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2012

It is truly an honor and privilege to serve as the 2012-2013 President of the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities (FAC&U). FAC&U has a long history of bringing together the Presidents of the institutions that make up the three sectors of higher education in Florida; the Florida College System (FCS), the Inde-pendent Colleges and Universities of Florida (ICUF), and the State University System (SUS) of Florida.

As we witness the continuing focus on higher educa-tion in Florida, there has never been a better time to unite together as higher educational institutions, to continue to advocate for accountability, affordability and access. Economic development agencies everywhere are tying

economic improvement and prosperity to increased college completions and suc-cessful career preparations, especially in the STEM fields. While each institution has a local mission, vision and purpose, the collective impact we can make as the Florida Association of Colleges & Univer-sities is even more powerful. Imagine how much stronger we can be when we unite under the FAC&U banner and “speak with one voice” as it relates to the direc-tion higher education in Florida is headed.

We have seen clearly that the leg-islatively mandated Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC), which was well represented by our three sec-tors, has spent several years discuss-ing accountability, programs, services and college completion rates. Now, just this past session, by executive or-

der of the Governor, a Blue Ribbon Task Force on state higher education reform has been appointed and is in the process of evaluating the State University System.

In the past, FAC&U has primarily focused on attempting to align a broad legislative agenda that provided legislators with information. How-ever, in recent years we have articulated an ideal

Dr. Katherine M. JohnsonPasco-Hernando Community College

Continued on Page 2

from the presidentflorida association of colleges & universities

Officers 2012-2013President

Dr. Katherine Johnson Pasco-Hernando Community College

Vice- President Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, PhD

Barry University

Vice- President Elect Dr. John Delaney

University of North Florida

Past PresidentDr. Wilson Bradshaw

Florida Gulf Coast UniversityBoard Members

Dr. Anthony CataneseFlorida Institute of Technology

Mr. Andrew CortyPublisher,

Florida Trend

Dr. David Greenlaw Adventist University

of Health Sciences

Dr. Eileen HoldenPolk State College

Dr. James KerleyGulf Coast State College

Dr. Terry McMahan Hodges University

Dr. James MurdaughTallahassee Community College

Dr. Mark RosenbergFlorida International University

Dr. Mary Jane SaundersFlorida Atlantic University

Ex-Officio Members

Mr. Frank Brogan Chancellor,

State University System

Mr. Randy Hanna Chancellor,

Florida College System

Dr. Edwin MoorePresident,

Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida

Ms. Pam Stewart, Interim Commissioner

of Education2

for higher education in Florida entitled Vision 2020: In Vision 2020 the desired outcomes for our

institutions under the FAC&U umbrella are:• Financial access• Dependable funding• Measureable funding strategies addressing access, affordability, quality, and accountability• Multi-sector autonomy and collaboration• Sufficient talent for a robust state economy • Government leaders and general public to see higher education as an investment, not an expense• Students learn all of “life’s lessons”, not just job skills

Clearly this is a broad and purposeful vision that can prove to be very valuable and further establish FAC&U as the “one voice” for higher education in Florida. In order to ac-complish this and other initiatives in the future, the FAC&U Board has approved a contractual relationship with Florida Campus Compact. Part of the FL|CC mission is woven into our Vision 2020 and we feel BOTH organizations might benefit from the blending of opportunities for advocacy, endorsements, grants, and broader education of purposes and collaboration. Clearly, Florida Campus Compact will assist FAC&U to bring a stronger and more unified voice to our elected officials and our many constituents and we at FAC&U can assist Florida Campus Compact. More infor-mation on this is can be found on page 3 of this newsletter.

In closing, please allow me to refer to our friend and colleague Art Kirk, from St. Leo University, who was pro-filed in an article in the June, 2012 issue of Florida Trend entitled “Captain Kirk.” He said, “The classroom is being transformed. The business model, whether its public edu-cation or private not-for-profit higher education, is being upset in a lot of different ways, so we have to be aggres-sive, innovative, entrepreneurial and agile in respond-ing to all of this. The notion that a business model, any business model in any industry, is going to endure de-cades is obsolete thinking and very dangerous thinking.”

