Stetson Magazine

STETSON

HATTER READY

Innovative new approaches to experiential learning are preparing students for immediate impact like never before.

Global Perspective

Michael Eskenazi, PhD, associate professor of Psychology, traveled to Austria on a study abroad trip last summer with 25 students. Here, he takes a break from a hike to Olpererhütte in the Ziller Valley on Austria’s most photographed suspension bridge, approximately 59 miles from Innsbruck. Also in the background is the Schlegeis Stausee reservoir. (See Page 28.)

18 Observations on What it Means to be a Stetson Alum

The Then, The Now, The Next

20 Operation Booklift

In May, 61 years ago, the campus walked hand in hand, almost literally, in a symbol of shared purpose that remains intact today.

24 ‘Underneath the Hood’ In the Presidential Fellows Program, students receive uncommon glimpses in higher education, creating career opportunities and “surreal” experiences.

SPRING 2025 • VOLUME 41 • ISSUE 1

President

Christopher F. Roellke, PhD

Editor

Michael Candelaria

Designer Kris Winters

Art and Photography

Jodi Cothron ’19

Writers

Amy Gipson, Cheri Henderson, Patricia Letakis, Elizabeth Maycumber, Andrea Mujica, Jack Roth

Class Notes Editor Amy Dedes

STETSON UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE is published by Stetson University, DeLand, FL 32723, and is distributed to its alumni, families, friends, faculty and staff. The magazine is printed on FSCcertified paper.

STETSON UNIVERSITY: The College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business Administration and School of Music are at the historic main campus in DeLand. The College of Law is in Gulfport/St. Petersburg. The university also has one satellite center: the Tampa Law Center. The mission at Stetson is to provide an excellent education in a creative community where learning and values meet, and to foster in students the qualities of mind and heart that will prepare them to reach their full potential as informed citizens of local communities and the world.

Would you rather receive a digital version of the magazine?

To add, remove or change your magazine subscription, email universitymagazine@stetson.edu.

28 Scholarships Beyond Campus Boundaries

With help from a team of advisers, competitive and prestigious non-Stetson awards make it possible for students to live and learn in foreign lands.

[COVER STORY]

34 Hatter Ready

A newly introduced initiative, decades in the making, is dedicated to enhancing student outcomes by focusing on hands-on, experiential learning — more than ever before.

46 Bulgaria to Stetson and the World

After working for the European Parliament in Brussels, Slavina Ancheva ’20 has her sights set on a Harvard master’s degree and lasting impact.

48 Journey From ‘No Idea’

Hatter Ready comes with blasts from the past, including decadeslong mentorship after graduation. Just ask Kristen Kolleda ’08.

50 Young at Heart and Mind

For Eddie Kertis ’84 at Stetson, it was “all Eddie has to do is be Eddie.” Five decades later, that means being “the oldest college swimmer in America.”

ON THE COVER:

Thanks to a newly launched initiative, scenes of robust student/ professor collaboration are everywhere across the Stetson campus, from group settings and cohort training to laboratory self-exploration.

WELCOME WE ARE HATTER READY

Hatter Ready. I could not be more pleased with the initial results of our pilot program, which officially began during the fall semester to ensure that all students are prepared for life beyond Stetson.

I have always believed there is no gap at Stetson between theory and practice. In fact, college is most impactful when students are immersed in learning inside and outside of the classroom — with professors, classmates, friends and professionals in their career field.

Hatter Ready delivers the types of experiential, contemporary and integrative learning that transforms the lives of our students. This approach also underscores our focus on being relationship-rich. And, as Provost Elizabeth Skomp, PhD, describes in our cover story, the result is vast opportunities for thought exploration and learning in realworld contexts.

One such example won’t be found in our story — there are simply too many for inclusion — but it’s a favorite of mine. It comes from diligent research under the supervision of Kristine Dye, PhD, assistant professor of Health Sciences and Biology. In November, eight of her students in Health Sciences, Biology, Molecular and Cellular Biology and Chemistry traveled to Pittsburgh to present their research at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Students Conference. Two of the students, sophomore Raven Hufstetler and junior Annie Nieves Rodriguez, won individual poster awards.

This is a big deal.

Their achievements are emblematic of Dye’s lab work with students on cancer research, specifically on the Merkel cell polyomavirus, the most recently discovered human oncogenic virus.

Junior Annie Nieves Rodriguez (left) and sophomore Raven Hufstetler

Further, the students’ success represents exactly what Hatter Ready is all about here at Stetson. Both Raven and Annie are part of a new student cohort that started training, fully in the lab, last summer. Raven, a first-generation college student, aspires to attend graduate school, earn a doctorate and eventually become a professor. Annie aspires to go to veterinary school after Stetson.

Says Raven: “I feel like this is a great experience for me, especially because I get to do a lot of hands-on research that students in other schools wouldn’t get as undergraduates.”

It’s a statement that absolutely lifts my spirits. Indeed, we are Hatter Ready.

Christopher F. Roellke, PhD President, Stetson University

EXCELLENCE BY THE NUMBERS AT STETSON

PERCENTAGE OF ENROLLMENT FOR

68% 23% IN-STATE STUDENTS

OUT-OF-STATE STUDENTS

9% INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

10 1

STUDENT-FACULTY RATIO

TOP 10

UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS (of students graduating July 2023-May 2024)

Business Administration

Health Sciences

Psychology

Political Science

Finance

Communication & Media Studies

Marketing

Digital Arts

Accounting Biology

July 2024 bar passage rate for College of Law first-time test takers #1 77.9% 98.7%

PERCENT OF STUDENTS GRADUATING IN 2023-24 HAVING PARTICIPATED IN EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

NEW FACULTY HIRED IN THE PAST THREE YEARS (TENURE TRACK) 26 PERCENT OF FULL-TIME FACULTY WITH TERMINAL DEGREE 92%

COLLEGE OF LAW

College of Law ranked nationally in Trial Advocacy by U.S. News & World Report

College of Law ranked nationally in Legal Writing by U.S. News & World Report

College of Law 2023 postgraduate employment or matriculation #3 97.6%

Source: JUST THE FACTS, 2024-2025, Stetson University Office of Institutional Research

INTELLIGENTSIA

A Top Regional University

Stetson is ranked as the seventh Best Regional University in the South by U.S. News & World Report, which evaluated nearly 1,500 national colleges and universities on up to 17 measures of academic quality to determine the Best Colleges rankings for 2025.

Stetson also ranks No. 7 for Best Value, No. 7 for Most Innovative and No. 8 for Best Undergraduate Teaching, as well as No. 32 for Top Performer on Social Mobility. More than 130 universities in the South were evaluated in that category. Notably, as a Best Value School, Stetson awarded more than $85 million in scholarships and grants during the 2023-2024 academic year, and the average financial aid package was $53,306.

U.S. News publishes the Best Colleges rankings each year to provide prospective students and their families with key information, including graduation rates and student outcomes.

DID YOU KNOW?

In case you missed the custom photo and complimentary words, during the fall semester President Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, was named among the “50 Most Powerful People” in Orlando by Orlando magazine.

His description began: “Since his arrival as Stetson’s 10th president in July 2020 — the height of the global pandemic — Dr. Christopher Roellke has been building a culture rooted in kindness and empathy.

“Roellke’s goal is to take Stetson from ‘Florida gem to national treasure.’

The FORWARD

TOGETHER strategic plan is focused on experiential and integrative learning and will enhance the academic and co-curricular environment for 3,700 students at Stetson’s campuses in DeLand, Tampa and Gulfport.”

NEWS AND NOTES ABOUT KNOWLEDGE

Princeton Review’s ‘Best 390 Colleges’

In surveys, students said they love Stetson’s beautiful and engaging campus.

For the 10th consecutive year, Stetson is included among The Princeton Review’s Best 390 Colleges in America (2025), a distinction awarded to only about 15% of four-year institutions. Stetson was selected based on “outstanding academics,” as well as surveys of its students and survey data from college administrators.

The Princeton Review recommends Stetson in its annual college guide, The Best 390 Colleges: 2025 Edition, and as a Best College in the South.

In the surveys, Stetson students said they love Stetson’s beautiful campus, which offers many student organizations, guest speakers, 18 NCAA Division I sports and other events to attend. Also, The Princeton Review praises the school for providing “a vibrant educational environment” through experiential learning, collaborative projects, interactive technologies and small class sizes.

“We salute Stetson University for its outstanding academics and many other impressive offerings,” commented Editor-in-Chief Rob Franek. “We recommend it as an ideal choice for students searching for their ‘best-fit’ college.”

DID YOU KNOW?

After a national search, Jim Deranek was selected as Stetson’s new director of Graduate Admissions. Deranek, who has 30 years of experience in recruitment, marketing, accounting and operations management, will help create the vision and plan to increase graduate enrollment to 750 by 2030, as outlined in the university’s strategic plan, FORWARD TOGETHER.

Prior to his work in higher education, Deranek was the national recruiting manager for Marriott International for nearly 10 years. He left the corporate world for higher education, where his knowledge includes online, evening and adult recruitment; enrollment marketing; new business development; MBA recruitment; and international admissions.

Inquiry, Expression and Democracy Series

Throughout the Spring 2025 semester, Stetson continued to explore timely and pressing topics through an assortment of events titled Free Inquiry & Expression and the Future of Democracy Series.

The events, open to all students, faculty and staff, included guest speakers, panel discussions and civil dialogues. The series began in January with a presidential inauguration watch party followed by “Things We Don’t Talk About at Dinner: Race Edition.” The series continued through March.

Recent affirmations of the university’s formal commitment to free expression can be traced back to spring 2019, when faculty and staff from across Stetson — in DeLand and at the College of Law in Gulfport — drafted a statement of principles of free expression, which was approved by the university’s Board of Trustees.

“Since that time,” explained Provost Elizabeth Skomp, PhD, “as academic freedom and freedom of expression have become especially contentious on college and university campuses, Stetson has been recognized for our unwavering commitment to civil discourse and free expression.”

Last summer, Stetson participated by invitation in the inaugural Academic Freedom Institute at the University of Chicago, where universities were tasked with identifying their institutional structures for academic freedom and developing ongoing plans for embracing both free speech and inclusive excellence.

Those activities make the timing this spring especially appropriate for the series. Among the series partners were Stetson’s Center for Community Engagement and the Alexander Hamilton Society, a nonpartisan, not-forprofit national organization that works with young people to foster the Hamiltonian perspective of strong and principled American leadership in global affairs.

Stetson continues to explore timely and pressing topics.

Inaugural Huhta Competition

Proves Triumphant

With the idea that friendly rivalry can be a powerful teacher, the School of Music held its inaugural Neil and Dolly Huhta Instrumental Music Competition in February for students. The finale was held in Lee Chapel in front of a live audience, as 24 finalists vied for cash prizes: $4,000 for first place; $1,000 for second place; and $500 for third place.

And the winner was … senior flutist Zachary Frankowiak, followed by sophomore pianist Donald Valencia in second place and Ian Owens, horn, placing third.

Organized by Dunwoody Mirvil, DM, assistant professor of Trombone, the competition was open to majors of string, guitar, woodwind, brass, percussion and keyboard.

Already ranking among the nation’s top competitive university-based instrumental events, the competition was made possible by alumnus Neil Huhta ’84 and his wife, Dolly. Huhta began his Stetson journey as a trombone player before earning an accounting degree from the School of Business Administration. Huhta is now a business executive in nearby Brevard County.

“Competitions such as this provide transformative experiential education opportunities,” commented School of Music Dean Washington Garcia, DMA.

For the ninth time, The Princeton Review selected Stetson for its 2025 Guide to Green Colleges.

Easy Being ‘Green’

With apologies to Sesame Street’s Kermit the Frog and his song (“It’s Not Easy Being Green”), The Princeton Review, for the ninth time, selected Stetson for its 2025 Guide to Green Colleges

The selections were based on surveys of administrators at nearly 600 colleges about their sustainability-related policies and programs. Also, students were asked about their “green” experiences on campus. The university was recognized for a strong commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship on the DeLand campus.

Specifically, The Princeton Review cited the university’s STARS Silver rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education. In addition, among others, the university received points for having a formal committee that advances sustainability on campus; for offering sustainability-focused degrees through its Environmental Science and Studies program; and for its Environmental Fellows efforts.

From left: School of Music Dean Washington Garcia, DMA; Ian Owens, horn, third place; Donald Valencia, piano, second place; Zachary Frankowiak, flute, first place; and, Stetson alumnus Neil Huhta ’84.

Volunteer

Student-Led Emergency Medical Services Team Created

A new Emergency Medical Services Team has been established on campus, beginning in the spring semester. The team, funded in part by the Student Government Association, consists of volunteer students who are interested in serving the community by providing emergency medical response.

Students act as medical first responders and work alongside public safety officers on medical calls. They help assist and provide patient care until the DeLand Fire Department or Volusia County ambulance services arrive on scene. Students also provide medical support for special events on campus, such as races and sporting events, and sponsor and teach medical educational programs. The team is part of the university’s Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan.

To participate, students need to be certified as Emergency Medical Technicians, and able to provide a variety of emergency medical care for patients at accident or medical scenes.

The goal of the program is to give students hands-on learning in preparation for careers or advanced degrees in health fields.

Stetson to Add Latina Sorority

Before the spring semester ends, Lambda Theta Alpha, the nation’s first Latina sorority, will introduce its new official chapter on campus. The Latina sorority is joining 15 active chapters and three governing councils of Greek Life at Stetson.

Per Lambda Theta Alpha requirements, a minimum of 10 interested students who wouldn’t graduate until the Fall 2025 semester or later were needed to begin establishing a chapter at Stetson. Approximately 20% of Stetson undergraduates are Hispanic/Latino.

“We have a date set in April for a new-member presentation,” said Renee DuBois, director of Fraternity & Sorority Life at Stetson. “Before that time, no one knows who the new members are. … It’s a very exciting time right now in our community!”

Lambda Theta Alpha, founded in 1975 at New Jersey’s Kean University, has 181 chapters on the alumna and undergraduate levels within the United States and Puerto Rico.

DID YOU KNOW?

Stetson shined during the fall’s election season — getting named to the list of 2024 ALL IN Most Engaged Campuses for College Student Voting. The list was authored by the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, an organization that focuses on colleges and universities, and aims to promote nonpartisan student democratic engagement.

Through the nonpartisan, values-driven organization

Stetson Votes, Kevin Winchell, director of Community Engagement, and the student Civic Fellows worked to promote voter registration, voter education, vote-by-mail enrollment and voter turnout to all members of the Stetson community. According to Winchell, people who vote in their first election are 30% more likely to become engaged, lifelong voters.

WISE Program Introduces First Gen Class

During the fall semester, Stetson’s WISE Program, short for Welcoming Inclusive Support for Emerging students, offered its inaugural First Year Seminar exclusively for first-generation students. (The students are the first in their immediate family to attend college.)

The course was designed to teach “what it takes to be successful in college and beyond the classroom,” cited Associate Professor Jeremy Posadas, PhD, the Hal S. Marchman Chair of Civic and Social Responsibility.

Contrary to other FSEM classes, which offer a dedicated space and time to discuss a topic of interest to the students enrolled, this course worked in tandem with the other components offered by the WISE Program, including peer mentorship, advising and early success.

“By integrating the academic component through FSEM with the rest of the WISE Program, and the fact we are regular in conversation, it means that we are addressing all the different parts of the students’ development,” Posadas explained. “It also means that if I’m seeing students struggling academically in the [First Year Seminar] class, I can flag it to the rest of the WISE team.”

Jeremy Posadas, PhD (front left), leads the charge in "addressing all the different parts of the students’ development."

DID YOU KNOW?

A year after launching an Apprenticeship Pilot Program, the School of Music and Opera Orlando expanded the program for the 2024-2025 season with four students performing with the professional opera company during the fall semester. The four students performed in a benefit concert, “Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezin,” at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando. Also, two students were part of “Macbeth,” and the other two students were part of “Cendrillon.”

Students audition each year for the coveted on-stage experiences, which enables them to earn college credit while gaining training and on-stage experience, along with masterclasses and one-on-one vocal coaching.

Symphonic Band Poised for First-Ever International Tour

In May, the School of Music’s Symphonic Band will be headed to Costa Rica for its first-ever international tour. Featuring concerts at prestigious venues in the San José area, the tour will provide 59 students with the opportunity to connect with local musicians through cultural exchanges.

The band’s itinerary includes performances at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre (Teatro Eugene O’Neill), a major concert hall in San José, as well as the National Theater. Also, students will take part in a collaborative concert with a local high school band, fostering musical and cultural connections — and demonstrating the university’s ongoing commitment to making experiential learning accessible to all.

Beyond performances, students will immerse themselves in Costa Rica’s culture and geography, with the itinerary also containing visits to the Doka Coffee Plantation, Arenal Volcano, Tamarindo Beach and Palo Verde National Park.

According to Chandler Wilson, PhD, director of Bands and assistant professor, who will lead the tour, the trip represents “a life-changing experience our students will always remember.”

The tour for student musicians will include concerts at prestigious venues in Costa Rica.

DID YOU KNOW?

Stetson’s Roland George Investments Program team — consisting of seniors Jackson Hockenberry and Colin Weber, and juniors Keith Ohanian and Niki Taropawala — won the Florida Final of the CFA Institute Global Research Challenge and advanced to the Sub-Regionals (held after press time). The event was a competition for university business students to present their equity research and valuation reports. The victory marked the fifth consecutive year that an RGIP team has won the Florida round.

Barron String Quartet Travels to Italy

For the first time since its inception, the Barron String Quartet from Stetson’s School of Music will travel to the Italian Alps to participate in the Orfeo Music Festival, July 1-12.

The quartet consists of violinists Danae Tran (sophomore), Madelyn Munley (senior) and Aine Mullen (sophomore), and cellist Georgie Gonzalez (junior).

Founded in 2003, the annual festival, held in Vipiteno, is dedicated to promoting artistic achievements in classical music, as well as nurturing the next generation of talent.

In addition to performing individually and as an ensemble at concerts, the quartet will participate in daily lessons, workshops and masterclasses.

Exploring ‘Who We Want to Be’

Designed to make an impact far beyond 24 hours, Values Day was held on campus Nov. 14. Among the highlights was the Values Day Deliberative Poll, intended to gauge whether Stetson’s existing core values of personal growth, intellectual development and global citizenship should be modified. In essence, the university opened discussion to all members of the Hatter community to voice their beliefs as to what Stetson’s values should be moving forward.

Last summer, proposed values emerged through research of peer institutions’ values and mission statements, along with the survey. At the time, David Hill, PhD, professor of Political Science, who was instrumental in the efforts, stated the survey would reflect if Stetson’s core values “still reflect who we are today, and who we want to be.”

The results will be revealed soon — sometime after the end of the Spring 2025 semester.

