A Rollins Year in Photos

So much happened this past year. We celebrated the conclusion of the historic Brighter Together campaign and welcomed the largest first-year class in the College's history. We celebrated the 70th anniversary of our beloved college radio station WPRK and opened a brand-new theatre complex. And through it all, our students and professors continued to partner on original graduate-level research, and our alumni leaned on the future-proof foundation they received at Rollins, leading meaningful lives and forging productive careers. As we welcome the start of an another exciting year, let’s check out some of our best moments from 2022-23.

Welcome Week 2022 kicked off the new semester with a weeklong agenda of events and programs for both new and returning students to enjoy, including some epic karaoke performances.

On the Friday before Labor Day, Rollins students joined family, faculty, fans, and alumni across the country in celebrating College Colors Day, showing school pride by rocking our signature blue and gold.

With the support of her many mentors at Rollins, business management major Sydney Knight ’23 joined the dance team, pledged a sorority, got an IT job on campus, and secured an internship with JP Morgan in New York City, where she's now working full-time as a solutions analyst.

Funded by a grant from the Center for Undergraduate Research in Mathematics, math professor Zeynep Teymuroglu and her students are working to convert mathematical models into interventions to reduce fatal overdoses from opioids and lower transmission rates.

Students are thriving in Lakeside Neighborhood, Rollins’ newest residential facility that combines the best in independent living with a slew of state-of-the-art amenities designed to promote health, wellness, and community.

Honorary trustee Barbara Alfond ’68 ’18H treated students from art history professor Kim Dennis’ Museum Practicum course to a special tour of the Rollins Museum of Art. She shared some of her favorite pieces from the contemporary art collection that bears her name as well as tips on curation as the class prepared to curate its own exhibition.

Last fall, Rollins caught up with international business major Parker Magness ’18 in New York City. As membership manager at Newlab, he’s helping the company further entrepreneurship, innovation, and frontier technologies to build a more resilient, sustainable world.

With a wide variety of programs and activities, Family Weekend 2022 was a success as Rollins welcomed parents and family members to campus.

Physics majors Makayle Kellison ’25 and Maggie Kuffskie ’25 conducted acoustical research alongside physics professor Whitney Coyle, playing a role in the historic launch of NASA’s Artemis I rocket. The research they conducted—which has been published in JASA Express Letters—marks a return to studying the sound levels of rocket launches and their impact on everything from the rocket itself to the launchpad, surrounding communities, and the environment.

Rollins celebrated the close of our largest-ever fundraising campaign Brighter Together, raising $293,483,635 to elevate the College’s commitment to everything from academic excellence to life-changing scholarships. More than 16,000 donors from all 50 states and nearly 70 countries contributed during the multi-year campaign, helping the College exceed its $275 million goal by more than $18 million.

Social entrepreneurship major Sara Cohen ’23 married her passions for art and ethical business practices by starting her own handmade design studio offering bespoke jewelry and stationery, even selling her creations at a local coffee shop—all before she graduated.

Rollins celebrated 70 years of our beloved independent radio station WPRK with a block of programming highlighting the history of the station. Throughout the week, budding broadcasters took to the airwaves from the new state-of-the-art studio located in Kathleen W. Rollins Hall.

In addition to WPRK, student-media outlets like the College’s newspaper The Sandspur, arts and literary journal Brushing, and The Independent magazine are elevating voices on campus and beyond.

To celebrate the Lunar New Year in 2023, the Year of Rabbit, Rollins’ Asian studies program hosted a series of daylong events on January 26, starting with a dragon dance parade around campus and concluding with a panel discussion addressing the recent rise in Asian hate.

The Rollins community celebrated the third annual Thaddeus & Polly Seymour Acts of Kindness Day with a collection of events organized by the Center for Leadership & Community Engagement. Tars came together throughout the day to show their commitment to both service and Rollins, including partnering with Habitat for Humanity to build a new home for a family in need.

Sponsored by the Student Government Association (SGA), the annual LipSync event was a huge success as student organizations from around campus hyped up the crowd during a night of dancing and lip-syncing. For the third year in a row, the Black Student Union beat out dance teams from dozens of other student organizations to take the gold.