I believe we have the opportunity to be as Art said, “more aggressive, innovative and entrepreneurial” as we move forward in attempting to meet our goals for Vision 2020. We will need all of your ideas and en-gagement to accomplish this vision… so I am taking the liberty of thanking you, in advance, for your con-tinuing membership and commitment to FAC&U.

Once again, I am humbled and proud to be lead-ing this group in 2012-2013. It will be a great year!

Continued from Page 2

or Susan Whelchel, and many others.

Preparing for an event of this magnitude will require the campus and community to come to-gether and organize for the arrival of the candi-dates, their campaign staff members, and thousands of national and interna-tional journalists expected to come to the area to cov-er the debate.

“It is a tremendous challenge, but Lynn Uni-versity will be prepared to welcome the nation to Florida for the final debate before the 2012 general election,” Ross said.

tial Debates over the sum-mer for an on-site survey of the proposed debate venue and campus.

Lynn University re-ceived overwhelming and nearly unilateral support for its application from government officials at all levels, including the entire Florida Congres-

sional Del-e g a t i o n , the Florida C a b i n e t , the leader-

ship of the Florida legisla-ture, former Governor Jeb Bush, former Governor and Senator Bob Graham, Palm Beach County of-ficials, Boca Raton May-

uate or graduate student here on our campus when such an historic event takes place will provide a singular and unparalleled educational experience,” Lynn University Presi-dent, Kevin M. Ross, said.

The site has already hosted a Congressional District 22 debate in Octo-ber 2010, be-tween then i nc u mb e nt Ron Klein and chal-lenger Allen West. Lynn University submitted its application to the Com-mission in January 2011 and hosted staff from the Commission on Presiden-

Lynn University has been selected as the site of the final 2012 Presidential Debate by the Commis-sion on Presidential De-bates (CPD), to be held on October 22, 2012.

The CPD is a nonprof-it, nonpartisan corpora-tion and has sponsored all general election presiden-tial and vice presidential debates since 1988. Lynn University was one of 12 sites nationwide, and the only institution in Florida, under consideration to host one of three presi-dential debates, or one vice presidential debate produced by the CPD.

“Being an undergrad-

lynn universityLynn University to Host Final Presidential Debate of 2012

3

A wise man once said education is an invest-ment in knowledge that pays the best interest. That was true back when Ben Franklin said it. And, it’s still true today.

This is why the three major sectors of high-er education in Florida formed a unique partner-ship back in 1933 called the Florida Association of Colleges & Universities (FAC&U). And, it’s why we’re just as relevant to-day, or perhaps even more so, some 80 years later.

Membership in

FAC&U is held by the president of each of the 70 institutions of higher education. Historically, a retired college president has led FAC&U. But over the last two years, the operational duties were outsourced to the Asso-ciation of Florida Colleges where publications were updated; the website mod-ified and other communi-cations enhanced. One of the highlights of this era was the successful strate-

gic planning and launch of VISION 2020, under the leadership of Dr. Art Kirk, who was president of FAC&U in the 2010-2011 academic year.

T h e goal now is to have an “anchor or-ganization” in Florida

Campus Compact, which will help facilitate all of the broader association activities as well as the ad-ministrative functions.

In addition, the new alignment is a good fit, as

the mission of the Florida Campus Compact is stu-dent engagement, long considered a key to stu-dent success.

The Florida Asso-ciation of Colleges and Universities recently con-tracted with Florida Cam-pus Compact to launch this new partnership, ef-fective Aug. 31, 2012. For more information, please visit www.facuflorida.org and www.floridacompact.org.

news from across the statefac&u aligns with florida campus compact

news from across the state

Effective June 2012, Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences’ name changed to Adventist University of Health Sci-ences, announced David Greenlaw, current and founding president of the college, which turns 20 in October.

