Homecoming Week Ends on a High Note

Last week we celebrated homecoming with a number of events for students, alumni, faculty, staff and friends. The week ended on a high note, as FAU Football kept its home win streak alive by defeating UTEP on Saturday, 28-25. It was the Owls’ 12th consecutive win at FAU Stadium, and the fifth longest home win streak in the nation.

Another homecoming week tradition is the annual Talon Awards ceremony, which honors faculty, student, alumni and community leadership. Sponsored by the FAU Alumni Association and the Homecoming Committee, the Talon Awards have been presented during Homecoming week since 1997.

Dr. Kim Dunn received the Faculty Talon Award. She is an associate professor in the School of Accounting and Faculty Senate President. She was the first director of FAU’s Accounting Scholars Program, which has achieved 100% job placement for its graduates since its inception. In 2018, Dr. Dunn founded Champions Empowering Champions, a nonprofit organization working to invest time and resources in college students that have experienced foster care or homelessness, so they can earn a college degree and begin a successful career.

The Student Talon Award was presented to Tanya Panwala, a third-year student in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine. Tanya has always been interested in addressing health disparities and advocating for underserved communities, which led to her interest in medicine. She co-directed the Bridge to Medicine program and created a formal mentoring program for high school students interested in pursuing medicine. Additionally, she serves as a student representative on the Palm Beach County Medical Society’s Council on Medical Education.

Two-time NFL Pro Bowler Alfred Morris received the Alumni Talon Award. Alfred rushed for 3,829 yards and scored 27 touchdowns during his time at FAU. He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2012. That year, he set records for rushing yards in a single season and most touchdowns scored by a rookie in a single season. Alfred consistently showed his FAU pride in the NFL by flashing “Owl fingers” every time he reached the end zone. Over the course of nine professional seasons with four teams, he accumulated 6,173 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns.

I had the pleasure of presenting the President’s Talon Award to the dynamic duo of former Florida House Speaker Pro Tempore MaryLynn Magar and former FAU Trustee Robert (Bob) Stilley. Over the years, MaryLynn worked tirelessly to help create a thriving scientific hub at our John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter. She successfully fought for, and ignited, numerous initiatives that allowed FAU and the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience to grow together as partners. MaryLynn’s leadership and understanding of the role of FAU in the region coincided with more than $70 million in state appropriations. Her husband, Bob, also has been a tireless champion of FAU, and especially our Jupiter campus, through his service on our Board of Trustees from 2006 to 2021. During his tenure as chairman of the Board, he earmarked critical funding for the Jupiter campus, and specifically for the burgeoning Life Science Initiative. This provided the boost we needed to turn a very sparsely populated campus into the epicenter of Palm Beach County’s life sciences corridor. FAU truly owes both MaryLynn and Bob a debt of gratitude.

Congratulations again to the FAU football team and our 2021 Talon Award honorees!