The university's traditional Values Day took on additional significance in November.

From left: violinists Danae Tran and Madelyn Munley, cellist Georgie Gonzalez, and violist Aine Mullen.

Groundbreaking of Hulley Tower’s Reconstruction: ‘Something Bigger Than Us’

Ever so briefly at the podium, Jill Jinks ’79 was almost at a loss for words. Then she gathered herself, thanking the mountain for courage.

Jinks went on to tell the standing-room-only crowd at the Rinker Welcome Center about the day of Jan. 15, 1979, on Mount Seegrube near Innsbruck, Austria. She and 39 other Stetson students were on a study abroad trip that was paralyzingly disrupted by tragedy — an avalanche that took the lives of students Katy Resnik, Scotty Fenlon and Dennis Long.

Mildred Cross Spalding ’81 was the last student to be found alive on the mountain, thanks to the heroic efforts of Austrian rescuers and her classmates. At the podium, she spoke of reconnection, the result of an invitation from Stetson to return to the mountain with other alumni, students, faculty and staff. Attending Stetson for two years, she transferred and lost touch for more than 40 years. Now she is front and center, as alumni push forward on an initiative

called the Soul of Stetson, an alumni-driven and administration-supported movement that embodies values, experiences, people and connections.

On Feb. 24, Jinks and Spalding were two of the speakers at Stetson’s groundbreaking ceremony for the historic reconstruction of Hulley Tower on campus.

Inside, the Stetson community was well-represented with alumni, faculty, staff, students, administrators and community members. In addition, local officials were present, as were legislators. Then, following several poignant speeches given by those close to the project (including current students), the group went outside on the overcast, rainy day. There, with shovels in hand, many of them turned the dirt at the base of Hulley Tower and posed for pictures. They beamed.

Mostly, there were rays of hope. A tower built in 1934, once standing 116 feet tall before its destruction in 2005 (caused by a season of hurricane damage in 2004), was rising again — as a “testament to our resilience in the face of troubling storms,” said the Rev. Todd Campbell Jr., university chaplain and director of Religious and Spiritual Life.

Not only will Hulley Tower be a way to remember Katy, Scotty and Dennis, but also to remember any student who passed during their time at Stetson. Further, the tower and its surrounding landscape will again become a gathering place for the Stetson and DeLand communities. Areas include Brockway Plaza and Mimi’s Firepit, among others.

The site around Hulley Tower will feature a student memorial and more. The Patricoff Family Water Bell — an upside-

Led by alumni, representatives from all corners of the Stetson community have contributed to the campus icon's spirited reconstruction.

down bell filled with water, displaying unique auditory and tactical features — will be housed in the Carlton Union Building. Numerous alumni have sponsored, individually or collectively, bells in the 52-bell carillon, along with specific settings and memorials. Fundraising and sponsorships are ongoing.

A few construction details: The new Hulley Tower will be erected to the original 116-foot height, with the tower made of brick, stone and other elements that match the original structure. By later this year, the campus will have a historical reconstruction of the 1934 Hulley Tower, thanks to the fundraising, sponsorships and a State of Florida historic preservation grant.

This day, however, was emotional and especially reflective.

Susan Perry Brockway ’79 was on the mountain that day, too, on the lower portion of the ski slope and unharmed physically, although scars remained for decades.

“For those of us who were in Innsbruck and part of the avalanche story, it’s an especially joyful day,” said Brockway,

now a member of Stetson’s Board of Trustees. “We are standing up Hulley Tower, bringing bells that are being cast in Innsbruck, Austria, to Stetson University to ring for our loved classmates who we lost. And we are building a

beautiful gathering space that can be enjoyed by current and future students.”

John Owen and his brother, fellow senior Joe Owen, played integral student roles in helping to advance the reconstruction project, particularly in working with John Tichenor, PhD, Innsbruck summer program co-director and associate professor of Management. “There are a lot of things that make it worthwhile and valuable,” John Owen said about the project. “But the foundational element behind it all is this collective sense of community. That’s community — from the students to the professors, to the alumni, to the students’ families. We’re all interconnected.”

John is a Communications and Media Studies major; Joe (not a twin) is a Digital Arts major. Both are on track to graduate in May with Latin honors, and each has been accepted into a master’s program at Columbia University in New York.

“Rarely you would get to be a part of something bigger than us, and in this case much bigger than us,” said Jinks, who later earned a doctorate in philosophy. “And the metaphor is not lost on me. How this started in an unfamiliar place and found its way to an avalanche on an Austrian mountain that shocked everyone. It took the lives of Katy, Scotty and Dennis, and it produced a profound everlasting love from that. … Today we acknowledge a milestone that drew its energy and joy from the darkness of that moment. … I realized it is the darkness that reveals the stars.”

“Today is about finally honoring Katy, Scotty and Dennis on the Stetson campus with a fitting memorial,” said Spalding. “They represented the very best for Stetson.”

For more information, visit the Soul of Stetson website.

On left, Hulley Tower as pictured in Stetson’s 1935 yearbook. On right, a rendering that will become real later this year.

OBSERVATIONS ON WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A STETSON ALUM

The Then, The Now, The Next

BY AMY GIPSON

There is no old age. There is, as there always was, only you.” – Carol Grace, American actress and author

What does it mean to belong to a place and have it belong to you? To be from somewhere, to be known so deeply by others there, to call a place home? A place where — when you return years later — you fall into your old self and the friendship banter of yesterday, but with the wisdom and reflection of age. You fall into the bittersweet, to marvel at the juxtaposition of the then and now.

It was January 2023 when I was asked to take the lead with a film crew and create a documentary about the avalanche that took the lives of three Stetson students in Innsbruck, Austria. By that June, I was on Mount Seegrube in the Alps, standing next to Jill Jinks ’79 as she relived the moments of Jan. 15, 1979, and pointed to the spot where the rush of snow had stopped before her 44 years earlier. For the next 18 months, I would sit through countless hours of interviews, listening to your stories — who was dating whom, what it felt like to be 21 and watch your friends die.

When we shared the first cut of the documentary (35 minutes) at Homecoming 2023 in October, you drew together in a packed room, with emotion so raw it hung in the air. You were remembering the loss of your friends all those years ago. Searching for closure. Assuaging grief through community. The healing began, and you needed to talk. We gathered more interviews at Homecoming, and in 2024 screened the documentary in Atlanta, Tampa and Boca Raton. We met the families of Scotty, Katy and Dennis. We went back to Innsbruck in July 2024 with more alumni; we cast bells at Grassmayr and felt their warmth fresh out of their

Alumni reconnect at the Hulley Tower groundbreaking. From left: Bob McClelland ’79, Karen Schmitt Roberts ’80, Mark Roberts and Michelle Blank ’80 (white shirt).

molds. We put a plaque on Mount Seegrube so no one would forget. Innsbruck embraced us like old friends, as they embraced you long ago.

The documentary grew to 70 minutes, and we shared it at Homecoming 2024, and the bell — the Scotty, Katy, Dennis bell — cast on the 45th anniversary of the avalanche on Jan. 15, 2024, was rung for the first time on the Stetson campus that night — on the same Lee Chapel stage where the memorial service was held in 1979. We cast a duplicate bell in Innsbruck, to reside in Hulley Tower, on the 46th anniversary. And all along the way, we raised the funds needed to Stand Up Hulley. We broke ground on Hulley Tower on February 24, and even the rain couldn’t stop us.

The tragic 1979 deaths of

To the alumni and friends who have been part of this effort, no matter your class year or whether you are remembering Scotty, Katy and Dennis, or remembering your own lost loved ones, or remembering Hulley Tower and the sound of its chimes: Through Innsbruck, Hulley and the documentary, I hope we have given you back yourselves. This is what you have shown us about what it means to be a Stetson Alum.

No one gets left behind. Your friends simply will not let that happen.

There is no greater feeling than to be part of something larger than yourself. Standing before the mountain or surrounded by Stetson friends, you have been overwhelmed and humbled by the immensity of emotion and connectedness — by the Soul of Stetson and the best within us.

When you greet old friends, time falls away. It is easy to see you as you were then. It makes us all happy to watch. We see that in our students on campus still today.

The stories. So many stories! You have many memories together, and they become more precious, funny and often more exaggerated at each telling.

You gain sustenance from your enduring Stetson friendships. You gravitate toward each other with love and respect. These are people who knew you when. They know your dreams, faults and vulnerabilities, and love you anyway. What a gift throughout your life.

Reconnection fills holes in our souls. It makes us complete. So does music.

You love our students, even if you don’t know them, and crave connection. They are us, and we are them. The bond transcends time and place. Stetson chose us, and we all chose Stetson.

You have made Hulley Tower a symbol of the power of place and shared experiences. It is your legacy, for all alumni past, present and future.

Everything you need is inside you. You may not have understood where to start, but you knew the only path was forward.

We need our sandboxes. To play, explore, to build something incredible together.

I can’t wait to see what you’ll do Next.

Amy Gipson is senior associate vice president of Brand Development, Strategy and External Affairs at Stetson.

The Stetson community has embraced new hope. Here, Margaret Lee, former first lady of Stetson, and Jill Jinks ’79 (right) share in the celebration.

students Katy Resnik, Scotty Fenlon and Dennis Long have brought a reconstruction, a documentary and the anticipation of Next.

September,

In May, 61 years ago, the campus walked hand in hand, almost literally, in a symbol of shared purpose that remains intact today.

BY ELIZABETH MAYCUMBER

OPERATION BOOKLIFT

In

President Christopher F. Roellke and Katy Webb, the Betty Drees Johnson Dean of the Library and Learning Technologies, led a reenactment of the past.

Call this a legacy of community spirit.

When Katy Webb arrived on campus last July to start her position as the new Betty Drees Johnson Dean of the duPont-Ball Library and Learning Technologies, she hit the ground running. Within days of settling in, she already had the seeds of a plan to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Operation Booklift — that legendary day in May 1964 when students, faculty, administrators and staff took leave of their normal responsibilities to come together to transfer books from the old library in what is now called Sampson Hall to the newly built duPont-Ball Library.

Celebrated on Sept. 18, 2024, the 60th anniversary of the building’s formal dedication, the party (sponsored by alumnus Trisha Sinnott) included a 1960s-themed photo booth with period clothing and other props, a display of historical objects and film footage from the Stetson Archives, enlarged historic photographs of Operation Booklift to line the sidewalks between the old library and the current one, and a beautiful cake that fed more than 100 visitors. Library staff even re-created a treasured photograph of fourth Stetson President J. Ollie Edmunds marching out of the Sampson Library at the start of Operation Booklift carrying a facsimile copy of the Gutenberg Bible. Also in that photo was current President Christopher F. Roellke.

Yet, many students, faculty members and other guests who enjoyed the party admitted between bites of cake that they did not really know what Operation Booklift was about all those decades ago.

Well, it’s a story about our university’s values and our spirit. And it’s a story about moving into the future with a shared sense of community.

THE NEED FOR SOMETHING NEW

By the late 1950s, the writing was literally on the walls. Something needed to be done about the Sampson Library. When the university’s second president,

Lincoln Hulley, armed with a $40,000 matching endowment from the widowed Elizabeth Stetson (by then remarried and known as the Countess of Santa Eulalia), convinced philanthropist Andrew Carnegie to generously fund construction of a library for the university in 1908, it was seen as something of a coup. Simply, Carnegie funded very few academic libraries, instead concentrating his foundation’s money toward the building of public libraries.

Although the university formed its first library collection in 1887, there was never a building solely dedicated to containing its volumes or its staff prior to 1908. The library had been shuffled between shared rooms in DeLand and Elizabeth halls, each time quickly outgrowing its space. The importance of the Carnegie library building (called the Sampson Library in honor of the library’s original benefactor, C.T. Sampson) cannot be understated, and it truly was one of the most magnificent library buildings of its time in Florida.

Yet, Carnegie’s funding of $40,000 was significantly less than the $100,000 originally sought, and Hulley was forced to cut costs anywhere he could in the execution of Jacksonville architect H.J. Klutho’s designs for the building, starting with its very bricks. To save money, the

building was constructed with “Lake Helen” bricks. Made in nearby Lake Helen, the bricks contained a considerable amount of sand, making them prone to absorb lots of moisture — an unfortunate attribute for a building constructed to contain books.

Librarian Charlotte Smith chronicled the building’s many woes in her annual reports during the 1950s, including the inferior bricks that allowed water to seep into the basement, resulting in a loss of usable square footage. That was among several other complaints. Additionally, the library had again outgrown its shelf space, even with the addition of a wing in 1929, and there was little space for students to sit. Last but not least, there was a singular female restroom in the building, forcing female staff to share with students and other visitors, and male students and library staff to cross to Elizabeth Hall to use the facilities there.

Holmes Hall once stood on the site where the duPont-Ball Library stands today.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary in 1958, the university produced a booklet, titled 75 Years of Vision, which listed “Challenge #1: To Establish a Library Worthy of Stetson’s New Era.” The 75 Years booklet suggested the greatest anniversary gift the university could receive was a modern library building.

Clearly, the university acknowledged its library was in poor shape.

In 1961, President Edmunds announced to the Board of Trustees that the university had amassed $780,000 toward the construction of a new building. Named for its two major donors, Mrs. Jessie duPont, a trustee, and her brother Edward Ball, the duPont-Ball Library was designed by Perry, Shaw, Hepburn & Dean, a Boston architecture firm that specialized in library design. Holmes Hall, originally built as the residence of the university’s first president, John Forbes, and most lately occupied by the Art Department, had fallen into such disrepair that it was torn down and its former site selected as the library’s future location.

The architectural firm incorporated the Romanesque arches of Holmes Hall into the new library’s design as an homage to the site’s former occupant. Edmunds signed a construction contract in early 1963 with Jacksonville-based Daniel Construction Company, and the building was completed by spring 1964 at a final cost of $1.25 million. Finally, after filling the building with fresh midcentury furnishings selected by assistant librarian and university interior decorator Ellen Peek, the question still lingered: How should the library shift all of its collections from its old space into the new?

PREPPING FOR THE BIG DAY

Operation Booklift was officially announced to the DeLand campus in April 1964, a week before the planned big event in May. Described in The Stetson Reporter as being one of the largest major library moves ever attempted in a single day anywhere, the plan called for moving 65,000 volumes from the old library in Sampson to the library’s new space in a matter of hours.

In 1964, the library’s holdings included 248,000 cataloged items, with more than 100,000 books, 20,000 bound periodicals, 5,000 volumes in microprint and 100,000 government documents. Had the library chosen to only utilize its regular staff to complete the move, it would necessitate being closed for what would have likely been months. The same would be true if the library hired professional movers, unless they could somehow hire an army of them.

Library staff and a steering committee determined that hosting a cooperative universitywide move was the only way students would be able to use the new library building immediately, while also preventing a long library closure.

Library staff meticulously measured each volume in the library and adjusted shelving units in the new building accordingly in preparation for the move. Meanwhile, Head Librarian Bob Mowery led a group of 15 students in a practice run a week before the big day, preemptively moving 11,000 books. It was determined from this test that if each person at the university contributed just one hour of labor on Thursday, May 7, 65,000 of the most important volumes could be moved in a single day, and students could start studying for finals in the brand-new air-conditioned and soundproofed duPont-Ball Library as early as the following Monday, May 11. The remaining volumes could be moved by library staff later.

An arrangement was made with local funeral homes to borrow awnings for the walkways should the weather forecast call for rain, though it luckily turned out to be sunny.

TIME FOR LIFTOFF

All classes were canceled for May 7, and appointment time cards were printed for students using Stetson’s IBM 1620 computer (affectionately referred to as Stetson’s “Brain” by Reporter journalist Dave MacFarland). The time cards also doubled as lunchtime meal tickets.

Operation Booklift commenced at 8 a.m., as Edmunds and Dean of Students W. Hugh McEniry led faculty and staff in a line to kick the day off, alongside a special unit of ROTC students who carried the library’s most rare and special books to their new home. Seniors were given the earliest appointment times, followed by juniors, sophomores and finally freshmen, with the idea being that after students had completed their hour of service, they could spend the rest of the day as they wished.

At the scheduled time, volunteers were to queue up in line at the Sampson Library, show their card to a checker and head to the Circulation Desk, where a borrowed 40-foot conveyor belt would bring up books from the depths of the library’s stacks. After taking a pile of about 10 books, the volunteer would again get in another line and walk to the duPont-Ball Library, where someone directed each person to a place to shelve their particular stack of books. Each participant was expected to repeat the process about 12 times during their appointed hour.

Staying in line was of critical importance because everything needed to be reshelved in order. MacFarland joked in The Reporter, “Even if someone breaks a leg halfway across the new sidewalk to the new building, please keep your place in line!” The operation was expected to last until about 3:30 that afternoon.

While library staff secretly worried that many students might fail to show up on the big day, the opposite actually happened. Not only did the volunteers show up in very large numbers, they stayed long after their appointed time was up, and kept making additional trips. When they ran out of books to carry, they began bringing journals, documents and even furniture, much to the amazement of library staff.

Particular efforts were made by two student library employees who worked together in the Periodicals Department under librarian (and future Library Dean) Betty Drees Johnson: Virginia Fishpaw Comella and Neil Hunter, Stetson’s first African American

Construction of the duPont-Ball Library brought welcome new space, but not before a collective (and exhausting) effort that saw Stetson students, faculty and staff walk in line with piles of books. Even lunchtime was a community scene.

graduate. Fishpaw recently recalled how unlike the books whose movement had been so meticulously planned, the spontaneous delivery of the periodicals meant they arrived in random stacks, completely unorganized. She spent the entire summer of 1964 putting the periodicals back in order, although she admitted that she volunteered to do this task in order to spend the summer in air-conditioned comfort, as her DeLand home did not yet have that particular amenity!

Spirits were kept high throughout that long day through a number of means. A giant thermometer was painted on a board and placed outside between the two libraries. Every time 1,000 books were moved, the victory bell in DeLand Hall would sound, while every time 5,000 books were moved, the thermometer would go up a notch. Free sodas were distributed in the morning. Radio station

WOOO was on hand to broadcast highlights from the day, and television stations from across Central Florida sent reporters to film the scene.

Lunch was served in the Forest of Arden, with live music. The IBM appointment cards entitled the bearer to a free beef barbecue sandwich, a relish tray and ice cream. Participants were given a green leather bookmark to commemorate the day, complete with the Stetson University seal and the date of Operation Booklift. An intramural track meet was even scheduled at the playing fields for after everything was finally moved.

ONENESS OF THE STETSON COMMUNITY

At the end of the day, President Edmunds expressed his elation at the community spirit that prevailed through-

out Operation Booklift. He noted that while, of course, having accomplished the amazing feat of moving well more than 100,000 items in a single day was praiseworthy, what he considered most special and unique was the oneness of the Stetson community.

