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Stay connected with us! Please update your contact information so we can send you the latest updates, special event invitations, and our Torch magazine. We don’t want you to miss out on exciting news, campus
happenings, and exclusive events!
Tell Us Your Story
We’d love to hear from you! Share your story with us, whether it's a job promotion, earning a graduate degree, getting married, or welcoming a new addition to your family. Your milestones are important to us, and we’d be thrilled to celebrate your achievements with the Lee family. Share a picture from a recent trip with your Torch magazine – we’d love to see where life has taken you!
YOUR GIFT
The Lee University Annual Fund is a vital fundraising initiative that supports the university’s mission of providing Christ-centered, high-quality education. It’s made up of unrestricted gifts from alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends of the university, and it plays a crucial role in enhancing the student experience.
Here’s what makes it important:
Student Scholarships: Annual Fund dollars directly contribute to financial aid, helping students afford a Lee education.
Academic Excellence: The fund enhances faculty development, classroom technology, and academic programs that keep Lee competitive and innovative.
Campus Life: From spiritual life programs to student activities, the fund enriches every aspect of student life.
Capital Projects: A portion of the fund helps support building improvements and construction projects.
Flexibility: Because the gifts are unrestricted, the university can direct funds to the areas of greatest need each year.
Why it matters:
Even small gifts make a big difference. The Annual Fund helps bridge the gap between tuition and the actual cost of a Lee education, ensuring that students have access to the resources they need to thrive.
PRESIDENT'S CIRCLE
An annual gift of $1,000 or more secures your exclusive membership in the President’s Circle. As a valued member, you'll receive special benefits, including complimentary access to all Homecoming events, the Homecoming President’s Circle Brunch, a special dinner with the President in the spring, invitations to select VIP events, commemorative gifts, and tickets to the Presidential Concert series.
Because we want you to participate in training programs and projects that will advance you in your career, the Alumni Advisory Board has established the Young Alumni Professional Development (YAPD) Grant to give you the support you need.
The grant is open to all Lee University alumni who have graduated in the last 10 years, regardless of academic major or professional experience. You must also be currently employed. Applicants may request up to $1,000.
Applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. EST on Friday, April 17, 2026. Please email your completed application and supporting documents to [email protected]. Once your application is complete, you will receive an email notification regarding its status. Grant decisions will be made by the Alumni Advisory Board in May.
YAPD Recipients
Azure Bell
Andrew Franklin
Davis Hale
Alissa Long
Brianna McCall
Bethany Reinsch
Alisha Willet
Nina Villalba
Katelyn Schroeder
Chelsea Toote
Heather Mellis
Jonathan Dale
Ian Thomas
Mary Ann Smith
Christian Garrett
Josh Aguilar
Yunyue (Kyle) Ma
Melissa Madell Dishner
Ali Baker Goodman
Danna Tyree
Kellie Guard
Sierra Hasty
Amanda Dermott
Cory Rodgers Collins
McKenzee Gossett
Joshua Lyle
Audrey Brokish
Sammie Kate Eason
Brandyn Kirby
Jessica Ellis
Hannah Gilstrap
Noah Schurman
Jade Goss
Sarah Hill
Celia Grace Denney
Caitlin Lay
Rachel McCurry
Dani Lin Huntern
Alea Greene
Austin Guard
Elizabeth Landry
Emily Honeysett
Herbert Winter
McKayla Brown
Rebekah Courson
Savanna Collie
Tyler Puckett
William McCuistion
Mitchell Capps
Zhannae Cummings
Emmalee Manes
Caitlin Moore
Paige Pittman Lee
Jared Barton
Sarah Minucci
Ruth Freemon
Kaitlin Christopher
Lauren Buckner
Kari Kuhns
Heather Carver
Emma Cregg
Keith Vincent
Anna Douglas
Tiffany Blauert
Zachary Simms
Kalen Johnson
Lauren Neal
Oluwatobiloba (Deborah) Osikoya
Emily Fawcett
Michael Hewgley
Ashley Jones
Amanda Jones
Danielle Buteau
Eddie Christopher
Lauren Todd
Edward Christopher
Kelly Martin
Alexander Urevick
David Tahere
Danielle Cogan
Leah Carroll
Abigail Fletcher
Anna Carmichael
Alexandria Walker Garrett
Eddie Christopher (‘13)
Eddie currently works as a data scientist specializing in people analytics for Discover Financial Services. As a graduate student, he used the grant to attend conferences where he received the opportunity to share his own work and connect with other professionals. He says, “The grant helped me at a pivotal time, early in my career. Having the necessary financial support to attend those conferences made for some wonderful experiences, and frankly, it made my peers that did not go to Lee a little jealous of my cool alma mater.”
Anna Sandberg ('14)
Anna used her award to assist with the startup costs to get her company, SkyNano, up and running. “To the donors who made this grant possible, I would like to thank you immensely. It allowed me to pursue this dream of mine without being bottlenecked by the cost, and felt really sweet to have the support coming from Lee University, a place I have held so dear in my heart since first stepping onto campus.” Anna is still running SkyNano today. Their aim is to produce carbon-based materials from carbon dioxide to provide a profitable solution towards solving global climate change. SkyNano is now funded by the US National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy.
Deborah Osikoya (‘15)
While at Lee, Deborah participated in a 2014 research summer fellowship with the American Physiological Society at Emory University under the mentorship of Dr. Titilayo Ilori. After graduation, Deborah joined the laboratory of Dr. Stella Goulopoulou at the University of North Texas Health Science Center (HSC) at Fort Worth, TX as a research assistant. In 2016, Deborah was awarded the Lee University Young Alumni Professional Development Grant which partially funded her trip to the Mayo Clinic, where her research was presented at the 12th International Mechanisms of Vasodilatation Symposium. Deborah is currently working on completing her dissertation at the HSC in Dr. Goulopoulou’s lab while she prepares for a career in Clinical Research.
This award is given when special circumstances warrant. It is presented to a person who is not an alumna or alumnus of Lee University, but who has earned this recognition and honor through loyalty, service and support of the University.
Honorary Alumnus of 2025: Ken Jones
| 1994 - Jim Sharp* | 1994 - Jim Sharp* | 2015 - Bob Barnett |
| 1995 - Paul Duncan | 2005 - Edward Hollowell | 2016 - Michael Seago |
| 1996 - Henry & Iris Atkins* | 2006 - Lois Underwood Beach* | 2017 - Forrest Preston |
| 1997 - H. Bernard Dixon* | 2007 - Joe Novenson | 2018 - MaryBeth Wickes |
| 1998 - Rev. Mark Walker | 2008 - Raymond Crowley* | 2019 - Jerry Dixon |
| 1999 - Betty Baldree* | 2009 - Matt Yelton | 2020 - Alex Kendrick |
| 2000 - J. Hoyle Rymer* | 2010 - Mayor Tom Rowland | 2021 - Bonnie C. Hathcock |
| 2001 - Carolyn Dirksen | 2011 - Allan Lockerman | 2022 - Avery Johnson |
| 2002 - Christine Paynter | 2012 - Al Hartgraves | 2023 - Steve and Judy Holt |
| 2003 - Jack Higgins | 2013 - Andy Sinclair | 2024 - Scott Taylor |
| 2004 - David Holsinger | 2014 - Robert Bernhardt | 2025- Ken Jones |
| * indicates deceased alumnus |