On February 14, the campus showed its love for Rollins on Giving Day, unlocking essential aid for everything from scholarships to hands-on learning. During the 24-hour event, Giving Day raised $458,963 and surpassed the goal of 1,000 donors.

On February 23, members of the Rollins Board of Trustees and a small group of alumni, donors, and friends of the College gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Tiedtke Theatre & Dance Centre, which will fully open this semester. After the ceremony, guests received a sneak peek of the 16,165-square-foot facility during which students, faculty, and staff staged demonstrations in several of the centre’s state-of-the-art spaces.

Rollins’ Professional Advancement programs introduced later class start times and a hybrid model that combines in-person and virtual components, making it easier than ever for adult learners and transfer students to finish their bachelor’s degrees and take the next step in their careers.

To showcase a few of our favorite dining offerings, Brendan Manning ’23 and Hollie Tweedie ’25 enjoyed a little bit of everything from the Marketplace—from made-to-order sandwiches and vegan specialities to fresh soups and sweet treats.

Alumni Weekend welcomed grads from around the globe back to campus for a reunion like no other. The celebration included a fashion show, the beloved Grove Party, and the annual Alumni Awards.

The much-anticipated springtime appearance of the wily fox happened in the early morning hours of Thursday, April 6, on Tars Plaza, signaling that it was Fox Day, the one day of the year when we close up shop and get outside for a day-long dose of vitamin D. The Fox joined students jumping for joy outside Kathleen W. Rollins Hall celebrating Rollins’ favorite tradition.

Courtney Trohn ’23 honed knowledge and skills in child psychology at Rollins’ Hume House Child Development & Student Research Center. Through her research working directly with children in an observational environment, the psychology major decided to pursue a child and adolescent clinical track in graduate school on her path to launching a private practice.

Long dubbed “Mad Dog” for his animated personality, sports-radio star Christopher Russo ’82 went from calling Rollins games on WPRK to being inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame.

The Rollins chapter of Phi Beta Kappa—known as the Theta Chapter of Florida—inducted its second class of members. Less than 1 percent of all college students in the U.S. qualify for acceptance into Phi Beta Kappa, which is the nation’s oldest and most prestigious honor society for the liberal arts.

Studio art major Emma Lostutter ’23 worked with art professor Dawn Roe on curating photographs for her very own art exhibition at the Rollins Museum of Art. Lostutter credits this opportunity for hands-on, real-world experience as essential preparation for her career goals, which include becoming a graphic designer in the fashion industry.

English professor Jana Mathews’ 300-level Globetrotters course engaged students in a spirited round-table discussion on the impact European migration to the Americas had on literature both domestically and across the pond from 1500 to 1800.

Rollins’ baseball team ended its 2023 season with a historic accomplishment, reaching the final round of the NCAA Division II National Championship for the first time since 1954 and scoring a runner-up finish at the championship.

Valedictorian and international business major Capri Gutierrez ’23 was one of four Rollins students who earned a 2023-24 Fulbright Scholarship, joining Rollins’ storied history of Fulbright Students that spans seven decades. Gutierrez earned one of the prestigious Fulbright research awards and is currently in Uganda researching child victims of war with the Justice and Reconciliation Project.

Biology majors Dikshya Nepal ’25 and Hamza Zeini ’25 and biochemistry/molecular biology majors Emily Gross ’25 and Madi Linn ’25 worked with chemistry professor Pedro Bernal to collect test samples from Lake Virginia. The team is using the samples as part of Bernal’s field study—which he’s been leading for more than 25 years—focused on water purification in the Dominican Republic, researching ways to simplify the process and maximize the usage of the water filters across the island.

Daniebeth Martinez Negron ’23 faced several setbacks on her journey to becoming the first person in her family to earn a college degree. But with her resolve and the flexibility of Rollins’ Professional Advancement program for working adults, she graduated at the top of her class, giving a commencement address as the program’s Outstanding Senior.

To cap off the year, graduates from the College of Liberal Arts, the Hamilton Holt School, and the Crummer Graduate School of Business celebrated their commencement in ceremonies that ushered in the close of their Rollins journeys and the beginning of their bright futures.