The students, faculty, administrators, cooks, janitors and cleaning staff all came together to help, just like any regular family on moving day.

Seven decades later, that legacy of community and kindness continues.

Elizabeth Maycumber, MA, MLIS, is the archivist of Archives & Special Collections at Stetson’s duPont-Ball Library. All images are courtesy of the duPont-Ball Library Archives and Special Collections, Stetson University.

In his class of first-year Presidential Fellows, Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, is both university president and professor who personally champions a relationship-rich education.

‘UNDERNEATH

THE HOOD’

In the Presidential Fellows Program, students receive uncommon glimpses in higher education, creating career opportunities and “surreal” experiences.

BY ANDREA MUJICA

Inside the historic DeLand Hall, in the DeLand Boardroom, Stetson’s 10th President Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, addresses the newest cohort of the Presidential Fellows Program with his sleeves rolled up and a smile on his face.

“I like to describe this course as an opportunity for them to get to see underneath the hood of how a university works,” he says. “I think there is tremendous value in that, especially as they first get introduced to their college experience.”

During the fall semester, sitting at a round table, resembling the way King Arthur and his knights of the round table used to gather, 25 first-year students — each with outstanding academic achievement — ventured into a class unique in nature while developing a deeper understanding of what makes Stetson special.

“Every class session is an opportunity to work in small groups in a cooperative, learning kind of environment,” Roellke continues. “The peer purpose of that is we want this course to be a dialectic approach, meaning students are going to consider critical issues from multiple perspectives before they form an opinion.”

In characteristic style, Roellke started every class with a “silly dad joke,” which breaks the ice and sets the atmosphere the students need to home in for the class.

“Being a Presidential Fellow has been a surreal experience so far,” says Benjamin Barclay, majoring in Finance with a Pre-Law track. “It is beyond exceptional to have a close relationship with the university president and be taught a course by him. Since taking the course last semester, my vision of how I want my college career to go has expanded. It has driven me to be more involved in the school, attend more events and participate more in other classes.”

For Erion Sanders, majoring in Health Sciences with a minor in Public Health, being offered a place in the program solidified her decision to attend Stetson.

“All I thought was ‘this is my opportunity,’” she says. “This is my gateway to avenues I never imagined, and my opportunity to be involved and develop myself.”

And, since her arrival at Stetson, she has not been disappointed.

“Being in a class taught by our university’s president allowed me to ‘see underneath the hood’ of higher education. I learned about Stetson’s values and how our school functions. I am encouraged to learn about our history and be involved on campus. The class was rich in knowledge and relationships, it was beautiful,” adds Sanders, who aspires to become the first doctor in her family.

First-year student Benjamin Barclay: “Being a part of this program will differentiate me from others in my search for internship and job opportunities … .”

THE BEGINNINGS

Officially established in 2021, the Presidential Fellows Program recruited its first two students for the Fall 2022 semester.

“It essentially was a pilot program,” describes Davion Belk, deputy chief of staff and Student Success Advocate. “From the first year to the second year, we grew from two students to 22. Now, we have 47 Presidential Fellows.”

In its third year, the current GPA of the program stands at 3.72.

To be considered for the program, students are required to apply for the J. Ollie Edmunds Distinguished Scholarship, a prestigious scholarship offered at Stetson that covers all the selected students’ expenses during their four years in college. The six finalists who are not awarded the J. Ollie Edmunds Scholarship receive an automatic spot in the program. The next top 50 candidates receive an invitation to be a Presidential Fellow. On a first-come, first-serve basis, the initial 25 candidates who respond and have committed to attend Stetson are accepted into the program.

“When President Roellke first conceived this, he was really intentionally thinking about culture-building,” says Rina

Tovar Arroyo, the president’s chief of staff and senior Development officer.

And that is exactly what an array of networking opportunities and mixers has offered students.

“The networking opportunities within the Presidential Fellows program will grow stronger each year,” comments Barclay, who is involved in the Roland George Investments Program and whose goal after graduation is to attend law school and earn his Juris Doctorate. “Through all the networking I have been, and will be exposed to as a Presidential Fellow, I have built a sense of professional etiquette. Being a part of this program will differentiate me from others in my search for internship and job opportunities because not many universities offer such a significant position in a school.”

Moreover, the networking opportunities offered throughout the academic year help pave the way for students to connect with other students, alumni, faculty, staff and sometimes even Board of Trustees members.

“We are asking students who are in this program to dive in, to roll up their sleeves and to help us think through our future together,” Roellke asserts.

Being offered a place in the Presidential Fellows Program solidified Erion Sanders’ decision to attend Stetson.

Sophomore Maddie Pascale, already a mentor, has an extensive résumé as a Presidential Fellow since her arrival

ROLLING UP HER SLEEVES

For Maddie Pascale, a sophomore with an expected graduation date of spring 2026, rolling up her sleeves has come in many shapes and forms. As part of the program, Presidential Fellows are expected to mentor the new cohort of fellows. Pascale, a Political Science major with a Pre-Law track, now has her first mentee, Carlos Mateo Conde. (Sanders is being mentored by sophomore Joseph Ortiz; Barclay’s mentor is sophomore Isabella “Bella” Plank.)

“At first, I didn’t know how to be [Conde’s] mentor because his major and career path has nothing to do with mine,” Pascale says. “But I talked to Davion [Belk] about it, and he mentioned all I needed to do was make a connection with him. So, we chat about once a month just about what’s happening on campus and how he’s doing overall. It’s more of a friendly conversation than a mentor-mentee sort of situation. But I think it’s better because my mentee now knows he has someone he can go to here at Stetson who can provide him some guidance when needed.”

Pascale has an extensive résumé as a Presidential Fellow since her arrival at Stetson. In her short time as a Hatter, she has become a member of the Young Americans for Freedom, Model United Nations, Phi Alpha Delta (a pre-law fraternity) and Omicron Delta Kappa (an American collegiate honor society).

Last summer, she interned in Washington, D.C., with BIPAC, a political action organization. Then she was part of the Washington Semester Program offered at Stetson during the Fall

2024 semester. Parallel to her studies in the fall, she also interned with the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy before returning to DeLand this spring.

“I am hoping to be a corporate lawyer,” Pascale says. “However, being in D.C. has helped me to realize the amount of opportunities for different careers in both public policy and government. While there are many opportunities and career paths, I know that this is the path I want to be on.”

All in all, the Presidential Fellows Program is another avenue Stetson can offer students for a deeper understanding of higher education while also representing what the Stetson community is all about — relationship-rich, personal growth and intellectual development.

“One cannot champion a relationship-rich education without walking the talk,” Roellke says. “So, it’s very important that the leaders of this institution demonstrate what that means. I can think of no better way to demonstrate that than to actually teach a class.”

And, by teaching first-year students, Roellke believes he’s not only shaping the next generation of leaders, but also learning from the students themselves.

“Sometimes,” he concludes, “listening to our students allows us to know what their real needs are. And so, I think that’s the real value of this program — hearing directly from these very talented students what it is they need in order to thrive. And, oftentimes, it’s not that complicated.”

at Stetson.

CAMPUS BOUNDARIES SCHOLARSHIPS BEYOND

With help from a team of advisers, competitive and prestigious non-Stetson awards make it possible for students to live and learn in foreign lands.

BY PATRICIA LETAKIS

Imagine you’re in the Netherlands sitting in the International Criminal Court and watching a real trial. Or you’re in Germany, feeling chills down your spine as you trace footsteps of those who passed through Dachau Nazi concentration camp, never to return.

On a lighter note, you could be at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, discovering the ancient winemaking culture of Georgia and sampling the country’s underappreciated vino. And there’s even the possibility of immersing yourself into a non-Western culture with study in countries like Taiwan, where tensions with its neighbor are unpredictable.

Sure, many students hope to study abroad and experience enlightening adventures that help pave their career paths. And, indeed, such experiences are aligned with Stetson’s Hatter Ready initiative to advance preparation for eventual graduate programs and careers.

Yet, as Michael Eskenazi, PhD, associate professor of Psychology and Stetson’s adviser for external scholarships and fellowships, points out, “Studying abroad is one of the most important things a student can do during college, but it’s also one of the most difficult to do because it’s so expensive.”

Overseeing 40 scholarships and fellowships and participating in faculty-led study abroad programs, Eskenazi knows both sides of the equation. And he offers help, specifically in this case by encouraging

students to pursue distinguished but lesser-known non-Stetson awards such as the Gilman Scholarships, Boren Scholarship, Taiwan Scholarships and Fund for Education Abroad.

GILMAN SCHOLARSHIP

Tristyn Rampersad, a Philosophy major who graduates in May, spent two weeks last summer in the Netherlands and Belgium with the aid of a Gilman Scholarship, which funds study abroad for students receiving Pell Grants, up to $5,000.

Rampersad recalls how Eskenazi came to one of his Honors classes to do a presentation about the various scholarships. “Before that, I didn’t really know anything about Gilman, but he definitely led me to apply,” says Rampersad, who then reached out to the WORLD: The David and Leighan Rinker Center for International Learning office. There, Paula Hentz, senior international officer and director of Global Initiatives, and Melanie Smith, EdD, assistant director of International Learning Programs, provided him with what he describes as “tricks and tips” of the typically challenging application process.

Such insight included “exactly how I should be writing my essays and the various levels of promises I should make to Gilman because they require you to promise that you are going to do a communityservice project,” Rampersad describes. He opted to create a social media campaign for Gilman as his project.

Smith spoke with Rampersad at length about the need to tell his story. “I have had the opportunity to evaluate Gilman Scholarship applicants in the past, and it’s the essays, specifically their stories, that capture the heart of the judges panel,” Smith says. “… I tell students, ‘Give people a chance to want to give you money.’”

During Rampersad’s faculty-led trip to

Tristyn Rampersad spent two weeks last summer in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Europe with Eskenazi, the group listened to lectures and visited historic places, including the Amersfoort concentration camp. “The whole theme of the study abroad trip was the progression of psychology, especially looking at Europe. And just being there at the location of a concentration camp, knowing the horrors that happened there, was incredibly impactful,” Rampersad says.

The group’s visit to the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels gave students the opportunity to not only see where the EU meets, but also to attend lectures given by people who work there. Rampersad believes the experience was both valuable and an opportunity to learn how the international organization of

European countries functions, as well as its history.

A visit to the International Criminal Court in Netherlands also was part of the program. Students were able to witness someone on trial for human rights violations, as they studied the development of ethics and history of psychology. “That makes it a lot more real, when you are there watching a trial,” comments Eskenazi.

Rosa Vega, an Entrepreneurship and Professional Sales major in her third year, was another Stetson student awarded the Gilman Scholarship. She traveled to Innsbruck, Austria, in summer 2024, spending a month at the University of Innsbruck. Vega opted for the traditional classroom study and took two courses, Advanced Management/Leadership and Principles of Entrepreneurship, where she also taught two short sessions.

In addition, she had the chance to visit

a business incubator in Innsbruck, which aligned with her career goals as an entrepreneur. “It was fascinating to see how startups in Austria operate, the resources available to them, and the networks that support innovation,” Vega says. “This experience gave me new ideas for my own entrepreneurial journey and inspired me to think about ways to implement similar models back home.”

Included in her faculty-led study abroad program was a visit to the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial outside of Munich. “This visit deeply impacted me and added a meaningful layer to my understanding of global history and its relevance today,” she continues.

Further, Rampersad and Vega agree that the most lasting takeaway from receiving the scholarship isn’t a travel experience. It’s the Gilman community — a massive network of alumni who share a connection and support one another as they launch their careers.

BOREN SCHOLARSHIP

Considered a very prestigious scholarship, as well as one of the most competitive and difficult to receive, the Boren Scholarship focuses on learning languages that are critical to national security. Recipients go abroad on their own as opposed to a faculty-led study program. They are required to work at least one year for the government, which is often viewed as a bonus or guaranteed job. Thus, it’s an attractive scholarship for students who know they definitely want to work for the government.

As such, Eskenazi points out that to win this scholarship, “It would be really helpful to show that you have a clear pathway to foreign service or national security.”

Heaven Lee Sullivan graduated from Stetson in spring 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies and now is working on a master’s at Georgetown University. She has

(Left) Rosa Vega spent a month in Austria last summer at the University of Innsbruck.

(Above) Heaven Lee Sullivan spent eight months in Georgia in Eastern Europe and West Asia.

a keen interest in cybersecurity, which she also studied at Stetson. Before becoming a recipient of the Boren Scholarship, she spent an entire month researching countries and study abroad programs.

“I wanted to study a critical language, so my options were Chinese, Arabic or Russian. And of those three, I thought Russian was the most appealing, as it is slightly easier to learn but still an incredibly difficult language,” says Sullivan, who received $25,000 toward her study abroad program.

Sullivan spent eight months in Georgia in Eastern Europe and West Asia. “That’s the thing about the Boren Scholarship; it traditionally funds extended periods of time abroad,” she cites. “So, students do not go on a Boren Scholarship for one semester. They usually do two semesters or a semester and a summer, which is what I did.”

She received 20 hours of Russian language instruction a week. Also, there were elective classes with lecturers from local universities, cultural programming, and field trips to neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The diversity of the region captivated her. Taking a multidisciplinary approach, she studied the region from linguistic, historical, political and anthropological viewpoints.

“It includes broadly about 15-20 countries, most of which used to be part of the Soviet Union. … The region is so diverse that you’ll really never get bored,” she says.

Among her most memorable experiences were trips to the wine region of Kakheti, where she learned about the country’s 8,000-year-old tradition of winemaking, tasted the wines, mingled with Georgians and simply had fun. Sullivan joked that upon returning home, the experiences even motivated her to work for a time at a local wine bar.

The graduate student now considers herself professionally fluent in Russian and credits her studies abroad with helping her figure out what she wants to do with her life: working for the government in a job that’s at the intersection of cybersecurity and culture.

“This type of scholarship is an unparalleled opportunity. It sets you apart from the crowd,” Sullivan says, adding she was accepted into all the top universities nationwide for her graduate-school program.

Cole Caven expects to graduate from Stetson in May 2026 with Honor degrees in International Studies, and Russian, East European and Eurasion Studies. He anticipates pursuing a Juris Doctorate and a master’s in International Affairs to further his understanding of international law and security

— all with the goal of joining the federal government to work on Eurasian policy and transatlantic relations. With such a clear-cut plan, he was an ideal candidate for the Boren Scholarship.

“I applied [for the scholarship] with the intent of becoming fluent in Russian by graduation and spending more time in the Eurasian region, being the best means to understand it,” he comments. “… As someone who aspires to work in foreign policy, it is an immense aid both in improving my linguistic skill set and launching my career.”

Caven believes his scholarship win would not have been possible without the letters of recommendation from his professors at Stetson, along with the many hours spent revising his essay with Mayhill Fowler, PhD, associate professor of History.

Currently, Caven is in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, through July with SRAS, an organization that began as the School of Russian and Asian Studies and is now known simply as SRAS. His program, Tbilisi: Identity and Conflict in the Caucasus, includes Russian classes where no English is spoken, as well as classes about regional security/politics in the region and lectures by local policymakers.

Cole Caven: “As someone who aspires to work in foreign policy, [study abroad] is an immense aid both in improving my linguistic skill set and launching my career.”

TAIWAN SCHOLARSHIPS

Leander Seah, PhD, associate professor and chair, Department of History, is extremely proud of the Taiwan Scholarships recipients he has advised. Zoe Weaver-Lee ’19, for example, received the Huayu Enrichment Scholarship in 2019 and the Ministry of Education Scholarship in 2021. She went on to work in Washington, D.C., at the Global Taiwan Institute and later the East-West Center in Washington.

“It is a common experience that anyone who lives, works or studies in Taiwan becomes inextricably linked with the island for the rest of their career,” Weaver-Lee says. “There is no substitute for an immersive language study, especially when it comes to Mandarin. The scholarships to Taiwan make it easy to not only get good at the language, but put you in a class of people internationally recognized for language abilities."

Also, Mary Brandt ’23 currently is a student in the International Master’s Program in Asia-Pacific Studies at the National Chengchi University in Taipei.

Both recipients, in Seah’s opinion, are on track for successful careers in national security issues and American foreign policy.

Comments Brandt: “The experiences have granted me the opportunity to witness the complex relationships between Taiwan, China and the U.S. from the Taiwanese perspective, all while learning from experts in my related interests and connecting with the Taiwanese people and their culture.”

“I think I have joked with them that it’s possible they could serve in the White House one day and/or on the National Security Council,” Seah says.

Seah, founding director of the Asian Studies Program and Stetson’s senior China and East Asia specialist, cannot emphasize enough how important it is for Americans to understand

Asian cultures and societies, as well as to learn more about the relationship between the United States and Taiwan. “In my view,” he asserts, “China and the Taiwan issue are possibly America’s top national security issue.”

Not surprisingly, Seah is a strong advocate for students who, despite intense competition, apply for the Ministry of Education, Huayu Enrichment and Ministry of Foreign Affairs scholarships. The funding awards vary, but each includes a maximum monthly living allowance of approximately $1,000.

“Stetson students compete with undergraduates at many of the best colleges and universities, including Ivy League schools, elite liberal arts colleges such as Williams and Amherst, and other non-American top universities like Oxford and Cambridge,” he says with pride.

Seah was born and raised in Singapore and has conducted research in several Asian countries, including Taiwan. Applicants, whom he works with personally, must have a strong academic track record and take his courses on SinoAmerican relations. His insight into the region, along with his international standing as a renowned China scholar and fondness for Taiwan, make him a strong mentor for any student serious about a career related to the Asia-Pacific region. And the Taiwan Scholarships, he believes, can help open doors to careers in international trade, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the United Nations, American politics and more.

“Nothing quite beats understanding a non-Western culture by studying it in the country itself because of complete cultural immersion in the classroom and even beyond in daily life,” Seah concludes.

Mary Brandt: “The experiences have granted me the opportunity to witness the complex relationships between Taiwan, China and the U.S. from the Taiwanese perspective, all while learning from experts in my related interests and connecting with the Taiwanese people and their culture.”

Zoe Weaver-Lee's two Taiwan scholarships led to work in Washington, D.C.

FUND FOR EDUCATION ABROAD

Marvel Olson, a junior majoring in Aquatic and Marine Biology (with a Spanish minor), always had a passion for travel and an eagerness to understand cultures and people different from her. She found such experiences through Semester at Sea, the Fund for Education Abroad and the Institute for Shipboard Education. The nonprofit Fund for Education Abroad provides scholarships to American college students to study abroad, while the Institute for Shipboard Education operates the Semester at Sea program.

“I wanted to reach these goals while also gaining an education and a deeper understanding of the topics I am learning, which is why I chose to study abroad,” Olson says.

