Alumni of FSU’s College of Motion Picture Arts have left their mark on some of this summer’s most prominent movies.

Nat Sanders (BFA ’02) served as an editor on “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” David Robert Mitchell (MFA ’02) wrote, directed and produced “The End of Oak Street,” and Alex Ullom (BFA ’20) wrote, directed and edited the independent thriller “It Ends.” Ullom’s classmates Carrie Carusone and Evan Barber (also both BFA ’20) were producers on the film.

“To see our alumni contributing at this level is an incredible point of pride for FSU Film,” said Reb Braddock, dean of the College of Motion Picture Arts. “Nat and David have each built remarkable careers, while Alex, Carrie and Evan are part of an exciting new generation of FSU filmmakers. Their success shows our students just how many paths there are to making an impact in this industry.”

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” starring Tom Holland and directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, has become one of the year’s biggest box-office successes.

The film continues Sanders’ collaboration with Cretton, which includes “Short Term 12,” “The Glass Castle,” “Just Mercy” and Marvel Studios’ “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

Sanders also was part of the FSU Film alumni team behind the Academy Award-winning “Moonlight.” He and fellow FSU graduate Joi McMillon edited the film and earned Academy Award nominations for Best Film Editing. Sanders has worked extensively with “Moonlight” writer-director and fellow FSU alumnus Barry Jenkins, including editing Jenkins’ first feature, “Medicine for Melancholy,” and “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

“It was at the FSU Film School where I discovered my love for editing and also formed the friendships and relationships that made my career possible,” Sanders said. “I’m so grateful for my time at FSU Film.”

Mitchell returned to theaters this summer with “The End of Oak Street,” a science-fiction adventure starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor. The film follows the Platt family after a mysterious cosmic event transports their suburban neighborhood to an unknown place, forcing them to navigate unfamiliar surroundings to survive.

Mitchell made his feature directorial debut with “The Myth of the American Sleepover” and gained international attention with the 2014 horror film “It Follows.” He later wrote and directed “Under the Silver Lake.”

“My time at FSU, and the lifelong friendships I made there have been key factors in my ability to make films,” Mitchell said. “It’s a super important place for me.”

Ullom’s feature directorial debut, “It Ends,” opened in select theaters Aug. 21 after strong critical attention and is set to expand nationwide Friday. The film premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival.

“It Ends” follows four recent college graduates who set out on a late-night drive and find themselves trapped on a seemingly endless road. The film has drawn national attention for Ullom, whose debut comes just four years after earning his BFA from FSU.

Ullom credited his experience at FSU with helping make the film possible and connecting him with collaborators who remain part of his life and work.

“It gave me the friends and collaborators that supported me and are now my lifelong friends. I also couldn’t have made the film without the school supporting us,” Ullom said.

The work of Sanders, Mitchell, Ullom, Carusone and Barber adds to a long record of FSU Film alumni working across the motion picture industry as directors, producers, writers, editors, cinematographers and other filmmaking professionals.

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Florida State University Vice President for University Advancement and President of the FSU Foundation Marla Vickers will step down from her position this summer.

Dr. Vickers, an FSU alumna and the first woman to serve in the role, joined Florida State in October 2022 and has led the university’s advancement and alumni engagement efforts during an important period for the institution.

She has overseen fundraising, alumni relations, donor engagement and communications initiatives supporting Florida State’s academic, research and student success priorities while also providing executive leadership to the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

During her tenure, Dr. Vickers helped launch and lead Florida State’s new comprehensive fundraising campaign and guided major philanthropic initiatives from a national model of excellence.

Among the most significant milestones during her leadership was Anne Spencer Daves’ landmark gift to the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, resulting in the renaming of the college in her honor. The designation marked the first time an FSU college was named for an alumna and established the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, known as Anne’s College, as the first named education-related college in Florida.

Dr. Vickers also helped advance Dr. Herbert Wertheim’s $65 million investment in the College of Business, the university’s largest endowment gift in its history, which named the Herbert Wertheim College of Business and the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence. She worked closely with donors, alumni, volunteers and university leaders to strengthen philanthropic support across the university and expand engagement with the FSU community worldwide.

“Marla has provided exceptional leadership for University Advancement and the FSU Foundation during an important period for Florida State University,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “Her leadership was instrumental in advancing our comprehensive campaign and supporting transformative investments such as the renaming of Anne’s College and the Herbert Wertheim College of Business. As a Florida State graduate, she brought a deep understanding of this university and a genuine passion for its future. We are grateful for her service to Florida State and wish her all the best.”

For Dr. Vickers, the opportunity to return to her alma mater and help advance the university’s mission through philanthropy and engagement made her tenure especially meaningful.

