alumni

Nearly $200,000 raised for Day of Giving at Florida Tech

November 25, 2019 by Isabel Cordero 12 Comments

The black chart represents the donation amount per department.
The red chart represents the top 16 departments with the amount of donors who contributed per department.

This year’s Day of Giving exceeded Florida Tech’s goal of 1,500 donors with funds reaching just under $200,000 in 24 hours.

The funds that were raised will be used for everything from updating technology on campus, providing for scholarship and research grants and funding the new Health Sciences Building.

Mary Ida Spradlin, the assistant director of annual giving, is the main organizer for the Day of Giving.

The day was dedicated to raising money for the campus, and Spradlin said it is their biggest online fundraising event.

Spradlin graduated from Florida Tech two years ago, and said the purpose of the event is to bring in alumni donors.

According to Spradlin, her job is to connect with all current students and alumni, and she planned this year’s theme of superhero Pete the Panther.

Sydney Tai, a sophomore in biomathematics, works as a student ambassador for the development office and acts as a student caller.

Tai said that her job is to contact alumni to inform them about current events on campus.

This includes information about how alumni can donate. Furthermore, any alumni that donates more than $1,000 is eligible for invitations to special events, including Tastes of the Season, an annual banquet featuring a dinner made by award- winning chefs during the holiday season.

According to Spradlin, this year they had 1,984 donors in 24 hours.

Bess Handel, a junior in psychology, was assigned to work on Day of Giving for her public relations class.

Her task was to create awareness for the student body and the superhero theme, advertising on the School of Arts and Communication Facebook page.

Handel’s team received help from the Office of Development in running a

booth outside of Panther Dining Hall for students, where students could write down their superpower and participate in a social media campaign.

“The Day of Giving is essentially an opportunity to give back to Florida Tech and all it’s done for you,” Handel said. “Whether you are faculty, staff, a student or simply a local resident, all donations are welcome and appreciated. Even if it’s just some spare change at the bottom of their wallet, it can help both the university and you as a student.”

Handel said that knowing exactly where donations go can make alumni and students more inclined to donate.

“It gives people an opportunity to support their interests and hobbies instead of just handing over money and not knowing what it’s going toward,” Handel said.

Tai agreed, saying, “It all goes back to the students, whether it be through grants or scholarships or specific areas.”

Spradlin says donors can specify where their donations go, giving to specific colleges, Athletics or the Panther Fund.

Spradlin also added that the Panther Fund is the university’s president’s fund to use for Florida Tech’s greatest needs.

A student holds a sign saying “I participate because I love my campus community.”
Photo // Florida Tech Alumni

Handel had some ideas to improve Day of Giving as well since she said she feels that not much has been advertised beyond emails, suggesting that students expand participation with more groups being encouraged to run booths.

“Students are more likely to donate if students are promoting the event, as opposed to Florida Tech staff,” Handel said. “Students will do a lot for extra credit, as we all know.”

Spradlin said she has already started planning how to improve next year’s Day of Giving. “This year was the biggest year we’ve had yet, and I think next year will be even bigger,” said Spradlin.

Florida Tech recognizes outstanding alumni at homecoming gala 2019

November 4, 2019 by Olivia McKelvey 2 Comments

Bino Campanini presents the Jerome P. Keuper Distinguished Alumni Award to Chip Perry.
FITV // Aayush Kapar

With over 60,000 alumni scattered throughout the globe, the Florida Tech Alumni Association has made it a priority to honor and recognize the legacy past students have left behind.

On Oct. 26, more than 500 people—including professors, faculty, alumni, and organizations that play a vital role in providing aid to Florida Tech—gathered at the 2019 Alumni Awards Gala to recognize outstanding alumni in various majors.

Award recipients included those with vast experience in their career fields as well as a continuous commitment to their alma mater.

Bino Campanini, vice president for Alumni Affairs, served as master of ceremonies and introduced the especially distinguished alumni of the evening.

“This event is a fantastic opportunity to catch up with colleagues, and a brilliant way to instill the spirit of the school and reinvigorate interest in each program,” said Robert Salonen, a 2019 Florida Tech graduate and the current director of Government Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at the university.

Others in the crowd agreed with Salonen that this was a special night that allowed individuals to return proudly to their alma mater and reminisce on past memories, but also learn about the future of the school and the growth it has seen in recent years.

After cocktails, photoops and dinner, Campanini continued as MC with lighthearted jokes as he welcomed each award recipient to the stage.

The first of five recipients was Jason Terreri, a 2001 Florida Tech undergraduate, awarded on behalf of the College of Aeronautics.

“The best advice I can give is to find someone who has the same desire and passion for your industry, and take them under your wing,” said the previous senior executive director of Syracuse Hancock International Airport. “Become a mentor, and give them an opportunity to be successful.”

While all award recipients mentioned how honored they were to be given recognition for their work and thanked the university for what it provided to them, each took on their own unique twist for their speeches.