The name change co-incided with the school’s expansion. Last April, a groundbreaking took place for a new 90,000 square-foot, five-story building. The new $25 million dollar tower, which school officials ex-pect will be complete in January 2014, will allow

the school to add new graduate programs.

“With the addition of graduate level programs, including several doc-torate programs, we felt it was time to make the change to university sta-tus,” said Greenlaw. “Our name has served us well for the past 20 years but with students from all over the c o u n t r y s e e k i n g d e g r e e s here, we felt it was time to change our name to represent the growth we have seen.”

The university’s ex-

adventist university of health sciencesFlorida Hospital College of Health Sciences Has a New Name

panded curriculum will offer doctorates in nurse anesthesia, physical ther-apy and pharmacy. Cur-rently, a master’s program in occupational therapy, health care administra-tion and anesthesia, in addition to a variety of associate and bachelor’s degrees ranging from nursing to diagnostic

m e d i c a l sonogra-phy, are offered.

The university works closely with Florida Hos-pital and its parent com-pany, Adventist Health System, to train health

care professionals. Many graduates ultimately work for the health sys-tem.

“One reason we started the college was to give ourselves a constant stream of professionals trained to see health care as we do. As a faith-based institution, we view health care as a ministry,” Greenlaw said.

The campus is located adjacent to Florida Hos-pital Orlando. Founded in 1992, the university currently enrolls 2,700 students in its associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Tallahassee Com-munity College (TCC) President Jim Murdaugh received the Leader of the Year Award from Leader-ship Tallahassee on Sep-tember 20.

Leadership Talla-hassee is a division of the Greater Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce. The annual Leader of the Year Award recognizes the efforts of “an individ-ual whose ideas, vision and hard work achieved significant, tangible ben-efits to the community

within the past year.”

Murdaugh, who has been with TCC since 1999, became the Col-lege’s sixth president in October 2010. His influence has ex-tended far beyond the TCC campus, however. He was instrumental in establishing BigBend-Works.com, a one-stop resource for area resi-dents in need of employ-ment, and he serves on the boards of the Leon County Research & De-velopment Authority, United Way of the Big

Bend, and WorkForce Plus, among others.

“It’s such a privilege to be a

l e a d e r in this c o m -m u n i -ty,” said

Murdaugh dur-ing his accep-tance speech. “To have your name mentioned with all of the other finalists, I must tell you, is just amazing.”

tallahassee community collegeTCC President Jim Murdaugh Named Leader of the Year by Leadership Tallahassee

Dr. Jim MurdaughTallahassee Community College4

news from across the state

5

Climate change could cause a major ecological upheaval in the shallow marine waters of the con-tinental shelf of Antarc-tica. This is the outlook according to Professor Richard Aronson, head of the Florida Institute of Technology Depart-ment of Biological Sci-ences. His research finds predatory crabs poised to return to warming Antarctic waters and dis-rupt the primeval marine communities that have lived there for millions of years.

Aronson just received $760,000 in a second round of funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for his research. The grant will support two oceano-graphic cruises, planned for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 austral-sum-mer seasons, to chart the

progress of the invasion. The grant is from the NSF Antarctic Organisms and Ecosystems program, which is part of the Divi-sion of Antarctic Sciences within the Office of Polar Programs.

Aronson sees cause for concern.“The king crabs are predators that eat most types of hard-shelled prey. If the crabs make it onto the Ant-arctic shelf, it is highly likely they will disrupt the unique seafloor com-munities, which currently live just a few hundred meters shallower than the massed crab popula-tions,” he said. Although king crabs are commer-cially harvested else-where, Antarctica is too remote and the crabs are too small for a viable fish-ery.

The shell-cracking crabs, fish, sharks and rays that dominate bot-tom communities in tem-perate and tropical zones have been shut out of Antarctica for millions of years because it is simply too cold for them.