For most of the fall 2024 semester, Sept. 5-Jan. 1, she traveled to the Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Thailand. Also, after the study abroad ended, she was able to visit Japan.

Semester at Sea’s passenger ship brings together college students with learners at all stages of life to study with worldrenowned professors in a shipboard classroom setting and in countries around the globe. The students earn a full semester’s worth of course credit.

From among more than 2,700 applications for the fall semester, Olson was one of 96 scholarship recipients. Of the 450 students on the trip, she was the only one from Stetson. And she gives the WORLD office a big assist, citing that Melanie Smith was “there for me every step of the way and made sure to help guide me through any questions or issues I had.”

Ultimately, new friendships were gained, along with a greater understanding of varying perspectives and “unbelievable experiences,” which included seeing the Taj Mahal and visiting a village in Ghana that was entirely built on stilts.

“My study abroad was very close-knit and created a small community in itself, allowing us to become very close and form lifetime friendships. On top of this, in each country I visited, I was able to see different ways of life, different perspectives and different traditions. These countries also allowed me adventure and experiences I will always remember,” says Olson, a member of Hatters Down Under, Stetson’s scuba diving and snorkeling club.

As for her future, Olson feels enriched with more precise direction.

For most of the fall 2024 semester, Marvel Olson traveled to the Netherlands, Portugal, Morocco, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Thailand.

“This trip helped me better understand what I want to do in my future, specifically because of a class I took on coral reefs and fieldwork I did in Mauritius [an island country in the Indian Ocean],” she says. “This allowed me to realize my passion for conservation, and it is something I want to pursue with my Aquatic and Marine Biology degree. After graduating, I plan on continuing to grad school in Australia, as I want to continue to travel and gain new experiences.”

Olson even shaved her head. As is tradition, sailors shave their heads when they cross the equator, a part of celebrating Neptune Day. Calling the moment “cool,” Olson was among 50 students who did the same.

Of course, none of this happens by accident. There is fun, for sure, but also plenty of study that requires work, much of it before the journeys begin. So, regardless of scholarship type for study abroad, Eskenazi offers this application advice to students: Start early — during the first or second year at Stetson to build your case as a worthy candidate.

His words: “It’s all about building a narrative for yourself — who are you, what experiences do you have, and why this scholarship and study abroad opportunity are a good fit for you.”

As a part of the Hatter Ready pilot program started in fall 2024, university faculty made dozens of immersive learning experiences available to their students — activities designed to enhance a minor or major and operate within or alongside a student’s normal course load. Each semester, they will be offered across the curriculum to students throughout the university. Through heightened collaboration with professors and classmates alike, students will acquire a set of practical, creative-learning and criticalthinking skills that are greatly valued by potential employers and graduate schools.

HATTER READY

A newly introduced initiative, decades in the making, is dedicated to enhancing student outcomes by focusing on hands-on, experiential learning — more than ever before.

BY CHERI HENDERSON AND MICHAEL CANDELARIA

Look back at academic student achievement at Stetson, as far as the archives of the duPont-Ball Library will take you, and there is excellence.

In abundance.

All the way back to the founding days of 1883? That might be debatable, but most assuredly abundant success spanned the many decades that followed — each year culminating in commencements filled with graduates poised for promising careers or further education.

Stetson students have always been well-prepared. Yet, that’s not the main story here.

Today’s Stetson students are better prepared than ever.

That’s clear in outcomes for current

students such as Sugeeth Sathish and Beverley Herne, who will graduate in May.

Sathish, as a dual-enrollee in high school, took almost every course required for an Economics major and earned Stetson’s top merit scholarship. Then, on campus, he went from J. Ollie Edmunds Scholar to Chief Investment Officer of Stetson’s esteemed studentrun Roland George Investments Program. He’s also an Environmental Fellow. Months ago, he accepted a job at Goldman Sachs as an investment banker in New York City.

Last summer, Herne, a Computer Science major who is also pursuing minors in Data Analytics, Business Systems and Analytics, and Business Administration, completed a 12-week internship as a software developer engineer at Amazon headquarters in Redmond, Washington. At Amazon, she worked on the mission planning team for Project Kuiper, an initiative to deliver fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities across the globe through a constellation of more than 3,000 low-Earth orbit satellites. Soon, Herne will head back to Amazon, employed as a software engineer.

(For more information, see Sathish’s and Herne’s stories on Pages 43 and 38, respectively.)

The story certainly doesn’t end there. Students such as Kelly Gende, Abby Clouser and Bruno Soto are experiencing — and benefiting from — Stetson’s newly launched approach to immersive learning: Hatter Ready. By virtue of uncommon hands-on learning scenarios, they are discovering unexpected paths to success.

As a part of the Hatter Ready pilot program started in fall 2024, university faculty made dozens of immersive learning experiences available to their students — activities designed to enhance a minor or major and operate within or alongside a student’s normal course load. Each semester, they will be offered across the curriculum to students throughout the university.

In essence, Hatter Ready is an innovative approach to specialized learning that enhances student engagement through immersive experiences that supplement coursework and provides students with opportunities for exploration, as well as the ability to apply classroom knowledge in real-world contexts.

Through heightened collaboration with professors and classmates alike, students will acquire a set of practical, creative-learning and critical-thinking skills that are greatly valued by potential

employers and graduate schools, asserts Provost Elizabeth Skomp, PhD, professor of World Languages and Cultures.

“This will make students ready for whatever their next step is,” says Skomp. “Is it a first job? Is it service? Is it graduate or professional school? No matter what, we know that we are preparing them as well as we possibly can.

“Hatter Ready is a result of our relationship-richness and our commitment to our students. We understand what is required for that close faculty-student interaction. Through the reallocation of time associated with Hatter Ready, we’re creating conditions for faculty and students to work together closely and effectively on an even broader scale than we've been able to do in the past.”

Already, the initiative is taking hold.

CULTURE OF INDEPENDENCE, CRITICAL THINKING

As the students of Jean Smith, PhD, assistant professor of Biology, conduct research in fungal cell fusion, they are thriving in a culture that promotes problem-solving and analysis.

Kelly Gende, a junior in Molecular and Cellular Biology, is one of six students participating in a High-Intensity Independent Research experience. The Illinois native hopes to apply the research skills she’s gaining as she pursues a career in orthopedic surgery.

“Research is a huge part of medicine and gives an opportunity to dive extensively into a field that is heavily intertwined

Provost Elizabeth Skomp, PhD

Students who conduct biology research stand in front of the Sage Hall Science Center.

with medicine,” says Gende, a member of the women’s soccer team. “I realized how time-consuming research and the scientific process are, requiring lots of troubleshooting and learning through failure.”

The High-Intensity Independent Research experience allows Smith to build upon an existing immersive independent study course — offering support both in and beyond the classroom. This experience is different from a traditional lab class, as Smith encourages “as much independent thought and planning as possible from my students within a supportive and inclusive environment.” Students experience what it's like to perform experiments in an active research lab, where they are responsible for advancing their

(Above) Isabelle Condor: "One of my key [course] takeaways is the ability to design experiments, analyze data and troubleshoot challenges in the lab, skills that are essential for any aspiring scientist.”

(Right) Kelly Gende: “Research is a huge part of medicine and gives an opportunity to dive extensively into a field that is heavily intertwined with medicine.”

research. In addition, students analyze peer-reviewed journal articles and present their research results at weekly lab meetings, much like graduate students.

A benefit of having a small group of students working in the lab is that “peer-to-peer mentoring organically happens, as they are often performing similar experiments asking different questions,” cites Smith. She aims to create a research community in which peer and faculty mentors help students succeed throughout their time at Stetson.

For double-major Isabelle Condor (Molecular and Cellular Biology and Applied Mathematics), the course provides the necessary groundwork to undergird her goal of pursuing a doctorate in quantitative biology. The native of Brazil is slated to graduate in 2027.

“One of my key [course] takeaways is the ability to design experiments, analyze data and troubleshoot challenges in the lab, skills that are essential for any aspiring scientist,” Condor says.

Both Gende and Condor laud Smith’s guidance.

“She has provided invaluable advice on how to navigate the challenges of being a scientist, collaboration and maintaining a growth mindset even when the experiments do not work,” Condor comments. “Her support has been essential in shaping my confidence and readiness for a future in science.”

CAREER IN ORBIT

Arriving on campus from Gibsonton, Florida, in August 2021, Beverley Herne knew exactly what to expect: ample opportunities for engagement and career exploration. And she has taken full advantage.

Aside from her studies at Stetson — where she has pursued a major in Computer Science and minors in Data Analytics, Business Systems and Analytics, and Business Administration — Herne has presided over both the Tri-Alpha First Gen Honors Society and the Baptist Collegiate Fellowship. She’s been vice president of Stetson’s ColorStack chapter, whose mission is to increase the number of Black and Latinx Computer Science graduates that go on to start rewarding technical careers. She is also the event coordinator for the Caribbean Student Association, a business statistics tutor and a business statistics teaching assistant.

“I remember getting lots of emails from Stetson [during her recruitment], and that kind of urged me to apply,” she recalls. “… Stetson has allowed me to see other things I might be interested in.”

That includes an internship with Amazon. Encouraged by faculty, she applied for the internship in fall 2023 and landed in Redmond, Washington, that following summer. There, she was tasked with helping to develop the user interface on the Project Kuiper Mission Planning team. The initiative is intended to close a digital divide worldwide, bringing broadband to places without reliable connectivity. Her efforts centered on developing a timeline feature that enhanced visibility into mission schedule changes, which provided critical insights to ensure safe and efficient operation of satellites.

“The experience allowed me to dive into the aerospace industry, sharpen my technical skills in React.js and Next.js, JavaScript and technical writing, and improve my abilities in user research. It was a period of growth, both as an engineer and a leader,” Herne describes.

Beverley Herne ’25

Further, she embraced Amazon’s corporate culture, embodied by the 16 leadership principles that guide the company, including Learn and Be Curious. In addition, she attended various industry-related events in and around tech-rich Seattle, making potential career connections that provided uncommon perspective as she entered her senior year.

Now, after “trying to maximize all my options,” Herne is Hatter Ready. In May, she will leave Stetson with firm footing, strong career direction and a job — back at Amazon full time as a software engineer.

‘HUMBLING PRIVILEGE’

Ben Peterson’s introduction to a cadaver lab changed the trajectory of his education, and perhaps even his life.

“It’s an exciting step in my career,” she says, “and I’m looking forward to the new challenges and opportunities ahead.”

The 2024 Health Sciences graduate participated in the dissection of a human body in the UCF College of Medicine Anatomy Lab (University of Central Florida in conjunction with Stetson).

“I was in awe of the complexity of the human body. Holding a human brain, heart and kidney in my hands was a humbling privilege,” he says.

Peterson was overcome with gratitude

Ben Peterson ’24

Peterson’s Anatomy Lab work exemplifies the experiential efforts in Stetson’s increasingly popular Health Sciences disciplines. Says Peterson: "I was in awe of the complexity of the human body. Holding a human brain, heart and kidney in my hands was a humbling privilege.”

for the people who donated their bodies to advance learning and medical science. In addition, the cadaver study helped him chart a career course.

“This unforgettable experience helped confirm that the medical path was right for me,” he adds, noting that he hopes medical school is in his near future.

Peterson’s Anatomy Lab professor and mentor, Michele Skelton, PhD, is building upon that experience this spring in her Advanced Anatomy course. Students benefit from Stetson’s virtual dissection table while working alongside first-year medical students during laboratory rotations at UCF’s College of Medicine.

“Offering the Advanced Anatomy immersive experience in the Hatter Ready program will allow more students the opportunity to study concepts of Advanced Anatomy in both the fall

and spring semesters,” says Skelton, associate professor of Health Sciences.

“This is an extraordinary learning experience. They will be able to learn from and with the first-year medical students. They will be able to ask them questions about their career path.”

In the labs, students can compare a normal brain with the brain of an Alzheimer’s patient, allowing them to observe changes including loss of mass. They can also compare healthy lungs with diseased lungs, such as from a smoker.

Peterson, who arrived on campus from Naples, Florida, can attest to the life-changing effects of Skelton’s mentorship, as well as the hands-on anatomy lab. He came away with a foundation that, in his words, “I am not sure I could have gained from any other experience.”

GROWTH AND COMMUNITY IN THE SCHOOL OF MUSIC

“Iron sharpens iron,” as the saying goes. In the School of Music’s Studio Class and Trumpet Ensemble, led by Aaron Witek, DM, assistant professor of music/trumpet and coordinator of brass, students challenge and inspire one another to reach new heights.

Just ask second-year trumpet performance major Abby Clouser. The Starke, Florida, native quickly discovered that the Hatter Ready course offered much more than a weekly meeting with other trumpeters — masterclasses with guest artists, musical and personal growth opportunities, history lessons, pedagogical topics, and a strong sense of community within the School of Music.

“This class exceeded my expectations by providing not only a foundation for

(Above) Abby Clouser: “I’m so excited and feel very confident about my future, knowing that I have Dr. [Aaron] Witek’s support to help me reach my next goal.” Witek, shown above with trumpet and glasses, is among the many School of Music faculty who provide mentorship that extends beyond performance.

developing my technical skills, but also a sense of belonging,” Clouser shares.

In class, students perform for one another and provide feedback, offering both encouragement and constructive suggestions for improvement.

This collaborative approach helps students become better communicators, teachers and musicians. Additionally, each student receives a weekly one-on-one lesson with Witek, where he provides mentorship that extends beyond performance, shaping them into “well-rounded people,” he explains. Topics include work ethic, resilience, stress management, burnout, performance anxiety, musical expression, effective practice techniques and teamwork in musical settings.

Witek’s goal in his trumpet ensemble class is to equip students with “skills they can carry beyond this ensemble, both as musicians and as individuals who contribute meaningfully not only to musical activities but to their communities.”

“Trumpet ensemble also offers students real-world experience through performance engagements, preparing them to navigate the professional music industry,” Witek adds.

For Clouser, whose dream is to perform full time with an orchestra, these experiences are invaluable.

“I’m so excited and feel very confident about my future, knowing that I have Dr. Witek’s support to help me reach my next goal,” she concludes.

‘DEEPEN MY RELATIONSHIP WITH ECONOMICS’

Bruno Soto has received plenty of academic guidance during his four years on campus. Such direction, combined with uncommon self-initiative, has led him to classroom achievement as a double major in Economics and Political Science. He has also gleaned insight from a U.S. Department of State internship, along with presiding at Stetson’s Model United Nations and the Alexander Hamilton Society, as well as attending 2023’s inaugural Stetson Days at the Capitol in Tallahassee.

Soto is, in plain terms, a go-getter.

That’s why he speaks so highly of Stetson’s Economics Department Colloquium, calling it an informal opportunity to “really deepen my relationship with fellow economics enthusiasts around our cherished discipline.”

The student-driven, for-credit course is an immersive experience where all senior-level students are placed in charge, meeting every other Friday afternoon to discuss real-world economic issues with continuing economics students. The

Says Bruno Soto (left) about the Economics Colloquium setting: “It’s a space for us to talk about things we would normally not have time to discuss in class.”

class was introduced a few years ago and has since evolved, consistent with the Hatter Ready initiative. Topics range from black markets and Artificial Intelligence to the financial nuances of personal relationships and the dollars surrounding the National Football League’s Super Bowl.

Typically, students emerge from this casual setting more informed and prepared to hold conversations on complex, interesting matters. It has allowed Soto to shine in his ability to build relationships and think on his feet.

“The Colloquium is our community,” says Soto, who attended high school in Jacksonville. “It’s a space for us to talk about things we would normally not have time to discuss in class. We basically are on our own to make it however we want. We each make a presentation, and we get to be as creative and entertaining as we want with it. … In the future, in our careers, we’re going to have the responsibility, to take ownership of our work without having to be micromanaged by a manager, right? That’s exactly what we practice at Colloquium.”

The course is supervised by Economics professors Alan Green, PhD, and Khushbu Mishra, PhD, department chair. “We have students and we have faculty, and we all get together, not just in a class, and we’re able to talk about things that relate to economics but aren't necessarily class material,” Green describes.

Senior-level students are asked to research reading materials and make presentations, which are mildly evaluated by other students and discussed in length. Green adds, “We want this to be something the students can enjoy and come to. The students get to know each other, get to form connections there.”

Following graduation in May, Soto hopes to join the Peace Corps for two years before attending law school and eventually working as a human-rights lawyer in a government capacity, preferably the State Department.

“[The Colloquium] prepares us to be autonomous and capable people who are good at lecturing and good at speaking to others in our field about its complexities, which is critical in any career, no less in economics,” Soto says.

A PATH FORWARD

Senior Biology major Kylie Overstreet found her calling under a microscope.

Before participating in the fall-semester Enhanced Research Experience in Cancer Biology class under Associate Professor Roslyn Crowder, PhD, Overstreet says she “was not too inclined towards a specific career over another, but oncology has truly been a calling.”

That calling became clearer when Overstreet encountered something unexpected in her experiment results: Cancer cells died when introduced to the compound she created.

The course is available to undergraduates at any level, and through it students learn how growth conditions affect a plant’s medicinal properties. The course research connected how plant growth conditions can alter phytochemicals produced, which in turn changes the anticancer properties of the plant.

“I took the course as a supplement to further my knowledge and my actual cancer research. In the past, we had primarily worked with plant compounds, seeing how those compounds affect cells and their cytotoxicity,” Overstreet explains. “With Dr. Crowder’s course, we discovered that the way plants are actually grown can affect their impact on cells, which is something I didn’t expect to have such a profound effect. It was very obvious. ‘OK, if a plant is growing in these conditions, it won't kill cells as well as if it was grown in other conditions.’

“That can impact the medical field. If we grow these plants in, say, Florida as opposed to Colorado, we could actually use it as a medicinal treatment for certain diseases, as opposed to how it’s grown in Colorado.”

“The students who participated in the research now have a better understanding of how the manner in which the plant is

grown is important and must be considered when investigating the medicinal plants,” says Crowder, noting that the students also gained experience in experimental design and data analysis.

As one of three students in the fall 2024 course, Overstreet forged close relationships with the other students in the cohort, enabling them to collaborate and help one another. The Jacksonville native credits Crowder for her strong mentorship, which has helped her grow as a researcher and formulate future plans.

In mid-March, Overstreet was scheduled to join Crowder at the annual Association of Southeastern Biologists conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, to present her senior project research — with the new insight gained from the course providing even more depth.

“I really enjoy studying cancer,” Overstreet concludes, “really enjoy learning everything about it.”

LEGAL EAGLES LEARNING ON THE FLY

A case for exemplifying Hatter Ready can surely be made by undergraduate Pre-Law students. The evidence: continual advancement by Stetson’s Moot Court and Mock Trial teams in major university competitions.

