At the podium with the relatively new Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker Welcome Center (opened 2016) behind him, and facing DeLand Hall (1883) only a few yards in front of him, Stetson President Christopher F. Roellke, PhD, left very few stones unturned as he praised the university’s 140-year past. 

It was late Friday afternoon, Oct. 20. Alumni, faculty and staff were assembled, as part of Stetson Homecoming 2023, to hear the Presidential State of the University Address. (All totaled, more than 1,100 alumni had preregistered for Homecoming events.) And, for the next several minutes, Roellke detailed a history that began in 1883. 

Roellke noted that Henry DeLand had founded DeLand Academy, a prep school. … The entire school was housed in one building – DeLand Hall. … A year after the school was founded, hatmaker John B. Stetson and his wife, Elizabeth, arrived in DeLand. … Soon after the Stetson family arrived, Henry DeLand asked John B. Stetson to donate to his school, which then had a university curriculum and the new name of DeLand College. … The hatmaker agreed, and thus began a decades-long history of giving to, and shaping the future of a university that in 1889 was named John B. Stetson University.

“As I reflect on the incredible legacy of Stetson University, I am truly moved and inspired by the people who have given so much of their lives to establish the relationship-rich environment we all treasure today,” Roellke said at the podium.

For context, Roellke mixed in some descriptions, noting that John B. Stetson was “special, uncommon, unique,” and that current Stetson Hatters share those same characteristics. As a result, he pointed out, “Hatters are giving, caring of others and generous. Hatters are kind, insightful and ambitious. Hatters are problems solvers and innovators who want to change the world for the better. Hatters are special, uncommon, unique.”

“Moving Forward Together”

Then Roellke progressed to the main theme of his speech: “Moving Forward Together.”

In other words, Stetson University has also accomplished much in its very recent past — and there is more to come. 

Roellke read headlines from that recent past, such as “Stetson Shatters Fundraising Records for the Second Year in a Row,” “Stetson Climbs In 2024 Rankings By U.S. News & World Report” and “Stetson Receives Prestigious National Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEEDS) Award.”

“That’s all great,” he asserted, “but we’re not stopping there! We’re moving forward together from ‘Florida Gem to National Treasure.’”

“The global public health challenges over the last several years, coupled with other socio-political and economic factors, have created unprecedented opportunity in the higher education landscape,” Roellke explained. “Students and their families are demanding a college education that is authentic, cost-effective and impactful. With this in mind, it is imperative that Stetson capitalize on this current context to provide a first-class education that is innovative, interdisciplinary, contemporary and experiential — an education that not only builds on our rich traditions, but also embraces new ways of learning and new degree pathways for our students.”

“With this in mind,” Roellke added, “we have begun a strategic planning process centered around the theme, ‘From Florida Gem to National Treasure.’”

Roellke then shared a glimpse of this roadmap to the future, which earlier that Friday the Stetson University Board of Trustees had officially approved.

“During the current 2023-2024 academic year and beyond, the university, supported by the Board of Trustees, will use the new Strategic Priorities document to be ‘laser focused on redefining a clear and compelling value proposition which will meet the needs of consumers of higher education of today and into the future,’” Roellke said. 

As outlined, those Strategic Priorities encompass Experiential, Contemporary & Integrative Learning; Student-Centered Success and Wellness; People, Culture & Inclusive Excellence; Lifelong Relationships & Connections; and Comprehensive Sustainability.

Roellke’s parting words: “Stetson will continue to invest judiciously in priorities that will move us toward becoming a national treasure, in ways that celebrate Stetson’s unique strengths and traditions, and in a manner that will attract, retain and graduate students who will leave our university prepared to take on the world.”

Note: The new Strategic Priorities document represents a developing story — more information to come.

– Michael Candelaria