LAKELAND, Fla., May 15, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida Southern College hosted a celebration on Tuesday evening marking the successful conclusion of the Believe Campaign which raised $321 million through the collective efforts and steadfast support of over 23,000 donors. The keynote address was delivered by New York Times Best Selling Author Dr. Arthur C. Brooks, professor at Harvard'sKennedy School and Business School and columnist for The Atlantic.
Florida Southern College Believe Campaign Celebration
Florida Southern College Believe Campaign Celebration
Florida Southern College President Anne B. Kerr has served the College for 20 years transforming the institution academically and with state-of-the-art facilities, achieving a trajectory that has brought national recognition for excellence in academic programs, engaged learning, NCAA Division II athletics, and historic preservation and stewardship of the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
Through the Believe Campaign, Florida Southern has established 25 new academic programs including six new master's and doctoral degrees, as well as the naming of 16 endowed chairs. Additionally, 28 new building projects were created while maintaining the campus through major renovations and restorations.
"Florida Southern is richly blessed in so many ways, and I am grateful that the hand of God has been on us as we pursued our mission. Our outstanding Board of Trustees has invested time, talent, and resources to achieve our mission of preparing students to make a positive and consequential impact on society," said Dr. Kerr.
Florida Southern College recently graduated its largest class in the history of the institution. Recognized as a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars, the College is also nationally known for experiential education, earning the nation's top award for engaged learning, the William Burke Award for Experiential Education.
Other notable accolades of the Believe Campaign include Frank Lloyd Wright restoration and campus beautification resulting in the College being named the "Most Beautiful Campus" in the nation. In 2011, the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise was created, followed by the addition of the Doctor of Physical Therapy degree program in 2019 and the naming of the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing in 2021.
In 2010, The Roberts Academy at Florida Southern College was founded as the only transitional school in Florida for talented first-through-eighth grade students with dyslexia serving not only the students and their parents but providing exceptional training for the College's education majors. Florida Southern also became affiliated with the Polk Museum of Art in 2017, now the Polk Museum of Art at Florida Southern College, which hosts the College's Art History and Museum Studies program.
Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II National Championships. Florida Southern is ranked at #8 among the "Best Regional Universities in the South" by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022 "Best Colleges" guide and is included in The Princeton Review's 2023 Best 388 Colleges guide and the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023." The 2022-2023 Colleges of Distinction guidebook praises Florida South ern's AACSB accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the College's School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Poets&Quants, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, and The Princeton Review further laud the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences as foremost programs in the nation for business and nursing education. Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC has appeared on The Princeton Review's top 20 "Most Beautiful Campus" national listing for 13 consecutive years. Connect with Florida Southern College. www.FLSouthern.edu
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