Rollins Announces 2024 Presidential Awards for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Each year as the spring semester winds down, the College’s Diversity Council asks Tars to consider which students, faculty, and staff members have led the charge toward a more equitable Rollins. Since 2010, the Presidential Award for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) has honored individuals making significant contributions to the cause of promoting representation, inclusion, and awareness among the Rollins community.

Presidential Award for DEIB, Students

Alise Fortune ’24
Majors: Philosophy and psychology

As a champion for marginalized voices, Alise Fortune ’24 has served as a student member of the DEIB strategic planning task force, where she helped identify the most pressing objectives for implementing DEIB work within the curricular and co-curricular experiences of our campus community. She has also worked as a leader of the Student DEIB Council, synthesizing the key insights emerging from those conversations and focusing on opportunities for DEIB innovation. Additionally, Fortune—whose superpower has been described as making everyone feel safe, welcomed, and whole—served as the copy editor for The Independent magazine, collaborating with authors to advance equity and inclusion on campus.

Fatima Sani ’24
Major: Psychology

Working tirelessly to cultivate community and a sense of belonging for her peers, Fatima Sani ’24 has made a profound commitment to the advancement of DEIB on campus through a multifaceted approach encompassing leadership, advocacy, programming, and community engagement. From engaging residence hall initiatives about pressing social issues as an RA to developing inclusive outreach programs as a wellness ambassador, Sani consistently puts her passion for equity into action. A proud international student from Nigeria committed to celebrating and building understanding of diverse cultures, she has served in leadership roles in the African Student Union and is a member of the service-focused Bonner Leaders Program.

Presidential Award for DEIB, Faculty

Kyle Meyer ’00MBA

Executive-in-Residence for Accounting, Crummer Graduate School of Business

Accounting professor Kyle Meyer ’00MBA has taught at Rollins’ Crummer Graduate School of Business for 20 years, serving as a founding faculty member and an advisor for the Crummer Multicultural Management Association. He has also served as a faculty sponsor of the student-convening group on racial and social equity after the murder of George Floyd, elevating the racial consciousness of Crummer faculty, staff, and students. This past academic year, Meyer has taught 20 local students from Evans High School as part of a collaboration between the Crummer Leadership Center and the Heart of Florida United Way. Meyer is always eager and willing to dedicate his time to students and alumni in support of programs that heighten awareness of equity, access, and fairness for underrepresented groups.

Presidential Award for DEIB, Staff

Bronwyn Holder, Fraternity and Sorority Life Advisor, Center for Campus Involvement

Bronwyn Holder has been a passionate advocate who is unshakable in her commitment to fostering communities that center DEIB. Whether it’s bringing the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority to campus or drafting new policies and protocols to ensure our community can safely and respectfully have their voices heard through posting and demonstrations, Holder has made a positive and thoughtful impact on our campus. As co-chair of the Staff Diversity Council, she is a leader with a high level of emotional intelligence, wisdom, and consideration whose advocacy and efforts strive to strike the balance of support, development, and accountability.