Exhibit A: Most recently, the varsity Mock Trial team earned first place at the American Mock Trial Association Regional Tournament, held at Florida State University in February. The team dominated with a 8-0 record against 24 teams. It was the team’s first-ever first place in regional competition, resulting in the first-ever direct bid (since 2015) to the Opening Round Championship Series, a pre-national competition in mid-March.

During the mock trial competition at FSU, students Paula Petit and Anna Beal won “Outstanding Attorney” awards. First-year student Petit comments: “Even though the case itself in Mock Trial is fiction and more dramatic than real life, it has

(Left) Kylie Overstreet, a student of Associate Professor Roslyn Crowder, PhD (below, in gloves): “I really enjoy studying cancer, really enjoy learning everything about it.” Other students in their respective study areas typically agree.

provided me with an amazing opportunity to learn about trial etiquette, objections, entering evidence, how to articulate arguments, learning how to read the judge and overall being polished — things that make you go from a good lawyer to a great lawyer.”

Adds Beal, a senior: ”Mock Trial has been more than just an extracurricular activity. Competing in high-level competitions and putting consistent work into practice gives you a sneak peek of what litigation looks like after law school.”

Tejal Ram ’23, now the Mock Trial Team coach, is a former team member who now attends Stetson University College of Law.

Similarly, Stetson students have excelled in Moot Court competitions, such as last fall’s Sunshine State Regional. Competing against 28 other teams at Nova Southeastern University, Stetson advanced to the pre-nationals in Memphis. The event was sponsored by the American Moot Court Association, the nation’s largest intercollegiate moot court organization.

Andrew Lagenbach, a government attorney who works for the Florida Department of Transportation, coached the Moot Court team and plans to coach again next year. “Over the course of the season,” he comments, “the students worked incredibly hard and grew in their ability to analyze case law and think on their feet while being questioned by judges. It was amazing to see undergraduate students reach a level that would make any lawyer proud!”

In addition to their noteworthy success at tournaments, these students are meeting and working alongside real-world professionals, including attorneys and judges — in true experiential learning, says Joshua Rust, PhD, Philosophy professor and director of Stetson’s Pre-Law program.

“This is a relationship-rich education that encourages connections between professors, students and community members outside the classroom,” Rust describes. “It is my firm conviction that what our Mock Trial and Moot Court students are doing is at the heart of what we want a Stetson education to be. … If the Hatter Ready curriculum is the future of Stetson, then Mock Trial and Moot Court are the future of Stetson. What they’re doing needs to be what we’re all doing.”

READY FOR WALL STREET

“Stetson has prepared me for my future by opening the door to various programs that really benefited me in terms of gaining the skills necessary to apply for a future career.”

Those are the words of Sugeeth Sathish, majoring in Accounting, Economics and Finance with a minor in Applied Statistics.

Sathish arrived at Stetson from Madison, Wisconsin, as a J. Ollie Edmunds Scholar. Graduating in May, he has already secured a job with Goldman Sachs — the result of a summer internship as an investment banking analyst at the company.

On campus, Sathish has taken numerous leadership roles, effectively leveraging every experiential opportunity possible while cultivating connections with faculty. That includes serving as Chief Investment Officer for the Roland George Investments Program, a studentled fund that manages more than $6 million within the School of Business Administration. Notably, he’s won multiple stock-pitch student competitions on the state and national levels. In addition, as part of Stetson’s Environmental Fellows program, he has worked on the Revolving Green Fund, a source of capital to invest in long-term sustainability projects to generate cost savings. Among the projects is the expansion of Stetson’s chiller loop system.

Sathish is passionate about the intersections of finance and sustainability and will begin work at Goldman Sachs in the Natural Resources coverage group. It fulfills a nearly lifelong dream.

“Stetson provides a lot of experiential learning opportunities, which we call being Hatter Ready,” he concludes.

(Above) Sugeeth Sathish

(Right) Paula Petit and Anna Beal, winners of “Outstanding Attorney” awards, helping Stetson to a big Mock Trial Team victory.

Lab research under a microscope requires patience, hand-eye coordination and dedication, such as displayed by Sophia Toussaint (below), Pilar Astigarraga Harper (right) and Sowren Wildingcrayne (bottom).

ADVANCING BIOMOLECULAR RESEARCH

The process required critical thinking and problem-solving — a series of trials, each comprising three sequential days of experimentation. Students of Associate Professor of Biology Lynn Kee, PhD, were pioneering a novel challenge.

Kee watched as the young researchers delicately dissected painted lady caterpillars under a microscope, so they could measure the level of a protein involved in development. The process “takes patience, hand-eye coordination and dedication,” Kee says.

In this Hatter Ready experience, students are taking key next steps in research based on earlier findings from Kee’s senior research students, who discovered a 30% increase in lifespan for caterpillars treated with a chemical called rapamycin. The drug interrupts a cellular pathway known as TOR, which regulates cell growth and survival in many organisms. Students are now trying to understand exactly how and why rapamycin has this effect on painted lady caterpillars at the molecular level. Eventually, this will help in understanding whether pesticides affect the TOR-signaling pathway in hopes of protecting the key pollinators.

The Hatter Ready research has fed junior Sophia Toussaint’s hunger for a deeper understanding. “I’m particularly interested in how gene editing can lead to breakthroughs in treating diseases and improving long-term health care,” says Toussaint, a Miami native.

Toussaint and lab mate Pilar Astigarraga Harper, a fellow junior from Spain, met in class and forged a bond. They share a major, Molecular and Cellular Biology, as well as a passion to pursue careers in research and medicine. Also, they are teaching assistants in Kee’s Molecular Biology and Biotechnology course, where students learn and develop skills in modern DNA technology. Harper is also a member of the women’s tennis team.

“At first, I was a little nervous about balancing tennis, classes and this program, but it turned out to be an incredibly fulfilling experience,” Harper says.

Toussaint adds: “The hands-on work, problem-solving and collaboration have exceeded my expectations, making me feel more confident in conducting experiments and interpreting results.”

WHAT THE DEANS ARE SAYING

“Faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences have developed a wide variety of immersive experiences, all of which push the boundaries of the traditional ‘classroom’ to provide hands-on, engaged learning. Instead of simply reading about advances in cancer biology, students developed and implemented greenhouse experiments to analyze molecular-level changes in plants that may improve their ability to treat forms of cancer. Instead of simply thinking about how public health organizations could improve, students directly partnered with a local organization and developed an actual plan to improve the lives of typically underserved community members. Instead of only one or two students being able to visit local shorelines to directly observe conservation strategies, an entire class visited several living shorelines to better understand these conservation efforts and develop plans for potential improvement. These are only a sampling of the types of opportunities that students will be able to experience as a part of Hatter Ready, with further offerings including study aways, internships and professional development workshops.

-Kyle Longest, PhD, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, Professor of Sociology

“Students in the School of Business Administration have the ability to not only study a business discipline, but also practice it through numerous experiential learning opportunities. Students in the Roland George Investments Program manage over $6 million of the university’s endowment with tremendous success. Prince Entrepreneurship students advance their entrepreneurial ideas under the thoughtful coaching and mentoring of our faculty, or they evaluate start-up investment opportunities through our Hatter Angels Investment Program. Our Centurion Sales Program students compete and win awards in national and international competitions, and so do our Business Ethics Program competition and Certified Financial Analyst Research Challenge teams. By infusing our programs with such experiential learning opportunities, we allow students to craft a unique, personal educational journey, and prepare them for the next chapter in their professional lives.”

-Yiorgos Bakamitsos, PhD, Dean, School of Business Administration, Professor of Marketing

“The School of Music is distinguished by its commitment to professional development and experiential learning, ensuring that students gain real-world experience throughout their entire residency. From fully or mostly funded national and international ensemble tours to performances at Carnegie Hall and Steinmetz Hall, chamber music performances and coaching, internships, apprenticeships and professional development conferences, our students are immersed in opportunities that bridge academic study with professional success. These experiences, integrated into the Hatter Ready initiative, equip our graduates with the skills, confidence and adaptability needed to thrive in today’s evolving music industry.”

-Washington Garcia, DMA, Dean, School of Music

“Since Hatter Ready was announced, the library has been busy brainstorming about engagement with faculty and students in their Hatter Ready immersives. Our librarians and archivist will help to program Hatter Ready initiatives like historical research, film festivals, book clubs, research projects and hands-on archival training. Another major partner will be the Innovation Lab, which will support immersives that make use of 3D printing, audio and video production, textile projects, and more. Faculty can make requests for us to purchase innovative materials and equipment for use in the lab. We are [Hatter] Ready and excited to partner!”

-Katy Webb, Betty Drees Johnson Dean of the duPont-Ball Library and Learning Technologies

Yiorgos Bakamitsos, PhD

Kyle Longest, PhD

Washington Garcia, DMA

Katy Webb

After working for the European Parliament in Brussels, Slavina Ancheva ’20 has her sights set on a Harvard master’s degree and lasting impact.

BY JACK ROTH

BULGARIA TO STETSON AND THE WORLD

Slavina Ancheva ’20, an Honors double-major in Political Science and Economics, stands as a testament to Stetson’s rich academic rigor, the tenets of public policy, and the drive and determination to make the world a better place.

Call her sort of a poster child.

Ancheva’s father was a former diplomat for the Embassy of Bulgaria, and currently is Consul General for Bulgaria in Chicago. Thus, she was able to attend events in which he participated, exposing her to the world of diplomacy. She used those experiences as a springboard and arrived at Stetson as a J. Ollie Edmunds Scholar — the recipient of a nationally competitive merit-based scholarship that pays expenses for four years and attracts top student scholars who exhibit exemplary academic and personal leadership.

On campus, Ancheva didn’t squander the opportunity. She excelled as both a student and a leaders, presiding over Alpha Kappa Psi, Stetson’s professional business organization on campus, and heading numerous community-engagement initiatives.

Last fall, Ancheva began her next chapter, pursuing a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, which brings together leaders worldwide who seek to be drivers for good. And, so far, just like at Stetson, she has embraced the opportunity to be surrounded by students and professors who want to make, and have already made, a lasting impact.

“Our classes are practical in nature and allow us to dive deep into issues we care about and learn different policymaking, negotiation, quantitative and leadership skills,” she describes. “Outside of class, we’re able to participate in research projects, attend events with current and former world leaders, and be actively involved in the Harvard community.”

Sound familiar?

Prior to the Kennedy School, Ancheva spent four years working as a policy adviser for Eva Maydell, a Bulgarian member of the European Parliament in Brussels. She worked on some of the leading pieces of digital legislation in the European Union, ultimately participating in negotiations for the EU’s Artificial Intelligence Act, the world’s first comprehensive law on AI.

During that process, she learned about the basics of Artificial Intelligence, the different use cases for the technology, the massive potential it has to improve lives, and also the potential negative consequences if the right guardrails are not put in place.

“I became deeply interested in the impact of AI and emerging technologies on our democracies and societies,”

Ancheva explains. “This is what drove me to pursue this master’s degree in public policy at Harvard, where I’m continuing to learn about AI policy through research opportunities and fellowships focused on these topics.”

Recently, she co-authored a 128-page white paper on AI, sharing that work on LinkedIn and Harvard’s website.

HIGH ACHIEVER

Only 23 years of age, Ancheva’s achievements already are both impressive and noteworthy.

Consider these examples:

• She was a Global Rhodes Scholarship finalist in 2019 — traveling to London and coming within an eyelash, a whisker, of being Stetson’s first recipient of the award.

• She is a former Fulbright Bulgaria grantee, one of four Bulgarians chosen by the Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange.

• She is a former Belfer Young Leader, Harvard Kennedy School, where she was awarded a fellowship at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs through the Charles Edison Fund.

• She is a former team leader and policy adviser at the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, where she coordinated the work of a nine-person team based in both Brussels and Bulgaria.

• She cofounded the Accessible World Foundation, a Bulgarian NGO dedicated to enhancing public space accessibility. (NGOs are nongovernmental organizations that are independent, nonprofit and operate outside of government control.)

• Currently, she is a research assistant to Paulo Carvão, senior fellow at the Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government at the Harvard Kennedy School. Her research focus is AI Policy in the United States.

Almost as impressively, Ancheva reveals her accomplishments have never been the result of external pressure. Her parents, teachers and mentors didn’t push her in

one direction or another, always leaving it up to her to decide what she was most interested in pursuing. This allowed her curiosity to flourish and helped her be certain in whatever path she chose.

“Perhaps it’s always more of an internal drive to learn and achieve. It may have to do with the fact that when I moved to the United States at the age of 6, I didn’t speak any English. I was placed in high-intensive language classes and learned it within six months,” says Ancheva, who moved to the United States at 6 and lived the next 11 years in Arlington, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C., where her father was then a Bulgarian diplomat.

Once she learned English, she began to read — in volume — and her favorite part of the weekend was going to the library with her mother and sister to pick up a “stack of books.” She still loves to read and learn, but that drive also has evolved into a desire to make a lasting impact in her sphere, and also play even a small part in doing something good for people.

One of Ancheva’s favorite quotes is from Steve Jobs’ 2005 commencement address at Stanford University: “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

“That’s not to say I don’t make plans or have goals of where I want to be,” she says. “Rather, I try to focus on the impact and sphere I want to be in rather than the exact role or position that may be.”

In 10 years, Ancheva hopes to be working in the policymaking sphere — ideally related to tech policy or foreign affairs — in Bulgaria or Europe, while still keeping close ties to the United States.

“I’ve always been drawn to public service for the simple reason it’s about people,” she asserts. “This is what motivates my interest in AI policy … . I’m deeply curious how the rapid advancements of these technologies will go on to impact people’s lives, their beliefs about democracy and the progress our society is able to make as a whole.”

THE STETSON EXPERIENCE

Ancheva believes democratic institutions are meant to be problem-solvers. Also, she feels society needs effective leaders and public servants who can change the narrative around democracy and show how it can deliver for people.

“My studies have always been motivated by these difficult questions,” she says. “At Stetson, some of my favorite classes were focused on political psychology, comparative politics and international political economy. I can’t stress enough how much Stetson helped me prepare for all that has come after graduation.”

On campus, Ancheva felt fortunate to have access to the academic and extracurricular opportunities, and she “absolutely loved” studying in the Political Science and Economics departments, where, she insists, some of the best professors in the country reside. She credits them with enabling her to publish a coauthored peer-reviewed paper upon graduation, as well as making her aware of the Fulbright Program, which is sponsoring her studies at Harvard. Her pathway to the possible Global Rhodes Scholarship was greatly aided by Stetson, too.

“What makes Stetson special is also the student body,” she continues. “Everyone’s involved in the university and the greater DeLand community, and I keep up with many of my friends and classmates to this day. At the end of the day, Stetson feels like a family and will always hold a special place in my memories.”

To Stetson students thinking about public policy as a career, Ancheva offers these words of encouragement: “Go for it! Public policy is a field that benefits from multidisciplinary approaches, so whether you’re studying politics, economics, biology, engineering, languages, communications or any other degree, there’s a place for you in this field if you’re committed to making the world a better place.”

Ancheva, after all, serves as emblematic poster proof.

EHatter Ready comes with blasts from the past, including decadeslong mentorship after graduation. Just ask Kristen Kolleda ’08.

BY MICHAEL CANDELARIA

JOURNEY

FROM ‘NO IDEA’

xperiential learning from the past at Stetson in settings that extended beyond the classroom?

Kristen Kolleda can certainly tell a few stories, dating back to 2004 when she arrived on campus as a wide-eyed firstyear student in need of direction. That’s before taking a semester to study in Russia and receiving continual mentorship long after graduation, including help on her doctoral dissertation from a Stetson professor who never knew her as a student.

As a result, Kolleda went from having “no idea” about a major to now serving as director of Emergency Management for University of Kansas Medical Center. It’s a job that encompasses all disaster-related programs for the schools of medicine, nursing and health professions. Also, she’s an adjunct professor for the emergency management program at Purdue University Global. In all, she has worked in health care emergency management for more than a decade, with experience in both academic health systems and pediatric hospitals. Indeed, Hatter Ready, although new, has deep and impactful roots. Coming from Cocoa Beach High School, Kolleda “didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I grew up.” She wasn’t even sure about Stetson. It was more a place that her mother hoped for because it was close enough to home but far enough away. Her early studies centered on psychology (following her father’s footsteps) and Spanish (to learn another language). Only later, with a native Slavic background, did Kolleda become intrigued by Stetson’s Program in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies. So, she joined the

program. Still, she remembers, “I wasn’t the best of students, and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do.”

In time, however, that would change. At the encouragement of SPREES Professor Michael Denner, PhD, Kolleda spent a summer in St. Petersburg, Russia. She recalls not being fully on board with the trip, but finally relented at Denner’s urging: “He kept saying, ‘You’re going to go; you’re going to go!’”

Kolleda went and, without hyperbole, life never was the same.

“I studied at the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg [founded in 1764], which was awesome. I got to see some amazing art, and I just feel like every student should have the opportunity to go learn about other cultures. It doesn’t matter which culture, but I feel like that really allows you to grow as a person,” she explains.

In 2008, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Russian Studies — and, as it turned out, a desire to experience even more.

Months after graduation, a two-week disaster training course at Indian River Community College (now Indian River State College) took her to Macedonia and altered her pursuit of a profession. In Macedonia, disaster training took hold, leading to a master’s in public health (Global Emergency Preparedness and Response) from San Diego State University and, later, a doctorate in philosophy (Fire and Emergency Management Administration) from Oklahoma State University, received last May. For good measure, Kolleda is a Certified Emergency Manager from the International Association of Emergency Managers, and currently serves as a chair for the association’s Healthcare Caucus.

All the while, despite decades and long distance, Denner had remained a mentor, even assisting on the topic for her doctoral dissertation: the crucial roles played by female medical workers in Ukraine, highlighting their resilience and critical contributions during the ongoing crisis.

“I talked to Dr. Denner [about the dissertation], and we focused on females because in Ukraine 83% of the health care workers are female. And so, he kind of led me into that avenue,” Kolleda says, noting she conducted approximately 20 virtual interviews with Ukrainian women who were either in hospitals or medics on the front lines.

Further, there was more assistance from Stetson. Thanks to Denner, Kolleda collaborated with Visiting Professor Olena Kolupayeva, PhD, who was newly affiliated with the Media Studies department. Beginning in January 2023, Kolupayeva, a native of Ukraine, facilitated Kolleda’s interviews, transcribed and translated them, and shared insight about the Ukrainian health care system. (As an aside, Kolleda has just adopted a newborn and often had to hold her son while interviewing.)

Kolleda and Kolupayeva, of course, had never previously crossed paths at Stetson.

Kolleda’s research produced riveting stories, with her work presented virtually at a National Grand Rounds (bi-monthly webinar series) for the American College of Medical Toxicology.

