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The Florida State University (commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is a public research university located in Tallahassee, the capital city of Florida. Established in 1851 , the university is the oldest continuous site of higher education in the state of Florida. Florida State University is a Carnegie Doctoral/Research Extensive institution, the top designation by the Carnegie Foundation. FSU awards over 2,000 graduate and professional degrees each year. The university is comprised of 16 separate colleges and institutes that offer more than 300 programs of study. Florida State University is one of the two flagship universities in the State University System of Florida.

History of the University

One of the two oldest of the eleven institutions of higher learning in the State University System of Florida, Florida State University can be traced back to as early as 1823 when the Territorial Legislature began planning a higher education system. Two townships were set aside by the United States Congress for seminaries of higher learning, one on each side of the Suwannee River. On January 24, 1851 the State of Florida Legislature established the two seminaries. A competition then ensued between various cities for the West Florida Seminary. Francis W. Eppes, the grandson of Thomas Jefferson and who grew up on Monticello, with the help of other city leaders in Tallahassee, eventually won the competition for the location, which awarded Tallahassee the west seminary by the Florida Legislature in 1856. On January 1, 1857 the bill was signed into law by the Governor.

The rise of land slightly west of the center of Tallahassee, formerly known as Gallows Hill, was offered and accepted as the site of the new seminary for male students. While the seminary did not officially hold classes until 1857, it absorbed the Tallahassee Female Academy, begun in 1843 as the Misses Bates School, thereby becoming co-educational. As a result of this merger Florida State University is the oldest university in Florida, with clear predecessor operations traceable to 1843. The West Florida Seminary stood near the front of the Westcott Building on the existing FSU campus. This site is the oldest continually used location of higher learning in Florida.

The eastern seminary was located in Ocala, FL in 1853 and was closed during the American Civil War. It reopened in 1866 in Gainesville, FL and would eventually be combined with other schools to form the University of Florida in 1906.

During the Civil War the name of the seminary was changed to The Florida Military and Collegiate Institute and began military training for students. Young cadets from the school, along with other soldiers from Tallahassee, defeated Union forces at the Battle of Natural Bridge in 1865. As a result, Tallahassee was the only Confederate capital east of the Mississippi River not to fall to Union forces. The Army ROTC unit at Florida State University is one of only two ROTC units in the United States with permission to display a campaign streamer. The Florida State University ROTC streamer reads NATURAL BRIDGE 1865. After the fall of the Confederacy, campus buildings were occupied by Union forces for over a month. The West Florida Seminary reverted to a purely academic purpose after the war, and began a period of substantial growth and development. In 1884, the first diplomas, called Licentiates of Instruction, were awarded. By 1891 the seminary began to focus on what would be recognized today as post-secondary education and as of 1897 was clearly the first liberal arts college in Florida.

In 1901 the seminary was renamed the Florida State College. The first master's degree was issued by the college in 1902. The college fielded a football team as early, or earlier than 1899, and in 1902, 1903, and 1905 was declared state champions. An excerpt from the 1903 Florida State College catalog indicates that other names were attached by law to the university: In 1883 the institution, now long officially known as the West Florida Seminary, was organized by the Board of Education as The Literary College of the University of Florida. Owing to lack of means for the support of this more ambitious project, and also owing to the fact that soon thereafter schools for technical training were established, this association soon dissolved. It remains to be remarked, however, that the legislative act passed in 1885, bestowing upon the institution the title of the University of Florida, has never been repealed. The more pretentious name is not assumed by the college owing to the fact that it does not wish to misrepresent its resources and purposes. In 1905 the Buckman Act was passed by the legislature which forced all male students and the university football team to attend the newly formed university in Gainesville. Ironically, the genesis of the football program at the University of Florida started with the already established state championship team from the Florida State College.

Due to this 1905 segregation law, The Florida State College was renamed the Florida Female College and in 1909 would was renamed the Florida State College for Women. The Florida State College for Women became one of the most prestigious and largest women’s colleges in the United States. The academic quality of the College was so highly regarded that in 1935 it was awarded the Alpha Chapter of Phi Beta Kappa in Florida.

After World War II, returning soldiers placed a heavy demand on the state university system. The Tallahassee Branch of the University of Florida was quickly created on the campus of the Florida State College for Women in 1946 to accommodate male students. In 1947, the state returned the university to co-educational status and was renamed The Florida State University.

