To abide with tradition, Stetson is preparing to celebrate Values Day on Thursday, Nov. 14, a day each fall semester dedicated to pause and reflect on the university’s core values.

“Values Day is a day almost immune to the fast pace we typically find ourselves in,” said Amy Gipson, associate vice president of development and communications. “Classes are cancelled, routines are set aside. It demands that we slow down, breathe, be together, wander in and out of different events, and reflect. It’s the pause that rejuvenates us as a community — as we look to each other to learn and grow. It’s a celebration of who we are at Stetson, how we came to be here and where we are going.”

For students, it is a day to earn up to seven Cultural Credits by attending an array of workshops and activities throughout the day, including a Values Day Concert that evening. A free Community Lunch will be available in the Lynn Dining Commons, along with free Schmancy Pops at the Global Citizenship Fair on the Stetson Green, both from 11:15 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Values Day Through the Years

In the early 1990s, former Stetson President H. Douglas Lee created a town hall-style meeting meant to discuss diversity and inclusion at the university. In 2004, the name of the event was changed to Diversity Day, and in 2012 Diversity Day was re-envisioned to focus on all of the university’s core values. Thus, it was renamed Values Day.

In 2014, Stetson adopted the core values that still lead its mission as a university and the vision for its community: global citizenship, intellectual development and personal growth. Fast-forward 10 years and Stetson finds itself in a position to consider whether those values are up to date.

“As we navigate the complexities of the 21st century, it is an ideal time to consider whether these values continue to reflect who we are and who we aspire to be,” said Kevin Winchell, director of community engagement and co-chair of the Values Day Planning Committee. “I’m sure that whatever values we have will reflect the strong sense of community we have here at Stetson.” 

Redefining Stetson’s Values 

This year on Values Day, Stetson will be employing the deliberative polling method — a democratic process developed by the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford University — to invite all members of the Hatter family to engage in the discussion of what Stetson’s values should be moving forward.  

“When I reflect back on my two decades at Stetson, much has changed,” said Rina Tovar Arroyo, the president’s chief of staff and senior development officer. “However, when I think about the values that undergird the community that I love, much has stayed the same. I feel that the DNA of Stetson has always attracted members to our community whose values reflect service to others, working together through shared aspirations and elevating the human condition.”

The Deliberative Dialogue on Stetson’s Values will take place in the Warren and Barbara Carr Stetson Room in the CUB from 1 to 4 p.m. Registration to participate in the dialogue is open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni, Trustees and other stakeholders through this online form. 

The beauty of hosting this dialogue on Values Day, according to Winchell, is that everyone has equal standing. 

“On Values Day, many of our best workshops are proposed and led by students themselves,” he said. “Whether by leading workshops or deliberating about the future direction of our institution, students’ voices are just as important — if not more — than everyone else’s. Further, it is rare for an institution to open up a process of this magnitude to its students, which makes this dialogue even more exciting.”

For more information and a full schedule of events, visit Values Day 2024. 

– Andrea Mujica