An Iris Evening Honors Donors

The Meredith Fund, the annual giving program for Meredith College, hosted An Iris Evening in Belk Dining Hall West, for all Iris Society members. 

Iris Society recognition is bestowed on all donors who contribute $1,000 or more annually and graduates of the last 15 years who contribute $500 or more annually. The Iris Society-President’s Circle is a select group that contributes $5,000-$25,000 annually, and for graduates of the last 15 years who contribute $2,500 or more annually. 

This event, held October 30, 2025, is a way for the College to express gratitude to those who give generously to Meredith, and a featured speaker gives a special presentation after dinner.

This year’s speaker was Travis Tamerius, the spouse of Meredith College’s president. Tamerius’s speech highlighted his travels around the world with students and alumni at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. Additionally, he designed Woods Around the World, a global studies program. The program has taken hundreds of travelers to every continent for cultural immersion and service-learning. To make travel more affordable for young people and first-generation college students, he also created Project 123, a donor-funded initiative in which students contribute 123 hours of community service to local agencies.

Tamerius’s speech took the audience on a journey through the many places he has visited with both students and fellow travelers, offering more than just descriptions of what he’s seen. He shared what it felt like to experience these remarkable destinations alongside others, immersing listeners in the beauty, benefits, and adventures of travel.

“I am in a room with people who are the heart and soul of Meredith College. It’s impressive that some of you have been deeply connected to Meredith College for over a third of the years that the college has been around. Even more impressive? Some of you have been connected to Meredith for over half of the years that this college has been educating women. That’s stewardship of a college. That’s a community that cares deeply about the future,” said Tamerius.

Tamerius recently returned from Ireland with the Angel Adventures Meredith Travel Program.

“Several of you are here tonight. You have a long history of valuing study abroad, and you know the significance of what it means at the undergraduate level. You know what it means for the community of alumnae to come together and explore the world.”

Tamerius stated he has been a minister, a campus chaplain, a professor, a trainer, and a consultant. He elaborated on his accomplishments over the course of 20 years at William Woods University, including revitalizing the university’s study abroad program, which had gone mostly dormant. The program has taken students to every continent in 10 years.

“We go to the places where they can learn about different cultures. These students have been able to do some amazing things,” said Tamerius. “Some of these students, by the time they graduate, have seen six of the seven continents.”

There were many students who wanted to go on these trips but couldn’t afford to go. So early on, William Woods University wrote grants, but eventually started working with donors, both individually and at the foundation level. Project 123, with donor support, was started. Students completed 123 hours of community service in exchange for a travel stipend to reduce the cost of their trips. 

“Everyone wins. The donor who invested in the students, the local agencies got tens of thousands of community service hours, and the students got to see the world. Project 123 has made a lot possible for a lot of people, the students, and in the community.”

Tamerius has also had the joy of leading non-student travelers on trips to Egypt and Jordan. The privilege of working with educators who are specialists in their fields, yet have never traveled to places around the world, has brought him immense satisfaction. 

At the conclusion of the talk, Lennie Barton, vice president of institutional advancement, thanked Betty Webb and Becky Bailey for serving as unpaid volunteers for the Meredith Travel Program. 

“They led extraordinary trips for alumnae and friends for the past 13 years, and they did it for the love of the College, love of study abroad, and love of travel. We owe them a great deal of gratitude.” 

Barton also announced that Tamerius has agreed to serve as a new unpaid volunteer for the travel program.

“We are so lucky to have Travis’s expertise in travel, and we have challenged him to coordinate travel to new, exciting, and different places and help us uncover new alumnae and donors that might be interested in traveling with Meredith,” said Barton.