The 1950s brought more growth and development to the university. Several colleges were added and the first Ph.D. was awarded in Chemistry by 1952. Many buildings recognizable today were added to the university such as the Strozier Library, Tully Gymnasium and the Business building.

During the 1960s and 1970s Florida State University was known as a center of student activism especially in the areas of racial integration and the Vietnam War. The school acquired the nickname 'Berkeley of the South' during this period, in reference to similar student activities at the University of California, Berkeley. Governor Claude Kirk once spent a night on Landis Green, in the center of campus, discussing politics with protesting students. Elements of free speech activism still exist at FSU today. The Center for Participant Education was established in 1970 as an alternative to traditional university academics. It's purpose is to allow students to "explore socially relevant topics and to foster a healthier philosophy of education through classes in which anyone could teach or attend. Since then, CPE has been investigated by the Legislature, suspended by the Board of Regents, and challenged by FSU administration. CPE has managed to hold strong through all of this, and remains today as one of the last free universities in the country."

Today, Florida State University aspires to become a top American research university with at least one-third of it's graduate programs ranked in the Top-15 nationally. Florida State University owns more than 1,530 acres (6.2km) and is the home of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory among other advanced research facilities. The university continues to develop in its capacity as a leader in Florida graduate research. Other milestones at the university include the first ETA10-G/8 supercomputer , capable of 10.8 GFLOPS in 1989, remarkable for the time in that it exceeded the existing speed record of the Cray-2/8, located at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory by a substantial leap and the development of the anti-cancer drug Taxol.

The Jefferson-Eppes Trophy is exchanged between the University of Virginia and Florida State University after each football competition in recognition of the common roots shared between the two schools.

Enrollment

Fall 2006 enrollment consists of 40,474 graduate and undergraduate students, including students enrolled in professional programs. Students come from all 50 states and 137 other countries. Women account for 56.4% of student enrollment. Minorities made up 28.2% percent of total enrollment.

The Fall 2006 freshman class had an SAT middle 50% range of 1140 - 1280, a middle 50% ACT range of 25 - 28, and a middle 50% GPA range of 3.4 - 4.1. The SAT scores reported include scores of students admitted through alternative programs.

The freshman acceptance rate for the 2006 Fall semester was 53.7%. Florida State University continues to become increasingly selective and competitive when compared with other national public universities.

The most popular Colleges by enrollment are Arts and Sciences, Business, Social Sciences, Education, and Human Science.

A number of undergraduate academic programs at Florida State University are termed "Limited Access Programs". Limited Access Programs are programs where student demand exceeds available resources. Admission to such programs can be extremely competitive. Examples of limited access programs include The Florida State University Film School , the Department of Communication, several majors in the College of Visual Arts, Theatre and Dance. All majors in the College of Business are considered limited access programs.

Academics and External Rankings

Florida State University has leading graduate, undergraduate and professional programs that include Law and Medicine.

FSU National Rankings

Previous FSU National Rankings

Florida State University was ranked 16th nationally in the February 2007 edition of Kiplinger's Best Values in Public Colleges. FSU is the second least expensive flagship university in the U.S., according to USATODAY. In the 2007 edition of U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges, Florida State, as an undergraduate university, was ranked as a Top National University at 51st (from 54th in 2005) among all public research universities in the United States. Florida State is ranked 110th (from 111 in 2005) among all national universities. Florida State University joins the University of Florida as the top-ranked public universities in Florida, the only public universites in the top U.S. News ranking tier, and the only universities listed in the Academic Ranking of World Universities Top 100 American Universites. FSU has a 66% six-year graduation rate, the national average six-year graduation rate is 54%. FSU has an 89% freshman retention rate, competitive with any public university in the country.

Many of FSU's academic programs consistently rank among the nation’s top twenty-five public universities, including programs in Business, Chemistry, Communication, Creative Writing, Criminology, Dance, Ecology, Education, Engineering, Evolutionary Biology, Film, Fine Arts, Human Sciences, Hospitality, International Affairs, Information Technology, Law, Meteorology, Music, Oceanography, Neuroscience, Physics, Political Science, Psychology, the Reubin O'D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, Statistics, Social Work, Sociology, Spanish and Portuguese, Theatre, Traumatology, Urban Planning, Underwater Archaelogy, and Visual Art.