“Returning to Florida State to serve my alma mater has been one of the great privileges of my career,” Dr. Vickers said. “I am deeply grateful to President McCullough, our alumni, donors, volunteers, my team and colleagues throughout the university for their partnership and support. Together, we have strengthened the foundation for Florida State’s future, and I will always cherish the opportunity to be part of the university’s continued growth and success.”

Before joining Florida State, Dr. Vickers served as associate vice president of Advancement at Emory University, where she directed fundraising and alumni and constituent engagement efforts for eight academic schools and units. She also held advancement positions at Yale University, the University of Chicago, George Washington University, Duke University and Georgetown University.

Dr. Vickers earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree from Florida State University, an MBA from George Washington University and a doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University.

Florida State University will launch a national search for its next vice president for University Advancement and president of the FSU Foundation. Information regarding interim leadership will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Florida State University continues to be recognized among the best in the nation according to The Princeton Review’s latest college rankings list, adding to FSU’s nationally renowned reputation in providing exceptional educational value and meaningful student experiences.

Florida State secured the No. 22 spot for Best Value public college nationally and No. 1 in the state of Florida according to The Princeton Review.

“Florida State University is deeply committed to academic excellence and to helping every student fulfill their highest potential,” said Joe O’Shea, vice president for Student Academic Success. “What’s very special is that students, regardless of family background or major, graduate at some of the highest rates in the country. FSU is an amazing place to be, where students can experience both a rigorous academic environment and a vibrant community where we all really care about and support one another.”

The rankings are based on a survey of 170,000 students at 391 schools. Students were asked 98 questions in four sections about their school’s academics and administration, life at their college, their fellow students and themselves.

• FSU is No. 1 in the state of Florida on the “Their Students Love These Colleges” list based on student satisfaction, earning the No. 2 spot among public universities nationally. The student-led recognition reflects the university’s continued investments in student success and resources.
• FSU’s Career Center works to prepare students for their future careers with numerous career services and events. The university climbed one spot to No. 13 on the “Top 20 Best Schools for Internships (Public Schools)” list, making it the top public institution in the state for internships.
• FSU students are the most spirited in the state when it comes to the university’s numerous intercollegiate sports teams. The university checked in at the No. 10 spot on The Princeton Review’s “Students Love Their School Teams” list.
• FSU placed No. 13 on the “Top 20 Best Alumni Networks (Public Schools)” list.
• Students enjoy many options for recreational and athletic facilities on and off FSU’s campus, from classes and workout spaces at the Bobby E. Leach Center and Fitness & Movement Clinic, to FSU’s Lakefront Park and top-notch athletic facilities. FSU claimed the No. 15 spot for “Best Athletic Facilities” and best in the state according to the student survey.

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Florida State University’s College of Social Sciences and Public Policy (COSSPP) will honor four graduates for their professional achievements, contributions to society and support of the college and university.

The college will celebrate the 2025 Distinguished Alumni — Jennifer Green, Jeff Kottkamp, Bobby Pittman Jr. and Carissa Schively Slotterback — at the College’s Distinguished Alumni Gala in spring 2026.

“The college’s Distinguished Alumni Award captures the hard work, FSU spirit and commitment to excellence of our alumni, and the Class of 2025 exemplifies that wonderfully,” said Dean Tim Chapin. “These honorees have excelled in politics, entrepreneurship and higher education in ways that reflect the potential and power of a degree from Florida State University. I could not be prouder to see them honored as COSSPP’s Distinguished Alumni.”

Jennifer Green is the president, CEO and sole owner of Liberty Partners of Tallahassee, LLC, which she founded in 2007. With nearly 30 years of experience in lobbying, grassroots advocacy and political consulting, she has helped secure more than $100 million in infrastructure funding for rural communities across Florida. A frequent speaker, expert witness and ethics advocate, Green earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from FSU and associate degree from St. Petersburg Junior College.

Jeff Kottkamp, a former Florida Lieutenant Governor (2007–2011), is the incoming CEO and president of Florida TaxWatch beginning January 2026. An attorney and public servant, he has also served in the Florida House of Representatives and chaired numerous state boards and initiatives. Kottkamp remains active in the FSU community through the Alumni Association National Board of Directors, and he was inducted into the FSU Alumni Association Circle of Gold in 2007. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science from FSU.

Bobby Pittman Jr. is a founding partner of Kupanda Capital, a platform for building and scaling high-impact companies. Through ventures such as Fraym, Nithio and Mavin Global, Pittman Jr. has helped create lasting change, particularly across the African continent. His public service career includes roles in the White House, CIA and U.S. Treasury. A 1997 graduate of FSU’s economics program, he is a second-generation Seminole and a multi-year honoree on the Seminole 100 list.

