Congratulations, 2022 Talon Award Honorees

As Florida Atlantic wrapped up its annual homecoming celebration last week, I had the pleasure of taking part in the 2022 Talon Leadership Awards. Each year, the FAU Alumni Association and Homecoming Committee co-host the event to recognize the university’s outstanding faculty, student, alumni and community leadership.

During the ceremony, the Student Talon Award was presented to Cassidy Hoover, a prospective fall 2022 graduate majoring in health science with a minor in health administration. Cassidy was selected to receive the award for her involvement as a lead peer academic coach with the University Honors Program, program board director for Student Government, and captain of the women’s club soccer team.

Kyle Prescott, D.M.A., FAU’s director of bands and professor of music, received the Faculty Talon Award for dedicating years of leadership involvement to the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters and professional music community. His TEDx Talk, “Plays Well with Others: Why Musicians Understand Leadership,” speaks to his demonstrated excellence as both a teacher and performer.

Edward Fulton, M.D., was honored with the Alumni Talon Award. He served as the Jupiter campus study body governor and FAU’s student body vice president before graduating from the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College in 2009. He is now a private practice dermatopathologist in Birmingham, Alabama, and teaches dermatology residents at Tulane and Louisiana State University.

I also had the honor of presenting four President’s Talon Awards to David J. S. Nicholson; Aubrey M. Strul; Eric Shaw, Ph.D., M.B.A. ’73, B.B.A. ’72; and Richard L. Schmidt, M.B.A. ’71.

David Nicholson is a philanthropist and wealth manager with a history of successful accomplishments in financial services and education. He formed the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation in 1992 to honor the military sacrifices of his father, William Stiles, a fallen soldier, and stepfather William Nicholson, a German prisoner of war survivor. In 2021, he made contributions totaling $10 million to FAU, which welcomed an era of unprecedented research, education and discovery at FAU’s John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter.

Aubrey Strul is a private equity investor who focuses on companies with strong management teams, quality product lines and exceptional people. In 2017, he and his wife, Sally, partnered with me and Carolyn to establish the Kelly/Strul Emerging Scholars Program, which enables qualified high school graduates to attend FAU and graduate debt-free. The program has successfully graduated 22 scholars to date.

Dr. Eric Shaw is a professor emeritus of marketing at FAU and a two-time alumnus, having received a B.B.A. with honors in 1972 and an M.B.A. in 1973. He serves on the editorial and review boards of many academic associations and is a peer reviewer for several scholarly journals, academic conferences, and textbook publishers. He also mentors Ph.D. students and serves on various FAU committees while actively pursuing research and engaging in scholarly activities.

Dick Schmidt received his M.B.A. in accounting at FAU in 1971 and is currently the chief executive officer of Schmidt Companies, Inc., a diversified investment group. He also serves as president of the Schmidt Family Foundation, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting nonprofits that alleviate suffering and help individuals make the most of their given abilities. In addition to his many philanthropic gifts, Dick has helped shape FAU with his invaluable leadership and unwavering support.

Congratulations again to all our 2022 Talon Award honorees. Thank you for using your talents to lead and uplift our FAU communities.