph.D., decision information science professor. “You don’t learn how to change a tire by reading the manual. You learn by having a flat and actually changing the tire,” he explains. Every day, hundreds of Stetson students aren’t in classrooms. Not only are they not in classrooms, sometimes they’re not even on this side of the world. They’re changing metaphorical tires, engaged in high-impact learning experiences locally and globally. They’re experiencing, in the parlance of the day, the real world, learning practical lessons related to scholarly work, building useful skills necessary to carry out their life goals. It’s

called “experiential learning,” and it’s probably humanity’s most powerful learning method. A “deep and profound level of learning” occurs during internships, study abroad, FirstYear Seminars, community-based research, collaborative problem-solving, student research and other capstone experiences, says Lua R. Hancock, assistant provost for Student Success. All those, and more, have been defined in higher education as “high-impact learning practices.” Many years of research have shown the powerful impact of these learning experiences on students. These highly engaging opportunities are plentiful for students earning Stetson degrees. They reflect the university’s belief in an “educational experience grounded in relationship, rigor and responsibility brought to life through relevant learning experiences,” adds Hancock. Active, engaged and transformative learning experiences should continue to be strengthened and advanced at Stetson, explains Provost Beth Paul, Ph.D., who notes there has been significant research on high-impact practices that foster deep learning and personal development. “One of the things I find most compelling about the research on the outcomes of high-impact practices is that these experiential learning opportunities promote academic learning, cognitive development and personal growth. It’s a powerful combination,” she says, “essential holistic learning for living one’s life significantly.” Given the strength of the research and the importance of experiential learning to the university’s mission, Paul says, “It is important to highlight, strengthen and advance highimpact practices at Stetson.” She has asked her Academic Planning and Advisory Committee to identify every example at Stetson and define ways to highlight and advance these distinctive opportunities. Internships are big among students.

B y

R o n a l d

W i l l i a m s o n

STETSON

Hundreds of Stetson students intern every year. Volunteer engagement in the community, or “community-engaged learning,” is even bigger. Three out of four Stetson students do it, and pro bono legal assistance is a requirement for law students. Mentored research and creative activity is intense experiential learning and may have the biggest impact. It touches nearly all students during their four years at Stetson. Research Makes Perfect First year to postgrad, students conduct research throughout their university careers. Senior or capstone research or creative projects are a graduation requirement for Stetson’s undergraduates. College of Arts and Sciences majors complete senior research projects, School of Music students complete a senior recital, and School of Business Administration majors analyze case studies in a senior capstone. No research, no diploma. The wealth of student research conducted within Stetson’s two colleges and two schools is fantastic. Fat mice, for example. They’ve been researched. Florida Crackers, of course. Gold prices, no surprise. Nightmares. Bird mobs. All kinds of legal issues and rulings. Virginia Woolf ’s writing. Sex and sequins. Jazz music. Lake pollution. American poets. Voting behavior. Unabomber. Hipster church. Great Basin bugs and even the genes of a small, rare snail. Really? Really. The list is mind-boggling. Student research and creative activity is as diverse and unique as the students themselves, but a common, distinctly experiential streak runs through the rainbow of subjects. It’s all high-impact, hands-on work that teaches howto-do-this skills learned by experience. “Experiential learning has become vital,” says Alicia Slater Schultheis, Ph.D., associate professor of biology, “because we know it contributes to deep and lasting learning.” She calls it “authentic experience.” “Too often, academic research is seen as impractical, theoretical, ungrounded in reality,” says Kimberly D.S. Reiter, Ph.D., associate professor of history. “This is, of course, not the case at all.” Good research requires students to master methods of handling many kinds of data. They use writing and problem-solving skills. They learn safe operation of tools and implements. They must employ sound techniques of critical, integrated thinking to navigate the many, many steps necessary to gather, compile, translate and communicate the research and put it to use. “It is in every way a practical experience,” says Reiter. She chairs the Undergraduate Research Committee, a major force in student research initiatives. 42

STETSON

“Hands-on research and creative experience,” says Diane Everett, Ph.D., a sociology professor, “is the best way for students to develop and hone a range of practical, marketable and professional skills.” “Getting their hands dirty in the data,” adds Tichenor, “is the only way for students to really understand the real-world concept of what it takes — all of what it takes — to obtain and translate data into meaningful conclusion. I place an extremely high value on student research.” Valuable practical skills learned in research are endless, from cleaning a Petri dish to soldering wires, slicing DNA, building musical instruments, creating digital presentations and writing grant proposals. Schultheis says that presenting a paper at a professional conference is an “authentic experience” as is publishing research. In both, students learn the practical complexities of those long, involved processes. Mastering the tools and methods is often more important than the research because those skills are transferable to other fields. That’s what Mariamne Harrington did. “I’ve been able to take the scholarly research skills I learned at Stetson and apply them to my practice as a student affairs professional,” she says. Face-to-face communication skills that Kristen Warren, ’11, began to develop during her senior research project carried over to a key role in her career. To research gender issues among correctional officers, she met and interviewed dozens of strangers, sometimes asking sensitive questions. That process honed skills of connecting with people and getting them to talk to her truthfully. “As a child protective investigator, I continually encounter uncomfortable situations and people who do not want to be interviewed,” points out Warren, a state investigator. “Building rapport is essential,” she says, and the quicker the better. “You really need to know what is going on in order to assess the safety of children in the home. “I truly feel that the skills I developed in that research have helped me positively change the life direction of at least a few children,” says Warren of Ormond Beach. Connecting With the Community There’s a good reason why roughly 75 percent of Stetson students are socially responsible enough to serve and volunteer and collaborate on strengthening communities, says Savannah-Jane Griffin, director of the Center for Community Engagement. Social responsibility is so pervasive throughout the student body, she says, that they’re all likely to participate. These are students who want to do something significant with their lives, she says, make

social change, turn their passion into policy, increase economic development and improve communities. “It just so happens that those are also the kinds of students attracted to Stetson,” Griffin says, “because it puts those values of global citizenship and active forms of social responsibility directly into the university’s mission, values and curriculum.” “Experiential learning gives our students the skills to solve problems,” says Law Dean Christopher Pietruszkiewicz, J.D. “That’s what lawyers do, and this kind of learning helps students solve problems while they’re in law school.” Public service, or pro bono work, is required of every one of more than 1,000 law students on the college’s campus in Gulfport, Fla. The school works with more than 400 placements and organizations, says Tammy L. Briant, director of student life at the College of Law, and last year law students tallied 33,000 hours of service. “Skills acquired in the classroom are taken into our community, providing realworld learning opportunities that have real-life benefits for the clients they serve.” Law degrees are withheld until the public service requirement is fulfilled. No pro bono, no degree. Here’s another story: A tearful mother helped senior Gladys Valle realize her purpose in life, and it didn’t happen in a classroom. Valle has volunteered her time for more than two years working with youth, often troubled, tutoring them and mentoring them. She even created a program, The Beautiful Movement, to boost teenage girls’ self-esteem and help them grow into strong, confident women. The program deals with trust, goal-setting, abusive relationships, health, fashion — topics and issues that teen girls are facing, says Valle of Paterson, N.J. One day, a mother in tears thanked the psychology major and told her about her daughter’s serious identity disorder. No treatments they tried made a difference, but Valle’s program sparked a noticeable improvement in the way the girl coped. “It was at that moment I realized that I was really making a difference in someone’s life. It felt amazing, and I cried with them,” says Valle. “I know that helping others, especially adolescents, is my calling in life, and it’s the most beautiful thing.” Classroom studies lay a foundation for the learning inspired by high-impact activities outside the classroom. Both are necessary, says Valle, but she gives the edge to experiential learning. “I feel like high-impact learning experiences are much more beneficial than traditional classroom work. I’ve been able to learn theories in the classroom and then see them applied when

I work in the community with a diverse group of people. It definitely makes everything that I’m learning in class ‘click.’ ” Courtney Williams’ understanding of the implications of poverty and its impact on families helped her make a quantum leap in her career when she saw poverty’s reality in children’s faces and lives. She continues her community service as resource development director for United Way in Daytona Beach. “I had a variety of service-learning courses while at Stetson that combined not only the subject matter of the course, but a volunteer or service learning activity that corresponded with the topics,” says Williams, who, as an honors student, designed her own major, outreach management. She grew to understand that poverty and people in need are all around us, not just something found in third-world countries. “It was eye-opening to see that there are people in need everywhere,” she says. “I found I could make a huge impact and learn a lot just down the street from campus.” For three years as a Bonner Scholar, she worked in elementary classrooms with a high level of poverty, where some 60 percent of children qualified for free or low-cost meals at school, breakfast and lunch. Every Friday, she knew those children wouldn’t have enough food at home during the weekend. It touched her heart that they couldn’t afford school supplies, struggled with fatigue because there were not enough beds at home and other unfortunate circumstances. She needed classroom study for foundational knowledge to better understand and interpret the poverty she experienced in off-campus service-learning activities. “I was able to talk to my professors about what I was seeing, ask questions, test my own beliefs, and really bounce ideas off a person who understood. It was a huge opportunity for me to grow by discussing these topics with my professors,” she says. “Sitting in a classroom and learning concepts has its time and place — but the best experiences were ones where I was implementing my concepts in a practical way.” About a quarter of students who perform public service choose youth needs, according to a 2010 study at Stetson. Environment is another top service choice, as are health, hunger, homelessness and many others. “We have many students volunteering with Volusia County Schools, the Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA, Chisholm Community Center and other youth agencies,” says Griffin. Students gain hands-on experience solving meaningful community-based problems, she stresses, while increasing many skills that help them academically, professionally and personally. “These skills give our students clear and distinct advantages