Collections

Florida State University maintains and operates The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art located in Sarasota, FL, which is recognized as the official State Art Museum of Florida. The institution offers twenty-one galleries of European paintings as well as Cypriot antiquities and Asian, American, and contemporary art. The museum's art collection currently consists of more than 10,000 objects that include a wide variety of paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints, photographs, and decorative arts from ancient through contemporary periods and from around the world. The most celebrated items in the museum are 16th, 17th, and 18th century European paintings, including a world-renowned collection of Peter Paul Rubens paintings.

The expansive collections of the Ringling Museum constitute the largest university museum complex in the United States.

Departments

Associates, Bachelors, Masters, Specialist's, Doctoral, and Professional degree programs are offered through:

• College of Arts & Sciences
• College of Business
• College of Communication
• College of Criminology & Criminal Justice
• College of Education
• College of Engineering - jointly administered with Florida A&M University
• College of Human Sciences
• College of Law
• College of Medicine
• College of Social Sciences
• College of Motion Picture, Television & Recording Arts
• College of Information
• College of Music
• College of Social Work
• College of Visual Arts, Theatre & Dance
• School of Computational Science
• School of Nursing

College of Arts and Sciences

The College of Arts and Sciences is the home of many academic (as opposed to professional) departments of the University, and is comprised of a variety of departments from English to Statistics. Several departments and programs have received particular national acclaim. English (which boasts one of the nation's top Creative Writing programs), Classics (which has comprehensive programs ranging from analysis of Roman literature to the excavation of ancient ruins), Geography, Oceanography and others.

Physics

The Department of Physics offers graduate programs that have been ranked amongst the best in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. Theoretical and experimental nuclear physics and particle physics are particularly strong areas; nuclear physics is currently rated with the Top 7 programs in the United States. The Department has its own superconducting linear particle accelerator, and operates the main complex of Florida's only national lab -- the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory which is located near campus at FSU's Innovation Park. The "Mag Lab" develops and operates high magnetic field facilities that scientists use for research in physics, biology, bioengineering, chemistry, geochemistry, biochemistry, materials science, and engineering. It is the only facility of its kind in the United States and one of only nine in the world. It features the largest and highest powered magnet laboratory in the world. FSU, in a peer-reviewed competition, won the laboratory from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1990.

Chemistry and Biochemistry

Also working in the field of materials science and nanoscience at FSU is the Nobel laureate Sir Harry Kroto, the co-discoverer of the C-60 'buckyball', who is a member of FSU's Chemistry and Biochemistry Department. Research in the Chemistry department currently spans fields ranging from analytical through organic, using experimental techniques and equipment including advanced lasers, spectrometers and superconducting magnets. A new, 5-story 168,000 square foot chemistry building is currently under construction on the west side of FSU's campus; when complete, it will enhance the department's strengths in molecular recognition, materials, nanotechnology, biochemistry, molecular synthesis, computational chemistry, and advanced measurement science as well as further support its robust Ph.D. and postdoctoral fellow training programs.

Biological Sciences

The Department of Biological Sciences includes world class faculty in cellular and molecular biology, computational biology, evolution and ecology, and neuroscience. The Department has embarked on an innovative new cluster hiring initiative that focuses on the integration of genotype and phenotype. FSU's new Life Sciences Teaching and Research Building is a state-of-the-art facility that will provide over 90,000 net square feet of space for instruction, research, and support services. The design features rooftop research greenhouses and an open ground floor cloister for students, faculty, and staff. Other features include a 150 seat auditorium, biology teaching laboratories, and more than 30 research laboratories for the Department of Biological Science.

Taxol - Anti-Cancer Drug

A significant achievement at the university was chemistry professor and synthetic organic chemist, Dr. Robert A. Holton's synthesizing of Taxol on Dec. 9, 1993. The chemical has been used as an effective breast cancer and ovarian cancer treatment.

Dr. Holton and his organic chemistry team won a race to develop a cheaper semisynthetic version (Holton Taxol total synthesis). In 1993, Bristol-Myers Squibb began marketing the drug. Just like other chemotherapy drugs, it had side effects, but it also prolonged lives, and in many cases caused a full remission of cancer.

Before the drug company's exclusive license expired, Florida State earned $351 million in royalties, vaulting the school into the ranks of Columbia University and California's state universities in research profits. By comparison, Taxol has earned Florida State more than three times what the popular beverage Gatorade earned the University of Florida.

