Convocation
Wednesday, August 21 - 11 a.m.
Convocation signifies the formal opening of the 2024-2025 academic year and will be held in the Edmunds Center. All students, faculty and staff are asked to participate. Cultural Credit will be available.
First-Year and New Transfer Students: FOCUS groups will walk together to the Edmunds Center following the morning meeting. Designated floor seating will be available.
Returning Students: Designated raised seating will be available and grouped by graduating class year.
Staff: Designated raised seating will be available in the center section.
Faculty: Gather in the Hollis Center, Rinker Field House by 10:40 a.m. wearing academic regalia. Faculty Marshals will lead the formal processional to the Edmunds Center beginning at 10:50 a.m.
Community Lunch - Following Ceremony
Following the ceremony, please join us for a community lunch in the Lynn Dining Commons and The Warren and Barbara Carr Stetson Room.
All students, faculty, staff and guests are invited to attend. No charge. Students are asked to bring their student IDs for entry.
New Residence Hall Groundbreaking - 1:30 p.m.
Following lunch, please join us in celebration of the groundbreaking for our newest residence hall located just behind the Carlton Union Building. Schmancy Pops will be offered as a cool treat to mark the occasion!
Alumni Keynote Speaker
Amy R. Rigdon, BA ’05, JD ’08
Amy Rigdon is a “Double Hatter” graduate of Stetson University, BA in 2005 (French and Religious Studies), and Stetson University College of Law, JD in 2008. Ms. Rigdon is a J. Ollie Edmunds Distinguished Scholar and served as captain of the Women’s Varsity Crew at Stetson and Editor-in-Chief of Stetson Law Review. She is a past president of the Stetson Law Alumni Association and currently serves on the Board of Overseers of Stetson University College of Law. She was elected to the Board of Trustees in May 2022.
Amy Rigdon is a partner at Latham & Watkins LLP in Washington, D.C. She advises clients on the formation and operation of a variety of traditional and non-traditional private investment vehicles, including private equity funds, co-investment funds, GP-led secondaries, and sponsor arrangements and governance. Ms. Rigdon delivers creative and pragmatic counsel to a variety of participants in the funds space, including private equity firms, established and emerging fund managers, and institutional investors. Her experience ranges across fund types and investment areas, with a particular focus on energy and renewable funds, infrastructure funds, real estate funds and private credit funds.
She regularly speaks and writes on topics related to investment funds, institutional investing and securities issues. She is also a contributing author of a book, Global Investment Funds: A Practical Guide to Structuring, Raising and Managing Funds, published by Globe Law and Business.
Ms. Rigdon has served in several firm leadership roles, including as Co-Chair of the Women Enriching Business Committee in the Washington, D.C. office. She also actively supports a number of nonprofit organizations, including the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. Among her efforts, she served as Co-Chair of the organization’s Generous Associate Campaign for several years, raising donations over $1 million for DC Legal Aid. Ms. Rigdon’s involvement in this initiative earned her recognition as part of the group that won the Young Lawyers Section of the Bar Association of Washington, D.C.’s 2018 Young Lawyer of the Year award. In 2013, Ms. Rigdon was also awarded the Outstanding Alumni Representative Award from Stetson University College of Law.
Amy resides in Arlington, Virginia with her husband Gabriel Robertson and their daughter.
2024 McEniry Recipient Address
Katya Kudryavtseva, PhD, Associate Professor of Art History
Katya Kudryavtseva is an Associate Professor of Art History and Curator of the Stetson Vera Bluemner Kouba Collection at the Hand Art Center. She specializes in twentieth-century art, with her research focusing on the intersection of art history, politics, art institutions, and business, and exploring their collective role in the development of the canon of modern and contemporary art. She has curated a range of exhibitions that probe these themes, illuminating the complex dynamics that shape artistic movements and cultural narratives. Her exhibitions not only highlight the historical significance of the artworks themselves, but also encourage critical engagement with contemporary issues.
At Stetson, Professor Kudryavtseva teaches an array of courses on modern and contemporary art, curatorial practices, the art market, and art law, and supervises the newly established Museum and Curatorial Studies major. Her students receive comprehensive training and deep insights into the intricacies of the art world, allowing them to curate exhibitions at various venues on the Stetson campus and preparing them for successful careers in various art-related fields.