But this sit-uation is about to change. “Populations of predatory king crabs are al-ready living in

deeper water,” said Aron-son. “And increasing ship traffic is introducing ex-otic invaders all the time. When ships unload bal-last water in the South-ern Ocean that surrounds Antarctica, larvae from all over the world get in-troduced to the ecosys-tem.”

Antarctica’s coastal waters are warming rap-idly. Temperatures at the

sea surface off the west-ern Antarctic Peninsula went up 1°C in the last 50 years, making it one of the fastest-warming regions of the World Ocean.

“If the crabs invade, they will devastate Ant-arctica’s unique shallow-marine fauna,” said Ar-onson. “Unless we work to slow greenhouse-gas emissions, climate change over the next several de-cades will accelerate the crab invasion and threat-en the marine communi-ties in Antarctica. Those communities will lose their unique demeanor and come to look like seafloor communities ev-erywhere else. Taken to-gether, the world’s marine ecosystems will be less diverse. We will have lost something unique and truly beautiful.”

florida institute of technology$760,000 NSF Grant Funds Florida Tech Professor’s Antarctica Research on Potential King Crab Invasion

Florida’s Broward College in Fort Lauder-dale and Santa Fe College in Gainesville were named two of ten fi-nalists for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, the nation’s signature recog-nition of high achieve-ment and performance

in America’s community colleges.

Florida is one of only two states in the country with more

than one Prize finalist. Both Broward College and Santa Fe College now enter the last stage of the competition for the $1 million prize fund that

will be awarded in March in Washington, D.C. to the winner and up to four finalists-with-dis-tinction.

Selected from an original pool of more than 1,000 community colleges, the Prize recognizes the most outstanding institu-tions for achievements in

four areas: student learn-ing outcomes, degree and college completion, labor

market success in students se-curing jobs af-ter college, and minority and l o w - i n c o m e

student success.

broward college & santa fe college Broward College and Santa Fe College are 2013 Aspen Prize Finalists

news from across the state

6

florida state universityDoctoral Degrees on the Rise at Florida State University

Florida State Univer-sity reached a new high in the number of doc-toral degrees awarded over the past year — a result of The Graduate School’s effort to focus on recruitment and reten-tion of doctoral students. Last year, Florida State awarded 443 doctoral degrees, up from the pre-vious record of 429 doc-torates in 2010-2011. The numbers represent a 73 percent spike over the past decade. “This shows that last year’s record was not just a blip but part of an upward trend,” said Nancy Marcus, dean of The Graduate School and the Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor of Oceanography. “The focus on recruitment of doctoral students that I began when I became dean seven years ago is beginning to bear fruit.” Marcus began to focus on doctoral education in 2005 as part of the univer-sity’s efforts to increase graduate enrollment by 2 percent annually. The av-erage time to earn a doc-toral degree varies by dis-cipline but is somewhere between five and seven years, so it makes sense that the university began to see a jump in the num-ber of degrees awarded

about two years ago,

she said. Master’s de-grees are also on the upswing, a fact that may be playing a role in the increase of doctoral de-grees. One component of the university’s re-cruiting efforts focuses on current master’s de-gree students who may not have considered pursuing a doctorate. There’s no doubt, how-ever, that the universi-ty’s stellar faculty members have aided recruit-ment efforts. “The reputation of the faculty en-courages appli-cations, and as the repu-tation of the faculty goes up, so does the quality of applicants, and you have a better pool to se-lect from,” Marcus said. “The higher the qual-ity of graduate students, the more likely they will complete their degree and in a faster amount of time.” The faculty deserves credit for sup-porting the university’s goal of increasing the number of students who earn doctorates, Marcus said. After all, serving as a major professor to doctoral students takes a significant amount of time to guide research and review disserta-tions.

In addition, the uni-versity’s new strategy goes beyond recruitment to a greater emphasis on retention and completion of the dissertation. Part of that focus involves a meaningful annual re-view designed to provide valuable feedback and keep students on track — especially important for those who struggle with competing demands of

work and fam-ily.

