Interested in “Creative Wellness: Learning to Cope through Art” or perhaps the “Evolution of the Imperial Japanese Army, 1854-1937”?

What about “Assessing Barriers to Healthcare Among Older Populations In Volusia County” or “The JungleBrunch89” — an exploration of ’80s and ’90s pop culture?

There’s more, too, such as “Focus on Faith: How Catholicism and Protestantism Hold Up in the Face of Economic Development”; “Attacking the Taboo of Death in Society: A Rhetorical Analysis of Enter the Void Through the Lens of Ideology”’ and “Let’s Go to Wawa” — paintings driven by the subconscious and loose narratives.

Those are just a few examples.

Welcome to the 25th Stetson Showcase, set for Tuesday, April 15, throughout the Stetson campus, beginning at 9 a.m. Sites include the Cici & Hyatt Brown Hall for Health & Innovation; Homer and Dolly Hand Art Center; Lee Chapel; Elizabeth Hall; duPont-Ball Library; Sage Hall; Lynn Business Center; and others.

Established in 1999 as the university’s celebration of student academic achievement, Stetson Showcase has grown nearly every year in size and scope, now standing as one of the oldest and most distinctive comprehensive Undergraduate Research Days nationwide. 

This year, the theme, appropriately, is Hatters Do, reflecting the university’s new initiatives in immersion learning and hands-on opportunities outside the classroom (Hatter Ready) — putting activity and engagement at the forefront of students’ academic lives.

Broad Spectrum of Projects

For proof, consider that approximately 150 projects will be on display, ranging from research, recitals and readings to presentations, portfolios, theater performances, art shows, and more. The works by current Stetson students, from all years and schools, are presented in professional settings for fellow students, faculty and staff, along with Showcase judges and interested members of the community. (See the complete schedule here.)

Indeed, this is a very big deal, with daytime classes cancelled and Cultural Credit available for students who attend. (A maximum of three Cultural Credits can be earned for attending the event. At each venue, students must take a QR code photograph at the end of a presentation, with a Cultural Credit requiring three QR codes logged. An additional Cultural Credit can be earned by attending the keynote address in the early evening.)

As for that keynote address, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Marshall & Vera Lea Rinker Welcome Center, the Grady Ballenger Lecturer is Graeme Harper, PhD, professor of creative writing and dean of the Honors College at Oakland University in Michigan. Harper is an elected Fellow of such organizations as the Royal Society of Medicine, the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Anthropological Institute.

A presentation of Showcase excellence awards follow the address.

All of this, of course, hasn’t made the job easy for Kimberly Reiter, PhD, associate professor of History. As committee chair of Stetson’s Undergraduate Research Committee, Reiter is the lead Showcase organizer. Yet, in describing the plans for April 15, Reiter glowed with anticipation.

“We are a rarefied community in that we are one of the very few universities in the country that has mandatory undergraduate research throughout the College of Arts and Sciences, a mandatory senior recital and junior recitals in the School of Music, and increasingly portfolio programs in our School of Business Administration,” Reiter said. “I’ve got an embarrassment of wealth. Other schools, other colleagues of mine have to drag people to undergraduate research. We celebrate it. We celebrate these students going out and doing fantastic things because Hatters Do.”

About the Showcase Cover

To illustrate the theme of Hatters Do, the Showcase poster art was designed by students Mary DeNote, Serena Dowling and Kaise Tinglin, as well as Department of History administrative specialist Madison Sepiol ’23. They used Generative AI, with the thought that while artificial intelligence’s ethical use remains a challenge in scholarship and creativity, there is no doubt that technology is now part of the immersion experience throughout Stetson. In the end, the artwork was a collaborative effort, using the human imagination of what Hatters Do when given the opportunity for active engagement through field research, outreach, independent expression and travel abroad.