Creative Writing Program

FSU's Creative Writing program is home to winners of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award. FSU offers both Masters of Fine Arts and doctoral degrees in Creative Writing. The program claims no university Creative Writing program in the world has been included more often in the Harcourt Trade Publishers Best New American Voices. Recent graduates have published books with Hyperion, Norton, Viking, MacAdam/Cage Publishing, Penguin, Henry Holt, Simon & Schuster, and Houghton Mifflin. Students have published in The Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, The Georgia Review, Glimmer Train, Harper's, Ploughshares, and many other quality magazines. Students have the chance to work both for a publisher (Fiction Collective 2) and for the program's official journal The Southeast Reiview.

Meteorology

The Meteorology program is the largest and most complete meteorology program in the southeastern United States, with 16 faculty members, over 85 graduate students and approximately 200 undergraduate students.

Many graduates of the Florida State meteorology program whether bachelor's, master's or doctorate work in the national media including Neil Frank and Max Mayfield, former directors of the National Hurricane Center in Miami; Janice Huff of the NBC Today Show and on-air meteorologists from the The Weather Channel: Stephanie Abrams, Rich Johnson and Jennifer Lopez

College of Engineering

The College of Engineering, jointly operated with Florida A&M University, operates from a 200,000 square foot complex of buildings near Innovation Park. The College boasts six FSU research centers: the Florida Advanced Center for Composite Technologies (FAC2T) which became Florida’s first National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC); the Center for Intelligent Systems, Control, and Robotics (CISCOR); the Sustainable Energy Science and Engineering Center (SESEC); the Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS); the Center for Nanomagnetics and Biotechnology (CNB); and the Undergraduate Research Center for Cutting Edge Technologies (URCCET). The high level of research productivity at the College of Engineering provides opportunities for more than 300 graduate students to conduct their research. In 2006, the Board of Governors selected FSU's proposal for a Center of Excellence in Advanced Materials and FSU is presently constructing a 44,000 square foot Materials Research Building near the College of Engineering, which will house 13 laboratories for the design, processing and characterization of advanced materials and systems.

College of Business

The College of Business has consistently been ranked one of the Top 40 undergraduate business schools by U.S. News & World Report. In the 2007 edition of US News & World Report the undergraduate business program is ranked 25th among all public universities in the United States and has grown to be one of the nation's ten largest. Additionally, The Risk Management/Insurance program ranked 7th, and the Real Estate program is 10th among public universities. Most recently, the faculty of the Marketing department were ranked 5th in the nation in terms of scholarly research productivity. In the 2007 edition of BusinessWeek business school rankings Florida State's College of Business ranked 15th nationally among public universities for placement of graduates. FSU ranked higher than any other university business school in Florida.

The college is a recognized leader in graduating minority doctoral candidates. The college earned a fourth-place spot in the Black Issues' Top 100 for its success in awarding the doctorate in business to African Americans. In the Academy of Management Journal , the college's program in Management Information Systems was ranked 15th and is the highest ranked MIS program in the State of Florida. The Accounting program is ranked 24th nationally according to Public Accounting Report's annual ratings.

Dedman School of Hospitality

The Dedman School of Hospitality in the College of Business is located at University Center nearDoak Campbell Stadium. Based on input from industry representatives, the hospitality management major's business component is what attracts companies to FSU students; as a result the school boasts a consistent 100% job placement record. The Dedman School of Hospitality also offers a major in Professional Golf Management, one of seventeen programs nationwide accredited by The Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA), to prepare students to meet the challenges found in the world of professional golf. The state of Florida has more golf courses than any other state in the country and is the headquarters for the PGA, LPGA, PGA Tour, and National Golf Foundation and FSU has a long, distinguished history of graduating professional golfers and educating students for business and hospitality operations.

College of Criminology and Criminal Justice

The College of Criminology and Criminal Justice is the oldest program of its kind. It offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. The College's graduate program emphasizes the importance of scientifically rigorous research that advances the knowledge of the discipline and informs public policy. The master's program prepares students for an administrative or research career in the criminal justice system and other related areas. The doctoral program trains individuals as critical scholars and prepares them for a career of teaching and research or for a higher-level research or administrative career in the criminal justice system.

Home to some of the nation's premier scholars in criminology, the College's faculty members lead the nation in funding for education and delinquency research, they conduct the most recognized research on fear and crime, they are known internationally for state-of-the-art law enforcement research, they are the most cited for national gun control research, and they are prominent scholars in the areas of self-control and crime and juvenile sentencing.

With $11 million in externally funded research projects, the College's Center for Criminology and Public Policy Research conducts ground-breaking research that promotes evidence-based policy-making and practice at state and national levels. It also provides unique hands-on research opportunities for graduate students.