The 443 degrees award-ed last year include 403 Doctor of Phi-

losophy (or Ph.D.), 24 Doctor of Music and 16 Doctor of Nursing Prac-tice degrees, although the Survey of Earned Doc-torates does not count the music and nursing practice degrees because they are not considered research degrees, Mar-cus said. Of the 429 total in 2010-2011, there were 400 Ph.D. and 29 Doctor of Music degrees. Florida State did not offer the Doctor of Nursing Prac-tice degree at that time.

Doctoral degrees in science, technology, en-gineering and mathemat-ics (STEM) have steadily increased in recent years as well, Marcus said. In 2011-2012, Florida State

awarded 163 doctoral de-grees in the STEM fields compared to 123 degrees five years earlier, a 33 percent jump.

But it isn’t just about the numbers, Marcus said, noting that about half of those who earn doctorates stay in aca-demia. The other half bring their knowledge and talents to the work force and the market-place.

“Doing a Ph.D. is about the creation of new knowledge, new ideas,” she said. “The end prod-uct isn’t just about the dissertation. It’s about moving forward as a so-ciety. Without the new knowledge, we would have the status quo. The number of degrees we award is evidence that Florida State University is contributing to the re-search enterprise in this country and internation-ally.”

“The focus on recruitment of doctoral students that I began when I became dean seven years ago is beginning to bear fruit.”

~ Dr. Nancy Marcus, Dean of the

Graduate School at Florida State University

standard than the previ-ous year via improved methodology, criteria and weightings developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Board (AAB) consisting of edu-cators from schools across the country.

“Inclusion on the 2013 list of Military Friendly Schools® shows Hodges University’s commitment to providing a support-ive environment for mili-tary students,” said Sean Collins, Director for G.I. Jobs and Vice President at Victory Media. “As in-terest in education grows we’re thrilled to provide the military community with transparent, world-class resources to assist in their search for schools,” he said.

news from across the statehodges university

Hodges University Awarded Military Friendly Schools® Title

7

Victory Media, the premier media entity for military personnel tran-sitioning into civilian life, has named Hodges Uni-versity to the coveted Mil-itary Friendly Schools® list for 2013.

The list honors the top 15 percent of colleges, uni-versities and trade schools in the country that are do-ing the most to embrace America’s military service members, veterans, and spouses as students and ensure their success on campus.

“Hodges University is honored to be recognized for our work with service members and veterans,” said Dr. Terry McMahan, president of Hodges Uni-versity. “It is a privilege to give back to those who have served our country, and we will continue to work hard to provide our

military service members with the degree programs and personalized support they need to achieve their educational and career goals.

“With our Veter-ans Services Center and a student-run Veterans Club, we feel that Hodges is a perfect fit for these returning heroes. They have served our country honorably and now we are honored to serve them with the many degree programs and services that we offer. ”

Nearly ten percent of the student body at Hodges Univer-sity are veterans. “We are committed to providing student veterans with all the tools they need to suc-ceed at Hodges,” said Lee Smith, Director of Hodges University’s Veterans Ser-

vices Center. “Our pur-pose is to help our student veterans make a smooth transition to academic life, to make sure they use the educational benefits to which they are entitled, and to make their college experience rewarding and productive.”

Now in its fourth year, the 2013 list of Military Friendly Schools ® was compiled through exten-sive research and a data-

driven survey of more than 12,000 VA-ap-proved schools nationwide. The

survey results that com-prise the 2013 list were independently tested by Ernst & Young LLP based upon the weightings and methodology established by G.I. Jobs. Each year schools taking the sur-vey are held to a higher