in the increasingly competitive markets for graduate schools and jobs,” she says. The Value of Internships As practical learning goes, internships are among the best. They’re popular and competitive and required by many programs. An internship is key, and directly related experiences are highly desired. They also bring access to business contacts, new skills, and new social networks and give interns an excellent sense of the reality of their career goals, both good and bad. It might even mean a job offer, or it might mean reconsidering career goals. “Practical experience is a significant element of one’s education and often leads to further opportunities, including a job upon graduation,” says Joe Protopapa, executive director of Career Development and Academic Advising. “It also can affect a career path and encourage deep reflection on the part of the students in terms of their careers.” Interns are sometimes paid, sometimes not; sometimes there’s academic credit, sometimes not. Money and credit are rarely a student’s top priority — it’s the focused experience. Senior Ryan Rinaldo has interned with three local governments — Volusia County and the cities of DeBary and Deltona. He’s done a lot of jobs, including surveying new businesses for economic development, taking photographs and helping to produce television video for public relations in Deltona, working on DeBary’s personnel manual, and counting mosquitoes along the Halifax River for the county. Counting mosquitoes may not sound like a top job skill, but Rinaldo of Staten Island, N.Y., spins it another way. He was trusted with critical data gathering. Mosquito surveys at 17 places each week along the river determined which areas to target for mosquito control by helicopter and spray truck. “All combined, these opportunities have given me a wide array of practical career experience in local government,” says the communication and media studies major. Maxwell Droznin, a junior Russian studies major who hopes to be a doctor, spent last summer growing cancer cells at Stanford University’s Cancer Research Institute, part of his internship in pancreatic cancer research. The hope is to discover biomarkers for early detection of cancer. “I was able to experience what it is like to work in an actual cancer research laboratory and all the behind-thescenes planning, papers and work involved with it. I learned proper laboratory technique and how to write a scientific paper,” he says. “For the first time in my life, I actually felt

‘You don’t learn how to change a tire by reading the manual. You learn by having a flat and actually changing the tire,’ says Professor John Tichenor. like I was an adult member of society.” That didn’t happen in the classroom. Katherine Cabral of Paterson, N.J., loved the day she was thrown in the breach in Washington — nervous, intimidated and determined in a town where interns, she says, are a dime a dozen, and competition is fierce. But Stetson had prepared her for the challenge. “That kind of experience was the reason I came to D.C.,” she explains. A political science and American studies major, she landed an internship with No Labels, a lobby that promotes bipartisanship. Later, she picked up internship work with Congressman Joe Kennedy’s office, too. She answers phones, listens to voter questions, gives tours, researches campaign contributions, works with other staffers on projects, and a lot more. “I love classroom learning, and you need that basic, core ‘book’ knowledge,” she adds, “but experiential learning changes how you see the world. When I took a course on Congress, I learned how Congress functions and operates. Now, as an intern for a congressman, I get to see how life on Capitol Hill really works.” õ STETSON

Where We Live “I looked around at the rooms that I did not see as rooms but more as a landscape for my emotions, a biography of memory.” —Author Anne Spollen, The Shape of Water

We asked several Stetson students to show us their rooms and tell us why they’re decorated the way they are. What better reflection of our students’ personalities than where they live?

Above: Sophomore sports management major Erin Kiniry of Denver proudly displays the Colorado flag in her room in Chaudoin Hall. “I tried my best to make my room my home away from home. I have pictures on the wall of everyone who means a great deal to me.” At right: Sophomore marketing major Gretchen Lonergan of Washington, D.C., welcomes visitors with open arms to her room in Sorority House 1. “I decorated my room this way because it reminds me of my room at home. I don’t like clutter, so everything has its place.” 44

STETSON

46 46

STETSON STETSON

At left, Shane Scovil of Orlando, Fla., sophomore family enterprise major, points the way for his gamer friends, Amanda Makres of Tampa, Fla., junior international business major; Michael “Moose” Fornace of Daytona Beach, Fla., junior general business major; and Stefen Gessner of St. Petersburg, Fla., junior international business major. Scovil says about their room in Rinker Hall: “We all brought stuff from past years that meant something to us — like stuff from the movie Animal House.” Top: Isis Whyte of Charlotte, N.C., freshman double major in computer science and digital arts, proudly shows off the stuffed animal she’s had since she was 3 years old. About her room in Nemec Hall: “I chose this design for my room because I love patterns, black and white and pops of color. So I chose a zebra-print theme with bright colors of teal and gray.” Bottom: Sisters forever: Ash del Cid of Lake Mary, Fla., sophomore political science and economics double major, and Alexandra DieneschCalamari of Owls Head, Maine, sophomore discovery major, live together in Sorority House 1. Del Cid says: “All of my decorations represent an aspect of my life and personality. My favorite part about my roommate is her different tastes in decoration and her open-mindedness.” Dienesch-Calamari agrees: “I like having Ash as my roommate because we’re both Pi Beta Phi sorority sisters. About my room: I try to bring in touches from home.” õ STETSON STETSON

47 47

INQUIRY 48

Investigating Theme Parks Everything pointed to the hypothetical success of another world-class, American theme park at the bottom of the Malay Peninsula in the South China Sea. But the slam dunk turned into a long shot when two Stetson Executive MBA (EMBA) students researching the project went to Singapore to see the island citystate firsthand. What they learned changed their minds and conclusion, says Lauren Hall and John (Cody) Hampton, both of Orlando with theme park careers. The case study not only earned them a high grade from Jon Carrick, Ph.D., professor of international business, but also helped them gain a professional reputation. Hall and Hampton presented their findings at the annual conference of the Academy of International Business, Southeast USA Chapter. “The research paper stirred a lot of interest,” says Carrick, who noted that mere acceptance to the Atlanta conference from a field packed with doctorates reveals the high quality of the work. “We had many people asking if they could use the paper for classes, and one person inquired about using it in a textbook,” says Carrick, who mentored the research and accompanied the students on the trip to Singapore and Vietnam. Every EMBA cohort at Stetson makes a business study visit to at least one international market. On this Asian field study, cohort 10 met and questioned business leaders, industry experts, residents and tourists. The strongest lesson of the learning experience, according to students of the 19-month program, was coping with unexpected evidence that radically changed their conclusion. “The firsthand conversations with executives and tourists in Singapore were instrumental in STETSON

shaping our opinions,” says Hall. “We had to be flexible in our thoughts and drop any biases we initially had,” says Hampton, who gained a “more holistic view of business.” The case study, titled “Singapore Disney Theme Park: Assessing Project Viability,” lays out critical pros and cons that would face a new theme park on the 276-square-mile island. A Universal Studios theme park is already there, as are worldclass resorts, two casinos, and the largest oceanarium in the world. Legoland Malaysia is just across the mile-wide Johor Strait from Singapore’s 5.4 million people. “A lengthy tour of Universal Studios in Singapore and access to its executive team produced key information for Hall and Hampton and was a catalyst to dive deeper into their research,” says Wendy Lowe, assistant director of Stetson’s EMBA program. Positive factors, including a stable currency, a booming economy, low corruption and high personal wealth — one in five residents are millionaires — were trumped by negative factors like rigid regulations, multibillion-dollar financing, and finding land on the cramped island. Many of the newer, larger tourist attractions in the city are built on man-made land and floating platforms, according to students in the cohort, and the investment to create new land is much more costly than a normal construction project. The next step for the scholarly team is publication in a peerreviewed academic journal, an uncommon thing for student papers, says a confident Carrick. He and Carolyn Mueller, Ph.D., an international business professor who also attended the AIB conference, will help Hall and Hampton prepare the paper for publication. “It is a long and drawn-out process to get a paper published in a journal,” says Carrick. “It may take 12-18 months of reviews and rewrites.” “This case study is a good exam-

ple of faculty passion and student collaboration,” says Greg McCann, J.D., director of the EMBA program at Stetson. “Carrick’s passion for teaching and gifted scholarship helped students produce meaningful research,” says McCann, “and the result shows how effectively EMBA students connect and collaborate to produce impactful research.” Hall and Hampton, who graduate in May 2014, agree that the EMBA program has grown their confidence in research skills, writing, presentation and making recommendations. The paper is a good illustration, says Hall, of the way her EMBA work changed her perspective. “It changed the way I see challenges and opportunities within business,” she elaborates. “I now have the skills and knowledge I need to assess the viability of a potential project from a variety of angles that I would not have considered prior to beginning the EMBA program.” For more information, visit www.stetson.edu/business/emba, call 321-939-7603, or email emba@stetson.edu. —Ronald Williamson

Do Video Games Cause Violence? In an effort to change the cultural dialogue about violence in media causing aggression in teenagers, an international group of 228 media scholars, psychologists and criminologists recently sent an open letter to the American Psychological Association (APA) asking it to reconsider its position on the effects of media violence. “We sent the letter to the APA asking them to refrain from making certain declarative policy statements that are likely to do more damage to the field and mislead the public than be helpful,” says Christopher J. Ferguson, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology and chair of the Psychology

Psychology Associate Professor Christopher Ferguson knows the games Millennials play.

