Alumni Newsletter
Dear Friends,
I hope you are having a wonderful summer and are enjoying some time with family, friends, and maybe partaking in some summer travel. I know the work doesn’t stop and for us, summer means we are hard at work welcoming incoming students and ensuring a smooth transition for our newest members of the FSU Family. Since May, over 16,000 students and their families have been through FSU orientation!
This month, we were delighted to welcome Dr. Amelia Parnell (’10), President of NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, back to campus for one of our monthly sessions promoting collaboration and professional growth surrounding data across the division. Amelia led a meaningful discussion with our staff on cultivating a campus data culture, inspired in part by her book "You Are a Data Person."
We are well into our yearlong celebration of FSU’s 175th anniversary and we were honored to host the Legacy Tea with the First Lady in spring. Looking ahead, many exciting developments are unfolding, including our 175th Homecoming. The Division of Student Affairs is taking the lead for the university, and we’re partnering across campus to create a most memorable experience for students and alumni. Please save the dates Friday, Nov. 20, for the Homecoming parade which will flow into a carnival and concert, and Saturday, Nov. 21, for the Homecoming game. More details to come soon!
Sharing bittersweet news—our Senior Director of Development, Alanna Kibiloski, has accepted the role of Executive Director for the FSU Student Success Collective, where she will provide fundraising expertise across the university. While we will miss her in our office, we are proud and confident she will continue to elevate student success and strengthen the partnerships that make FSU exceptional. We are beginning our search for the next Senior Director of Development for Student Affairs.
On a personal note, I am honored to be selected for the Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) scholarship for 2026-2027. I will be going to France in October for a 12-day intensive leadership and diplomatic immersion experience focused on higher education systems, partnerships, and institutional strategy. I am excited about this experience and impact for FSU.
As we near August and the start of the Fall semester, I want to thank you for all you do to support DSA and FSU student life. Much goes on behind the scenes, and our work is built through hands and heart and constant adaptation to meet students’ needs. Thank you for investing in and helping shape who our students become through your unwavering spirit and generosity. Go Noles!
If you are interested in becoming more engaged or would like to volunteer to assist Student Affairs, please contact _____________ at _________________.
Sincerely,
Amy Hecht, Ed.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs
Student Life
FSU Shadow
Celebrating 10 years of job shadowing career discovery
Since 2016, FSU Shadow has matched students with employers for one-day shadowing opportunities, where students get the chance to learn from employers’ expertise and industry insight and see a close-up look into potential careers. These job shadowing experiences help students make more informed decisions about post-grad options. It also helps them grow their professional network. Many of our employers who host FSU Shadow are esteemed alumni like you—THANK YOU! If you would like to learn more about FSU Shadow and hosting, please email Anissa Ford at fsushadow@fsu.edu.
Steppingblocks
Exploring data-driven career insights and opportunities
With the FSU Career Center and Steppingblocks, students can funnel their interests, skills and ideas into meaningful next steps using data from over 135 million career paths—data that includes FSU alumni! Check out this exciting new resource that uses real-world career insights to help students make informed decisions about future professions.
Hazing Prevention Summit
Inspiring positive change
On June 16, we hosted our second Hazing Prevention Summit, welcoming 92 participants from all 12 Florida State University System institutions. This powerful experience that provides other institutions with a better understanding of how to combat hazing on college campuses is made possible through the collaboration of many DSA teams. If you’d like to learn more about creating positive change and preventing hazing at FSU, visit hazing.fsu.edu/efforts.
City Bound Noles
Creating connection beyond campus
We continue to empower our students to strengthen their professional networks and discover new opportunities through our City Bound Noles. This summer, we first went to Washington, D.C. and held a student/alumni networking session and met with several donors. A special thank you to Tish Stropes, our immediate past Chair of the Student Affairs Development Council, for hosting our DC Study Away students at her home.
We currently have three more cities scheduled for in‑person networking events with FSU alumni and employers. In early August, the City Bound Noles program will make stops in Tampa (Aug. 3), Ft. Lauderdale (Aug. 5) and Miami (Aug. 6). If you are interested in attending or learning more, please reach out to Thomas Vatter at tvatter@fsu.edu.
All FSU alumni are welcome to join the City Bound Noles LinkedIn networking group to keep the connection going.
Thank you to everyone who helps champion these efforts!
