tetson University has taken bold steps special relationship with the Florida Baptist over the last decade to achieve some Convention to reaffirm Stetson's commitment to very ambitious goals. Capitalizing on he an inclusive religious community for all faiths. the hard work and vision of our Fifth, we protected and improved our campus. predecessors, we have focused on a single Our geographic boundaries, as defined in the goal:S to meet the educational needs of current and master campus plan, are now protected in the future students by constantly improving the quality State of Florida Comprehensive Land Use Plan. of our academic programs and repositioning Stetson Twelve buildings are included on the National as one of the nation's premier, private universities. Register of Historic Places. The campus is more There are many ways to analyze our progress. A beautiful than ever. chronology of events is provided in the article, Finally, we dramatically improved our financial "One by one. .," beginning on Page 18. But now I position. Our endowment has grown from $23.7 want to focus on broader, strategic changes and million in 1987-88 to $89.5 million in 1996-97. Let's future issues. The Stetson $200 Million Campaign has reached The most important achievement has been the $158 million. improvement of academic programs. Our strategy The transition is not complete. I predict it will Talk... was threefold: (1) to add faculty positions, thus take another decade for us to emerge on the improving reaching and student/faulty interaction; national scene as a premier, private university. (2) to develop new programs and expand old ones During this period, many new issues need by enhancing faculty development opportunities; attention, but four require significant emphasis: and (3) to expand the library, research equipment We must invest in faculty resources. We may and technology as critical learning tools. need additional faculty in some areas, but this will about our future The addition of 25 new faculty dramatically not be our primary focus. Faculty development, improved teaching. Substantial curricular reform recognition for achievement, and investments in resulted from improvements to existing distinguished visiting faculty and program programs and the addition of new ones. development will he priorities. Our library, research equipment, and The use of technology in teaching will be a top technology will be state-of-the-art in priority. Students will have access to all library the 21st Century- . Our achievements information from their residence hall rooms. have been nationally recognized. Faculty and students will be able to reach each There have been other strategic other via technology on a 24-hour basis. "Distance changes: learning," a concept we traditionally have ignored, First, new faculty were added when will he explored. many distinguished scholars, who Gift-funded scholarships will he our number developed our core of academic quality, one fund-raising priority. Providing access and retired. Our academic culture suddenly affordability for qualified students is a moral became more diverse as new faculty responsibility. We will leverage the J. Olhe brought new ideas. The curriculum and Edmunds Distinguished Scholars Program to working relationships changed. We establish the comprehensive merit scholars have become far more interdisciplinary network needed to improve the overall quality of as individuals work across department our students. and college lines. Stetson's colleges and schools will he more Second, we responded to the integrated as a university. For example, the increasingly diverse society in which we DeLand and Law campuses are developing live. Through such programs as the partnership programs such as the joint JD-MBA Multicultural Education Institute, the degree. Partly because of alliances with external Institute for Christian Ethics, Women partners, we are adding interdisciplinary majors and Gender Studies, Africana Studies, such as Digital Arts, Environmental Studies, and and the Howard Thurman Program, we Computer Information Systems. The Stetson are playing a lead role in promoting presence at Disney's Celebration provides an cultural awareness. Ethnic diversity opportunity for a satellite campus. Programs for within our student, faculty and staff non-traditional students and life-long learners populations has risen dramatically. have high priority. Third, the university moved from a Although we can learn from the past, it is century-old in loco parentis model for critical that we think of the future. We must student life to a student developmental never lose sight of our primary goal: to offer our model. Students participate in decision students the best possible opportunities for snaking. They learn how to be leaders learning by constantly improving the quality of and to be responsible. They are held our academic program and repositioning