Department at Stetson University. In 2005, the APA issued a policy statement called the Resolution on Violence in Video Games and Interactive Media, which stated in part that exposure to violent media appears to increase feelings of hostility, thoughts about aggression, and suspicions about the motives of others. “But research shows there is not consistent evidence to support this statement,” Ferguson says. In fact, the opposite may be true, says Ferguson, who initiated the letter to the APA. “In my recent research,” he explains, “we found that for some teens with a pre-existing mentalhealth issue, playing violent video games seemed to be associated

with less bullying.” That research was published in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence in April. Ferguson and Cheryl K. Olson, Ph.D., an expert on using media to change behavior, tested 377 children. The results revealed no increase in aggressive or bullying behavior among those who played violent video games. One group, those with ADHD, appeared to have less aggressive behavior, particularly bullying, when they played more violent games. “This was just one outcome of four and needs to be replicated in other work,” cautions Ferguson. So why do violent video games get blamed whenever there is a mass shooting like recent incidents

at the Navy Yard in Washington, D.C., and Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn.? “The impression that a link exists is a classic illusory correlation in which society takes note of the cases that fit and ignores those that don’t,” says Ferguson in a recent blog post. “When a shooter is a young male, the news media make a fuss over violent video games, neglecting to inform the public that almost all young males play violent video games. Finding that a particular young shooter happened to play these games is neither surprising nor meaningful,” he adds. Ferguson also cautions against extending research into psychological issues beyond where it can go.

“In the 1950s, psychiatrists testified before Congress that comic books caused delinquency and homosexuality because, they claimed, Batman and Robin were secretly gay,” Ferguson explains. “We have to be careful not to repeat these mistakes. “Unfortunately, the line between reasonable reflection and cultural crusade can sometimes be blurred with activists drawing in shootings to advance their particular axes to grind,” he adds. Even worse is that such claims are a distraction from the real issue: the common thread for most mass shooters is a person full of anger and struggling with mentalhealth problems, according to Ferguson.

On the positive side, the research may be having another impact: The APA has assigned a task force to review its earlier policy statement, a move that Ferguson welcomes. However, he cautions, policy statements can set scientific agendas and at stake is the credibility of the field as a careful and objective science. “The signers of the statement to the APA welcome the APA’s initiative to look into their 2005 statement,” Ferguson points out. “We hope that they will take this opportunity to either retire the problematic 2005 statement or replace it with something that carefully reflects the debates and inconsistencies in this field.” —Janie Graziani STETSON

GAMES Amanda Parker Defender-Captain Sophomore Family Enterprise Major Perkasie, Pa. 50

STETSON

Julia Lozano Attacker-Leadership Council Freshman Discovery Major Key Largo, Fla.

Caili Guilday Goalie-Captain Sophomore Discovery Major Wallingford, Pa.

Erin Busch Defender-Leadership Council Freshman Integrative Health Major Annapolis, Md.

There’s a New Game in Town, and It’s Called Lacrosse

stetson warriors

Lindsay Summers Midfielder-Leadership Council Freshman Discovery Major Fallston, Md.

Maylis Broderick Midfielder-Captain Sophomore Discovery Major Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Becoming warriors. That’s what Native Americans experienced when they invented and played lacrosse. They were warriors who played for the creator. That’s the reason it’s still called the creator’s game. Welcome to Stetson’s women’s lacrosse team. The team’s members are new warriors to the game. As the team members enter their second year, they’re already creating memories. “One of my favorite memories is when we all first got to campus and met for the first time,” says sophomore Amanda Parker, the team’s cocaptain. “It is crazy to see how far we’ve come. We are super close and live in little groups together. Whether we are going to the beach or just eating on campus, we love spending time together as a team.” “I really believe that great things are going to happen with this program,” says Caili Guilday, also a co-captain and goalkeeper from Wallingford, Pa. “I am honored to be one of its leaders.” Guilday knows the challenges. “Think about it. I have class, practice, and then homework. But weekly team study halls and coaching staff check-in meetings really help.” And no matter what, it’s all about teamwork. “Although every journey is not easy, the end product is so rewarding,” Guilday went on to say. “This past year, Stetson lacrosse has taken the first steps on its journey, and I am extremely proud to take this trip with my teammates and co-captains. I have such faith and pride in my team.” Mary Kate O’Sullivan is a midfielder from Naples, Fla. She scored five goals and recorded

two assists in 2013. “It is such an honor and privilege to be a part of this promising program and to have the opportunity to make history for Stetson women’s lacrosse,” she says. Parker, a defender from Perkasie, Pa., also says: “I’m so incredibly thankful and grateful to just have the opportunity to play at Stetson. It’s exciting knowing that we are the ones who get to lay the foundation for the years to come. Only so many people get this experience in their lifetimes.” “Leadership and empowering scholar-athletes are the cornerstones to the foundation of our success here at Stetson,” says head coach Nicole Moore. In 2013, the Hatters played such challenging teams as nationally top-10-ranked University of Florida. The team finished the season strong by clinching a spot in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament, finishing third in their first year of existence. For 2014, Moore brought in eight stellar freshmen and three walk-ons from six different states. These players have already made a huge impact on the program and have changed the look of the team on the field. And 2014 boasts a challenging schedule with games against Syracuse, which lost in the NCAA semifinals last year, and Florida, along with programs from Colorado, Ohio and Oregon. With a strong class of 2014 verbal commitments, the future of Stetson lacrosse is both bright and exciting. It’s only a matter of time until the warriors bring home the gold. —Viviana Vasiu

Photo by Joel Jones, Director of Creative Services

STETSON

GIVING “I spent four years in the Union; it’s where I developed as a person,” says Drew Glasnovich about his gift.

Gifts That Matter Drew Glasnovich, ’09, didn’t have to give a significant portion of his inheritance to Stetson. He could have financed a trip through Europe or put it all toward law school or into savings. “I’ve always thought it was important to give back to something that has given so much to me,” says the political science graduate who served two terms as Student Government Association president. “As a student, I started giving $20.09 annually to Stetson in recognition of my class year,” Drew says. “Stetson feels like family. Stetson led me to my first job [at Brown and Brown Insurance]. When I was able to give more … it wasn’t a question of it going anywhere else.” Drew designated his most significant gift to an SGA space as part of the university’s planned renovation of the Carlton Union Building to create more studentcentered gathering places. “I spent four years in the Union; it’s where I developed as a person,” he says, remembering not only time spent in the SGA office but also in the dining area, sharing coffee and views on world politics. “My biggest growth and greatest opportunities as a student leader happened in the Union.” In many ways, his gift is an extension of what he started years ago. Drew’s junior year SGA cam52

STETSON

paign platform was based on creating usable 24-hour spaces large enough for students to gather, work and socialize (at various noise levels). What does he hope to accomplish with his gift? “I don’t see this as another capital project,” says Drew, perhaps mirroring a long-ago campaign speech. “This gift is about making a contribution toward the Union as a whole, about creating functional spaces for students in ways we can emphasize Stetson’s commitment to community and advocacy.” For Drew’s sister, Tricia Glasnovich, ’15, her motivation for giving part of her inheritance stemmed from wanting to honor her mother’s love for piano and from her relationship with Jean West, who was dean at the time. “Drew told me, ‘You have to make a gift,’ ” Tricia says. “I was already going to. Jean West was the first person I met here, and her desire to give me — and others — all the help she could, and her passion for music, made me say, ‘how can I return this?’ ” Tricia’s gift toward the Piano

“I want to see this gift help students and faculty and be an inspiration to the School of Music,” says Tricia Glasnovich about her gift toward the Piano Fund.

Fund will help Stetson upgrade its practice pianos and also purchase a grand Steinway, which she would like to have feature a plaque in memory of her mother, Robin Glasnovich. “Without my mom, I never would have gotten involved in music, learned piano or started singing,” says Tricia, who comes from a long line of musicians and aficionados. Her dad attends all of her concerts, and her great-grandmother played piano for silent movies. “I want to see this gift help students and faculty and be an inspiration to the School of Music,” she adds. Drew is currently a University of Minnesota law student. He is especially interested in the social justice component of employment law. Tricia is studying vocal music education at Stetson and would like to teach music after graduation. If you would like to make a gift to Stetson University, please contact Development at (386) 822-7455 or development@stetson.edu. —Amy Gipson

TC Lane Lives On TC Lane was in his senior year, celebrating the holidays with his family in Oklahoma City, Okla., when he was tragically killed by a driver who had been drinking. That was 10 years ago, and since that time, his parents, Tom and Nanette Lane, and brother Trevor established the TC Lane “Make a Difference” Foundation to ensure his legacy lives on in countless ways. At Stetson, the Lane family and their friends have raised money to renovate what is now known as the TC Lane Room in Elizabeth Hall and also established a landscape memorial. Annual gifts support TC’s fraternity (ATO), the Political Science Department and other areas. In addition, the Tom Cornelius “TC” Lane Jr. Endowed Scholarship provides need-based funds for students in the College of Arts and Sciences with preference given to students majoring in political science, history or economics with an interest in pre-law. Each spring, the Lane family attends the annual Benefactor Luncheon to spend time with the student recipient of this award. —Amy Gipson

Visit the Online Donor Report We truly appreciate your gifts that fund scholarships for our students and other important university projects. Please visit Stetson University’s Annual Donor Report online at http://bit.ly/1knYOmB.