Carissa Schively Slotterback, Ph.D., FAICP, is dean of the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Public and International Affairs. A leader in planning and public policy education, she has championed civil discourse and student engagement throughout her academic career. Her research focuses on stakeholder engagement and collaborative decision-making. Slotterback received her doctorate in urban and regional planning from Florida State University in 2004.

For a list of all COSSPP’s Distinguished Alumni, visit cosspp.fsu.edu.

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A Florida State University alumnus has been elected to the oldest and one of the most prestigious continuously existing scientific academies in the world in honor of his lifetime of work in chemistry, astrophysics and earth and environmental sciences.

Mark Thiemens, who earned his doctoral degree in chemical oceanography in 1977 from what is now the FSU Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science (EOAS), is among 90 researchers from around the globe named as a 2024 Fellow of the Royal Society. Thiemens currently serves as a distinguished professor of chemistry and biochemistry and the John Dove Isaacs Endowed Chair in Natural Philosophy for Physical Sciences at the University of California San Diego.

“I am, for once, lost for words on what it means to me to be elected to such an important society for the history of science,” Thiemens said. “I cannot wait for the collaborations that will arise from this, and I am looking forward to meeting a plethora of talented scientists that make up this organization.”

The Royal Society is the United Kingdom’s nearly 400-year-old national academy of science and is composed of some of the world’s most preeminent scientists across all fields of study. Founded in 1660, the society’s missions include undertaking a range of activities to provide direct and indirect public benefit, recognize and elect distinguished scientists to their fellowship, and represent the UK’s research community while collaborating with international partners to advocate for science and its benefits. Other notable Royal Society fellows of the approximately 8,000 elected include Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, Dorothy Hodgkin, Venki Ramakrishnan, Stephen Hawking and more.

“I am pleased to welcome such an outstanding group into the Fellowship of the Royal Society,” said Sir Adrian Smith, Royal Society president. “This new cohort has already made significant contributions to our understanding of the world around us and continues to push the boundaries of possibility in academic research and industry. From visualizing the sharp rise in global temperatures since the industrial revolution to leading the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, their diverse range of expertise is furthering human understanding and helping to address some of our greatest challenges.”

Thiemens has wide-ranging research interests, and his multidisciplinary work broadly seeks to enhance our knowledge of Earth’s systems. He has worked in atmospheric chemistry around the world, from Mount Everest to the South Pole, and he discovered the mass independent isotope effect, a phenomenon that helps explain our solar system’s origin as well as provides a quantitative way to track the origin of life across Earth’s earliest history. Thiemens identifies sources of greenhouses gases and breaks down the chemistry of past and present atmospheres on Earth and Mars, and he has developed rocket-based samplers for the upper atmosphere and designed experiments to investigate the fundamental quantum chemistry of isotope effects. He has also done extensive work using meteorites, such as from Mars, and lunar samples.

“Dr. Mark Thiemens is a truly remarkable scientist who has left an absolutely incredible legacy as evidenced by his unmatched list of research accomplishments and well-deserved honors, including this and his election to the National Academy of Science,” said Bob Hart, professor of meteorology and EOAS chair. “I also personally resonate with his altruistic nature as demonstrated by his mentoring of aspiring scientists still in junior high school and high school. He is a remarkable human being whom we can all learn from, and EOAS and FSU are enormously proud to count him amongst our alumni.”

In addition to this latest honor, Thiemens is a fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Geophysical Union, the Meteoritical Society, the Geochemical Society, and the European Association for Geochemistry. He has earned more than 10 major awards and recognitions from various scientific societies, served on several academic panels including the Space Sciences Board and Board on Energy and Environment, and in 2007, an asteroid was named in his honor by the International Astronomical Union. Thiemens served as the founding dean of UCSD’s School of Physical Sciences and has been an editor for the journal the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences since 2008.

“The best key to success, for me, is to love what you do, work at it and stay with it,” Thiemens said. “I am passionate about what I do because there is always something new to tackle. I am particularly interested in past climates and chemistry and study these using ice samples and ice core records from the South Pole and Mount Everest, as well as samples from Tibet, as 40 percent of the world’s water supply comes from the Tibetan Plateau. I have spent about 10 years researching in and around Tibet to see if understanding the climate’s past will help predict how the Tibetan glaciers will melt and affect everything from El Niño to sea-level rise.”

EOAS alumni are among the world’s top researchers in meteorology, geology, environmental science and oceanography. They serve as leaders and directors of esteemed scientific academies, editors of revered academic journals, and chief members of leading industry organizations.

“This is such a great honor and tribute to Mark’s career,” said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Sam Huckaba. “We are very proud of his accomplishments, and it is a privilege to call him an alumnus of our program.”

To learn more about the FSU Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, visit eoas.fsu.edu.

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James M. Seneff, an alumnus and major supporter of Florida State University, on Friday encouraged a cohort of elite students in the College of Business to strive for wisdom, lifelong learning and resilience.

