Since 1977, Florida State University’s Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences (Anne’s College) has recognized outstanding graduates through its Distinguished Alumni Awards. The 49th annual ceremony took place on February 20 in Dodd Hall, honoring five alumni for their achievements.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Sandra Schultz. Schultz is a coach and professor who spent 34 years at Miami Dade College teaching and coaching volleyball and softball. She was named the Florida Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2009. Schultz is also active as an equestrian and serves as a judge for the United States Equestrian Federation.
Cecile Reynaud received a Distinguished Alumni Award for her long-standing contributions to FSU Athletics as head volleyball coach, where she accumulated 635 wins, seven conference championships, and three Conference Coach of the Year awards over 26 years. Reynaud has also been recognized with USA Volleyball’s Friar Award and served as president of both the American Volleyball Coaches Association and We Coach, an organization supporting women in coaching careers.
Another Distinguished Alumni Award went to Jeffrey Fairbrother. Fairbrother currently serves as dean of the College of Education and Wayne T. Smith Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology at Auburn University. He previously held positions at Towson University and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is a past president of both the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity and the American Kinesiology Association, and he joined the National Academy of Kinesiology in 2025.
Mark Ferguson was also honored with a Distinguished Alumni Award. Ferguson owns Ferg’s Sports Bar in St. Petersburg, Florida, which recently celebrated its 33rd anniversary and was named best local sports bar in America by USA Today last year.
Shiyi Chen received the Trailblazer Award, which recognizes alumni who have made significant professional impacts within ten years of graduation. Chen is an associate professor at the University of Idaho’s Margaret Ritchie School of Family and Consumer Sciences. She has received an NSF-CAREER Award for her research on metacognitive language in children’s science learning and leads outreach programs reaching rural Idaho communities.
“I am so proud to call all of these individuals alumni of Anne’s College,” said Damon Andrew, dean of Anne’s College. “Each one of them represents excellence, whether in a classroom, in a sport, in business, or in our communities. The Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony is not only our way of honoring these individuals but also to elevate them as role models to our current students, who are inspired to see the incredible heights achievable by our graduates.”
