What Got Done

Hatter Football returned in 2013 after a 57-year hiatus, while women’s lacrosse and beach volleyball were added to Stetson’s roster of NCAA Division I sports.

The award-winning duPont-Ball Library developed an Innovation Lab, where students use 3D equipment, virtual reality and more to bring projects to life.

Since the arrival of Wendy B. Libby, PhD, in 2009, undergraduate enrollment has increased nearly 50% to an all-time high of 3,183 students on the DeLand campus in fall 2019 and 4,429 across Stetson’s campuses.

The university’s endowment more than doubled to $246 million, and the amount dedicated to faculty salaries increased 70%, with more than 50 new faculty positions added to keep pace with student enrollment. The average full-time faculty salary increased by approximately 26% within a decade. Several new academic programs were introduced. Among them were the School of Business Administration’s Centurion Sales Program, while the Prince Entrepreneurship Program was greatly expanded, and the Roland George Investments Program portfolio grew to approximately $4 million. The College of Arts and Sciences added an interdisciplinary major in public health, a minor in Jewish studies and a low-residency Master of Fine Arts of the Americas in creative writing; the psychology major was redesigned with a strong basis in research and statistical analysis; and considerable growth occurred in the college’s environmental science and studies program.

The Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience was created, with a focus on research, policy and public education toward the development of sustainable environmental solutions.

At Stetson’s College of Law, the Advocacy Center and Veterans Law Institute were established, and three new Master of Jurisprudence programs for non-lawyers were launched. Also, in the toughest market ever for law applicants, with LSAT takers dropping by about 50%, the College of Law steadied its enrollment while increasing the quality of students. The university successfully completed its seven-year comprehensive campaign, Beyond Success – Significance, raising more than $218 million and exceeding a goal of $200 million. The funding was earmarked for endowments, scholarships and international learning; faculty support and academic programs; athletics; and capital projects such as construction of the Marshall & Vera Lea Rinker Welcome Center and the Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center, as well as renovations to the Carlton Union Building.

Stetson students reached a level of approximately 90% employed or in graduate school within six months after graduation, as the university strengthened its emphasis on helping students secure internships, study abroad and practical experience in their fields of study.

Several partnerships and articulation agreements were finalized with other schools, including AdventHealth University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Chatham University (Pennsylvania), Daytona State College’s Quanta-Honors College, Seminole State College, University of South Florida, University of West Florida and Valencia State College. Also, Stetson added Air Force ROTC while its Army ROTC cohort grew from 15 cadets in 2009 to more than 100 in 2020. An initiative called Many Voices, One Stetson was established to “unequivocally commit to create a culture where each individual is welcomed and belongs as an essential part of the fabric of the Stetson community.”

Stetson’s Hillel program was invigorated, highlighted by the renovation and opening of the Jeffrey and Diane Ginsburg Hillel House on campus.

New fraternity and sorority chapters were established, including Phi Beta Sigma and Sigma Gamma Rho, two of the “Divine Nine” historically Black Greek Letter Organizations.

Stetson increased its commitment to environmental sustainability, resulting in a conservation program that reduced water and energy consumption by approximately 18% — despite the growth on campus — and inspired a student-supported solar array that produces electricity for use in the CUB.

Financially, Stetson survived and thrived, earning Moody’s “stable” rating to represent that achievement. According to Moody’s May 2019 report, “Stetson’s A3 rating is supported by consistently positive operating cash flows, healthy philanthropic support, moderate leverage and regionally established student market position. The university benefits from the diversity of its program offerings and its location in Florida, with a growing population and increasing number of high school graduates in the state.”