One of the quirkier speeches came from the College of Engineering and Science awardee, Don Woodrow.

Woodrow is a distinguished 1986 Florida Tech undergraduate who is the president of Woodrow Construction LLC and also an advisory board member of civil engineering and construction advisory board at Florida Tech.

After cracking jokes about Bill Jurgens’ gray hair and poking fun at Campanini for his British accent, Woodrow concluded by asking the audience to stand up, enjoy the night and give their best impersonation of Elaine dancing from Seinfeld.

Others that received awards at the alumni gala were Monique Picou on behalf of the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business, Sherri Acanfora Ruohomaki on behalf of the College of Psychology and Liberal Arts and Gretchen L. Kelly on behalf of the College of Engineering and Science.

Picou, the senior vice president of flow and fashion for Walmart, compared Florida Tech to an ivy league university, and put emphasis on the fact that “it’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.”

Acanfora Ruohomaki, a former Florida Tech cheerleader and now the owner of K9 Kampus—a luxury dog daycare and boarding facility—concluded her speech with words of reflection: “Look at the growth and development that Dr. T. Dwayne McCay, and previously Dr. Catanese, have cultivated,” Acanfora Ruohomaki said. “It makes me want to come back here as a young collegiate and enjoy all the amenities that they have now that we didn’t have before.”

President T. Dwayne McCay stated that the alumni are “our strength” and “prove that the university did a good job.”

“Florida Tech teaches our students to work with people in teams, and in collaboration,” T. Dwayne McCay said. “Curriculum such as the senior design prepares our students to enter the workforce after graduation in a few weeks, whereas at other schools, it’s six months.”

The ceremony came to a close with the presentation of the Jerome P. Keuper Distinguished Alumni Award, the highest award bestowed upon by the Alumni Association.

Honored with such an award that remarks a reflection of a legacy of excellence was Chip Perry.

A former design engineer for Texas Instrument and founder of a top tier internet streaming service later bought out by Yahoo!

Perry was portrayed as a highly successful and memorable student from Florida Tech.

He took the guests down memory lane and recapped his journey from Florida Tech to where he is now.

Perry gave a special thanks to Ed Jonas, the designer of the Keuper statue in front of the President’s Office as well as the designer of all of the gala awards for the past five years.

“It was a true honor for Florida Tech to involve me in the design process,” Jonas said. “Although I am not a Florida Tech alumni, Brevard will always have a special place in my heart because it’s the hometown of the love of my life and it was one of the places where the last thing my father saw me accomplish was the sculpting of the Keuper statue.”

The night wrapped up with dancing and a continuation of celebrating Panther pride.

Street Dance Club wins talent show for the third year in a row

October 29, 2019 by Xiao Liang Leave a Comment

Street Dance Club dancing on stage as the last performance of the talent show.
FITV // Brett Twery

Florida Tech’s Street Dance Club was spotted not once, but twice on this year’s homecoming talent show podium stage.

Taking home gold in overall performance was the Street Dance Club’s individual performance, but they also came in second place for lip-sync through their partnership with Lambda Chi.

Beating SDC and Lambda Chi in the lip sync competition was Campus Activity Board and Phi Sigma with their satirical piece to songs from Moana, Aladdin and Lizzy McGuire.

They highlighted changes that have occurred since the founding of the university, such as the rebranding.

They also poked fun at landmarks such as the atomic toilet and the Crawford Tower.

On Oct. 24, 11 groups of students and organizations put on a show for their peers, showcasing their talents, performing lip-sync or both.

“I don’t usually come to events like this, but I very much enjoyed it,” said Samir Kazi, a senior. “Everybody is just having fun, and it really brings the homecoming spirit out of us.”

A wide variety of talents were seen throughout the show, such as the exotic performance by the Belly Dance Club, acapella take on The Pina Colada Song from the Players in Harmony and jazzy swing dance brought by the Swing Dance Club.

Alpha Omega Tau and the cheerleading team perform on stage. FITV // Brett Twery

“It’s really interesting to see people you know performing on stage,” said George Rodney, a senior. “You really don’t know what tricks they have hidden up their sleeves when in school, and I’m glad that they can have opportunities like this to express themselves and have fun at the same time.”

Other group performances also stood out as many greek life organizations paired with other clubs or athletic teams to best address the theme of “Bringin’ It Home.”

Some pieces featured “International Love” by Pitbull performed by the women’s swim team and Chi Phi, as well as “Promiscuous Girl” performed by Pi Kappa Alpha and women’s volleyball.

Furthermore, Alpha Tau Omega and the cheerleading team had a mixed musical, ballet and cheerleading along with their lip-syncing performance to hype up the crowd.

Anthony Roberts, a sophomore, said, “I wish that the show was a little longer and more people would participate. It’s really entertaining to watch and I almost can’t get enough of it.”

While the talent show was the sixth event of homecoming week, it allowed students to come out and support each other as well as provide comic relief for some and showcase the talent of others.