Q&A The Importance of Giving Back Entrepreneur William Russell Royall Jr., ’04, Tells Us Why He Gives Back to Stetson Q: Why did you choose Stetson? A: Stetson recruited me to be a part of a new digital arts department. I was studying in a magnet school that offered digital arts, and I think Stetson saw me as a likely prospect for this new area of study. I saw this as an opportunity to be in on the ground floor of a new program — one with all new equipment and the latest software. After visiting the campus, I was sold on the atmosphere, and I never looked back. Q: Among all the professors you came in contact with, who influenced you the most and why? A: Spanish Professor Maria Alvarez, Ph.D., is the one who influenced me the most. I might not have known that at the time, but I do now. I had gotten my first “C” in Spanish in high school and up until college never felt competent with the language, nor did I see the importance of it. Professor Alvarez helped me realize that knowing the language was important. It meant that I could travel to Spain if I wanted to take advantage of the study abroad program — and I did. She helped me prepare, and upon my return, I mastered speaking the language better than most of my travel partners. More important, it was a big “aha” moment for me. That trip made me realize that the world was bigger than my high school, my hometown or even Stetson. Travel was an opportunity to get a worldview — to understand how my major was connected globally. Q: What’s your biggest regret about your Stetson education? A: When I look back on my years at Stetson, I often wish I would have gone directly into graduate school. I think the

extra time in class, on my own, would have prepared me better for what was to come in my life. Having more business acumen after those undergraduate years would have made my transition smoother into the world of work. But hindsight is indeed 20/20. One good thing, my undergraduate years prepared me to think on my feet, to be ready for whatever was to come. Q: Tell us what your career path has been like since Stetson. A: Right out of college, Gerry Ewing, my work-study boss at Stetson, saw some talent in me and connected me with his old coworker, who had his own video production company. I was employed before I walked across the stage in May of that year. At nights and on weekends, I

started my own advertising agency, Royall Advertising, and was on my own within six months. Today, a decade later, I own several companies as a serial entrepreneur and have 25 employees with revenue approaching $10 million annually. I’ve branched out from advertising into eCommerce, real estate, and even music festival promotion. Q: How did Stetson prepare you to be an entrepreneur? A: At the time, I would never have thought that my education at Stetson was preparing me to be an entrepreneur. But looking back, Stetson helped me to appreciate American and world cultures. This was no mean feat for a Florida boy. I also learned the value of collaboration with classmates, which translated directly into the networking I’d need to move forward. More important, I was prepared with a diverse skill set — one that has allowed me to grow. Q: What is your philosophy when it comes to philanthropy? Why is Stetson one of your leading philanthropies? A: I feel that karma is in play at all times. I also know that you should never forget where you came from and who helped you get there. Stetson enabled me to succeed, and now I feel the need to pay back and “pay forward.” I really loved

Stetson enabled me to succeed, and now I feel the need to pay back and ‘pay forward’

my experience at Stetson, and even as a kid, I’ve always enjoyed helping others. At Stetson, this was encouraged by my involvement with my fraternity. About a year after I graduated, I was asked to serve on the Stetson Alumni Board. That really helped me stay connected to the university. From that experience, I committed Royall Advertising to support a scholarship for the digital arts department. We have been providing one student with scholarship funds and a semester-long internship every year since. Q: How would you advise fellow young alumni to give back to Stetson? A: My advice to young alumni would be to get involved however you can. Sponsor a student abroad, give something to the Stetson Fund, or start or contribute to a scholarship that means something to you. If you can’t give financially, Stetson still needs your time. There are endless opportunities, committees, and district events that need your help. It’s a great way to help other young people reconnect with old classmates and continue learning a little as you go. It also feels great knowing that you are shaping the university and its direction for years to come. —Greg Carroll STETSON

ALUMNI

Distinguished Alumni Awards The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented annually to up to four Stetson University alumni who, through outstanding achievement in their lives and professions, have brought distinction and special recognition to Stetson.

Kaye Wachsmuth “I can’t think of anything more gratifying than a career in public health. It’s all about teamwork and trying to make a difference,” declares Kaye Wachsmuth, ’66, international public health consultant and award-winning microbiologist. For almost 40 years, Wachsmuth has been ensuring global and domestic food safety. Her credentials are impressive. She has worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration, and 2004-09, she was chief technical adviser for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization’s project to improve food safety management in Vietnam, Lao PDR and Cambodia. Her work has earned her several awards, including the prestigious 2012 Gen-Probe Joseph Public Health Award from the American Society of Microbiology and two Presidential Rank Awards under Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Wachsmuth received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Stetson and her doctorate in microbiology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Her love for biology began when she first entered Professor Fred Clark’s classroom at Stetson. “Professor Clark was extremely inspiring,” she recalls. “He helped me discover that science was a passion that could last a lifetime.” After graduate school, she became a researcher at CDC, 54

STETSON

where she developed DNA assays used to fight infectious diseases at home and abroad (e.g., cholera and diphtheria). During that time, Wachsmuth published more than 150 scientific articles and books. “We knew that many of these outbreaks were preventable, and their dire consequences made me want to do more,” she says. Wachsmuth later joined the Senior Executive Service in Washington, D.C., and worked for the Food and Drug Administration, an experience that showed her how difficult change can be at the health policy level. Even though policy change was difficult, Wachsmuth has managed to impact health delivery and turn cutting-edge science into practice. In Lao PDR, for example, she helped develop a farm-to-table food safety management program and an emergency response system to help prevent food-borne catastrophes. Currently, Wachsmuth is finishing up an effort to rank the importance of food-borne, parasitic diseases around the world. As she continues to help improve the world’s food safety and inspire generations of globalhealth pioneers, she knows that Stetson was where it all started. —Tim Clydesdale

H. Frank Farmer Dr. H. Frank Farmer, ’64, considers himself lucky to have had three careers in academics, the military and medicine. After a successful year as the surgeon general for the state of Florida, Farmer has returned to Volusia County to serve as the medical director of Covance (medical research) in Daytona Beach. Even though his path to medicine was circuitous, he values his road less traveled. “What I learned from Stetson was my social conscience,” says Farmer from his home in Ormond Beach. “I was able to build on that Stetson foundation and use it in my medical and military careers.”

Distinguished alumni Dr. H. Frank Farmer (far left) and Kaye Wachsmuth (far right) talk to Carlton Award recipient Nestor de Armas.

In 1964, Farmer graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history from Stetson and later received a doctorate in history from the University of Georgia. After a brief period as a history professor, Farmer entered the United States Army during the Vietnam War, where he embarked on a decorated military career, receiving both the Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry. While studying history and serving in the military, Farmer developed a fascination for medicine. His dissertation focused on the development of public health facilities in Florida. When he served in Vietnam, he helped medevac civilians and soldiers out of troubled areas. The combination of these two experiences inspired Farmer to become a medical doctor. After graduating from medical school, Farmer served as the Florida National Guard’s battalion surgeon, became a flight surgeon for the 919 Special Operations Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, and retired with the rank of colonel. Farmer’s accolades are many. He was the president of the Florida Medical Association and chosen as the “Internist of the Year” in Florida by the American College of Physicians in 2012. But his position as the surgeon general is the culmination of a

long career dedicated to serving the people of Florida and the U.S. When he became surgeon general, Florida was in the middle of the so-called “pill-mill” crisis. Certain doctors were charged with teaming up with the crime syndicate and prescribing opiates irresponsibly, resulting in massive amounts of addiction and overdose. Farmer joined forces with authorities and helped pull medical licenses from more than 300 doctors who were engaging in inappropriate medical behavior. His role against the pill mills helped dramatically change the pain culture in Florida — an incident that he believes will be his legacy. “I will always value my Stetson University education,” says Farmer. “Without that education, I would not have been able to help so many others.” —Tim Clydesdale

Alumnus Presented Carlton Award Nestor de Armas, ’73, of Winter Park, Fla., trustee emeritus, was presented the Doyle E. Carlton Award in recognition of his devotion to Christian higher education and in appreciation for his extraordinary contribution to the life and development of Stetson, the City of DeLand, and

ex-officio capacity. In 2012, Jollay chaired the Campaign Planning Committee for Beyond Success …. Significance, Stetson’s comprehensive campaign, and he is now serving as chair of the Campaign Committee. After graduating from Stetson University, Jollay joined the family company, Ohio Packaging Corp. Becoming president in 1985, he grew the business to three locations in the Midwest. Three years later, he became the head of the newly formed joint venture CorrChoice Corp., which then grew to seven locations from Michigan to Georgia.

the State of Florida. Currently, de Armas chairs the board of Florida Hospital’s SHARES program, which provides free surgical and medical services to children born with facial and physical deformities throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. As one of the founding supporters of the now endowed Stetson Bonner Scholars Program, his example of servant leadership and faith continues through the de Armas Scholars. A member of Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and a magna cum laude graduate of Stetson, de Armas was tapped into Omicron Delta Kappa, the university’s leadership honorary society. He is a retired executive from the Kirchman Corp. in Orlando, a leading banking software company, and the founder and managing director of Kirchman’s international business unit.

