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Announcements International Learning News

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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Managing and Leading by Keeping it Simple in a Challengin Higher Education Landscape

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Announcements International Awards Student Awards Undergraduate Research

Two Russian Language Students Win Prestigious Boren Awards

Before Lee Sullivan ’24 even enrolled at Stetson, she knew she wanted to study abroad in Russia.

Her chance came Feb. 2, when she flew 40 hours to the Far Eastern city of Vladivostok, a Russian port city on the Pacific Ocean near China and North Korea. 

She knew Russia was amassing troops near the border of Ukraine at the time. But she never thought Russian President Vladimir Putin would invade the neighboring country Feb. 24.

Within days, her study abroad company was preparing to evacuate its students from Russia, giving them the option to return home or relocate to a language school in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Sullivan chose Kyrgyzstan, where she was pleased to discover breathtaking scenery, a slower-paced lifestyle and hospitable people.

While there, Sullivan learned that she received a prestigious Boren Award that will provide up to a $25,000 scholarship to cover the expenses of studying abroad. She plans to return to Bishkek for eight months next year and continue her Russian language studies during the Spring and Summer 2023 semesters. 

She was one of two students of Russian at Stetson to receive Boren Awards in April. Alexis Laszlo, a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, received the award after taking Russian classes online through a partnership between Stetson and ERAU.

Two students of Russian at Stetson, taught by visiting assistant professor Snezhana Zheltoukhova, PhD, left, recently won prestigious Boren Awards. Alexis Laszlo, right, a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, received the award after taking Russian classes at Stetson through video conferencing. 

Under the Stetson-ERAU consortium, Stetson students can take Arabic classes via video conferencing through ERAU while ERAU students can take Russian classes using that technology through Stetson.

“We had two students receive this prestigious award,” said Snezhana Zheltoukhova, PhD, Stetson visiting assistant professor of Russian, World Languages & Cultures, who has taught Russian to the two students. “Both of them are star students.”

Studying Russian And Cybersecurity

Sullivan, who is majoring in Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at Stetson, applied for the Boren Award in hopes of studying abroad again and continuing her Russian studies.

“I decided that I could do another semester abroad and then add the summer on to it, studying Russian so that way I could hopefully be fluent in Russian by the time I graduated,” she said on a Microsoft Teams call from the London School of Languages and Culture at Bishkek.

In exchange for the scholarship, recipients of the Boren Award must agree to work for the U.S. government for one year. Sullivan hopes to work in Russian translation for a governmental agency.

She also hopes to attend graduate school and continue taking classes in cybersecurity. “I would love to work in cybersecurity policy, possibly cybersecurity international law,” she said. 

“I’ve taken multiple cybersecurity classes at Stetson, and hopefully I’ll be able to continue my education after Stetson and get a higher degree in one of those topics,” she added. “I decided that the Russian language would be a great asset for the field of cybersecurity.” 

Sullivan plans to travel to Armenia, Georgia and Latvia this summer and then return to Stetson for the Fall 2022 semester. She will live in a new Russian Community Catalyst House, designed for students who want to speak Russian inside the home.

“It’s the first time we’re opening [this Russian House],” Professor Zheltoukhova said. “She [Sullivan] will be there for one semester and then she goes back to Kyrgyzstan. I’m sure she’ll reach the superior level of Russian, which is an important achievement in this career.”

-Cory Lancaster

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Announcements Research Integrity

Academic Affairs Announcements

March 23, 2021

  1. IRB protocols
  2. IACUC proposals
  3. External Scholarships

From:  Michael Eskenazi, IRB Chair 

The deadline to submit Full Board Review protocols for review by the end of the semester is Wednesday April 7th.  The deadline to submit Exempt or Expedited Review protocols for review by the end of the semester is Wednesday April 14th.  Any protocols submitted after these dates will be reviewed in the order of their submission at the beginning of the fall semester. 


If you cannot meet these deadlines but have work that will begin over the summer, please let me know and I will review these Exempt or Expedited Review protocols after the deadline.  However, Full Board Review protocols must be submitted before April 7th for work that will begin over the summer.  

Please be sure to use the updated Protocol Description Form and Consent Form when submitting your IRB application.  These forms can be found at the bottom of the main page of MentorIRB.  You can access MentorIRB through the Resources tab in MyStetson. 


If you have questions about whether you need to submit your research for IRB review, what your level of review should be, or anything else, please contact me at [email protected] or 386-822-7398.  

From: Melissa Gibbs, Professor & Director of the Aquatic & Marine Biology Program

Attention all faculty members who plan to conduct new research projects involving non-human vertebrate animals this summer: 

As is our usual routine, if you plan to work with non-human vertebrate animals this summer for a research project that has not yet been approved by the IACUC, you will need to submit a proposal for our review by Friday April 23rd. The forms and guidelines used for writing proposals can be found on the Provost’s web page: http://www.stetson.edu/administration/provost/policies-and-guidelines/research-guidelines-for-animal-use/application-procedure.php. If you have several students who are all working on a similar project with you, you may choose to submit a single proposal and list the names of students who will be participating. You and your students, however, must have completed some form of IACUC training within the past two years, and have submitted health forms (to Campus Health Services) for review.

We offer research training through CITI https://www.citiprogram.org/members/index.cfm?pageID=50. You will need to register for CITI using your Stetson ID, and then select the basic Working with the IACUC module. There are several other modules that you might want to have your research students complete (e.g. Mice & Rats, Wildlife Research, Working with Amphibians, Working with Fish). 

