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Global Music Experiences

Did you know that Stetson University’s School of Music is giving students world-class opportunities on and off the stage, both at home and abroad?

After a successful pilot, the School of Music and Opera Orlando have expanded their Apprenticeship Program for the 2024–2025 season, giving four Stetson students the chance to perform with the professional opera company during the fall semester.

These elite apprentices were cast in a powerful benefit concert, Defiant Requiem: Verdi at Terezin, held at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Orlando. The concert dramatizes the resilience of Jewish musicians during the Holocaust, making for a moving and historically resonant experience.

In addition, two students were cast in Opera Orlando’s production of Macbeth, and two others performed in Cendrillon, Massenet’s magical retelling of Cinderella.

Students audition annually for this prestigious opportunity, which combines college credit, vocal coaching, masterclasses, and real-time on-stage training with seasoned professionals. The program underscores Stetson’s commitment to experiential learning and professional preparation in the performing arts.

Music Across Continents: Symphonic Band Heads to Costa Rica

And the momentum doesn’t stop there.

In May 2025, Stetson’s Symphonic Band will embark on its first-ever international tour, traveling to Costa Rica for a week of concerts, cultural exchange, and unforgettable experiences.

Led by Chandler Wilson, PhD, director of Bands and assistant professor of music, the tour will include performances at some of the country’s most prestigious venues, such as the Eugene O’Neill Theatre and the National Theater in San José.

Fifty-nine students will not only perform for international audiences but also collaborate with local high school musicians in a joint concert, promoting both musical excellence and cross-cultural understanding.

Beyond the concert halls, the band will immerse themselves in the culture and landscape of Costa Rica with visits to the Doka Coffee Plantation, Arenal Volcano, Tamarindo Beach, and Palo Verde National Park.

Wilson sees the tour as more than a performance opportunity: “It’s a life-changing experience our students will always remember.”

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Announcements Awards International Learning News

Distinguished Scholarships and Fellowships: Opening Global Doors for Stetson Students

Imagine sitting in The Hague, watching a real trial unfold at the International Criminal Court. Or tracing the haunting footsteps of victims at Dachau, the former Nazi concentration camp in Germany. Or, on a lighter note, sipping ancient wines in Georgia, the birthplace of winemaking. These aren’t just dreams. For Stetson students, they’re lived experiences, thanks to international study made possible through prestigious scholarships and fellowships.

At Stetson, studying abroad is more than an adventure, it’s a key part of preparing students for meaningful careers and graduate study. Aligned with the university’s Hatter Ready initiative, international experiences deepen students’ academic journeys. But as Associate Professor of Psychology Michael Eskenazi, PhD, points out, “Studying abroad is one of the most important things a student can do during college, but it’s also one of the most difficult to do because it’s so expensive.”

Eskenazi oversees more than 40 scholarships and fellowships and has supported students through both competitive application processes and faculty-led programs. Through partnerships with WORLD: The David and Leighan Rinker Center for International Learning and key faculty mentors, students are achieving life-changing global experiences.

The Gilman Scholarship: Opportunity Meets Impact

Tristyn Rampersad, a Philosophy major, spent two transformative weeks in the Netherlands and Belgium, funded by the Gilman Scholarship, which provides up to $5,000 for Pell Grant recipients to study abroad. His journey began when Eskenazi visited his Honors class to discuss fellowship opportunities.

With application guidance from Paula Hentz and Melanie Smith at the WORLD office, Rampersad developed compelling essays and crafted a community service project as required by the scholarship, a social media campaign to promote the Gilman.

During the faculty-led trip, Rampersad and his peers visited the Amersfoort concentration camp, attended lectures on the evolution of psychology in Europe, and sat in on a live human rights trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. “That makes it a lot more real,” says Eskenazi.

Rosa Vega, an Entrepreneurship and Professional Sales major, also received a Gilman to study for a month at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. There, she taught entrepreneurship sessions, visited a business incubator, and toured the Dachau concentration camp. “This experience gave me new ideas for my own entrepreneurial journey,” Vega reflected.

For both Rampersad and Vega, the greatest benefit wasn’t just the travel, it was joining the global Gilman alumni network, a powerful community for career support and mentorship.

The Boren Scholarship: For Future Public Servants

Highly competitive and deeply respected, the Boren Scholarship funds the study of critical languages abroad in regions central to U.S. national security. Unlike faculty-led programs, recipients study independently, often for extended periods, and commit to one year of government service after graduation.