College of Social Work

The School of Social Work is the oldest and most established in Florida. Degrees offered include the BSW, MSW, and PhD. The training and course of study offered is state of the art and reflects our commitment to community outreach and diversity. In U.S. News & World Report's 2001 Graduate Rankings, FSU Social Work ranked in the top 15 among public universities and 25th among public and private universities. The College maintains relationships with over 300 social service agencies through Florida and the Southeast, including 18 Veterans Administration agencies to educate students through field instruction. A limited number of students also complete internships abroad. Faculty members have national recognition attained through their scholarly contributions and their leadership positions in professional community associations.

College of Information

The College of Information's programs in Information Science and Information Technology are consistently top-ranked programs in the nation and have held such rankings for many years in the U.S. News & World Report. The college is currently ranked 10th overall nationally, the Services for Children and Youth specialization program ranked first, School Library Media program ranked 5th, and the Information Systems program ranked 10th. The college has the largest on-line MLS program in the nation..

College of Law

The Florida State University College of Law is currently 53rd in the 2008 edition of the influential national rankings of law schools by U.S. News & World Report. In terms of law students receiving professional employment after graduation it is ranked first in Florida. The magazine's 2008 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools also ranks the College of Law as one of the most diverse in the country. FSU's Environmental Law Program ranks 12th nationally (up from 14th) -- among the top 5 public university Environmental Law programs in the U.S., and the best in the Southeast -- with the Tax Law program ranked at 21st overall (among the top 10 public university Tax Law programs in the U.S.). The Law program achieved a higher passing rate on the Florida Bar than any other universities in the state in 2006. Hispanic Business magazine has ranked the College of Law among the top 10 law schools in the nation for Hispanics for the second consecutive year. Hispanics made up 9% of the school's 748-member student body and received 11% of the 205 law degrees awarded to the class of 2004. The College publishes four law reviews: The Florida State University Law Review, the Florida State University Business Law Review, the Journal of Land Use and Environmental Law, and the Journal of Transnational Law and Policy. The Business Law Review was ranked 8th nationally by ExpressO 2006 Top Law Reviews.

College of Medicine

FSU's College of Medicine is a fully-accredited allopathic program, offering the M.D. degree for practicing physicians. The College of Medicine also offers a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences. Its faculty includes scientific researchers and practicing physicians, as well as researchers who focus on sociological and humanities issues in medical services industries. With its main campus in Tallahassee, where students complete their first two years, the medical school also has regional campuses in Orlando, Pensacola, Sarasota, and Tallahassee, where third- and fourth-year clinical training takes place. New campuses are under development in Ft. Pierce, FL and Daytona Beach, FL. In addition to the regional campuses, an optional Rural Track medical education program places students for their entire third year in small town practice settings in Northwest Florida. The FSU College of Medicine is affiliated with Sarasota Memorial Hospital, recently rated by US News and World Report as the best hospital in Florida and operates a Residency Program at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. The College of Medicine facilities in Tallahassee include a 54,000-square-foot facility devoted to medical research, housing 48 research labs and space for a lab animal facility, as well as several core scientific labs for faculty.

Computer Science

FSU's Computer Science program is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) by the National Security Agency. Florida State is the only university in Florida to achieve this status. Recently, computer security specialists from Florida State examined the computer code firmware contained within the Election Systems & Software iVotronic Voting Machines used in the disputed 2006 congressional election of Florida's District 13 between Vern Buchanan and Christine Jennings.

College of Motion Picture, Television, and Recording Arts

The Florida State University Film School is nationally regarded as one of the top film schools in the country and is well-known for selectivity in admissions. FSU Film students won more Student Oscars (2) and College Television Awards (5) in one year than any other film school. The college is one of the only film schools in the country to be recognized by the Directors Guild of America for "its distinguished contribution to American culture through the world of film and television". It is also the only film school in the nation to pay for all undergraduate and graduate students production costs, creating an environment in which students can concentrate on the artistry of film. With the help of unusually active alumni and a mentorship program, virtually 100% of the students find a meaningful job in the film or television industries within 12 months.

College of Visual Arts, Theatre And Dance

The College of Visual Arts, Theatre And Dance is one of the leading comprehensive theatre training programs in the United States. U.S. News and World Report has consistently included FSU's graduate theatre programs in the top-10, one of the few public university programs thus honored. The School is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre and is a founding member of the University/Resident Theatre Association.