Jollay Presented Service Award Geoffrey Jollay, ’75, of Jacksonville, Fla., is a member of Stetson’s Board of Trustees, which he joined in 2008. He is past chair of the Board of Advisors of the Family Enterprise Center and currently serves that board in an

Rinkers Receive Hood Award Dr. David B. Rinker, ’62, Hon. ’07, and Dr. Leighan Rinker received the George and Mary Hood Award. The award is given in honor of Dr. George Hood, former dean of students, professor and director of the Counseling Center, and his wife, the late Mary Turner Hood, longtime assistant to President and Chancellor J. Ollie Edmunds. It is presented annually to a member or friend of the Stetson community in recognition of his/her passion for, and commitment and contributions to, Stetson and its core values. David Rinker, ’62, of Atlantis, Fla., is the second of three generations of the Rinker family who have been involved in the life of the university. A trustee since 1987, including two terms as chair of the board, he has also served on the Board of Advisors of the College of Arts and Sciences. He received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws degree from Stetson in 2007. A graduate of the University of North Carolina, Leighan Rinker is a trustee of Furman University and holds M.Ed. and Ed.S. degrees from Florida Atlantic University, which presented her with the Professional and Human Services Outstanding Graduate Student Award.

Stetson Law Professor Paul Barnard, Judge Raphael Steinhardt and James Martin were inducted into Stetson Law’s Hall of Fame.

Three Inducted Into Law Hall of Fame Stetson College of Law inducted three outstanding alumni into its Hall of Fame in Gulfport. Hall of Fame inductees are selected for having a profound and positive impact on Stetson Law and the legal profession.  This year’s inductees include: Professor Paul Barnard, JD ’58, established Stetson’s Public Defender Clinic to help law students develop the skills necessary to practice criminal law. It was Florida’s first clinical program, and this year marks the clinic’s 50th anniversary. Barnard successfully petitioned the Florida Supreme Court in 1964 to allow law students in Stetson’s Public Defender Clinic to work on cases under the direction of public defenders and other counsel. Judge Raphael Steinhardt, JD ’63, a senior judge for Florida’s 11th Judicial Circuit in Miami, has served as a distinguished attorney and judge for 50 years. Steinhardt established a pro bono program in Miami Beach and created an educational program for schoolchildren to visit live sessions of court. He has endowed several Stetson scholarships for veterans and students serving the public interest. The Judge Raphael Steinhardt Building is home to Stetson’s Veterans Law Institute, and Steinhardt has received sev-

eral honors and service awards from Dade County and Stetson University. He continues to volunteer for many community organizations and was a longtime member of the Dade County Pre-Trial Release Review Committee. James Martin, ’71, JD ’74, earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Stetson, where he received the Ben C. Willard Award for humanitarian achievements. Martin helped launch Stetson’s new Constitution Hall exhibit at the Stavros Institute’s Finance Park in Pinellas County to teach middle school students about their constitutional rights and the U.S. government. As a young attorney 33 years ago, Martin was instrumental in creating the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. He remains an executive committee member at the museum, and he co-chaired the opening of its new facility in 2011. Martin has volunteered with more than 25 community organizations, served on the St. Petersburg City Council, and represented St. Petersburg on the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council and Pinellas County Arts Council. Martin has written eight books and published 36 articles. He received the Florida Bar’s Barbara Sanders Memorial Writing Competition Award as well. —Brandi Palmer STETSON

ALUMNI 56

Homecoming

STETSON

Extravaganza

Above: Football returns to Homecoming as the Hatters take the field! Inset: At the pep rally with John B. At left: Ringing the Big Green. Clockwise from upper left: Pi Kappa Alpha alumni gather around their firetruck as they wait for the game to start. Alpha Tau Omega captures their sixth Legacy Cup in a row! Family tailgate fun with Adam Blair, ’05, and Marianne LeFils Blair, ’06, MACC ’07, with their sons Max, Wyatt and Charles. Students jump for joy at the Homecoming Carnival. More tailgate fun. The women of Pi Beta Phi took home the Legacy Cup for sororities. Political Science Professor Wayne Bailey, Ph.D., greets Ted Edwards, county commissioner for Orange County, at his 50th-anniversary celebration of teaching at Stetson. Brendan Beitler from Sigma Phi Epsilon and Kristian Haggerty from Pi Beta Phi are crowned Homecoming King and Queen.

If you missed Homecoming 2013, here are some highlights: More than 80 events held in seven days; more than 800 registered alumni returned for the weekend; more than 6,500 tickets were sold for the Homecoming football game — the largest home crowd of the year; students raised over $8,000 for DeLandbased nonprofit groups and performed hundreds of hours of community service while chasing the Greenfeather Cup; a final score of 26-13 as the Hatters won their final home game. Hope to see you next year at Homecoming 2014, Nov. 7-9. õ STETSON

THE CLASSES 58

Send Us Your Class Note Stetson University is proud of its alumni and their accomplishments. Therefore, we want to hear about your achievements. If you are a graduate of Stetson University in DeLand or Celebration, send your class note to the Office of Alumni Engagement at Stetson University, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8257, DeLand, FL 32723, or email your news to alumni@stetson.edu. If you are a graduate of the Stetson University College of Law, send your class note to John Knowles, executive director of the College of Law’s Office of Development and Alumni Relations, 1401 61st St. South, Gulfport, FL 33707, or email him at johnknowles@law.stetson. edu. For the DeLand campus, you can fill out the online form for class notes by going to stetson.edu/hatternet and clicking on submit class notes in the side menu. For College of Law graduates, you can fill out the online form at https:// www.law.stetson.edu/forms/ alumni-news-update.php. We will only use photos that are at least 300 DPI, and because of space limitations, we cannot guarantee use of all photographs. STETSON

1950s Edward E. Beardsley, MA ’57, Satsuma, has recently had two books published: Amethyst in March 2013 and The Little World of Edith Endsley in August 2013. Both can be found at www.amazon.com. Harold F. Green, ’57, Lake Butler, has just released his ninth book titled Prison Stories: Living the Life of a Prison Chaplain. In it, he recounts the years he spent as a prison chaplain beginning at San Quentin and completing his journey at High Desert State Prison. Bruce R. Jacob, LLB ’59, St. Petersburg, has received the Champion of Indigent Defense Award from Nation’s Criminal Defense Bar at its 56th annual meeting in San Francisco, Calif. Roy A. Chapman, LLB ’59, Sarasota, has had Chapman Pond, a 2-acre park and pond at Merritt and Circle Drives in the Myers Park neighborhood, named after him. He is a former Florida Supreme Court justice who once lived nearby. Carolyn Miller Parr, ’59, Washington, D.C., along with her husband, Jerry, has co-authored a book titled In the Secret Service: The True Story of the Man Who Saved President Reagan’s Life.

1960s John A. Matthews, ’60, Ocean Springs, Miss., illustrates children’s books in collaboration with his wife, Elli, who authors them. They have recently published their second children’s book. W. Rogers Turner, ’61, Winter Park, has had a courtroom at the Orange County Courthouse named after him. A ceremony was held Oct. 25, 2013, and Chief Judge Belvin Perry presided over the ceremony, honoring Judge Turner and his 34-year career. Turner was first elected in 1968 as a Criminal Court of Record judge and also served continuously in the criminal, probate and civil divisions until he retired in 2002. Cynthia McGuffie Hancock,

’63, Fort Lauderdale, is cofounder, along with her husband, Dane, of National Week of the Ocean Inc. She is looking forward to its 35th anniversary of helping to preserve the ocean for future generations. Events include classroom studies, a school marine fair, a festival season, and awards to leaders with a similar mission. Arthur L. Kimbrough, ’69, Marianna, retired in April of last year after 10 years as president and CEO of the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce. He was honored by Florida Chamber of Commerce CEO Mark Wilson with the Florida Chamber’s prestigious “Champion of Business Award” at their annual banquet in February 2013. Also in April 2013, he was honored by Senate President Don Gaetz, House Speaker Pro Tempore Marti Coley, and Rep. Matt Gaetz with a resolution from the Florida Senate and the presentation of the Florida flag that had been flown over the historic Capitol in his honor for exemplary public service and visionary leadership.

university library in his honor the Timothy Olagbemiro Library. Frederick A. DeFuria, JD ’73, Longboat Key, was profiled in the story “DeFuria Shows Respect On and Off the Bench,” in the East County Observer. Leonard S. Englander, JD ’75, St. Petersburg, received the St. Petersburg Bar Professionalism Award. Terry L. Hirsch, JD ’75, St. Petersburg, has joined the firm of Fisher & Sauls, P.A. William A. Grimm, JD ’75, Orlando, has been recognized by Super Lawyers as a 2013 Florida Super Lawyer. Ned P. Skiff, ’75, Fort Lauderdale, currently sits on the board of directors for The Bougainvilla House in Fort Lauderdale. The Bougainvilla House is a newly designed residential facility for the intervention and treatment of substance abuse in adolescents. Their outpatient programs have been professionally developed to guide adolescents away from addiction to a successful recovery.

