Stetson University: 2015 Year in Review
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The Stetson University community experienced a year of significance and progress in 2015. The undergraduate and graduate programs in DeLand, our graduate programs in Celebration, online, in Tampa and at the Stetson University College of Law campus in Gulfport all received national recognition. Below are links to some of the favorite stories and events from the past calendar year.
5th Best Regional Universities (South)
6th Best Undergraduate Teaching
7th Best Value Schools
Named to Guide to 353 Green Colleges
Top Colleges
Best Master’s Universities
Master of Accountancy Online
Best Online Graduate Business Programs
Master of Accountancy Online
Top 30
Stetson University College of Law
1ST Trial Advocacy
2nd Legal Writing
Top 40
Military Friendly
The university overall receiving a Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Classification based on the more than 100 courses offered that include community service and the more than 60 businesses, non-profits and civic partners involved.
In addition, Stetson University announced new programs at both the graduate and undergraduate level to support new learning opportunities, including the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, the Master of Education in Elementary Education – Educating for Social Justice and the Play Therapy Certificate Program.
At Stetson University’s College of Law, students there continue to win national competitions, including:
National Veterans Law Moot Court Competition
American Association for Justice National Student Trial Advocacy Competition
Andrews Kurth National Moot Court Championship
New York City Bar’s 66th Annual Moot Court Competition
Stetson University’s outstanding faculty also received university, regional and national support and recognition this year.
Jud Stryker, D.B.A., professor of accounting was named Florida Institute of Certified Public Accountants’ (FICPA) Outstanding Educator of the Year.
Hala ElAarag, Ph.D., associate professor of computer science, was awarded the 2015 Faculty Mentoring Award from the Mathematics and Computer Science Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR).
Rajni Shankar-Brown, Ph.D., associate professor of education and Jessie Ball duPont Chair of Social Justice Education, has been awarded an Education and Culture grant by the U.S. Department of State and the Partners of the Americas.
Kimberly Reiter, Ph.D., associate professor of history, has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Enduring Questions grant.
Stetson University Brown Innovation Program named 12 faculty Fellows
The university announced a comprehensive campaign to support and build the infrastructure for ongoing student success with a goal of raising $150 million. At the event to launch the campaign the university announced that to date, more than $80 million toward that goal has been raised.
Beyond Success — Significance Campaign
$150 million goal
Facilities, $50 million
Student support, $40 million
Faculty support, $40 million
Current Use Resources, $20 million
Campus construction is already underway on the Marshall and Vera Lea Welcome Center scheduled to open Summer 2016 as well as planned updates and renovations to the Carlton Union Building.
And what a remarkable year when friends, donors and university benefactors announced significant support for student activities, research and learning.
Hollis Family Student Success Center in the duPont-Ball Library
WORLD: The David and Leighan Rinker Center for International Learning
The Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center
Novak Family Endowment for Edmunds Scholarships
The College of Arts and Sciences and Dean Karen Ryan noted some remarkable achievements this past year, such as the establishment of the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience, the second annual Poverty and Homelessness Conference and the first class of students to attend the Volusia Center for Excellence in Education (VCEE), a program developed through Stetson University, Bethune-Cookman University, Volusia County Schools and the New Teacher Center with a $1.3 million grant from the Florida Department of Education.
The School of Business Administration welcomed Dean Neal Mero recently and celebrated student success at the Cairns Innovation Challenge and the outgrowth of a new Stetson Entrepreneur based on the Cairns, and the Roland George Investment Program was ranked 11th nationally by Institutional Investor magazine.
As always, the School of Music and Dean Tom Masse set an allegretto pace with world-class guest artists Florida Pro Musica; Robert Blocker, Dean of the Yale School of Music; vocalist Linda Cole; and Kent Tritle, director of Cathedral Music and organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City, who inaugurated a new concert series, Great Organists at Stetson. School of Music ensembles traveled through Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina, as well as Germany, England and Wales, and the Christmas Candlelight Concerts sold out again this year, but aired locally on WMFE on Dec. 25 and 26.
Student achievements, faculty success, national recognition and community support are just some of the factors that resulted in the largest entering undergraduate class in Stetson University history this past fall with 1,073 first-time and transfer students entering, up 4.7 percent over the previous year. Our First Time In College (FTIC) students had an average high school grade point average (GPA) of 3.82.
Stetson University hosted Homecoming 2015 in November and the community experienced a full week of festivities and events, including:
Class reunions, including Class of 1955
Vietnam Remembrance Site and Flagpole Dedication with Senator Max Cleland
Hatter Football’s record setting performance against Ave Maria
Students participating in Stetson University’s athletics programs literally had a record-setting year.
Beach Volleyball posted an undefeated conference record, second straight A-Sun championship, an appearance in AVCA National Championship and its first victory in a national tournament.
Donald Payne repeated as Pioneer Football League Defensive Player of the Year, and its first team All-American (AFCA).
Announcement of the Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center gift and construction plan will benefit both the rowing teams and valuable freshwater research.
Cross Country’s Joe Beery earned Academic All-America for 2014 (announced in spring 2015) as well as being named A-Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year for his sport
In women’s basketball Brianti Saunders set a new school record with 40 points in a 79-57 win against Georgia Southern. The previous record stood for 29 years.
And of course many Hatters’ were rooting for alumnus Jacob deGrom as he pitched in the World Series for the New York Mets.
Top Social Moments in 2015:
Stetson Today/tag/veterans2015:
Veterans Memorials – Dedications of new Flagpole, Vietnam Memorial, plus Stetson named Military Friendly School for fourth year
Stetson Law receives 400K grant to launch new Forensic Evidence Training Program
Henderson named to head new water institute
Professor Jud Stryker named FICPA Outstanding Educator of the Year
Professors take entrepreneurial students to Cuba
Baseball – Jacob deGrom in World Series
Flash Panel on Race, Higher Education sparked by MU Protest
Mero selected as new Dean of Stetson University School of Business Administration
Novak Family endows Edmunds Scholarship
Conference at Stetson focuses on tackling poverty and homelessness
Brown Innovation Fellows program names professors
J.Hyatt Brown presented with Freedom of the City of London award
On the lighter side, social media moments included head football Coach Hughes’ victory dance video after the Homecoming win, earning 12,500+ “Likes” on Barstool Sports Instagram.
Happy New Year, Hatters! 2016 – bring it on!