welcome to our newest presidents

Dr. Edison O. JacksonInterim PresidentBethune-Cookman University

Dr. James HenningsenPresidentCollege of Central Florida

Dr. Jack KlemPresidentClearwater Christian College

Dr. Jeff AllbrittenPresidentEdison State College

Dr. George L. Hanbury, IIChancellorNova Southeastern University

Dr. Bill FlemingPresidentPalm Beach Atlantic University

Dr. Kent InglePresidentSoutheastern University

Dr. Larry RobinsonInterim PresidentFlorida Agriculturaland Mechanical University

Dr. Jonathan GueverraPresidentFlorida Keys Community College

Dr. Henry Lewis, IIIPresidentFlorida Memorial University

Dr. Donal O’SheaPresidentNew College of Florida

news from across the stateuniversity of tampa

UT Graduate Students Launch Online Literary Magazine

8

UT to Host Florida Campus Compact’s Awards Gala in November 2012

University of Tampa graduate students in cre-ative writing last month launched an online liter-ary magazine to feature new essays, poetry, fiction and visual art from Flori-da and around the world. The site recorded more than 20,000 unique hits in July, and it can be viewed at www.tampareviewon-line.org.

Tampa Review On-line, or TROn, is dedi-cated to the blending of contemporary literature and visual arts in tra-ditional and innovative ways. The journal is ed-ited by the students of The University of Tampa’s MFA in Creative Writing program. The online mag-azine takes its name from its award-winning older cousin, Tampa Review, the faculty-edited literary

journal that appears in a hardcover, printed edition twice yearly.

TROn is co-edited by Andy Stevens, who earned his bachelor’s de-gree in creative writing from Eckerd College in St. Petersburg and now lives in Tampa, and Bradley Woodrum, who lives in Chicago. Woodrum holds a master’s degree in eco-nomics from Roosevelt U n i -versity, a n d b a c h -e l o r ’s d e -g r e e s i n English and economics from Jacksonville Univer-sity. Sixteen other gradu-ate students serve on edi-torial boards in fiction, poetry, nonfiction and vi-

sual art, and they are scat-tered around the country and around the world, with one editor currently in Russia.

“These students have set high standards and are ideal examples of hands-on, experiential education at its best,” said Richard Mathews, Dana professor of English and editor of Tampa Review, who serves as an informal consultant

f o r s t u -d e n t e d i -t o r s . “They a r e active

participants in shaping the literary landscape, gaining invaluable experience and giving back to others as they help build a geniuine literary community that

transcends borders and invites participation.”

Among TROn’s inno-vative features are a slide show of featured art, Face-book and Twitter feeds, blog posts by the editors and a Kindle download option. The editors say that audio podcasts of readings and interviews will be coming soon.

“What should a liter-ary journal be nowadays? I don’t think anyone has the answer,” said Jeff Parker, director of the MFA. “But our students have given their answer in Tampa Re-view Online, and I think it stands shoulder-to-shoul-der with the best of the day. It’s a steady stream of innovative and well-writ-ten work that’s raucous and engaging and features up-and-comers and estab-lished greats.”

The University of Tampa and President Ronald L. Vaughn will host the Florida Campus Compact Awards Gala on the evening of Thursday, November 8, 2012.

The Florida Campus Compact Awards Gala is the premier recognition venue that formally ac-claims exceptional ser-vice-learning and engaged scholarship currently un-

derway all across Flor-

ida. The award winners are the people who are in the trenches, forging sustain-able campus-community p a r t n e r -ships that enhance the c o l l e g i a t e experience and help our students become stronger and more active citizens. These awards recognize the out-standing work of faculty,

administrators, service coordinators, AmeriCorps VISTAs, community part-ners and others who make

substantial contr ibu-tions to s u p p o r t e n g a g e d s c h o l a r -ship.

This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Richard Guarasci, President of Wagner College in New

York. Dr. Guarasci is an eloquent political scientist and author of the nation-ally acclaimed Wagner Plan. Dr. Guarasi served as a member of the National Task Force for A Crucible Moment: College Learn-ing and Democracy’s Fu-ture.

