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Football coach announced
Michael Green joins Gettysburg as the new head coach of our football program. He spent the last 12 years on the coaching staff at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, his alma mater, including the last five as defensive coordinator. Under Green’s leadership, Hobart has fielded one of the most dynamic and dominant defenses in all of Division III.
New campus leadership
Two Gettysburg alumni have returned to work for their alma mater. Robert Schwartz ’92 is serving as Vice President for Enrollment and Educational Services (EES). Amy Layman ’94 joins College Advancement as Associate Vice President for College Advancement and Campaign Director.
New basketball coach
Matt Hunter has taken the helm as head coach of Gettysburg College’s men’s basketball team. He comes to Gettysburg after serving 13 years as the head men’s basketball coach at York College of Pennsylvania. Hunter becomes the 13th coach in the 125-year history of the Bullets’ men’s basketball program.
Mentorship in the arts
Through a commitment from Joseph ’75 and Susan ’77 Biernat, Gettysburg College has established the Biernat Endowed Professorship in the Creative, Performance, and History of the Arts and the Biernat Internship Fund for the Arts. This rotating professorship will be awarded to faculty from the Art & Art History, Cinema & Media Studies, Music, Theatre Arts, and English departments. The Biernat Internship Fund for the Arts will provide students with hands-on learning experiences in museums, galleries, performing arts organizations, and other creative fields.
‘Dream School’
Gettysburg College was named one of 75 “New Dream Schools” in the book “Dream School: Finding the College That’s Right for You” by New York Times bestselling author and higher education expert Jeffrey Selingo. In the book, Selingo praised Gettysburg’s experiential learning opportunities, strong career outcomes for graduates, and dynamic First-Year Seminars.
Fulbright honorees
In 2025, seven Gettysburg alumni were offered fellowships from the Fulbright U.S. Student Program: Joe Accetta ’20, Patrick Artur ’24, Kenzie McKowen ’23, Gracie Meisner ’25, Vivek Rallabandi ’25,
Emily Suter ’25, and Joe Zimbler ’25. Three received prestigious grants to go abroad: Accetta (Germany), Meisner (Germany), and Suter (Austria). Including the 2025 cohort, Gettysburg College students have earned 45 Fulbright grants, six of which were awarded in the past two years.
January faculty institute
In January, the Johnson Center for Creative Teaching and Learning (JCCTL) and the Provost’s Office hosted a Faculty Institute that invited Gettysburg faculty to delve further into the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) in education. AI workshops and showcases focused on best practices for assessing student learning in the AI age.
Physics professorship
Physics Prof. Ryan Johnson began his five-year term as the W.K.T. Sahm Professor of Physics during the Fall 2025 semester. The endowed professorship was established through the generosity of the family of W.K.T. Sahm, Class of 1872, to support faculty excellence and student-faculty research in the Physics Department.
Exploring urban transformation
Gettysburg students studied the legacy of the nation’s interstate system and a renewed movement to create more connected, equitable cities through the Eisenhower Institute’s Building America transportation program. Led by Public Policy Prof. Christopher Rick, students traveled to Syracuse and Rochester, New York; Richmond, Virginia; and Baltimore, Maryland, to study the history of highway construction and learn about the people and communities affected by it.
Recognizing alumni mentors
Last October, Gettysburg’s Alumni Mentor program received recognition from Inside Higher Ed. The higher education media source highlighted how Gettysburg’s Alumni Mentors help students to build their professional network before graduation and ease their transition into professional careers or graduate study after graduation.
Gettysburg’s Alumni Mentor program launched in Fall 2025 with the Class of 2027, the first class to participate in the College’s Guided Pathways. Students participating in the Guided Pathways can choose to add an Alumni Mentor to their Personal Advising Teams, which include faculty, co-curricular, and career advisors. Alumni interested in becoming mentors can sign up through connectGettysburg (www.connectgettysburg.com).
Kuhlmann family generosity
Sisters Anne Kuhlmann Taylor ’66 and Celia J. Kuhlmann ’75 have made transformative commitments to their alma mater in recognition of the lasting impact Gettysburg College had on their lives and careers. The Kuhlmann sisters’ combined multimillion-dollar gifts support major scholarships and key academic programs for students.
New CWI director
Prof. Ian Isherwood ’00, associate professor of War and Memory Studies, was named director of the Civil War Institute (CWI) and director of the Civil War Era Studies (CWES) program. Isherwood began his full-time career at Gettysburg as assistant director of the CWI in 2012, when he taught in the CWES program and mentored students in the CWI Fellows program.