1970s Thomas E. Kingcade, JD ’70, Boynton Beach, has joined the law offices of Scott Sweigart. Timothy O. Olagbemiro, ’71, Nigeria, has just completed his tenure as the vice chancellor/ president of Bowen University in Nigeria. During his tenure, he grew and expanded the university from 506 students, 50 staff, with degree programs in three faculties (Agriculture, Science and Science Education, and Social and Management Sciences) to a total of 4,650 students, 850 staff and faculty, and 35 degree programs at the undergraduate level and nine degree programs offering M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees at the postgraduate level. He built a research program in solar energy, which will make a significant contribution to solving power problems that plague most African nations. The University Council voted unanimously to name the new

▲ Harry O. Thomas, JD ’75, Tallahassee, has been selected for inclusion in the 2014 edition of The Best Lawyers in America in the practice area of insurance law. William D. Keith, JD ’76, Naples, has been recognized by the Florida Bar for his achievement in maintaining his status as a board certified civil trial lawyer for the past 30 years. He was named to Best Lawyers in America for 2013 in the area of personal injury. Rex E. Moule, JD ’76,

Melbourne, has joined the Melbourne office of GrayRobinson P.A., as a shareholder, where he will continue to practice in the areas of wills, trusts and estate law. Kent S. Pratt, JD ’76, West Palm Beach, has announced his statewide availability as a Supreme Court mediator. J. Brent Walker, JD ’76, Washington, D.C., executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, has spoken on religious freedom and the separation of church and state as part of the Shurden Lectures at Stetson University College of Law. In addition, he received the Abner V. McCall Religious Liberty Award. Michael B. Ganson, JD ’78, Cincinnati, Ohio, has joined the American Israelite as a contributing columnist.

▲ Rhea Law, JD ’79, Tampa, CEO and Board of Directors chair for Fowler White Boggs, has accepted a chair position with the American Heart Association, Tampa Bay Metro Board of Directors. She will serve as chair during the association’s 2013-14 fiscal year. Francis X. McAloon, ’79, Bronx, N.Y., has accepted a new position as associate professor of Christian spirituality and Ignatian studies at the Graduate School of Religion and Religious Education at Fordham University. For the past nine years, he taught at the Jesuit School of Theology, Santa Clara University.

1980s Bernadette Britz-Parker, ’80, DeLand, was published in the June 2013 issue of Government Finance Review. “Lean: A Path to Excellent Customer Service” addresses how governments are achieving maximum value and efficiency through applying Lean methodologies. Lean is a concept focused on making a process more efficient, gaining capacity, and increasing speed by first examining the needs of the customer. George B. Caucci, ’80, Newtown, Pa., is currently participating in the class “iPads in Education.” This fall, he and his grade partners at Saint Andrew School in Newtown will pilot a 1:1 iPad program in their fifth grade classes. He currently teaches science and math at Saint Andrew School. Joseph W.C. Montgomery, ’81, Rome, Ga., first appointed by Gov. Sonny Perdue in 2006, has been reappointed by Gov. Nathan Deal to the Private Colleges and Universities Authority. Joe is the chief advancement officer at Darlington School in Rome. He serves on the board of directors of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and on the executive board of the Northwest Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America. He served as chairman of the board of Georgia Conservancy and currently serves as a member of the advisory board. A member of Leadership Georgia’s Class of 1999, he served on the Leadership Georgia Board of Trustees 200306. He is also serving on the board of directors of the Okefenokee Swamp Park Foundation and the South Rome Redevelopment Corporation. Katherine Billingham, JD ’82, Waxhaw, N.C., is the director and founder of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Institute and assistant professor at the Charlotte School of Law. James R. Kennedy, JD ’82, St. Petersburg, currently representing

Stetson’s CNN Connection It is not unusual for Stetson alumna Trinity Hundredmark to feel relaxed and conversational in some of CNN’s HLN TV programs, for which she is a guest contributor. In other segments, she explains, she serves as the “on-call” legal expert, which helps to highlight, and even hone, her legal expertise. On some shows, she says, she has to argue her side against other legal experts, “which is most akin to what litigators do every day.” Hundredmark, who graduated from Stetson with her bachelor’s in business administration in 2001, received her juris doctorate, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law in 2004. She was one of the first two students at Stetson to be awarded the J. Ollie Edmunds Scholarship, a college-based program designed to attract top student scholars with leadership potential. In 2012 and 2013, she was also named Georgia Rising Star Super Lawyer by her peers and was featured in Atlanta Magazine. One can catch Hundredmark on several of CNN’s HLN TV programs, including Morning Express, Raising America and After Dark. She has commented on a variety of high-profile cases, including the Jodi Arias trial, the Brett Seacat murder trial, the George Zimmerman trial and on the story “FBI rescues 105 kids from sex trafficking ring.” For the young woman attorney who aspired to be an actress when she was a child, Hundredmark says she would often “hope that a news show would call me after observing one of my court appearances and ask me to serve as a legal analyst. In fact, when CNN first called me, I joked with them, ‘What took you so long?’ ” Her dream of appearing on TV came at a time when she really needed it. Just as her hard work had begun to pay off and her career began to take off, Hundredmark’s mother, who had raised her only child as a single mom, was struck with cancer — the same cancer that she had beaten four years before. Hundredmark’s mother, who “was the driving force behind everything I had ever done,” died April 25. “So, when HLN called and asked me to appear on one of their shows, it was the first time I had been truly happy in months.” —Mary Anne Rogers Photo by Alea Moore Photography

STETSON

THE CLASSES 60

District 2 on the St. Petersburg City Council, has filed to run for a second term. Deborah Magidson Martinez, ’82, Miami, is a columnist for Miami’s Community Newspapers, writing an advice column for getting through a divorce. She is a certified life coach specializing in divorce with a private practice in South Miami. In addition, she is the travel editor for the newspaper. Jennifer Nuzum Ackerman, ’82, Matthews, N.C., senior vice president – business control manager for consumer products at Bank of America, has been granted a U.S. and international patent for the development of a Regulatory Compliance Assessment. The assessment is a comprehensive tool that evaluates how well a function is meeting expectations regarding regulatory compliance, identifies process and document gaps, prioritizes remediation work needed, and tracks progress to close gaps through full remediation. Robert J. Miller, ’85, DeLand, has been certified as an accredited estate planner® (AEP®) by the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils. He is an accredited asset management specialist (AAMS) designee conferred by the College for Financial Planning’s Institute of Wealth Management, a registered financial consultant (RFC®) awarded by the International Association of Registered Financial Consultants Inc., and a certified financial planner™ practitioner authorized by the certified financial planner™ Board of Standards. His office is located in DeLand. Roger N. Swanger, ’85, Gainesville, has been published nationally for the first time in the November/December 2012 issue of CFMA Building Profits. “One Contractor’s Use of Lean/Six Sigma to Address Challenges” was recognized by the Construction Finance Management Association (CFMA) for addressing James Moore’s work with Charles Perry Partners Inc. (CPPI) in implementing Lean/Six Sigma in CPPI. Kimberly Carlton Bonner, STETSON

’86, Sidell, as Kim English, has published a novel, Coriander Jones Saves the World. Bennett J. Braun, JD ’86, Joliet, Ill., has been appointed circuit court judge in Will County, Illinois.

▲ Gregory M. Dasher, ’86, Chicago, Ill., has been promoted to assistant vice president for product and underwriting policy at CAN Financial. Thomas A. Barden, ’87, Anderson, S.C., is now the assistant manager of LifeWay Christian Store in Anderson, S.C. Alison Evans, MBA ’88, Macon, Ga., was interviewed by Georgia Public Radio. The interview can be heard here: www.gpb. org/macon. Brent A. Rose, JD ’88, Tampa, is currently teaching as an adjunct at the Cooley Law School in Tampa. Theodore J. Wolfendale, JD ’88, Naples, and his Dial-a-Nurse have been selected for the 2013 Best of Naples Award in the nursing agency category. T. Glenn Kindred, ’89, Orlando, received his Master of Science in International Real Estate from Florida International University. Karen Stanley, JD ’89, Tampa, chief assistant to Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober, has left her post to run for a circuit judgeship.

1990s Pamela Bondi, JD ’90, Tallahassee, was featured in the

article “Legislator Calls for NCAA to Be Investigated by Attorney General.” She was also featured in the article “Five Questions for Pam Bondi.” Carolyn Smith Cutts, ’91, Sharpsburg, Ga., received the 2013 Friend of Math award at the Georgia Council Teachers of Mathematics annual conference. John R. Herin, JD ’91, Fort Lauderdale, advises the mayor, city council and city staff for the city of Doral. Tracey Jaensch, JD ’91, Tampa, has been named a regional managing partner at FordHarrison, LLP. She has served as office managing partner for Tampa since 2010 and will now have the additional responsibility of overseeing the Jacksonville, Melbourne, Miami, Orlando, and West Palm Beach offices. Brian D. Ray, ’91, Newberry, began his third tour of active duty in June 2013. His unit’s current deployment is in support of theater-level logistics in Kuwait and Afghanistan. He is currently assigned as the command chaplain for the 143rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), a unit with 10,000 soldiers and 26 chaplains. When not on active duty, he is the associate dean for the University of Florida College of Business. Andrew N. Christopher, ’92, Albion, Mich., was recently granted the 2013 Robert S. Daniel Teaching Excellence Award from the Society for the Teaching of Psychology (STP), part of the American Psychological Association (APA). The award, given each year to one four-year college/university professor, was presented to Drew at the national APA convention in Honolulu. He has published dozens of journal articles in collaboration with students and colleagues. He has won numerous teaching awards and serves as editor for the journal Teaching of Psychology. Joy Goff-Marcil, JD ’93, Maitland, was elected to the Maitland City Council in March 2013.