“The research study plays a foundational role in understanding the impacts on the lives of female medical professionals who are trying to live and work in an evolving, protracted armed urban conflict,” Kolleda describes. “It is significant because it takes place during an active war, notably a complex emergency, and focuses on a lesser known female perspective.

“It was a personally heartening experience speaking to these brave women, who work tirelessly to be both medical professionals, mothers, sisters, friends and comrades. Speaking with these women reminded in me the reason why I got into the field of emergency management and reinvigorated my desire to continue researching and teaching about complex emergencies.”

Kolleda attributes much of her success to the Stetson professor who was steadfast in his guidance.

“Dr. Denner was always there,” Kolleda says. “He pushed me. A couple years ago, I was going through all my documents, and I still had his papers that said, ‘If you did this,

you would be able to excel more.’ And he was the one who got me to go abroad. And I think that really showed how I could be independent and how I could flourish. … That Russian [study abroad] program that led me to my Macedonian experience changed everything.”

Kolleda continues, “Now, I’m responsible for emergency management for my campus — the learners, the medical students, the nursing students, the health professionals and those doing research on cancer research. They have to be able to move forward [during a crisis] because they’re going to be the ones protecting the patient, and they’re going to be the ones saving lives. So, I really feel like what I do on a day-to-day basis is help protect them so that they can protect other people. And I know that sounds ridiculous.”

Denner, still at Stetson, remains amazed at Kolleda’s journey.

“I really feel like what I do on a day-to-day basis is help protect them so that they can protect other people. And I know that sounds ridiculous.”

- Kristen Kolleda ’08

“It’s fascinating how unpredictable and unplannable her career trajectory has been,” Denner says. “She went from Stetson to St. Petersburg [Russia] to Macedonia. From there, she went into the hospital management field and then to graduate school, where she wrote a dissertation on female medical workers frontline in Ukraine. Now, she’s an emergency management director. What a story! What a trajectory! No one could have planned her trajectory. Stetson is proudly a university that opens the world to students.”

YOUNG AT HEART AND MIND

For Eddie Kertis ’84 at Stetson, it was “all Eddie has to do is be Eddie.” Five decades later, that means being “the oldest college swimmer in America.”

BY JACK ROTH

Eddie Kertis, who graduated from Stetson in 1984 with a bachelor’s in Biology, has never recoiled from a challenge. Today, at a spry 63 years old, he swims on a team with teenagers barely old enough to shave. Currently enrolled as a student at the College of the Florida Keys, this sexagenarian is quite possibly the oldest college swimmer in America.

Believe it.

“It’s great; these kids treat me like a peer,” says Kertis, who swims in the four-man relay. “We talk swimming, classes, professors and graduation as if I’m an 18-year-old teammate. I’m old enough to be their grandfather, but we have a really good time.”

As a card-carrying member of AARP, this is not Kertis’ first rodeo. A lifelong swimmer, he grew up surfing and diving on the east coast of Florida. He and his wife, Joanne, met on their high school swim team in Daytona Beach, and they have been in the water ever since then — coaching, judging and swimming in U.S. Masters competitions.

At the College of the Florida Keys, Kertis has qualified and competed in four events at the Junior College National Championships. Recently, he was named an NJCAA First Team Academic All-American. The next oldest swimmer at the NJCAA Championships was 23.

The key to his success: being hungry for, and enjoying, the competition.

“I went to my first swim meet when I was 8 or 9,” he describes, “and I still get butterflies when I get up on the blocks.”

The lifelong swimmer also grew up surfing not far from Stetson.

A LIFE ON

Growing up in Daytona Beach with two older sisters, Kertis seemed to come into this world loving anything and everything amphibious. His outdoor, and often wet, childhood experiences molded his passions. After graduating from Stetson, he earned a master’s in environmental engineering sciences from the University of Florida, majoring in wetlands ecology.

A career Army officer in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Kertis retired as a colonel after 28 years of service, with his military résumé containing more than a decade of command assignments, including two tours in Afghanistan and one in Iraq. During those years, he received numerous military decorations and awards, such as several Legions of Merit and Bronze Stars, the Master Parachutist Badge, Pathfinder Badge and Ranger Tab.

Kertis moved to Key West in 2018 to open Aloha Sailing Key West charters. In turn, his pursuit of additional knowledge for the charter business landed him at the College of the Florida Keys, now on track for a degree in either marine engineering and seamanship or dive business and technology.

Also, it put him in the water competitively. He had never exhausted any of his collegiate eligibility in athletics.

“I initially enrolled in CFK’s boat maintenance program because I wanted to learn more about it for my business, but the coaches knew I was actively swimming and wanted me to try out for the team because they needed someone for the four-man relay,” he explains. “So basically, I’m working on my boats and swimming.”

Developing his competitive edge did not come naturally for him, calling himself a “chronic procrastinator” and “generally lazy.”

“My high school swim coach used to give me a hard time for not being serious enough. I had no ambitions other than surfing and saving some money,” he says.

Everything changed when he joined the Army. From his first day in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), he began to appreciate the importance of responsibility and leadership.

“Now, if I start something, I’ll finish it,” he asserts. “Yesterday at practice, I had some cramps, so I stretched. Practice ended, but I had 700 yards to go, so I didn’t leave until I finished my laps.”

STETSON DAYS

The young, easygoing Kertis probably would have gone to college anywhere, but he was the baby of the family. So, his mother, as mothers will, encouraged him not to go too far from home. She nudged him to apply to Stetson, to which Kertis gladly obliged because his girlfriend was only 10 miles away in Daytona Beach.

Once at Stetson, Kertis was able to begin his educational journey, build personal relationships and learn from them, which he feels fortunate to have experienced. He took the opportunity to join Pi Kappa Phi, and he cherishes those fraternal friendships to this day.

“The relationships you build and learn from are tremendous,” he affirms. “I can grab any one of my brothers and go to the beach, go to dinner and we, as brothers, will have fun. I received the gift of relationships and community from Stetson, and I’m thankful for that.”

Dean Hollis, who received a bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 1982 and currently serves on Stetson’s Board of Trustees, is one of those “brothers.”

Hollis fondly remembers those days.

“Eddie was gregarious, outgoing and very passionate,” describes Hollis, who has been

Kertis to his teammates: “Apply yourself academically and always strive to do better, but always remember that being well-rounded is what it’s all about.”

a trustee for 24 years and currently serves as board vice chair. “He never met a person he didn’t know and was naturally comfortable in any environment.”

Hollis isn’t surprised about Kertis’ subsequent achievements, either.

“Initially it does [surprise me],” says Hollis. “My first impression of Eddie was a surfer dude. I’ll never forget when, as a pledge, he walked into my room, opened up my refrigerator and started eating my ham sandwich. I couldn’t believe this guy. This was the old days of fraternities when you had to earn your way in, but he was just super gregarious and fun, and he ingratiated himself with everyone.

“And he’s not egotistical. He’s genuinely a really nice and friendly guy. Mostly, he’s a passionate person, and this transcends everything.”

These days, characteristically, Kertis exhibits such passion whenever his current college teammates ask him for advice.

“You’re in school to learn about life, live on your own and make adult decisions, but you’re also there for an education, and your mission is to put everything into that,” he tells them. “Apply yourself academically and always strive to do better, but always remember that being wellrounded is what it’s all about. So, get involved socially as well.”

It's sage advice from a 63-year-old still in college.

TOUCHDOWN, FOOTBALL!

New head coach Mike Jasper believes “how we do things is much more important than what we accomplish.” And he plans to win.

BY MICHAEL CANDELARIA

In December, Stetson hired Mike Jasper as the third head coach of Hatters Football in the modern era. He replaced Brian Young, who resigned after four seasons at the helm.

Prior to Stetson, Jasper led Bethel University in Tennessee to consecutive 11-win seasons (2022 and 2023), earning MidSouth Conference Coach of the Year and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year in 2022.

Before becoming head coach, Jasper was the assistant head coach at Bethel and served in numerous other coaching capacities, including on the defensive and offensive lines, as run game coordinator, and in charge of strength and conditioning.

As a player in college, he was both a defensive and offensive lineman, beginning at the University of TennesseeMartin before transferring to Middle Tennessee State University and finishing at Bethel.

In 2011, Jasper was chosen by the Buffalo Bills in the National Football League draft, becoming the most recent player at the NAIA level to be selected. He played four seasons in the NFL with the Bills, Tennessee Titans, New York Giants and Carolina Panthers.

Mike Jasper was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the NFL draft.

Jasper graduated from Bethel with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration. He arrived at Stetson with his wife, Allison, children Davis Reid, Millie Claire and Samuel David, and rescue dog Caine.

WHY STETSON?

‘Why Stetson’ is a great question. I think it boils down to the opportunity

in a beautiful location. Obviously at first sight, DeLand is a wonderful place. And you’re down in sunny, beautiful Florida in a state full of [football] talent.

“But it really wasn’t until I got on the phone with Ricky Ray [athletics director], and I started to hear his vision for this place. And then I met President [Christopher F.] Roellke, Steve [chair, Board of Trustees] and Lee Alexander [wife], and so many wonderful people at Stetson and in DeLand. The passion and the positive energy was just radiating off every person I came in contact with; that made it a no-brainer for me. When I came down on my visit, I immediately fell in love, and it was the same for my wife. We saw DeLand, and it was a God thing. We knew this was home.”

IN TERMS OF FOOTBALL ON THE FIELD — WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THE NEXT YEAR?

“My goal, first and foremost, is to create an environment conducive to success for my players. I got into coaching, after a lifelong journey of playing the game, to give back. So, it’s my goal for every student-athlete that comes into our program to leave better than what they came in.

“My goal for these players is really to establish a culture of excellence, to teach these young men how to wake up and chase greatness each and every day. That was my blueprint at Bethel, and we were extremely successful by remaining root-

The Jasper family: children Samuel David (left), Millie Claire (middle) and Davis Reid; wife Allison; and the Hatters’ new leader.

focused. We’ve been focused on developing great people, and that’s who drives our culture within our football program.

“So, the wins and the championships and the success are a byproduct of waking up every day and doing things the right way, and then pouring into these young people and giving them and my coaching staff the tools to be successful.”

WHAT CAN YOU SAY ABOUT YOUR COACHES, YOUR STAFF?

“I’ve been very fortunate. We’re at a full staff. And we’ve put together a stellar staff full of winners. But I think the most important piece of it is they are all like-minded men who are really

focused on the people. We wanted to create a staff that will let these players know they’re loved, they’re cared for, and that we were going to be mentors of men before we are football coaches.”

WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT A PLAYING STYLE?

“We are going to be aggressive in all three phases [offense, defense, special teams]. We’re going to bring an exciting and explosive brand of football to Stetson.

“We’re going to be predicated on our effort, our attitude and our toughness. Offensively, we will run what I like to call a ‘smashmouth spread’ offense. We’re going to get the ball vertical in

the run and in the pass game. We won’t sit back and be predictable. We’re going to spread the defense out while being aggressive and play in an attacking manner.

“On defense, we’re going to present the opposing offensive coordinator with a lot of different variables. We’re going to bring pressure from different places, and levels of the defense. We’re also going to be fundamentally sound and have the ability to stop the run, and eliminate big plays in the pass game. The last three years [at Bethel], we allowed a little over 12 points a game on defense. My goal is to have that type of success here at Stetson as well. On special teams, we are going to have great

Jasper: "I got into coaching, after a lifelong journey of playing the game, to give back. So, it's my goal for every student-athlete that comes into our program to leave better than what they came in."

attention to detail and put our other two units in a great position to be successful.

“Our objective is to score points in every single phase. It’s a very exciting brand of football. It’s a very physical brand of football, not for the faint of heart. We’re going to fly around, we’re going to hit people, we’re going to hit people hard.”

BIG-PICTURE, WHAT ARE YOU SEEKING TO ACCOMPLISH WITH THE PROGRAM IN THE YEARS AHEAD?

“I want to put a brand of football in DeLand, Florida, that the entire community can get behind. I want to pack Spec Martin [Memorial Stadium] every single game. I want the kids to be excited. I want kids to grow up saying, ‘I want to be a Hatter football player.’ I want people to know that we have great Division I football right here in DeLand. We’re going to be a source of pride for this entire community.

“But I’m not here to win in three, four, five years. That’s just not who I am. My expectations will always be high, and we're seeking to win right now.”

WITH THE LANDSCAPE OF COLLEGE ATHLETICS CHANGING — WITH PLAYERS GETTING PAID FROM NAME, IMAGE AND LIKENESS (NIL), ALONG WITH PLAYERS MOVING THROUGH THE TRANSFER PORTAL, ETC. — DOES THAT KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT?

“It doesn’t. Our student-athletes have access to NIL opportunities; those opportunities are going to help players out, to close the cost gap. Those dollars helping our athletes to get the phenomenal education, culture and atmosphere that’s here at Stetson is a good thing.

As far as the transfer portal, it’s the way of our world now. While we would love to retain every player that we bring into our program, that may not always be the case. We have to do a good job utilizing this tool ourselves to build strong rosters.”

SO, FOR THIS YEAR, WHAT'S GOING TO MAKE 2025 A SUCCESS FOR YOU?

“Year one is all about growth and development — as long as these young men come out and play to the best of their ability, and we as a staff see growth in their development, not only as football players but as young men. I want to see added pride in DeLand for Stetson football, and with that, exponential growth in attendance at Spec Martin on Saturdays. These things would make it a successful year in my eyes.

Like I said, we’re going to be root-focused, and I believe the wins and the championships are a byproduct of that. I know we can win football games. I think that goes without saying, but it will be because we do things the right way, and I see the growth in our program. It’s not so much predicated off wins and losses. I’m a very firm believer that how we do things is much more important than what we accomplish.”

2025 FOOTBALL ASSISTANT COACHES

OFFENSE

Jarod Dodson

Offensive Coordinator/Associate Head Coach/Quarterbacks

Matt Clark

Wide Receivers/Special Teams Coordinator

Atif Austin

Running Backs/Recruiting Coordinator

Sean Matias

Tight Ends/Halfbacks

Chace Gadapee

Offensive Line/Video Coordinator

DEFENSE

Dustin Kincaid

Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers/ Director of Football Operations

Herman Smith

Defensive Line/ Pro Liaison

TJ Denson

Safeties/Assistant Recruiting Coordinator

Kyle Wallace

Cornerbacks

Brian Reynolds

Outside Linebackers

Hunter Simmons

Special Teams Assistant

2024 ALUMNI AWARD

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

Cedric Leiba Jr '03 is a proud Afro-Boricua artist who showcases his Afro-Latino roots and represents the LGBTQIA+ community through his art. In 2024, the Hispanic Federation recognized him with a Visibility Award to acknowledge his career accomplishments thus far.

He is frequently invited to speak at conferences and is currently listed on the roster of experts for the U.S. Speaker Program at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs — having been invited to lead a delegation in Havana in June 2024.

In addition, he is part of Gonzalez-Leiba Jr, and in association with Score 3 Partners, is a co-producer of the Tony Award-winning, Broadway hit, Hell’s Kitchen In early February, the original cast recording was

Attorney Patrick Smith ’02 is a distinguished estate planning attorney who is recognized for his commitment to both his clients and the future of the legal community. He has built a successful solo legal practice with multiple locations across Florida, providing tailored planning and solutions in elder law, estate planning and legacy wealth transfer. His passion for public service extends beyond his practice; he hosts The Attorney Patrick Smith show, a weekly call-in radio show where he offers accessible legal advice to the community.

Additionally, his mentorship program brings him the most joy — providing undergraduate and law school students direct, hands-on interaction in a

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD

Maj. Ashley Rutherford ’12 is chief of the Research & Analysis Branch at the Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, in New Mexico. Following graduation, Rutherford earned a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Carolina, as well as a doctorate in health care research from the University of Central Florida, and a master’s in intelligence and security studies from The Citadel. Since commissioning into the U.S. Air Force’s Biomedical Science Corps in 2017, she has served as flight commander at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, and as a professor at the U.S. Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. Rutherford was

awarded a Grammy for Best Musical Theatre Album. Along with Hell’s Kitchen, Gonzalez-Leiba Jr has also co-produced Broadway’s The Wiz, Our Town, Swept Away and are currently co-producers for the latest revival of Gypsy, starring six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald.

Further, he was the associate choreographer at Manhattan Class Company Theatre’s production of Bees & Honey, and has appeared on HBO’s High Maintenance, NBC’s The Blacklist and last fall in CBS’ The Equalizer

Leiba Jr was last seen on stage in St. Louis at The Muny’s production of West Side Story. He was in the lead role of Chino and was engaged as the dialect coach, ensuring authenticity for the portrayal of the Puerto Rican characters.

real-world legal environment. He believes fostering a compassionate, empathetic viewpoint of clients enhances students’ effectiveness as future legal professionals.

In honor of the significant impact Professor Emeritus T. Wayne Bailey, PhD, and Stetson’s Model Senate program had on him while an undergraduate, he and his wife, Kristi ’03, established an endowment for the mentorship program. His commitment to the Model Senate reflects a broader vision of inspiring informed, engaged citizens who are equipped to actively contribute to democracy, thereby leaving a lasting legacy that benefits both the university and the community.

deployed in support of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, as both the public health emergency officer and medical intelligence officer. She was deployed again during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting humanitarian operations throughout the Southeast as the Surgeon General’s representative.

Reflecting exemplary service and commitment, Rutherford has received the Meritorious Service, Air & Space Commendation, Army Commendation, Air & Space Achievement, National Defense Service, Afghanistan Campaign, Humanitarian Service and NATO medals.

CEDRIC LEIBA JR

PATRICK SMITH

ASHLEY RUTHERFORD

WINNERS

THE AWARDS WERE PRESENTED DURING HOMECOMING 2024.

OUTSTANDING YOUNG ALUMNI AWARD

Alex Ercolani ’16 is a proven leader who has been recognized by the U.S. Congress with a Congressional Medal of Merit for Outstanding Leadership. Putting her ample leadership skills to use, Ercolani serves her community as the chief operating officer and attorney at Munizzi Law Firm, a boutique law firm based in DeLand that serves the greater Orlando area. She also has utilized her leadership skills to serve the university as a member of the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board and by advising and coaching several university programs.

In her role as COO, Ercolani oversees all strategic and operational aspects of the firm.

GEORGE AND MARY HOOD AWARD

As an attorney, she focuses on advising small and midsized businesses, helping clients through all lifecycle stages of their enterprise. She is admitted to The Florida Bar and the U.S. District Court-Middle District of Florida.

Ercolani believes supporting and giving back to her local community are essential. Aside from the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Board, she is the chapter adviser of Alpha Chi Omega and previously served as the head coach of Stetson’s award-winning Undergraduate Mock Trial Program. Also, she is a former two-term chair of the American Cancer Society’s Relay For Life.