Faculty achievements
Last year, eight Gettysburg College faculty members earned tenure and promotion to associate professors, while five were promoted to full professors. These faculty members represent diverse academic programs. “Receiving tenure at Gettysburg has truly been a full-circle moment for me,” said Environmental Studies Prof. Tasha Gownaris ’09. “I arrived at Gettysburg College in fall ’05 as a nervous and lost first-gen student, and the faculty here changed my life.”
Hall of athletic honor
During Homecoming, Gettysburg celebrated its recent inductees to the Hall of Athletic Honor. These individuals included men’s lacrosse coach Hank Janczyk, Brian Abbott ’99 (men’s lacrosse), Jennifer Bengel Claiborne ’06 (women’s basketball), Lauren Boyd Leventry ’03 (volleyball), Paul Martin ’86 (football), and Kate Murphy Bashaw ’05 (women’s lacrosse). The Centennial Conference-winning 1985 football team was named the Team of Distinction.
15 years for GLC
During Homecoming, the Garthwait Leadership Center (GLC) marked its 15th anniversary, honoring the legacy of its founder, Bob Garthwait Jr. ’82. Over the last 15 years, the GLC has provided learning opportunities and programming to more than 7,000 students at Gettysburg. Nearly 750 students have participated in the GLC’s one-year leadership certificate program.
Postgraduate partnerships
Gettysburg expanded its academic partnerships in Fall 2025, offering pathways tailored for students seeking to expand their education and career opportunities in fields ranging from health care to forensic science and business. These partnerships include Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, Towson University in Maryland, Penn State College of Medicine, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University, and the Meritus School of Osteopathic Medicine.
PBA president
Kristen Gaddis Hamilton ’99 is serving a one-year term of service as the president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA). Hamilton was elected president in May 2025. She practices in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, with Carbaugh Law, P.C. and serves as Franklin County's Juvenile Court Hearing Officer.
Teaching excellence
Political Science Prof. Lindsay Reid ’11 was awarded the Dr. Ralph Cavaliere Endowed Teaching Award during Fall Honors Day on Oct. 24, 2025. This annual award, named in honor of Biology Prof. Emeritus Ralph Cavaliere, recognizes a full-time Gettysburg College faculty member who exhibits excellence in teaching. The Student Senate selects the award recipient.
MLK commemoration
Gettysburg College commemorated the life and work of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 19 with its traditional Chapel celebration. Organized by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, along with several College departments and offices and community organizations, this year’s celebration, “An Evening of Hope,” featured renowned invited tenor Dr. John Wright of the American Spiritual Ensemble, with participation from the Gettysburg Children’s Choir and the Sunderman Conservatory of Music. The College’s second annual MLK Day Teach-In also took place during the day. Programming was sponsored by the Public Policy, Africana Studies, and Philosophy and Religious Studies departments, in partnership with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the Office of Multicultural Engagement, and the Center for Public Service.
Community engagement
Gettysburg College has been selected for the 2026 Carnegie Elective Classification for Community Engagement. The national designation was awarded by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Gettysburg is one of 237 colleges recognized with the honor, demonstrating strong town-gown alignment and community partnership.
$9.45 million gift announced
Gettysburg College has received a $9.45 million gift from the estates of Bruce Baky ’65
and Sherrin Hilburt Baky-Nessler ’65, P’01. The $9.45 million gift will support four endowed funds: The Baky Endowment for Faculty Growth & Innovation in the Health Sciences, The Baky Endowed Faculty Fund for the Sunderman Conservatory of Music, The Baky Endowed Fund for the Eisenhower Institute Experts-in-Residence Program, and the Sherrin Hilburt Baky-Nessler Endowed Scholarship for students in the health sciences.
Blavatt lecture
Philanthropist, historian, and investor David Rubenstein headlined the Eisenhower Institute’s 24th annual Blavatt Lecture on Tuesday, Feb. 3. During the program, Rubenstein spoke about the enduring lessons of the Declaration of Independence and encouraged students to connect the enduring lessons of the nation’s founding ideals with their own responsibility to lead with purpose. Rubenstein is the co-founder of The Carlyle Group and owner of the Baltimore Orioles.
Commencement speaker
Kate Anderson ’09, an acclaimed songwriter for stage, film, and television, has been selected as Gettysburg College’s Commencement speaker for the Class of 2026. Anderson is part of the creative team behind the Apple TV series “Central Park,” Disney Animation’s “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,” and internationally produced musicals, including “Between the Lines” and “The Book Thief.”
Her work spans Broadway, London’s West End, and major Hollywood studios. Commencement for the Class of 2026 will take place on Saturday, May 16, at 11 a.m. on the Beachem Portico on the north side of Pennsylvania Hall.
Leal at Lincoln Center
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.