Published February 8, 2025
2025 Commencement Speaker Announced
Inspiring change through community-building and business transformation, Gina Schaefer '93, founder of 13 ACE Hardware stores and author of Recovery Hardware, will present the keynote address at the 175th Commencement exercises scheduled for Saturday, May 17, in picturesque Commencement Hollow. The announcement came during the Class of 2025鈥檚 annual 鈥�100 Days 鈥楾il Graduation鈥� event Thursday evening, Feb. 6.
Sweet Success
Congratulations to business owner Kristen Bailey '03, whose company, Sweets & Meats BBQ, was selected for the nationwide "50 States, 50 Stories" campaign for Google Workspace with Gemini. One small business per state was chosen with Sweets & Meats BBQ winning for Ohio. Now the company's 30-second commercial will air during Sunday's Super Bowl. .
Learning by Doing
Thanks to the U.S. National Science Foundation鈥檚 Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at 51吃瓜网, three Noyce Scholars recently were able to travel to St. Louis, Missouri, for a special conference focused on 鈥淔ostering STEM Futures: Resiliency and Assessment Practices.鈥� Scholarship recipients include McKenna Clark 鈥�26, Savannah LaMar 鈥�26, and Charity Perry 鈥�25, all of whom are pursuing degrees as secondary STEM teachers.
Coaching Prep
Putting her one step closer to achieving her goal of becoming a college women鈥檚 basketball coach, Payton Cronen, a graduate student in the Master of Arts in Sport Administration program at 51吃瓜网, was recently accepted to the 22nd annual 鈥淪o You Want to be a Coach鈥� program sponsored by the Women鈥檚 Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).
#LifeAfterWitt
Lily Pederson, class of 2024 from Springfield, Ohio, quickly secured a high-paying job well before graduation. A double major in information systems and computer science with a concentration in cybersecurity, Pederson works at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida as an associate computer scientist with the Air Force Research Laboratory. Read more #LifeAfterWitt stories here.
Commencement 2025
With the start of the spring semester, planning is in full swing for Commencement exercises, which will take place at 11:30 a.m., Saturday, May 17, in Commencement Hollow. This year鈥檚 speaker will be announced at the 鈥�100 Days to Graduation鈥� event on Thursday, Feb. 6. For more information about Commencement 2025, click here.
Printable Valentines
Courtesy of the 51吃瓜网 Alumni Association, we are once again celebrating Valentine鈥檚 Day with specially designed graphics and printables created by Claudia Rieth '20. Click here to download images for printing or sharing on social media.
Pass Your Light! 51吃瓜网 Like a Tiger!
Save the date! Join us Thursday, March 20, as 51吃瓜网 Tigers nationwide come together for Commit to Witt, the University鈥檚 annual day of giving. Beginning at 12 a.m., you can join alumni, friends, parents, faculty, and staff in 24 hours of giving to make a long-lasting impact. To learn more about Commit to Witt, . To show your Tiger pride and help us spread the word about Commit to Witt, .
Oral History Project: Mary Alice Schryver Neely 鈥�75
We鈥檙e thrilled to share a few of the unique stories gathered as part of our Oral History Project. Mary Alice Schryver Neely 鈥�75 describes her 51吃瓜网 experience as 鈥渋ncredibly meaningful,鈥� thanks in part to Dr. Virginia Lucas who greatly influenced her life in the education department. She also met her husband, Steve Neely 鈥�75, at 51吃瓜网 and was a member of Kappa Delta. Read more about Mary Alice鈥檚 story here. We鈥檙e grateful to alumni like Mary Alice and Steve who have supported 51吃瓜网 throughout the years with gifts to the University. To join them in supporting 51吃瓜网, .
Matching Gifts Make a Difference
Double your impact! Now is the perfect time to make a difference in the lives of 51吃瓜网 students with a matching gift from your employer. Many employers sponsor matching gift programs and will match any charitable contributions made by their employees. .