Heaven Lee Sullivan, a 2024 Stetson graduate in Russian, Eastern European and Eurasian Studies with a strong interest in cybersecurity, exemplifies the kind of driven, globally minded student the scholarship supports. Before applying, she spent an entire month researching countries and programs. “I wanted to study a critical language, so my options were Chinese, Arabic, or Russian,” Sullivan recalls. “And of those three, I thought Russian was the most appealing, as it is slightly easier to learn but still an incredibly difficult language.”

Sullivan received $25,000 toward her eight-month program in Georgia, a country bridging Eastern Europe and West Asia. “That’s the thing about the Boren Scholarship,” she notes. “It traditionally funds extended periods of time abroad. Students don’t usually go for just one semester, they do two semesters or a semester and a summer, which is what I did.”

Her days were filled with 20 hours of Russian language instruction per week, elective courses with lecturers from local universities, cultural programs, and field trips to neighboring Azerbaijan and Armenia. She approached her studies with a multidisciplinary lens, drawing from politics, history, anthropology, and linguistics to better understand the diverse post-Soviet region. “It includes broadly about 15–20 countries… The region is so diverse that you’ll really never get bored,” she says.

Among her most vivid memories were weekends in the wine-producing region of Kakheti, where she tasted wines rooted in an 8,000-year-old tradition. Upon returning to the U.S., she even worked briefly at a local wine bar. The experience, she says, clarified her career direction: a future in the federal government, ideally working at the intersection of cybersecurity and culture. “This type of scholarship is an unparalleled opportunity. It sets you apart from the crowd,” she affirms, adding that she was accepted into several top-tier graduate programs.

Another Stetson Boren recipient, Cole Caven, class of 2026, majors in International Studies and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. He aspires to pursue a Juris Doctor and a master’s in International Affairs, aiming for a career in international law and transatlantic security policy. “I applied with the intent of becoming fluent in Russian by graduation and spending more time in the Eurasian region—the best means to understand it,” Caven says. “As someone who aspires to work in foreign policy, it is an immense aid both in improving my linguistic skill set and launching my career.”

Caven credits his award in part to the dedicated mentorship he received. “My win wouldn’t have been possible without the recommendation letters from my professors and the many hours spent revising my essay with Dr. Mayhill Fowler,” he shares.

Caven is currently in Tbilisi, Georgia, through July, participating in a program by SRAS (formerly the School of Russian and Asian Studies). His coursework includes immersive Russian classes where no English is spoken, in addition to lectures on regional security and local policy.

Taiwan Scholarships: Immersive Study, Global Careers

Stetson’s students are also making their mark in East Asia, thanks to Taiwan Scholarships. Associate Professor and Chair of History Leander Seah, PhD, has mentored several recipients, including Zoe Weaver-Lee ’19 and Mary Brandt ’23. Both studied in Taiwan and are now pursuing careers tied to national security and international relations in Washington, D.C.

“Anyone who lives, works or studies in Taiwan becomes inextricably linked with the island for the rest of their career,” Weaver-Lee shares. These scholarships, such as the Huayu Enrichment and Ministry of Education awards, offer up to $1,000 monthly and support full cultural immersion and language study, particularly in Mandarin.

Seah, who was born in Singapore and is a leading scholar in Sino-American relations, believes deeply in the power of cultural immersion: “Nothing quite beats understanding a non-Western culture by studying it in the country itself.”

Fund for Education Abroad: Around the World on Semester at Sea

Marvel Olson, a junior studying Aquatic and Marine Biology, combined her love of travel and science through Semester at Sea, with help from the Fund for Education Abroad and the Institute for Shipboard Education.

From September to January, Olson’s journey spanned the Netherlands, Morocco, Ghana, Mauritius, India, and beyond, culminating in a visit to Japan. Along the way, she studied coral reefs in Mauritius, deepening her passion for conservation and fieldwork. “This trip helped me better understand what I want to do in my future,” she says. “I want to pursue grad school in Australia.”

Supported by the WORLD office and inspired by life-changing experiences, from witnessing new ecosystems to shaving her head for Neptune Day (a seafaring tradition), Olson emerged with lifelong friendships and professional clarity.

