2023 Academic Awards & Recognition
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In the words of Stetson President Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, the university’s Academic Awards & Recognition ceremony, held May 5, was a time for highlighting “some of the outstanding students who have really made a mark in their programs and majors, and the faculty who have given so much to advance their learning.”
From the podium at Lee Chapel on campus, he continued: “From analytics to sales, music education, elementary education, theatre arts, chemistry, environmental science, economics and Russian, we honor the students who have committed themselves to their studies, to their intellectual passions and their community of classmates and colleagues.
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“Today we also honor the outstanding and distinguished faculty who make such a difference in the lives and learning of their students.”
The awards, he added, are both for academic achievements and community engagement, “recognizing the power and positive impact our students and faculty have on the people and communities in which they live.”
Following Roellke, Andrew Larson, DMA, associate dean and professor of music, choral conducting, gave the Academic Address. He was introduced by Provost Noel Painter, PhD, who will take a much-deserved sabbatical and then return to the faculty in the School of Music.
Larson spoke of feeling “better when you stop focusing on yourself and start serving other people.” Also, he talked about truths.
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“Know the relative and comparative importance of the truths you cling to, live by and fight for,” Larson said. “Learn that not all truths are of equal importance. Most of us probably need a wake-up call to realize that in many or most cases, there are higher truths than the ones we are clinging to right now.”
He concluded: “We can only both have truth and be right when we espouse the highest truths, and those truths will always lead us to live peacefully one with another and to serve one another.”
Then it was time for the presentations — final grand gestures to students among the 695 undergraduates who would receive bachelor’s degrees in two ceremonies at Spec Martin Stadium the following day.
OVERALL STUDENT ACADEMIC AWARDS
McTeer Turner Award
Since 1994, Stetson has honored a graduating senior who represents the highest standard of excellence in academics and leadership, and who has a demonstrated personal commitment to community service and outstanding character.
This year’s winner was nominated by faculty who clearly have not only been positively impacted by this student, but witnessed firsthand her positive impact on others. During this student’s time at Stetson, she was a leader for academic and non-academic societies, participated as a student leader in the university honors programs, engaged with the community as a head researcher, worked multiple jobs, and cared for her late mother during a time of transition. She has shown herself to be trustworthy, reliable, hard-working and to bring a positive atmosphere to any place around her.
Winner: Catherine Kraft
Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards
The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Awards are presented annually to two students in the graduating class whose dedication to service and nobility of character set them apart.
The first winner is described as an “exceptional student, with not only excellent academic performance, but also a humble character and an attitude of service — demonstrating “excellence in academic performance and community service and a role model for all students.”
This winner is double major in health sciences and religious studies, and a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa honor society, as well as president and founder of the RAD (Religion and Dialogue) student organization, and certified as an EMT along with volunteering as a firefighter.
Winner: Kirk Mattern
The other winner was noted as, “exemplifying the deepest commitment to both our academic and civic missions as an institution — a student who cares deeply about our community, who has found a particular issue on which to focus their incredible academic abilities, who does the research and practice necessary to learn while making change.”
This winner is a dual major in public health and Hispanics students, and also earned a Certificate of Community Engagement. Additionally, the winner was part of the Honors and Bonner programs, plus received a SURE grant for research, was a Writing Center Tutor, a Good Samaritan Clinic administrator and an intern.
Winner: Maddie Skelton
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
Paul E. Dascher Outstanding Scholar Award
Winner: Kendall Buck
Theodore J. Surynt Merit Award for Business Systems Analysis
Winner: Tiffany Scott
E. C. Furlong Merit Award for Management
Winner: Sven DeWilde
Merit Award for Professional Sales
Winner: Amanda Woodley
Outstanding Senior Business Award in Economics
Winner: Christopher Kent
Distinguished Marketing Student
Winner: Daliyah Hammoud
SCHOOL OF MUSIC
Presser Award (Highest Award Offered Annually In The School Of Music)
Winner: Presley Fiore
Most Outstanding Music Educator Award
Winners: Princess Malave
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Ray V. Sowers Elementary Education Award
Winner: Emily Sedgwick
Marjorie Forster Gilbert Award for Performer
Winner: Josh Dennis
Michael McFarland Award for Outstanding Senior
Winner: Alexis Diamond
Byron H. Gibson Award
Winner: Xanthippe Pack-Brown
Ronald L. and Margaret Smith Hall Philosophy Award
Winner: Kristina Mickens
Outstanding Senior in Gender Studies
Winner: Xanthippe Pack-Brown
Dorothy L. Fuller Award
Winners: Rebekah Brawley and Chloe DeYoung
American Institute of Chemists Foundation Outstanding Senior Award
Winner: Jake Simmons
The Jack Gibson Endowed Physics Research Award
Winner: Grayson Taber
Rachel Carson Environmental Science Award
Winner: Analee Monrreal
Health Sciences Scholarship and Service Award
Winner: Christopher Walker
Outstanding Student in Economics
Winner: Pam Spurrell
Gilbert L. Lycan History Award for Outstanding Senior
Winner: Catherine Kraft
William Armory Underhill Award
Winner: Shadia Munoz-Najar
The Psychology Department Award for Excellence in Research
Winner: Lauren Radesi
The Joel Stanton Wright Department of Sociology and Anthropology Award for the Outstanding Senior Thesis
Winner: Cydney McCann
Sergei Zenkovsky Prize in Russian Studies
Winner: Elise Y. Reed
University Honors Program Award for Outstanding Senior
Winner: Allison Deal
FACULTY AWARDS
John Hague Award for Distinguished Teaching in the Liberal Arts and Sciences
Established in 2007 and named in honor of John Hague, PhD, Professor Emeritus of American Studies, this award celebrates Stetson’s tradition of excellence in teaching the liberal arts and sciences and devotion to scholarship, morality and friendship. Those are the guiding principles of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honorary society.
A widely admired teacher, scholar and academic leader, Professor Hague led Stetson’s application to earn a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in 1982; Stetson’s chapter was the first established at a private university in Florida. The initial gift allowing Stetson to honor the career of John Hague was made by Dr. and Mrs. William Dunifon.
Winner: Eric Kurlander, PhD, William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of History
Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements
The Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievements are made possible through the continued generosity of trustee emeritus and alumna Dolly Hand and her husband, Homer Hand. Through their support of excellence in higher education, Stetson recognizes outstanding faculty with awards that have been presented to faculty since 1988 for professional achievement in Research, Creative and Professional Activity.
Winner (Research, Creative and Professional Activity): Khushbu Mishra, PhD, Associate Professor of Economics
McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching
Established in 1974, the McEniry Award for Excellence in Teaching is considered Stetson most prestigious award — based on the highest attainment of teaching excellence as personified by William Hugh McEniry, former Dean of the University. Exceptional teaching in the classroom is at the heartbeat of this award, along with intellectual growth, professional competency, academic activities outside of the classroom, and meaningful service to students and the university.
Winner: Cindy Bennington, PhD, Professor of Biology
Faculty Advisor of The Year Award
Ten years ago, Stetson introduced this annual recognition for outstanding faculty advisors. In addition to teaching students to navigate their academic success, such faculty play a critical role in helping students explore, develop, and achieve their academic and career goals.
Winner: Michele Skelton, PhD, Associate Professor of Health Sciences
Special Award: Distinguished University Service for Advising
Winner: Andrew Larson, DMA, Associate Dean and Professor of Music, Choral Conducting