Michael W. Andrew, JD ’95, Minnetonka, Minn., has been named vice president and general counsel for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. Byung J. Pak, ’95, Lilburn, Ga., was recently included in Georgia Trend’s list of 40 outstanding Georgians under the age of 40 titled “40 under 40.” John T. Mueller, ’95, Newnan, Ga., recently published Dude, You’re Gonna Be a Dad! He also released Dude, You’re Getting Married last December. Both titles were written under the pen name of John Pfeiffer. Emily Crews Splane, ’95, St. Augustine, has co-authored a textbook titled The Psychology of Eating. It provides a multidisciplinary overview to the study of eating. It also examines current research in biology and psychology. Donald C. Barrett, JD ’96, Key West, has been featured in an article, “Judge Jones gets Competition from Attorney.” He is also running for Monroe County Circuit Court judge. Matthew J. Wilson, JD ’96, Santa Fe, N.M., has been appointed a First Judicial District Court family law judge. Kim Hernandez Vance, JD ’97, Tampa, has announced that she will run for Hillsborough County Circuit Court, Group 19, in 2014.

2000s

▲ Sarah Reed Jay, ’00, Dade City, has been invited to join

the board of the Guardian ad Litem Foundation of Tampa Bay and is also a Guardian ad Litem. The foundation raises funds and resources to help abused, abandoned and neglected foster children in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Oldsmar and all of Pinellas and Pasco counties.

▲ William C. Robinson, JD ’00, Bradenton, a principal with the law firm Blalock Walters, has earned board certification in real estate by the Florida Bar Board of Legal Specialization and Education. Eric A. English, ’01, Cape Coral, has founded a company to develop mobile apps called Mediaspree. His most recent iPhone app, Movie Clock, was featured in GQ magazine.

▲ Samantha Castellano Dzembo, ’02, Sarasota, and husband Nicholas S. Dzembo, ’02, have funded their first medical research project for a cure of Ataxia-Telangiectasia (A-T) through their nonprofit, Wobbly Feet Foundation, titled Mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species and Dysfunction in

Ataxia-Telangiectasia. The project is led by Gerald Shadel, Ph.D., professor of pathology and genetics and director of pathology research at the Yale University School of Medicine. This is their fourth funded project since starting Wobbly Feet in 2009. In July of 2013, they launched their foundation medical grant program, which financially assists A-T families with expenses of lifeimproving medical treatments. Alva Cross, JD ’04, Tampa, of the Tampa office of Fisher & Phillips, LLP, has been selected by her peers for inclusion in Florida Rising Stars. Over the past nine years, Alva has represented employers in agency proceedings and in state and federal court against allegations of discrimination, harassment and unpaid wages. She has a particular focus on helping employers reduce the likelihood of litigation by providing practical advice on hiring, discipline, termination, leave, state and federal laws and regulations related to employment. Rising Stars recognizes attorneys who are 40 or younger or who have been practicing for 10 years or less. Douglas M. Sheahan, MBA ’04, Maitland, was promoted to president of ICCF Wealth Management. Tara Calderbank Batista, ’05, DeLand, was awarded $20,000 by the American Association of University Women Fellowship (AAUW) to finish her dissertation. She is also teaching for Stetson’s School of Business for the 2013 academic year. Aaron K. Odegard, ’05, Jacksonville, has been promoted to microbiology lead technologist at the Mayo Clinic Florida. He is starting his master’s degree at Mayo Graduate School in the Biomedical Science, Molecular Pharmacology, and Experimental Therapeutics track. Alexandra de Alejo, MBA/ JD ’07, Miami, has recently been promoted to senior associate with the Florida-based law firm of GrayRobinson, P.A. Her promotion was a direct reflection of her

Surfer Receives Young Alumni Award Lauren Hill, ’08, is a surfer sponsored by Billabong, who spends time catching waves in Australia while trying to bring attention to environmental and gender issues. That’s why she received Stetson’s 2013 Young Alumni Award. Hill has appeared in movies and traveled to India and Italy to find the best waves. And she has found a way to combine the three great passions she learned at Stetson — surfing, environmental studies, and gender politics. “Throughout my whole journey,” says Hill over Skype from her home in Australia, “I’ve been so grateful for my experiences at Stetson. My professors there encouraged me to follow my heart and explore surfing culture, even though that seems like a really superfluous thing to study academically. It’s completely shaped my career and life.” Before Hill came to Stetson, she surfed professionally, but she “retired” to focus on college. In fact, she never thought she would return to the board professionally, because by the time she graduated, she believed she would have been too “old” to return. “It’s called women’s surfing,” Hill says, “but it’s actually girls’ surfing.” When Hill was at Stetson, she was forced to grow in unexpected ways. She studied environmental and social sciences with a focus on gender studies, and these academic disciplines, combined with surfing, led her to a profound realization. “I was seeing all these similarities in feminist, gender and environmental issues,” says Hill. “At the heart of all these issues are attitudes that we have toward ourselves, others and the world. They tend to be attitudes motivated by domination, aggression and isolation. Environmental issues, to me, are fundamentally human issues.” After Hill graduated from Stetson, she created a blog about surfing and the environment. It wasn’t long before she was noticed and began to cultivate sponsorships. Her blog turned into the “Sea Kin” — a site that Lauren has shaped into a hub for people to share alternative narratives about surfing culture. For Hill, surfing is a vehicle to bring attention to environmental and social change. The surfing world is male-dominated, and she uses the power of story to tell the narratives about women who are forging a space for future generations to grow and age. For example, she has recently written about “elderly” surf women and about Ishita Malaviya — India’s only female surfer. Hill’s path after Stetson has been anything but predictable, but she has found ways to continue to tell stories that empower the environment, surf culture, and women around the world. And as she says, “perhaps changing some women’s definition of what is possible” along the way. —Tim Clydesdale STETSON

THE CLASSES

hard work and dedication to the firm and its clients. Christine Purdue, ’07, Miami, is now with the Air Force Ceremonial Brass in Washington, D.C. Caroline Peterson Wieland, ’07, Orlando, was promoted to manager of public programs at the Orlando Science Center.

▲ Mary Sheldon Boney, ’08, Durham, N.C., completed the Duke University Physicians Assistant Program in August 2013 and accepted a new job in the Department of Pediatric Dermatology at Duke University Medical Center. Christene Branham, ’08, Titusville, is now the bookkeeper at Cambridge Elementary School in Cocoa, Fla. Carie Bugos, ’08, Savannah, Ga., has started a consulting firm focusing on compensation and compliance for nonprofits. NPCthree’s mission is to help educate local nonprofits on their responsibility to become more transparent and to ensure that they understand and comply with their legal and regulatory obligations. NPCthree can structure a nonprofit organization’s compensation process from start to finish, ensuring the “gold standard” that complies completely with current governance regulations. For more information about the firm, you can visit its website at www. NPCthree.com. Brittany Gloersen, ’08, JD ’11, Sanford, is now the Paul Harris Fellow from the Rotary Club of DeLand. Brittany has also opened Gloersen Law, P.L., in DeLand. 62

STETSON

Gloersen Law is an elder law firm dedicated to representing clients in matters concerning estate planning, probate, guardianship, guardian advocacy, special needs trusts, veterans benefits, Medicaid planning, and life care planning. Joann Grages, JD ’08, Gulfport, participated in the Woman of Color Lawyers Conference in Tampa. Isa Adney, ’09, Lake Mary, just launched her second book, How to Get a Job Without a Résumé. It is available as a free e-book at howtogetajobwithoutaresume.com. Lee C. Emery, ’09, Manhattan, Kan., received his doctor of veterinary degree from the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. Matthew J. Sherman, ’09, Charlotte, Mich., began his postgraduate study at the University of Oxford in the faculty of medieval and modern languages, where he will study under the modern German program, with an emphasis on Austrian literature (18151938) and German film (193070). His newest publication, a book chapter titled “The Costs of Debt: The Indebtedness of the Female Body in Arthur Schnitzler’s Fräulein Else,” will also appear in print this fall.

2010s Victoria Bowa, JD ’10, Clearwater, has opened a women’s shoe, jewelry and handbag boutique in Hyde Park Village in Tampa called “Navy.” Lindsey Wagner, JD ’10, West Palm Beach, has been named Labor and Employment Committee vice chair for the ABA Young Lawyers Division. Carol Johnson, JD ’11, Gulfport, has just celebrated her first anniversary of providing special needs trusts and disability representation to children and adults in the Tampa Bay area through the Carol Johnson Law Firm, P.A. Elizabeth Lamontagne, MAcc ’11, Tampa, has obtained her Florida CPA license. Casey Ferri, JD ’12, Tampa,

recently founded the Ferri Law Practice, PLLC, in the Charlotte, N.C., area. The Ferri Law Practice offers full-service estate planning, advance healthcare planning, probate/estate administration, elder law services, and more to the Charlotte and South Mecklenburg area. Katie Nadolny, ’12, Belleview, won the Metropolitan Opera Encouragement Award when she competed in the Wisconsin District of the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. This award helps young singers who show promising talent. She is currently finishing up her master’s degree in vocal performance at the University of Michigan. Stephanie Sawchuk, JD ’12, St. Petersburg, has joined Gunster Law Firm in Fort Lauderdale. Kayla Richmond, MBA/ JD ’13, Gulfport, has joined Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A., as an associate in the divorce, marital and family law practice area. Sydney Smith, ’13, Singer Island, has been selected as the second resident at law at the Naples law firm Laird A. Lile, P.A.

▲ Jessica Beilke, ’08, to Justin Peterson on July 28, 2012. Hannah Leadbeater, ’08, to Jeremy Hartman on Dec. 2, 2012.

▲ Danielle May, ’08, to Sean Dean, ’08, JD ’11, on Aug. 31, 2013.