“Ultimately, your life will depend on how resilient you are,” he said. When you’re strong like an oak tree, “you can get blown down by the wind. When you’re resilient, you bend and come back stronger than you were before.”

Seneff, a 2006 inductee into the College of Business Alumni Hall of Fame and the founder and executive chairman of the Orlando-based CNL Financial Group, spoke as the guest of honor at a medaling ceremony for the fifth cohort of the James M. Seneff Honors Program.

The program launched in fall 2019 as part of a $5 million gift to the college by the CNL Charitable Foundation to honor Seneff.

He told the scholars about the 10,000 books in his library and about the power of reading and lifelong learning, both of which he champions “to build your capacity.”

“I tell my kids all the time, and I’ll tell you the same thing: What you don’t know will hurt you,” he said. “The faster that you can learn and get wisdom, the quicker you’ll be able to avoid … downfalls.”

The event took place at the FSU President’s House, where President Richard McCullough and First Lady Jai Vartikar welcomed this year’s Seneff Scholars, plus their friends and family members. Also present were Michael Hartline, dean of the College of Business; Mark and Nan Hillis, longtime FSU supporters and members of the college’s Alumni Hall of Fame; retired FSU vice president Lee Hinkle, whose late husband, Clifford, is enshrined in the Alumni Hall of Fame; and Seneff and his wife, Martha.

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The Florida State University Division of Student Affairs invites the campus and community to the screening of two documentaries that expose the dangers of substance use disorder and fentanyl as well as discuss the impact of collegiate recovery programs.

“Safety Net: Helping Students in Recovery Thrive” will premiere at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, at the FSU Askew Student Life Center, followed by a 7 p.m. reception and a special viewing of “One Second at a Time: Battling the Monster of Addiction.”

FSU alumnus Michael Ortoll (’84), the father of a young woman who fought and ultimately lost a 10-year battle with mental illness and substance use disorder via fentanyl overdose, is the executive producer of both films.

“One Second at a Time” depicts Christine Ortoll’s struggle told from her own journals and by those who supported her, including family, close friends, addiction treatment providers, mental health clinicians, behavioral therapists and psychiatrists. Her father also shares lessons he learned in seeking help for Christine at over 20 recovery facilities. He finds purpose in establishing a charity in his daughter’s name and exposing the dangers of mental illness, substance use disorder and the lethality of fentanyl via the country’s top experts in this film.

“Safety Net” is a moving and inspiring mini-documentary that emphasizes the importance of college recovery programs that help students suffering from substance use disorder achieve their academic and personal goals. The documentary highlights the success of FSU’s innovative collegiate recovery program, LIFT, which stands for Living Intentionally, Finding Togetherness.

The FSU LIFT Program supports students interested in recovery from addiction and substance misuse and helps them thrive during their college experience. Students learn beneficial coping skills in an accountable recovery community where they can develop friendships with like-minded peers.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released the annual National Survey on Drug Use and Health reporting that an increasing number of young adults are struggling with substance use disorder. The survey reported an estimated 8.6 million people aged 18 to 25 met the criteria for having a substance use disorder in 2021. FSU Student Affairs believes students in recovery can pursue a college degree and created the LIFT program to support them and help them maintain their sobriety.

LIFT is not a treatment program but a place for students who are recovering or who have been in treatment and have been successful at sustaining or limiting their use of substances. FSU’s LIFT program has a dedicated space that includes programming, community and offices.

The need for programs like LIFT is emphasized in the “Safety Net” documentary. Substance use disorder rates on college campuses can reach 24% in the United States, according to the Association of Recovery for Higher Education (ARHE). Despite these alarming rates, ARHE reports that less than 5% of higher education institutions in the U.S. have a recovery program in place. Mike Ortoll, who has been instrumental in helping FSU create the LIFT Program, noted that it is critical to have programs like these to keep students connected with like-minded peers in a secure atmosphere.

LIFT is an outstanding illustration of the advantages of college recovery programs, having engaged over 1,000 students in just one year. Students that participate in LIFT have higher graduation rates, higher GPAs, are less likely to relapse and have a greater likelihood of continuing to thrive in society.

“I am incredibly grateful to Mike Ortoll and the Christine Ortoll Charity for framing the difficult issue of substance use disorder in ‘Safety Net’ through a lens of hope and the student-centered work of collegiate recovery programs,” said Angela Lauer Chong, associate vice president for Student Affairs. “The film shines a light on this very real health issue and the opportunity we have in higher education to make a difference in the lives of our students through these programs. A student does not have to choose between their recovery and a vibrant and successful collegiate experience.”

RSVP for the premiere via eventbrite. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Learn more about the FSU LIFT Program at chaw.fsu.edu/services/lift. Learn more about the Christine Ortoll Charity at christineortollcharity.org.

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