Convocation
Wednesday, August 20 - 11 a.m.
Convocation signifies the formal opening of the 2025-2026 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 at no charge. Students are asked to bring their student IDs for entry.
2025 McEniry Recipient Address
John Riggs, DBA, Professor of Practice in Marketing
John Riggs is a Professor of Practice in Marketing and Executive Director of the Centurion Sales Program at Stetson University. He earned his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) in Marketing from Kennesaw State University. Riggs has a B.S. degree in Health Science from the University of Florida, and an MBA from Kennesaw State University.
Riggs has over 25 years of professional experience in the pharmaceutical/ biotech industry. Over the course of his professional career, Riggs has held numerous roles. Starting as a sales representative, he soon moved into the role of corporate trainer for medical affairs and executive management. Soon thereafter, he became the director of sales for the U.S. and Puerto Rico divisions of critical care medicine and eventually held the position of Global Vice President of contracting and pricing integrity for a biotech firm. Riggs' research interests include sales and sales management. His published research explores how empirically tested best practices in business, professional selling, and marketing impact medical decision making, selling in healthcare, pharmaceutical, and medical marketplaces, and more importantly its impact on patient health outcomes. Riggs’ passion for bridging the gap between academia and practical application inspired him to form “The Center for Translational Research in Business”. He is currently developing methods for applying business best practices in patient non-compliance for medicine and pharmacy, a model for practical application in healthcare settings. Apart from his responsibilities as a faculty member at Stetson University, Riggs is a national and international speaker on evidence-based business practices in professional selling, sales management, negotiation skills, and translational research in business.