For Gala reservations, call (850) 488-7782 or visit awards.floridacompact.org.

other stories in the news

New State-of-the-Art Residence Hall Opens at Barry University

Mazur Named VP of Administration and Financeat College of Central Florida

Presidents Remarks at Eckerd College Convocation

Flagler College Ranked Among the Best in the SouthHemingway Look-Alikes Award Scholarships to FKCC Students

Palm Beach State College Receives $375,000 Quantum Foundation Grant

UNF Basks in International Spotlight During CNN Debate

PHCC Plans to Offer Baccalaureate Degrees

Rollins College Recognized for Innovative Commitment to Social Change

news from across the state

9

Florida Atlantic Uni-versity has an estimated economic impact of more than $6.3 billion annu-ally in its six-county ser-vice region, according to a recently released project report led by Khi Thai, Ph.D., FAU professor of public administration, and designed by William B. Stronge, Ph.D., FAU professor emeritus of eco-nomics.

“FAU clearly fulfills the responsibility of ser-vicing and engaging in the lives of the communi-ties within its six-county region on many different levels,” said FAU President Mary Jane Saunders. “This University is dedicated to economic development, research and commu-nity engagement and will continue to expand upon these areas in the years to come.”

The purpose of this study is to measure the tangible economic contri-bution of FAU to the state

of Florida’s economy. Since its dedication ceremony in 1964, FAU has been a lead-ing center of higher edu-cation with a commitment to the economic develop-ment of South Florida and the Treasure Coast, as well as the entire state.

According to the re-port, FAU is a major eco-nomic driver as a purchas-er of goods and services from private business and an employer of 3,543 men and women who spend their income in the local mar-ket. FAU graduates and students also hold jobs in the region, and alumni, students and visitors alike purchase goods and ser-vices in the local economy.

Highlights of the study include: . FAU contributed $2.5 billion to direct spending in Florida for the 2010-11 fiscal year. . FAU activities are responsible for more than

60,450 in-state jobs. . The FAU presence in the state generates a $4.1 billion increase in Florida’s gross domestic product and a $6.3 billion increase in gross sales. . In 2009-10, FAU graduates contributed more than $2.3 billion more in direct economic impacts than high school graduates in Florida. . FAU students spend

more than $509.9 mil-lion annu-ally in Florida

over and above tuition, fees, and University-sup-plied room and board. . Those who came to visit FAU students spent more than $39 million in the state.

“FAU’s Board of Trustees is committed to the University’s incred-ible ability to drive the economy within the six-county region it serves,” said Board Chair Robert J. Stilley. “FAU is an im-

pressive institution, and the impact it has will only increase in importance as it continues in vast discov-eries of research, as well as the growing potential to recruit science-based companies to relocate here.”

A student survey un-der the administration of Alexandru Roman, a Ph.D. student in FAU’s School of Public Administration in the College for Design and Social Inquiry, also was undertaken for this study. The data collected from 805 students in Janu-ary 2012 indicated that the average student expected to spend $13,206.23 dur-ing the semester, exclud-ing tuition. Spending for room rent, utilities, and food and dining account-ed for 40 percent of the ex-penditures; transportation accounted for more than 26.6 percent; and another 15 percent was expended for recreation and enter-tainment.

florida atlantic universityFAU Has More Than $6.3 Billion Economic Impact on Service Areas

governor scott addresses annual florida association

of colleges and universities conference

Every summer, the Florida Association of Colleges and Universities gathers for its annual conference. The 2012 conference was held on June 6, 2012 at the Saw-grass Marriott in Ponte Vedre Beach where Governor Scott addressed the group of college and university presidents from all across the state and representing all three sectors of higher education in Florida.

Governor Rick Scott, Mrs. Jana Hanbury and Dr. George Hanbury, Chancellor, Nova Southeastern University.

President Katherine M. Johnson, President Wilson Bradshaw, and Governor Rick Scott.

This electronic newsletter is published quarterly. Member institutions should submit content for possible inclusion in the next issue by December 31, 2012.

Articles should be 250-300 words in length and sent electronically to news@facuflorida.org. Photos and a current school logo are encouraged.

FAC&U(850) 488-4845

P.O. Box 15587, Tallahassee, Florida 32317 www.facuflorida.org10

Governor Rick Scott addresses the annual Florida Association of Colleges and Universities Conference.