Start Early, Tell Your Story

None of these journeys happen by chance. Scholarships like Gilman, Boren, Taiwan Awards, and the Fund for Education Abroad are fiercely competitive. That’s why Eskenazi urges students to start early, ideally in their first or second year.

“It’s all about building a narrative for yourself, who are you, what experiences do you have, and why this scholarship and study abroad opportunity are a good fit for you,” he says.

With Stetson’s strong mentorship, supportive offices like WORLD, and dedicated faculty, the path to international learning, and to a meaningful global career, is more possible than ever.

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Announcements News

Supporting First-Gen Success: The WISE Program’s Inaugural First Year Seminar

This past fall, Stetson’s WISE Program (Welcoming Inclusive Support for Emerging students) launched a groundbreaking new initiative: a First Year Seminar (FSEM) course designed specifically for first-generation students, those who are the first in their immediate families to attend college.

Unlike traditional FSEM courses, which typically explore a topic of mutual interest among students, this new course was intentionally crafted to focus on the broader skills and knowledge students need to succeed both in and beyond the classroom. The course serves as the academic centerpiece of the WISE Program, which also includes peer mentorship, personalized advising, and early success coaching.

Associate Professor Jeremy Posadas, PhD, who holds the Hal S. Marchman Chair of Civic and Social Responsibility, led the course and helped shape its integrative approach. “By integrating the academic component through FSEM with the rest of the WISE Program, and the fact that we’re in regular conversation, it means we’re addressing all the different parts of the students’ development,” Posadas explained.”it also means that if I am seeing students struggling academically in the First Year Seminar Class, I can flag it to the rest of the WISE Team.

This holistic support model not only helps students navigate the academic transition to college, but also allows faculty and staff to respond quickly when students need extra help. “If I’m seeing students struggling academically in the seminar, I can flag it to the rest of the WISE team,” Posadas noted.

The pilot seminar reflects Stetson’s growing commitment to inclusive excellence and equity in student success. By embedding support into both academic and co-curricular spaces, the WISE Program is helping first-generation students feel seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.

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Awards Faculty Awards Hand Awards

2025 Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievement

Congratulations to the following recipients of the 2025 Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement.

Since 1988, the Hand Awards for Distinguished Faculty Achievement are made possible through the continued generosity of trustee emeritus and alumna Dolly Hand and her late husband, Homer Hand. Through their support of excellence in higher education, Stetson University is honored this year to recognize one outstanding faculty member for the Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity.

See nomination information and an archive of award recipients here.


It is my great honor to announce the recipient of this year’s Hand Award for Distinguished Faculty Achievement. This prestigious award recognizes excellence in research, creative, and professional activity, highlighting the significant contributions faculty members make to their professional fields and to the intellectual vibrancy of our campus.

The recipient of this year’s award is one of Stetson University’s most prolific scholars, whose work has had a profound national and global impact. With more than 300 publications, over 30,000 citations, and an h-index of 77—an exceptionally rare and esteemed score—his scholarship stands as a model of rigor, innovation, and collaboration. One nominator wrote: “He has collaborated on published projects with almost every faculty member within the psychology department, and with several other faculty across the university.” His research, particularly in the area of media psychology, has reshaped the field by challenging established views and offering a more nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between media and human behavior. His vital work been published in the most distinguished academic journals in his discipline and has also earned him numerous invitations to present his research at prestigious institutions around the world.

Transcending academic boundaries, today’s award recipient is also a well-respected public intellectual, whose expert insights are regularly featured in major media outlets such as MSNBC, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The LA Times. His ability to translate complex research on violence in media has made him a trusted voice on critical social issues.

As a teacher-scholar, this individual has been deeply committed to mentorship. One colleague wrote: “Every semester as he runs multiple studies in his lab, he has a team of undergraduate student research assistants working with him. His students get excellent training in the research process, and he often publishes with those students too.” In short, he embodies Stetson’s relationship-rich learning.

In recognition of his exceptional contributions to the field, his tireless dedication to his students, and his collaborative spirit that has enriched the Stetson community, I am proud to announce that the recipient of this year’s Hand Award for Research, Creative, and Professional Activity is Professor of Psychology, Dr. Christopher Ferguson.


Presented by Dr. Katy Webb, Dean of duPont-Ball Library and Learning Technologies on May 9th, 2025 at the 2025 Academic Awards and Recognition Ceremony