(Presented to a member or friend of the Stetson community in recognition of passion for, and commitment and contributions to, Stetson and its core values)

For 41 years, Judith M. Dixon ’74 served as the consumer relations officer for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, a division of the Library of Congress. While her name might not be recognized in every household, Dixon is a celebrity to thousands of literacy lovers who read and write braille. Although retired, she continues to work part-time for the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled, remaining at the forefront of developments impacting braille and access technology.

Her passion for braille literacy and information access has touched blind people everywhere. In 1999, NLS launched Web-Braille, a groundbreaking project that enables braille-reading patrons to down-

load books and magazines to braille-aware devices for immediate electronic access. Dixon designed and inaugurated that innovative effort and continued to manage it for the next decade.

Dixon served as chair of the Braille Authority of North America, 2007-2011, and secretary of the International Council on English Braille, 2008-2016, and in 2020 was elected president of that organization. She has published numerous articles and books, many of them by the National Braille Press in Boston. Her work often highlights ways in which technology can enrich life for blind and low vision people in areas that range from photography and document creation to gaming and travel.

ALEX ERCOLANI

JUDITH DIXON

In July, Joanna “JJ” Payette ’06 will become captain of the Alumni Board team. It’s a familiar role.

BY MICHAEL CANDELARIA

NEW CHALLENGE, SAME COMMITMENT

Joanna “JJ” Payette has seen and done a ton at Stetson. Arriving on campus in 2002 as a first-year student, Payette spent parts of three decades with Stetson near and dear to her heart. Majoring in Integrative Health Science and Rehabilitative Studies, she played on the Hatters softball team, serving as a two-year co-captain while earning Atlantic Sun All-Academic honors three times. She then was a coach for 13 seasons, assisting on Stetson teams that captured two conference championships and secured two NCAA Tournament berths.

That was all before further achievement. Payette earned a master’s degree (Science in Education, Sports Administration degree from the University of Miami in 2018), a Doctor of Law degree from Barry University and, ultimately, became an attorney and chief marketing officer for Orange Blossom Law in Winter Park, not far from Stetson.

Now, Payette is back for more leadership impact at Stetson.

“I’m just so fortunate to make Stetson a part of my life as a student, as a coach and then as an alumna,” she says. “It’s a wonderful place, and if I can continue to serve my alma mater, I’m grateful to do so. … And if I can continue to watch [Stetson] flourish and grow, then it’s an honor.”

Payette will have something to do with that progress, as she assumes the role of Alumni Board president on July 1. Stetson’s Office of Alumni Engagement works to keep the university’s 40,000-plus alumni connected. The Alumni Board is central to that mission, striving to promote and develop relationships between alumni and the university while fostering loyalty and philanthropic support.

“It’s a rewarding experience because I meet so many awesome folks,” Payette continues. “But I also get to help Stetson continue to be relevant, especially at a time when we’re seeing a lot of schools that aren’t as successful. I want to help the university [founded in 1883] with the vision and values to thrive for another 140 years.”

Atop her presidential agenda is alumni engagement.

“I think alumni engagement is always going to be an ongoing goal. It may be that life gets in the way, so we need to reengage [with alumni] and keep them engaged,” Payette comments. “There are so many different avenues to highlight the really cool things we’ve got going. Obviously, that includes athletics, but we also have vibrant student life to share, academic areas and so much more. There are really wonderful things happening. So, if we can reengage people, I think that’s my biggest piece.”

Front and center to her is Hulley Tower, which encountered structural damage following the 2004 hurricane season and was dismantled in 2005 while she was a student on campus. Alumni have led its reconstruction. (See Page 16.)

“I’m very proud to say that I bought a brick when I was an undergrad right after the dismantling was announced. I knew at

that time Hulley Tower was important to me and everyone. It’s a pillar of our campus, and I love that there’s been so much engagement and purpose behind getting Hulley back and having her rise again,” Payette says, also pointing to the significance of the current Edmunds Center renovation.

“I’m so grateful that people care enough to continue to push the things that allow us not to forget our history.”

Such gratitude and pride are motivating Payette toward the double-duty required to be both a lawyer and Alumni Board president. Orange Blossom Law specializes in comprehensive probate, estate planning and guardianship legal services. Payette describes it as a compassionate law firm that is at least partly shaped by the health care ethics taught in her courses at Stetson. Her words: “We’re trying to prevent some of the headaches that might come when life happens to families. And let me tell you, I use those classes every day in my practice.”

Looking back, those values are precisely what attracted her to Stetson from high school in Colorado, where she was living at the time (with other times spent in Florida). She sought academic rigor and a chance to play Division I softball. Also, she wanted more.

“Stetson talked about values, and that was something I was looking for — kindness, compassion and caring,” she remembers. “I know that was a decision I made at 17, 18 years old. I’m old now, and I’m still pleased for the decision I made. ... I love Stetson because Stetson has stayed true to who they are, and that is for others to help others through community involvement.”

Appropriately enough, all these years later, Payette now has a leadership hand in those efforts.

Payette: “I love Stetson because Stetson has stayed true ... .”

WHAT MAKES A STETSON ALUMNI BOARD MEMBER?

Meet the newest additions, who began their official roles last July.

ALAYNA MINES ’14

Mines is a professional wedding planner, entrepreneur and small-business owner. As the founder of Roots to Stems Wedding Planning and The Palm Mansion, she has made significant strides in Florida's wedding and event industry.

As a student, she served as vice president of membership for the Tri Delta sorority, along with being a founding member of Hatter Productions and the editor of HerCampus Stetson, among other roles.

With hundreds of weddings executed, a growing team and features in top publications such as Good Morning America and Brides Magazine, Mines continues to expand her impact in the event industry while proudly representing Stetson as an Alumni Board member. She is married to fellow Hatter, Matt Mines '16, and they welcomed their first child, Eric, earlier this year.

BETSY COWAN JOYNER ’89

Joyner began teaching preschool before starting a family and embarking on a career at NCNB, now Bank of America, in Lake Mary, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

During her time at Stetson, she engaged in activities that left a lasting impact on both her life and the university. By joining Tri Delta and serving as a little sister to Pi Kappa Phi, she gained valuable organizational and leadership skills that continue to shape her today.

As a senior, Joyner showcased her skills by cofounding the Stetson Rowing Team, which continues to thrive today. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic grew, she established the Stetson Rowing Alumni Association to strengthen support for the team during a challenging time. Joyner later took part in the Max Cleland Leadership Stetson program and went on to join the Alumni Board.

AHMAD YAKZAN ’03, MBA ’05, JD ’07, LLM ’09

An accomplished immigration attorney, Yakzan is originally from Lebanon and moved to the United States at 18 to pursue his education. He earned four degrees at Stetson: a Bachelor of Arts, Master of Business Administration, Juris Doctor and Master of Laws (LL.M).

Founder of American Dream Law Office, Yakzan has dedicated more than 15 years to helping individuals and businesses navigate the complexities of immigration law. With a deep understanding of the challenges faced by immigrants, he leverages his personal journey to connect with clients and deliver compassionate, results-driven service.

In addition, he’s proudly supporting the Alumni Board’s mission of fostering leadership, innovation and excellence — giving back to the community that shaped him.

ALLYNE ETTNER ’09

Ettner continued her family’s legacy as a Hatter — her parents are Missie McCarthy ’78 and Bruce Grawert ’77. Yet, the journey at Stetson was uniquely her own. With the encouragement of professors, Ettner seized opportunities to study abroad, pursue a master’s degree and uncover true passions, which shaped both her personal and professional paths in meaningful ways.

Today, Ettner is the leader of global talent development and employee engagement at Interface, a carbon-neutral company renowned for its innovative flooring solutions. Her time at Stetson provided the foundation, skills and confidence to excel in her career while also remaining dedicated to driving positive impact.

GWENDOLYN AZAMA-EDWARDS ’71, MA ’83

Azama-Edwards was the valedictorian of her high school’s graduating class, earning her a college scholarship. And, partly thanks to her high school mentor, George Williams, she began her journey as a Hatter. Now retired, she has dedicated more than 31 years to serving others through her careers in state and municipal government. She continues her commitment to service as a member of various boards, helping individuals secure employment, access social services, gain college admission, develop businesses and find mentorship opportunities. Her passion for expanding the understanding of, and investment in, minority communities led her to join the Alumni Board. Drawing on her leadership experience, she strives to be an asset to the board, as well as the greater Stetson community, while working to support students on campus.

TONY GILOTTI ’20

A Volusia County native, Gilotti chose Stetson for its academics and the chance to join the newly established football program. After graduating during the height of the pandemic, he launched his financial services career with help from Stetson alumni on LinkedIn. Now a financial adviser at Raymond James, Gilotti credits Stetson’s hands-on learning for his success, and he continues to utilize connections made during his time at Stetson. He joined the board with the intention of bringing more networking opportunities to the university community.

TORI GREER ’09

Greer, a Political Science major, was a member of the inaugural class of Stetson’s Bonner Program. She earned a Master of Public Administration from Florida State University and now serves as the executive director of the Florida 211 Network. In that role, she focuses on strengthening Florida’s 211 health and human service referral and community navigation provider network through advocacy, coordination and education. Greer is committed to leveraging her experience, networks and skills to support the goals of the board.

NANCY JORDAHL ’86

An Orlando-based litigation paralegal at Weinberg Wheeler Hudgins Gunn & Dial, Jordahl chose to attend Stetson for its private liberal arts experience and scholarship opportunities. During her time on campus, she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega and the Honors Program. Jordahl’s connection to Stetson deepened when football returned to campus, becoming a regular at games. Inspired by a fellow Hatter and the Max Cleland Leadership Stetson program, she joined the Alumni Board to share her experience and passion for the university’s mission.

LORI HERSHEY ’87

Hershey fell in love with the campus the moment she arrived. A Psychology major, she found inspiration in English Professor Ellen Smith, PhD, who encouraged her to pursue writing. In October 2024, Hershey coauthored a children’s book with her daughter, Hope Hershey, also a Stetson alumna, Class of 2022, and their release of another book is scheduled this fall. Past chair and former two-term member of the Duval County School Board, Hershey remains engaged in work to improve outcomes for students. Also, she works as an adjunct professor with a focus on students’ passion for writing.

Send Us Your Class Note

STETSON UNIVERSITY is proud of its alumni and their accomplishments. We would love to hear about your achievements. If you are a graduate from the DeLand campus, please send your class note to Stetson University, Office of Alumni Engagement, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8257, DeLand, FL 32723, or email your news to alumni@ stetson.edu If you are a graduate of the College of Law, send your class note to Stetson University College of Law, Office of Development and Alumni Engagement, 1401 61st St. South, Gulfport, FL 33707, or email your class note to alumni@law.stetson. edu. College of Law graduates also can fill out the online form at Stetson.edu/ lawalumninews

We can only use photos that are high-resolution, and because of space limitations, we cannot guarantee use of all photographs.

1950s

Jim Dator ’54 published Living MakeBelief: Thriving in a Dream Society as part of Springer Cham's Anticipation Science Series. The book explores the societal shift from an "information society" to a "dream society" shaped by images, performance and makebelief, offering insights into governance and future possibilities.

1960s

David E. Sumner ’69 published “The Rise of the Florida Citrus Industry, 1865-1895,” in the Florida Historical Quarterly (Vol. 102, No. 1). The article discusses the roles of Henry DeLand and John B. Stetson in the citrus industry during the 1880s and 1890s.

1970s

Richard Brown ’71 was awarded the 2025 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Distinguished Service Award from the Cranford Clergy Council in New Jersey and the Interfaith Human Relations Committee.

Frank Stubbs Jr. ’71 made a significant contribution to the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix by donating a historic saxophone with a remarkable legacy. Stubbs acquired the instrument in the 1960s while a student at Stetson, intending to use it for an audition with the U.S. Navy Band program. Unbeknownst to him at the time, the gold-plated saxophone, manufactured around 1911 by the Conn Co. of Elkhart, Indiana, had once belonged to H. Benne Henton, the first great American saxophone virtuoso. The instrument is now a centerpiece of the museum’s John Philip Sousa exhibit.

Allen Enlow ’74 recently performed for two nights at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in MVP! Enlow played five unique characters in the ensemble musical production.

Pamela Keene ’74 penned a feature for Lakeside News, chronicling her time in Innsbruck, Austria, as part of a commemorative Stetson alumni

trip last summer. The group honored three students — Scotty Fenlon, Dennis Long and Katy Resnik — whose lives were tragically lost in an avalanche during a 1979 winter term trip. Keene highlighted the historical and emotional significance of the trip, which included the installation of a memorial plaque and the casting of three bells at the Grassmayr Bell Foundry for Stetson’s reconstruction of Hulley Tower.

Andrei Mikhalevsky ’76 has joined the board of directors for Foremost Farms USA, a leading dairy cooperative. As a former president and CEO of California Dairies, Mikhalevsky brings extensive experience in the dairy and food industries.

Ralph DeMeo Jr. ’77, MA ’80 served as an adjunct professor of Animal Law during the fall 2023 and 2024 semesters at Stetson University College of Law. He practices environmental and animal law in Tallahassee.

Souby Boski (Bailey) ’77 featured her artwork in "Connections," an exhibit of oil and mixed media at the Minor Memorial Library in Roxbury, Connecticut. The exhibit ran Nov. 2-Dec. 14, 2024.

1980s

Allen Groves ’82, a member of Pi Kappa Alpha, has been named a 2024

Gold Medal honoree by the North American Interfraternity Conference for his lifelong service to the interfraternal community. Currently the chief student experience officer at Syracuse University, Groves also has served on the NIC Board, Pi Kappa Alpha’s International Fraternity Supreme Council, and several other leadership roles in higher education and student affairs.

Lynne Wilson ’83, an attorney with the law firm ShuffieldLowman, was recognized by her peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© 2025 in the field of Real Estate Law.

Tracy Calabrese (Briggs) ’84, retired from the City Attorney’s Office of Houston, Texas, where she served as the chief of the general counsel section.

Bruce Dahlgren ’83, MBA ’85, CEO of Anthology, celebrates the recognition of Anthology's Blackboard as one of the top Learning Management Systems in the industry. Blackboard’s innovations in AI-driven features have set a new standard for instructional efficiency and student engagement.

Luis Pedraja ’84, president of Quinsigamond Community College, was appointed by Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey as a delegate to the New England Board of Higher Education. Pedraja also serves as a commissioner on the New England Commission of Higher Education and is a member of various community boards.

Lori Brown ’87, JD ’89 was announced as Littler’s new chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1, 2025.

Kelly Rentz (Steele) ’89 was named 2025 Alaska Teacher of the Year. Nominated by her students, Rentz’s selection for the prestigious award is a testament to her dedication and profound impact she has on her students 1990s

Daryl Holt ’90 was inducted by the National

Center for Simulation into its “Modeling & Simulation Hall of Fame” as part of the inductee class of 2024. Also, he was recognized for the seventh consecutive year by Florida Trend magazine as one of the “Florida 500” most influential business leaders. Holt is senior vice president/group general manager of EA Sports.

Ken Worst ’92 was named Paddle Player of the Year for 2024 in Connecticut.

Michael Haridopolos ’92 was re-elected to represent Florida’s 8th Congressional District, which includes areas of the east coast of Florida such as Melbourne, Cape Canaveral and parts of Orange County. Haridopolos previously served in the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate.

Mickey Desai ’92 is the producer of the Nonprofit SnapCast podcast, recently recognized by LinkedIn as the No. 1 "Must Listen" podcast for the nonprofit sector nationwide.

Christi Burton (Trejo) ’93, a current Alumni Board member, published her first book, Master Your Life. The book blends personal anecdotes, research and practical strategies to help readers overcome challenges and cultivate lasting joy.

Wendy A. Mara (MacIver) ’93 was named to the national Lawyers of Distinction organization for 2024, recognizing her achievements in the legal profession.

Christine Lindsey (Ridenour) ’94 qualified for the U.S. Senior Women's Open Golf Championship for the third consecutive year. The tournament took place in August 2024 at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

David Maura ’94, executive chairman and CEO of Spectrum Brands, was named one of Wisconsin’s 275 Most Influential Business Leaders by BizTimes Media

Kristin Peterson (Follis) ’94 was honored as the Indiana Association of School Principals’ Assistant Principal of the Year for 2023, as well as the 2024 National Association of Secondary School Principals’ Indiana Assistant Principal of the Year.

Lynda Moore-White (Knighton) ’97 was named assistant dean of Interdisciplinary Studies by Mississippi State University, where she is guiding

innovative degree pathways, including those in the Data Science Academic Institute. Moore-White, who has more than two decades of service at MSU, previously served as director of the University Academic Advising Center.

2000s

Laura Roby MA ’01 remains active in community service after retiring as a Rehabilitation Teacher of the Blind. Recognized in Biltmore Who’s Who for tutoring and résumé-writing excellence, she now consults for AAalleRP and was awarded the NSDAR "Service to America" pin for her volunteer work with seniors.

Samantha Dzembo (Castellano) ’02 was promoted to senior business development executive at PartsSource, reflecting her dedication to the field of health care technology.

Chris Johnson ’03 was appointed vice president of Ormond Beach-based Command Medical Products LLC, a leading supplier in the medical device industry.

Blair Petersen Updike ’03 launched The Florida Gallery, an online art marketing co-op with a mission of elevating the profile of Florida art and celebrating the state’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. In its first quarter, the gallery amassed more than 25,000 followers, showcasing stunning depictions of Florida.

Craig Uppercue ’04 was named a quarterfinalist for the 2024 Grammy Music Educator of the Year award. The award is given to current educators who have made significant contributions to the field of music education and advocate for the inclusion of music education in schools.

Jeffrey R. Hudson ’04 joined the law firm of Winderweedle, Haines, Ward & Woodman, P.A., as a partner in its Trust &

THE CLASSES

Estates department. Hudson brings 15 years of experience to the role.

Nefertiti Walker ’05 was appointed senior vice president for Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Equity at the University of Massachusetts, a role critical to advancing academic quality, student success and equity. She joined the UMass President’s Office in January 2022.

Brendan Rogers ’06 and Will Phillips ’05, co-owners of And You Films, were nominated for two Suncoast Emmy Awards. Their nominations include Remembering Innsbruck in the Historical Documentary category and Tax Therapy: Oz Edition for Visual Effects.

Peter Urscheler ’06 was featured in Blick, a prominent Swiss newspaper, and on a Swiss podcast.