our- accountable for their actions. selves as one of the nation's premier, private Photo by Chris Carlson Fourth, the university redefined its universities. - Doug Lee CONTENTS Recognize anyone? From left are Doug and Margaret Lee, and Margaret and Pope Duncan in 1986, the year Pope Duncan retired as Stetson's seventh president and Doug Lee became the PUBLICATIONS eighth. What's happened since then? See page 18. ADVISORY BOARD ALUMNI REPRESENTATIVES A HUG FROM JIMMY Corky and George Dannals Alumna Claudine Ryce tells tragic story, works to help others Vincetta Giammanco Ford 2 Martha Pollard Holler Page 2 Claire Beth Link PASSING THE TORCH OF EXCELLENCE Evelyn West-Mills John Pelham has made the 'Stetson Connection' for many Todd Richardson 8 PARENTS COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE Mary Kay Richter MAKE A DIFFERENCE... McEniry Award winner Leonard Nance sees Stetson changing FACULTY AND STAFF 12 Steve Barnett Tom Horton GIVE STETSON TO A STUDENT Mark McMaster Scholarship students and donors share their stories Ellen Smith Darald Stubbs 14 Page 8 STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES 3,650 DAYS ADD UP TO BIG CHANGES FOR STETSON Brantley Craig A look back over the past 10 years Davina Yetter 18 VOLUME 16 - NUMBER 1 HOW DO OUR BUILDINGS GROW? STETSON UNIVERSITY From design to bricks and mortar H. Douglas Lee, President 24 E Mark Whittaker, Vice President for University Relations DEPARTMENTS Jackie Kersh, APR, Executive Let's Talk Director of Public Relations Page 14 Opposite page Editor: Betty Brady Associate Editor and Design: Under the Cupola Danielle 1-aprime, '95 MA 26 Writers: Betty Brady, Cheryl Downs, Jackie Kersh, and Campus Spotlight Danielle Laprime 33 Cover photo: Chris Carlson Proh'eritate is published semi-annually by Stetson University, DeLand, Florida 32720-3781. The Winter issue is mailed to alumni, parents and friends. The Summer issue goes to university contributors, voluntary subscribers, institutions and foundations. Printed by Independent Printing, Daytona Beach, Fla., on recycled paper. Page 33 A Hug from hen Don and I left that Sunday night, Don had to call several police stations to report Jimmy missing September 10, 1995, on a two-day business before he found out that Metro Dade Police Department has trip, our 9-year-old son Jimmy was lying on jurisdiction over the unincorporated South Dade County area his stomach watching the second Dolphin where we live. We learned later that there are more than 30 game of the season and our 16-year-old different police departments in the Miami area. Wexchange student from Thailand, "Jin," was writing letters. A Metro Dade sent a patrol car immediately. Under Federal law, 21-year-old neighbor had been hired to stay with the kids and no waiting period is necessary before a missing-child search cook their meals. begins. When we got home around 7:30, concerned neighbors Monday afternoon, I called home to make sure everything was Were gathered outside our electric gates, patrol cars were cruising going well. Jimmy's piano teacher told me "Jin" was taking her the neighborhood, and we could hear a helicopter overhead. first piano lesson, but Jimmy was not home yet. I knew what Don and I would not learn until weeks later that the best time Jimmy got off his school bus each day, and it only took him initial response to any missing child is an organized massive 5 minutes to walk home; he should have been there. physical search of the surrounding area, including sending a I sensed something was horribly wrong. trained bloodhound to the scene immediately. When Jimmy was When Don returned to the motel, I was in tears. He called taken, there were no bloodhounds in south Florida at all. home and talked to the piano teacher, the exchange student, and That night the school bus driver and children from the bus Jimmy's 18-year-old brother, Ted. Don asked Ted to walk to the told police that Jimmy got out on the corner at his stop, alone, as bus stop and see if he could spot Jimmy. Ted also went to several usual. The last person to see Jimmy, other than the kidnapper, of Jimmy's friends' houses, but no one knew where Jimmy was. was the bus driver, who saw him beginning to walk home. By 5 o'clock we were on our way home. Don used his portable I had tried, the first day of school, to get the bus to let Jimmy phone to talk to the sitter, who said they had overslept that out in front of our house rather than on the corner where traffic morning, and he had driven Jimmy to school. Don tried to is heavy. This did not involve a route change or an additional locate someone at the school to ask if there had been bus stop; the bus drove right in front of our home. I was told that no problems, but could reach only the maintenance man. changes could be made, for any reason, for the first two weeks of school. I was passed from one bureaucrat to the next, until the last one hung up on me.