Gettysburgians in the news: July–December 2025 media highlights
Through the expertise, creativity, and leadership of its faculty, students, staff, and alumni, Gettysburg College continues to shape national conversations, deepen learning beyond the classroom, and extend its influence across communities, industries, and disciplines.
National media spotlights, regional features, and broadcast appearances continue to showcase the impact of Gettysburg College’s campus community. More than 150 media hits over the last six months highlight how faculty, students, staff, and alumni are sharing expertise, advancing scholarship, and enriching student learning on prominent platforms, including Inside Higher Education, The Chronicle of Higher Education, C-SPAN, ESPN, and central Pennsylvania television outlets.
Together, these stories reflect Gettysburg’s broad reach and influence, demonstrating how mentorship, experiential learning, and scholarly leadership extend the College’s voice across disciplines, industries, and communities.
Read more from our top media highlights of the fall semester.
Connor Hunt ’20, an associate client executive at Lockton, speaks to Gettysburg students during the Job and Internship Fair held on campus last fall.
Inside Higher Education profiled the launch of the College’s alumni mentorship program last fall, noting the new initiative helps students gain support from alumni as they approach graduation and get ready to launch their careers. Beginning in their junior year, students may add an alumni mentor to their Personal Advising Team, which includes a faculty advisor, career advisor, and co-curricular advisor. More than 80 alumni volunteers were paired with students during the fall semester.
The goal is for students to learn “real-world” skills to navigate life after college. According to Billy Ferrell, director of external relations in Gettysburg’s Center for Career Engagement, “Alumni advising is focused on the student’s career but could include job exploration, post-college transition, and networking and industry-specific trends.”
FOX43 News, covering southcentral Pennsylvania, celebrated the 150th birthday of local baseball legend Eddie Plank in a 2025 documentary featuring esteemed History Prof. Michael Birkner ’72, P’10. Birkner talked about Plank’s brief time as a baseball player at Gettysburg College before he went off to a Hall of Fame career, becoming one of the most dominant left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball history.
After retiring from the game, Plank returned to Gettysburg and operated a garage alongside his brother, Ira, who was also the College’s baseball coach. Following his passing in 1926, the College named its new gymnasium in his honor. Plank was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1946 and Gettysburg’s Hall of Athletic Honor in 1978.
Sunderman Conservatory of Music Prof. César Leal stands on stage at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.
Sunderman Conservatory of Music Prof. César Leal represented Gettysburg College on a national stage as a guest conductor for the 58th annual Handel’s Messiah Sing-In on Dec. 15, 2025. The event took place in the David Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Collaborating with National Chorale Artistic Director Everett McCorvey, Leal led a chamber orchestra in a powerful performance that united thousands of choristers from across the region.
“This opportunity represents not only a meaningful milestone in my own artistic journey, but also a moment of visibility for Gettysburg College on one of the world’s most prominent stages,” Leal said. “I am grateful for the support of the College, which continues to make it possible for faculty to engage in impactful artistic and scholarly work at the highest levels.”
Gettysburg students stand on the Pont de Rennes pedestrian bridge in Rochester, New York.
Public Policy Prof. Chris Rick led a group of Gettysburg students on an exploration of urban development and transportation systems in Rochester, New York, in September 2025. The students went on a walking tour of Rochester’s Inner Loop East and Inner Loop North project areas, guided by Rochester-based blog, The Urban Phoenix.
Over the last two years, Rick has organized and led Eisenhower Institute programming centered on the nation’s interstate highway systems and public transportation, including visits to Rochester and Syracuse, New York; Richmond, Virginia; Baltimore, Maryland; and Gettysburg and Hanover, Pennsylvania. Said Rick, “I know my students learn best when classroom learning is paired with experiential education programs.”
Media roundup: July–December 2025 by the numbers:
165+ media mentions featuring Gettysburg College faculty, staff, students, and alumni
40+ media mentions in national and international news outlets
30+ mentions highlighting faculty and staff expertise
More stories to explore:
ESPN College Gameday: Saturday Slate: Gettysburg vs. Dickinson
“ESPN College Gameday” featured Gettysburg’s longtime rivalry with Dickinson College for the Little Brown Bucket among the games to watch during the football pregame show on Oct. 11, 2025. The matchup between the two schools, which are separated by less than 30 miles, dates back to 1892. Last fall’s matchup marked the 90th meeting all-time for the teams.
Edwin T. Johnson & Cynthia Shearer Johnson Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Humanities Tim Shannon lectured on the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke Colony in 1587, which C-SPAN 2 spotlighted in early September 2025. Shannon explained that Roanoke consisted of two failed English colonies that set precedents for Jamestown, and the colonists likely relocated to Croatan and assimilated, making Roanoke an abandoned—not mysterious—colony.
Major League Hacking (MLH) recently named Andry Rakotonjanabelo ’25 to its list of top computer programmers. A computer science major, Rakotonjanabelo was president of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) chapter on campus and helped develop opportunities and funding for fellow students to participate in hackathons. A native of Madagascar, Rakotonjanabelo is currently a software engineer at Poozle.
Economics Prof. Brendan Cushing-Daniels provided expert insight into an article about Walmart’s strategy behind its recent partnership with aftermarket brand Stadium Goods. According to Cushing-Daniels, partnerships with Walmart enable these types of outlets to reach a much wider audience, which, in turn, can lead to further growth and increased profits.
The Adams County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame collaborated with Community Media of South-Central Pennsylvania to produce a new documentary series highlighting the standout careers of its inductees. The inspirational and impactful journey of Gareth “Lefty” Biser ’57, a longtime athletic trainer and faculty member at Gettysburg, was celebrated in the first edition of the series released on Dec. 10, 2025.
Gettysburg College was one of a select number of institutions profiled in a September 2025 Chronicle of Higher Education article, which highlighted the various ways colleges and universities are integrating professional prep into the student experience. The story mentioned Gettysburg’s use of career “treks” hosted by alumni as well as its newly instituted alumni-student mentoring program.
By Corey Jewart Photos by Tyler Caruso, Prof. Chris Rick, and Prof. César Leal
Posted: 01/05/26