BIRTHS

1 Ryan Rapolti ’09 and Corina Purrazzo Rapolti, a daughter Eliana Capri, March 2024.

2 Morgan Resnick-Kahle ’14 and John Resnick-Kahle ’14, a son Spencer Rhodes, January 2024.

3 Bria Aqui DeDona ’20 and Anthony DeDona, a daughter, Holloway Mae, June 3 2024.

4 Eryn Wagnon (McCoy) ’15 and Ethan Wagnon ’13, a son Morgan Ethan, March 2024.

5 Ian Anderson ’19, MAcc ’20, a son Thomas William, August 2023.

6 Lauren Watkins (O'Toole) ’19 and Harrison Watkins ’19, a daughter Audrey Parker, July 2024.

The stories centered on Urscheler’s efforts to foster unity during divisive times. His work underscores his commitment to bridging divides and bringing people together, both locally and internationally.

Alexandria Hill (Vita) ’07 joined Driver McAfee Hawthorne & Diebenow as a partner, bringing 14 years of experience to the firm's Corporate Law department.

Alvez Barkoskie IV ’09 completed his Doctor of Musical Arts at the University of Oklahoma with his dissertation, An Analysis of Three Recital Pieces by William Lloyd Webber. His choral compositions have garnered

national recognition, with Alma Redemptoris Mater and Pie Jesu published by E.C.S. and Galaxy Publishing, respectively, among other distinctions.

Sean Tamm ’09, an Edward Jones financial adviser, has been named to the 2024 Forbes Top Next-Gen Wealth Advisors Best-in-State ranking by Forbes and SHOOK Research. The honor recognizes financial advisers under age 40 with at least four years of experience.

2010s

Natalie DeYoung (Wearstler) ’10 was named an equity partner at Wingard, a Jacksonvillebased marketing and communications agency. She joined the agency in 2013 and serves as vice president of Public Relations and Communications.

Brian Tolin ’11 has been promoted to senior vice president of Private Wealth Management at

MARRIAGES AND ENGAGEMENTS

1 Janie Grace Wang ’23 to Andrew Ambrose ’22, January 2025.

2 Anne Marie Kiel ’21 to Garrett Hausman, July 2024.

3 Daniella Hankey ’17 to Mitchell Robey ’17, October 2024.

4 Caitlin Boyle ’18 to Jason Imeidopf Jr. ’18, April 2024.

5 Amber Hunter-Henley ’19 to Zane Smith ’19, July 2024.

6 Maggy Hessler ’22 to James DuRant, January 2025.

Capital Wealth Advisors. Eric Crane ’11, an Edward Jones financial adviser, obtained a Certified Financial Planner certification in 2024.

Melissa Kindy ’12 started a new role at Nicholls State University as assistant professor of music – woodwinds.

Julia Rose Schweyer (Nagle) ’14, owner and principal designer at Julia Rose Interiors, was named

to the 2024 Power Players List by Modern Luxury publication. The list highlights influential business owners who are trailblazers redefining success and leadership in the nation’s capital.

Nathalie Simper (Maldonado) ’15 has launched The Limitless Musician, a podcast through KE Creative that centers on acknowledging the limits modern musicians face in building music careers.

Michael Allan Galvez ’16 was awarded the first rank degree of Knight of Rizal by the Order of the Knights of Rizal in an investiture ceremony at the Consulate General of the Philippines in New York City. The award recognizes commitment to the ideals of service, education and international understanding. The Order of the Knights of Rizal is the only order of chivalry of the Republic of the Philippines chartered by Congress through Republic Act 646.

Jonathan Bak ’17 published his first research paper, "Evolving Perils: Assessing North Korea's Shifting Security Dynamics in 2024" in November 2024, in Small Wars Journal. The

paper provides an in-depth analysis of North Korea’s changing security posture. By exploring key developments and differing viewpoints, Bak offers a nuanced perspective on North Korea’s role in shaping international security.

2020s

George Alderman ’21 is now the communications director for Congressman Mike Haridopolos ’92.

Nicholas Schefstad ’22, a Doctor of Musical Arts student at the University of Notre Dame, earned his Master of Sacred Music degree in 2024.

Michael Nguyen ’23 started a new role as IT security analyst I at Fidelity Information Services.

Audrey Berlie ’24 completed an internship at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Berlie supported the Center Operations Directorate’s Sustainability Team in implementing sustainability projects across divisions.

THE CLASSES In Memoriam

1920s

Lucy Gilbert ’20

Virginia Roop Redman ’20

Ruth Jennings Burke ’24

1930s

Johnnie Warnock Keefe ’30

1940s

Eugenia Rowland Beane ’40

Anna McManus Kean ’41

Martha Price Harbison ’43

Margaret E. Harper ’43

Donna Smith Carlson ’44

Marlin D. Keats ’44

Margaret Watts Jones MEd ’44

Jeanne Ostrander Kerce ’45

Margaret L. Goit ’45

Harriet Linder Newbill ’45

Valerie Crowley Bahrs ’46

Tommy Fowler Cone ’46

James Casey MA ’47

Virginia McKenzie Clark ’47

Iris Hart Young ’47

Joseph Esmail ’48

Henry Fletcher ’48

Earl Cochran ’48

Ellen Davis Esteva ’48

Lillie Poe Sciame ’48

Betty Summerford Bradley ’49

Austin M. Rutledge ’49

William Jerome Turnbull ’49

Mabel Martin Warren ’49

Walter Carpenter JD ’49

Mary Posner Carson ’49

Mary Selman Clements ’49

Frances Rutledge Hand LLB ’49 Hon. ’08

Virginia Morris Snoddy ’49

1950s

Carolyn Cooper Garrett ’50

James R. Statham ’50

Lois Reesman Stevens ’50

Helen Trulock ’50

Florine Simmons Wall ’50

Alice Robinson Ballard ’50

Virginia Messer Bates ’50

Ronayne Waldon Bennett ’50

Gwendolyn Tucker Biddle ’50

Kelly E. Blanton Jr. ’50

Clyde K. Brown ’50

Frederick W. Chase ’50

Harold T. Couch ’50

Roberta Pheil Croome ’50

Richard B. Crum ’50

Luther O. Davis ’50

Linton J. Day ’50

Michael W. DePalma ’50 MA ’53

Charles S. Doll ’50

Ralph A. Fryer ’50

Bobby W. Funderburk Sr. ’50

Alfred V. Hays ’50

Leo Hoarty ’50

Barbara Foster Keeling ’50

Jacquelyn Odgen Lohmeyer ’50

James H. Mabry ’50

Mary Patrick McCarty ’50

Francis L. McGinn ’50

Jesse W. Miller ’50

John F. Mills Jr. ’50

Raymond T. Moeller ’50

Owen U. North ’50

Betty J. Oglesby ’50

Tom F. Pattillo ’50

Martha Patrick Pierson ’50

John S. Pyatt ’50

Kermit M. Ross ’50

Mary St. John Sanders ’50

Joseph P. Sciame ’50

Betty Hawthorne Shuman ’50

Tacoma G. Sloan ’50

Joann Bisgaard Thruston ’50

Joyce Orr Walker ’50

Max J. Weatherly ’50

Benjamin J. Yelvington ’50

Bert Kurland ’51

Doris Akard Stalnaker MA ’51

Denese Whiteman Todd ’51

Barbara Stanland Albritton ’51

George F. Black ’51

Jacqueline Thompson Blanton ’51

Marjorie Hunken Hathaway ’51 MA ’57

Miladeen Ward Hostetter ’51

Martha Dowd King ’51

Albert P. Sharpless ’51

William Sowers MA ’52

Bernard H. Cochran ’52

Betty Lynn Day ’52

James T. Diffin ’52

Patricia Snowden Lane ’53 MA ’75

Carroll Lewis ’53

George Shriver ’53

Shirley Rogers Kester ’53

Cloe Slade Marks ’53

Robert M. Marks ’53

Jack A. Shaw ’53

Vincent S. Stadnick ’53

Richard E. Toole ’53

Dorothy Fugate Urquhart ’53

Jack T. Brawner ’54 MA ’56

Norma Brown Ericson ’54

Duncan B. Pardue ’54

Virginia ’Ginger’ Beverly ’55

Ruby Darr Hahn ’55

Milton Jones ’55

Lamar Willis ’55

Herbert G. Zerof ’55

Joseph E. Boatwright ’55

Marilyn Huebner Davison ’55

Paul M. Decker MA ’55

Mary Hunter Ratliff MA ’55

Peggy Whiddon ’55

E. Mervyn Altman ’56

Jane Girvin Coleman ’56

Ira Holmes ’56

Allan E. Ludecke MA ’56

Harriette Dick Merhill ’56 MA ’60

John Parker Smith ’56

George Lux ’56

Mary Touchton Rogers MA ’56

Thomas Smith ’56

Jean Scheiferstein Wells ’56

Mary Anderson Kells ’57

Evelyn Logas ’57

Ruth Toggweiler Trupp ’57

Robert M. Baker ’57

Constance Ellis Boynton ’57

Robert W. Large ’57

David A. Malby ’57

James C. Scheiferstein ’57

Arthur Farwell Tuttle Jr. MEd ’57

Foy Lennon Wiles ’57

Joyce H. Beer ’58

Charles Holcomb ’58

Reid L. Folsom ’58

David G. Hewett ’58

Nancy Slater Larkin ’58

Arlene Burkart Liggett ’58

Mary Porter Massey ’58

Marvin L. McMaster ’58

John C. Roberts ’58

Fred D. Slaughter ’58

Otis D. Springer Jr., MEd ’58

Johnny B. Steelman Jr. ’58

Ethel Kidd Waite MA ’58

Thomas Bouchlas ’59

Charles Gerding ’59

Anne Davis Glass ’59

Robert C. Nettleton JD ’59

Connie Dooley Andrews ’59

Carolyn Weiss Hughes ’59

George A. Neukon Jr. ’59

1960s

Barbara Jernigan Fowler ’60

Mary Ann Aiken Armistead ’60

Joan Barr Hendrickson ’60

Harley L. Hiers Jr. MA ’60

Patricia L. Mahone ’60

Sara Boureau Scaggs ’60

Jerry W. Seaborn ’60

Ron G. Whipple ’60 MA ’67

David W. Barrow III ’61 JD ’66

Marilyn Hatcher Chaffee ’61

Mark Cornelius ’61

Patrick Figley ’61

Judith Geering Girvin ’61

Charles Raisner ’61

Barbara Stoll Shafer ’61

James Sledge ’61

Elijah Max Hall ’61

James P. Morgan Sr. ’61

Edwin W. Stanford ’61

Jean Templer Corlett ’62

Barry Dillon ’62

Fred Richards ’62

Martha Gaines Wynn ’62

Rebekah McDonald Bostic ’62

Mildred Schibanoff Dykes ’62

Bonnie Wickstrom Jones ’62

Ralph Charles Langham ’62

Robin Cook Seaborn ’62

Arthur P. Sullivan ’62

Frederick Blosch ’63

Frank Johns ’63

Saundra Koch Mellen ’63

Dorothy Sweitzer Rice ’63

Robert Smith ’63

Diane M. Disney ’63

Robert C. George MA ’63

Paul Lilling MA ’63

Richard D. Montross ’63

Robert L. O’Quinn Jr. ’63

Wilbur J. Harrel Jr. ’64

Carolyn Crowley Littlejohn ’64

Catherine Warlow Mann ’64

Katherine Menefee-Price ’64

Charles Anthony Schoder Jr. ’64 JD ’70

Eileen Lipthrott Williams ’64

Ralph E. Youngerman ’64

William Ten Eyck ’64

Newell Smith ’64

Jonathan Alpert ’65

John Burchette ’65

Alice Petty Crossland ’65

Marilyn Strauss ’65

Edwin P. Carson ’65

Edward H. Cregar ’65

John M. McCarty ’65

Carolyn Whittenburg Wilkins ’65

Randal J. Williams ’65

S. S. ’Sammy’ Cacciatore ’66 JD ’66

Jerous Vincent ’66

Bruce Broer ’66

William N. McCloskey ’66

Joseph E. Parko Jr. ’66

Ian T. Patterson ’66

Donald W. Rogers ’66

Andrew Coutant ’67 JD ’72

Harriet Sprouse Lively ’67

Gretchen Grau Marz ’67 MEd ’83

John Rinker ’67

Susan Rodgers ’67

Robert C. Hayes ’67 MS ’68

Richard Edmund Johnston ’67

Robert Leland Watson ’67 MA ’68

William Kelly Grimsley ’68

Grace N. Kirkpatrick ’68

Marsha Gelbart Fensin ’68

Michel Huysman ’68

John Thompson ’68

Bruce Bowman ’69

Ken Henley ’69

Bruce Kuhl ’69 MA ’72

Dale Schlenker ’69

Barrie S. Baston ’69

B. Russell Black MBA ’69

Ellen L. Cobb ’69

David C. Halley MBA ’69

Mae Andrews Hunter ’69

Shirley Cumming Murphy MA ’69

Ralph B. O’Brien ’69

Gary C. Redding ’69

Katherine Blackwelder Wallet ’69

1970s

Janice Farley Church ’70

Alvin G. Evenson MBA ’70

Lawrence A. Winse ’70

Janis Starr DeLacy ’70

Carol Hays Hull ’70

Eleanor Todd Dyson ’71

Andrea Pieller LaBaron ’71

Michael K. Luker ’71 JD ’74

Jacquelyn Wice Orr ’71

Bruce C. Rudolph ’71

Harold E. Savage MBA ’71

Ann Anderson Apperson MA ’71

Charles Walley MEd ’71

Eugene K. Bjerning MBA ’72

Kay King Bunton ’72

Dorothy Butler Hyland MA ’72

Curtis Lee MEd ’72

Jacob Miller MEd ’72

Beverly Smith Swart ’72

Elizabeth L. Swope ’72

Raymond Hogan MBA ’72

Patricia Stone Joliet ’72

Charles D. Gimbel Jr. MEd ’73

Bruce T. Grady ’73

John Howard McSwain ’73 MA ’75

Theresa Hatch Miller ’73

Roger G. Orr ’73

William R. Vanderford Jr. ’73

John J. Pribil ’73 MBA ’75

Dean Barwick MBA ’73

Brian Cullaton ’73

Jane Maddox ’73

Joaquin Rodriguez ’73

Terry Trebolo ’73

Leo Rivera MEd ’74

James M. Schneider MEd ’74

Michael A. Smith ’74 JD ’77

Richard B. Babcock MBA ’75

George Berry Hough Jr. ’75

Robert M. Laird ’75

Joel H. Leet MBA ’75

John E. Meyer MBA ’75

Robert J. Welbon ’75

Rhonda F. Williams ’75

Dorothy Westerburg Mattina ’75

Charles Scriven MA ’75

Robert Darling ’76

Cheryl Markham Runyon ’76

Jane Ishee Beavers MEd ’76

Jean Wechter Lagor ’76

Samuel W. Poore III ’76

David D. Stowers ’76

Charles E. Thompson Jr. MEd ’76

Morris Ted Baker ’77

Joseph Willis Taylor ’77

Gregory Ford ’77

Glenn Bennett ’78

Beverley Kelley Davenport ’78

David Williams ’78 MEd ’84

Hiram E. Hampton Jr. MEd ’78

James G. Montague ’79

1980s

William Dudley MEd ’80

Margaret Dunn ’80

Karen Sproles Janota MEd ’80

Bettye Young Mathis MEd ’80

John Wright ’80

William Young MEd ’80

Vanessa R. Cherry ’80

Rebecca Thompson Gimbel MEd ’80

Alfred E. Policke MS ’80

Sharon Berkstresser Belcher MEd ’81

Mayme Weaver Hodges MEd ’81

Leslie Williams Teets ’81

Robert Deeb ’82

Frank David Teets Jr. ’82

David K. Brooks ’82

Kathryn A. Hornaday MBA ’82

Sally Green Keith MEd ’82

Stephanie Honcharuk Bondinell MEd ’83

Steven Koenig MBA ’83

Ann Johnson Wild JD ’83

Andrew Williams SPCEN ’84

Loretta Whitlow Goss MEd ’84

Tracy Granta ’84

Lynn Longdon Hudson ’84

Lynn Broom Peterson ’84

Charlotte Sue Sisk MEd ’84

Jay Robert Trinley ’84

Thomas Comsudes ’85

Forrest L. Daniels III ’85

Susan Hunt Moore ’85

Colleen Bridgette Kuderewski ’86

Kevin Thompson ’86

Mark A. Carper ’86

Daniel Duncan McAuliff ’88

Donald Lewis Roll ’89

Kenneth Coleman Waters Jr. ’89

1990s

Joseph Douglas Longo ’90

Joseph Evans Roach ’90

Carol Blocker Millenson MS ’91

Elizabeth St. Clair Wade ’91

Alan Shepherd ’92

Ramona Barnette ’93

Scott VanHee ’93

Dawn Annette Landon-Bebas MEd ’93

Alexander T. Calor MBA ’94

Marla Ivette Garcia ’94

David J. Lewis MS ’94

Michelle Donaldson Phillips ’94

Ellen Collier Scott ’94

Ila Smith Squire ’94

Shannon Andrew Treadway ’94 MBA ’95 JD ’06

Melissa Lynne Ellzey ’95

Michelle Sherlock Aloise ’95

Marcus Prescott MBA ’96

Dianne Atkinson MEd ’97

2000s

Guadalupe Cuevas ’00 MBA ’05

Margaret G. Dobson ’00

Mary Virginia Atkins ’01

Ryan Lewis Heacox ’05 MBA ’06

Ann P. Lyons MEd ’06

Edward Jude McAlarney ’06 MBA ’07

William Warren MBA ’07

Andrea Strong Grill ’08

2010s

Tim Patz ’10

Jacqueline Christine Faulk ’10

Jennifer L. Striplin Smith MS ’14

2020s

Patricia M. Bindert MA ’21

Historic Visit

The year was 1992. Former President Jimmy Carter arrived on a private jet and met with students in Lee Chapel on campus before giving a formal address at the Edmunds Center as the James A. Stewart Lecturer. He was the 39th president of the United States. Twelve years earlier, Carter had lost a bid for a second term as president to Ronald Reagan.

At the time of his visit, he was a professor at Emory University in Atlanta. Carter told the students in attendance at Stetson that when he

was a boy, his first goal was to be a naval officer, which he became, and his second goal was to be a college professor.

On Dec. 29, 2024, Carter passed away at his home in Plains, Georgia. He was 100, the longest-lived president in U.S. history.

Also shown in the photo are Ron Piccolo, then-vice president of the Student Government Association, and Gayle Littleton, then-SGA president and now a member of the Stetson University Board of Trustees.

“The excitement on campus was palpable,” remembers Littleton ’94. “Hundreds of students lined the walkways from the CUB to Elizabeth Hall, cheering and applauding as President Carter arrived. He greeted the crowd with an enthusiastic wave and his genuine, warm smile, and he humbly and graciously thanked us for inviting him, when we were the ones so grateful for his arrival. We could not have felt more honored that the former President chose to speak at Stetson or more proud to be Hatters that day.”

John B. Stetson, the university's benefactor This product is made of FSC ® -

Campus icon: larger-than-life bronze statue of