Marriages & Unions Carin DeFerdinando, ’06, MACC ’07, to Doug Falasco on June 8, 2013. ▲ Jennifer Kmetz, ’09, to Cory Suter, ’08, JD ’11, on March 9, 2013. Jordan Slingo, ’10, to Courtney Cooke on July 6, 2013.

▲ Matthew Morton, ’06, to Xuan-Trang Thi Ho on April 28, 2013.

▲ Michele Croston, ’11, to John Ostermann, ’11, on May 25, 2013.

▲ Karolina Nowak ’11, MBA ’13, to Michael Gonzalez, ’10, MBA ’12, on May 18, 2013. Alyssa Thompson, ’12, to John Lindsley, ’09, MBA ’10, on Aug. 3, 2013.

▲ Amy Smith Miller, ’02, and husband Alexander, a son, Jonas Alexander, in August 2013.

Births Robert Bebber, ’94, and wife Dianne, a son, Vincent Gene, in July 2013.

▲ Mary Fiester Bowers, ’95, and husband Lyle, a son, Lander Baylan, and a daughter, Lyla Blythe, in September 2012. Aimee Nocero, JD ’96, and husband Rodney Lewis, a son, Chase, in February 2013. Mercedes Mazzer Lucas, ’00, and husband Errol Thurston, a son, Errol H., in August 2013.

▲ Susan Doraz Huniu, ’01, and husband Aaron, a daughter, Hayley Quinn, in August 2013. Susan Ojeda, JD ’01, and husband Reinaldo, JD ’01, a son, Daniel, in June 2013. Dianna Barrie Shattuck, ’01, and husband Clinton, a daughter, Hayden Wave, in March 2013. Laurie Harlan Cheek, ’02, and

▲ Dyan Middleton Rodriguez, ’05, and husband Carlos, a daughter, Charlotte Elizabeth in October 2012. Katherine Hurst Miller, JD ’06, and husband Arthur “Chris,” JD ’05, a daughter, in October 2012. Keir Jahna Keever, ’06, and husband, Carl, ’03, MBA ’05, a son, Crew Jahna, in June 2013.

▲ Hernandez Gaffga, ’07, and husband Scott, a daughter, Georgia Rae, in September 2013. Jennifer Catherin Isenberg, MBA ’07, and husband Stephen, MBA ’10, a daughter, Cate Monet, in September 2013. Jenna Carroll Ruth, JD ’07, and husband Eric Roslansky, a daughter, Marley, in October 2013. Laurie Benoit-Knox, JD ’13, and husband David, a son, Elliott Benoit, in September 2013. Leslie Adams Bell, ’74, and husband John, a grandson, Zane Thomas, in June 2013.

Melodie Chance Palmer, ’79, MEd ’82, and husband Harold, a grandson, Leif Stetson, in April 2012. ▲

husband Zachary ’02, a daughter, Olivia Michelle, in October 2012.

In Memoriam ’30s Ethelyn Dorman Timmons, ’31 Eleanor Spofford Plotts, ’32 Lovette Fields Brown, ’34 Anne Gollnick Keen, ’38 ’40s William E. Lovelace, ’41 Doris Bodenstein Bloehm, ’47 William O. Clifton, ’47, JD ’49 Jimmie G. Smith, ’47 June Fearnside Lannom, ’48 Hazel Willie Asbell, ’49 John B. Cheshire, ’49 Frederick B. Karl, LLB ’49 Margaret Finney Simpson, ’49 J. Ben Watkins, LLB ’49 ’50s William R. Seymour, ’50 Charles H. Warwick, LLB ’50 Robert W. Wilson, LLB ’50 Mary Clare, ’51 J. Louis Schlegel, ’51 Jean Maxcy Kuykendall, ’52 Horace E. Smith, ’53 Loys Y. Frink, ’54 Charles D. Groth, ’54 Walter T. Jasinski, ’54 Carolyn Daniel Kuchinski, ’54, LLB ’57 C. Ernest Harvey, ’55 Mary E. Zorn, ’55 Donald F. Castor, LLB ’56 Calvin L. Daigle, ’56 John S. Imgrund, ’56 Edward H. Bergstrom, JD ’57 Joan Hodges Flemming, ’57 Thomas S. Miller, JD ’57 Margot Croxton Huckleberry, ’58 Raquel Little, LLB ’58 Edd W. Taylor, MA ’58 Gwendolen Lee, ’59 Alfred E. Underberg, LLB ’59 ’60s Frank D. Willis, ’60

Judith Winslow, ’60 Daniel O’Connell, ’61 E. Clay Shaw, ’61, JD ’66 Robert P. Kalle, JD ’62 Paul Martz, ’62 Carl M. Adams, ’63 Robert L. Bidwell, ’63 John L. Dupré, ’63 Cletus A. Lee, MA ’63 Jerry R. Lohmann, ’63 LeBrone C. Harris, ’64 W. Carl Rentz, ’64, JD ’67 Holly Mitchell Kimball, MA ’65 Josh G. Long, ’65 Celia Applegate Sayles, MA ’65 Elmo R. Hoffman, JD ’66 Suzanne Rey Kilbride, ’67, MA ’82 Mary Prichard Palmer, ’67 John R. West, ’67 Laura Jones Parker, ’68 Brian T. Dale, ’69 Glenn D. Kessler, ’69 Lucy McDaniel, MA ’69 ’70s Richard G. Edson, MA ’70 Stella Beall Starn, ’70 Alicia Coble, MA ’71 Stanton M. Kent, ’72 Robert E. Bugg, ’73, JD ’76 Robert M. Focht, JD ’73 Karen Neel Alkoff, ’74, MA ’75 Roy C. Conner, ’74 Piero Morselli, ’74 W. Thompson Thorn, JD ’74 David I. Suellau, ’76 Carol Seitz Nelson, ’77 George Beebe, ’78 Melanie Mathis Mucklow, MEd ’79 ’80s Robert L. Pound, ’80 James T. Minyard, MA ’81 Mary Jean McAllister, JD ’81 Linda Beach Castillo, JD ’82 William W. Byrd, JD ’83 Russell D. Crumley, ’83 Michael T. Lops, JD ’83 William D. Bush, JD ’87 Steven G. Burton, JD ’88 Susan Ross Graham, MAcc ’89 ’90s Deborah Westmoreland, JD ’90 Patricia Fay, JD ’91 Michael E. Goodbread, JD ’93 ’00s Carol Ransone, JD ’07 STETSON

ENDINGS

A Record Enrollment B y We n d y B . L i b b y , P h . D . This year — a year that has seen significant decline in enrollment at some universities — Stetson is celebrating the largest undergraduate entering class in its history with more than 850 full-time, first-time-in-college students after a record 10,500 applications. That’s a 64-percent increase in this cohort’s enrollment over fall 2009, while also increasing quality markers — students’ GPA and test scores. Total graduate enrollment is down slightly (7.5 percent), and our law school has instituted a planned decrease to maintain student quality, given that applications at schools nationwide have declined 24 percent over the past two years. While we are 7 percent smaller than last year, our entering students’ LSAT scores remained steady and our GPAs increased. How did we end up celebrating when so many other institutions are cutting back? When headlines and the government proclaim that our non-MOOC business model — students living on campus and interacting with professors and peers in liberal arts classrooms with low student-faculty ratios — is broken? It is because Stetson University has something significant to offer the world. 64

STETSON

Student enrollment is a tricky thing and different year to year. It is often like long-distance running and sometimes like a sprint. Keeping the momentum going is key. It took us three years (and in a down economy) to refine our data-driven, yet “high-touch” strategy and messaging and connect with students for whom Stetson resonates. Our university is not for everyone — but it is life-changing for the right ones. It is, as you might expect, about predictive modeling, reallocating resources and constantly monitoring your progress. Most of all, it is about adrenalin — the vision, creative thinking and swift efficiency that heighten your senses and motivates you toward the finish line. And it’s also about a mission with heart and celebrating the collective campus effort when all of it comes together, when the hard work generates solid return. We have moved our culture and messaging from humility to proud assertion; to thrive, you cannot afford to be a best-kept secret. We are magnifying our strengths while constantly resolving our weaknesses, for universities must look and sound as high quality on the

outside as they are within. To be sure, it is a race against other institutions of higher learning, all competitors vying for the best and brightest students. Competition is motivating, but universities must also look inward — for opportunity, obstacles and the guts to move forward. I am proud to say that we did that this year. I want to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of our enrollment efforts at Stetson. It takes the entire community — from our admissions and student financial planning staff to anyone who simply smiles or gives directions to a prospective family. And I want to thank you for your continued support of our amazing students as they navigate Stetson and explore their interests. At Stetson, we are committed to the marathon as well as the sprint — to preparing our students to lead significant lives, not merely successful ones. õ Wendy B. Libby, Ph.D., is president of Stetson. A version of this piece originally appeared at www.huffingtonpost.com/wendy-b-libby/beyondaccess-and-affordability_b_4020190.html Above photo by Jason Jones

PARTING SHOT

A Stetson student enjoys an early morning stroll. STETSON Photo by Joel Jones, Director of Creative Services

Office of University Marketing 421 N. Woodland Blvd., 8319 DeLand, FL 32723

STETSON is printed on FSC-certified paper.

STETSON

Building spirit at the Homecoming bonfire. For more Homecoming pictures, visit www2.stetson.edu/alumni/ homecoming and www.flickr.com/photos/stetsonu/sets