The next call for proposals and reviews will be in early August, with a deadline toward the end of that month.

You will be notified individually if you need to submit a continuing review form or a project completion form.

From:  Grace Kaletski Maisel, Learning & Information Literacy Librarian, Research & External Scholarships Advisor

This advising season, I encourage you to keep distinguished scholarships and fellowships in mind. If you have a student who expresses interest or shows promise for a distinguished scholarship/fellowship opportunity, please refer them to Research & External Scholarships Advisor Grace Kaletski-Maisel at [email protected], or the appropriate campus advisor listed below. 

An info session for students providing information on a variety of opportunities will be held on Tuesday, March 23rd from 12-1 PM via Zoom. RSVP at https://stetson.libwizard.com/f/infosessionsignup. Cultural credit is available for this event.  Additional information is online at https://guides.stetson.edu/externalscholarships.

Name of Scholarship/Fellowship ProgramCampus Representative
Barry S. Goldwater ScholarshipMike King
Harry S. Truman ScholarshipDavid Hill
Morris K. Udall FoundationWendy Anderson
Fulbright Student ProgramBill Nylen & Ana Servigna
James C. Gaither Junior FellowsTim Stiles
Rhodes Scholarship & Marshall ScholarshipMelinda Hall
Boren Awards & Critical Languages ScholarshipYohann Ripert

Submitted via email from the Office of the Provost & Academic Affairs

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ACE Women's Network Announcements Faculty Mini-Grants

2021 ACEWNFL State Conference Mini-Grants

The 2021 ACE Women’s Network of Florida State Conference will offer a jam-packed morning of leadership development with peers from across the state.
As a result of the generous support of our presidential sponsor, Prez Chris Roellke, Stetson University is pleased to offer mini-grants to Stetson staff and faculty to cover the cost of registration for the Conference. Please complete the brief application form below by March 22, 2021. Mini-grant recipients will receive notice of award and will be automatically registered. Please ensure correct contact information when filling out the form

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Announcements Wellbeing

Session 2 (repeat): Faculty Well-Being in the Age of COVID – National Braintrust

February 26, 2021 at 3 p.m. This session will go live at 2:45 p.m. EST.

Faculty development is a caring profession and our roles as faculty developers are changing in the face of a global coronavirus pandemic. We are deeply committed to fostering environments where faculty thrive and thus, in learning what faculty need to sustain their work. We all have thoughts and concerns about this sustained engagement with loss — a raging pandemic, balancing life and livelihood, civil unrest, economic instability, increased emotional labor, isolation, caring for others, new teaching delivery methods for some, and more. Thankfully, there may be some light at the end of this long tunnel. 

The Office of Faculty Engagement at Stetson University in collaboration with The Learning and Teaching Commons at Evergreen State College will be hosting a braintrust for faculty developers and others to connect, listen, and support each other through this unprecedented and uncertain time. This session will offer an opportunity for crowd-sourcing and community-building by engaging in the act of deep listening as we share practices in our roles as well as thoughts and feelings about our roles. The session is designed to allow the work to emerge from participants who are present in the space. The facilitated circle practice uses a three-prompt protocol in which each participant takes one turn (or passes) to respond to a prompt and to listen closely to others. 

Facilitators

Rosalie A. Richards, Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Professor of Chemistry and Education, Office of Faculty Engagement, Stetson  University

Julia Metzker, Director for the Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education and The Learning and Teaching Commons, The Evergreen State College

Office of Faculty Engagement at Stetson University

Categories
Announcements Wellbeing

Session 1: Faculty Well-Being in the Age of COVID – National Braintrust

February 25, 2021 at 11 a.m. This session will go live at 10:45 p.m. EST.

Faculty development is a caring profession and our roles as faculty developers are changing in the face of a global coronavirus pandemic. We are deeply committed to fostering environments where faculty thrive and thus, in learning what faculty need to sustain their work. We all have thoughts and concerns about this sustained engagement with loss — a raging pandemic, balancing life and livelihood, civil unrest, economic instability, increased emotional labor, isolation, caring for others, new teaching delivery methods for some, and more. Thankfully, there may be some light at the end of this long tunnel. 

The Office of Faculty Engagement at Stetson University in collaboration with The Learning and Teaching Commons at Evergreen State College will be hosting a braintrust for faculty developers and others to connect, listen, and support each other through this unprecedented and uncertain time. This session will offer an opportunity for crowd-sourcing and community-building by engaging in the act of deep listening as we share practices in our roles as well as thoughts and feelings about our roles. The session is designed to allow the work to emerge from participants who are present in the space. The facilitated circle practice uses a three-prompt protocol in which each participant takes one turn (or passes) to respond to a prompt and to listen closely to others. 

Facilitators

Rosalie A. Richards, Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Professor of Chemistry and Education, Office of Faculty Engagement, Stetson  University

Julia Metzker, Director for the Washington Center for Improving Undergraduate Education and The Learning and Teaching Commons, The Evergreen State College

Office of Faculty Engagement at Stetson University

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Announcements

Office of Faculty Engagement

Welcome to the Office of Faculty Engagement at Stetson University. The Office provides entrepreneurial leadership of all aspects of faculty development, engagement, and support with a focus on ensuring academic excellence and innovation. Go to menu (3 dots) to navigate the website or refresh to the homepage by clicking the Stetson University logo.