College of Music

The College of Music has been a fully accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Music since 1930. It currently has a student body of 650 undergraduate and 350 graduate students. The faculty of performing teachers and scholars numbers 85, with 225 graduate teaching and research assistants. Each year the College of Music offers more than 450 concerts and recitals featuring faculty members, students, guest artists, and ensembles of all sizes.

College of Social Sciences

The College of Social Sciences has been in existence since 1973. For over 30 years, professors and students alike have studied how people govern themselves, interact with others and the environment, and plan their surroundings. Social Sciences is still about these things today, giving students a breadth of knowledge about social systems, and opening the doors of an exciting and rewarding life. One of the new feature programs within the college is a Master's degree program in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) within the Geography Department .

Student Housing

Florida State University is a traditional residential university wherein most students live on campus in university residence halls or nearby in privately-owned residence halls, apartments and residences. Florida State currently has 17 residence halls on campus, housing undergraduate and graduate students.

Graduate students may also live in university owned off-campus housing. The residence halls range from renovated buildings built during the early 1900s to brand-new facilities. On-campus housing is generally preferred by many students as automobile parking on or near campus can become a competitive effort. Students typically dine in university-operated campus dining facilities as well as commercial restaurants that are located on and near campus. Many students also prepare their own meals in residence hall kitchens. All rooms at Florida State have high-speed Internet access as such is required for students to complete university academic and administrative requirements. Students who are members of the active university Greek Life system at FSU may live in chapter housing near campus.

Athletics

The school is widely known for its prestigious athletic department for both mens and womens sports. The men's program consists of baseball, basketball, cross country running, football, golf, swimming, tennis, and track & field. The women's program consists of basketball, cross country running, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball. There are two separate stadiums and an arena within FSU's main campus; Doak Campbell Stadium (for football), Dick Howser Stadium (for baseball), and the Donald L. Tucker Center (for basketball).

Seminoles - an unconquered people

FSU Tribute to the Seminole Tribe

The school's athletic teams are called the Seminoles. This Native American name is used with official sanction of the Seminole Tribe of Florida, Inc and the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma. They participate in the NCAA's Division I (Division I-A for football) and in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Their traditional rivals include the University of Florida Gators and the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Under head coach Bobby Bowden, currently in his 31st year, the Seminole football team became one of the nation's perennial powers, greatly expanding the tradition of football at Florida State. The Seminoles played in five national championship games between 1993 and 2001, and have claimed the championship twice, in 1993 and 1999. The FSU football team was the most successful team in college football during the 1990s, boasting an 89% winning percentage. FSU also set an NCAA record for most consecutive Top 5 finishes in the AP football poll - receiving placement 14 years in a row, from 1987 to 2000. The Seminoles were the first college football team in history to go wire-to-wire (ranked first place from preseason to postseason) since the AP began releasing preseason rankings in 1936. FSU also owns the record for most consecutive Bowl game victories with 11 between 1985 and 1996.

FSU head coach Bobby Bowden is the Division I college football coach leader in the NCAA with 366 career wins, followed by Penn State's Joe Paterno with 363. FSU football is well-known for introducing talented players into the NFL, including Deion Sanders, Terrell Buckley, Derrick Brooks, Sebastian Janikowski, Walter Jones, Corey Simon, Anquan Boldin, Javon Walker, Warrick Dunn, Peter Boulware, Laverneus Coles, Brad Johnson, Samari Rolle, and many other players in recent history.

In 2006, FSU's men's track and field team won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship, the NCAA East Regional championship and the NCAA National Championship. Head Coach Bob Braman and Associate Head Coach Harlis Meaders helped lead individual champions in the 200 m (Walter Dix), the triple jump (Raqeef Curry), and the shot put (Garrett Johnson). Individual runners-up were Walter Dix in the 100 m, Ricardo Chambers in the 400 m, and Tom Lancashire in the 1500 m. Others scoring points in the National Championship were Michael Ray Garvin in the 200 m (8th), Andrew Lemoncello in the 3000 m steeplechase (4th), Raqeef Curry in the long jump (6th), and Garrett Johnson in the discus (5th).

Traditions

The school's colors are Garnet and Gold. The colors of Garnet and Gold represent a merging of the University's past. In 1902, 1903 and 1905 the Florida State College won football championships wearing purple and gold uniforms. When FSC became Florida State College for Women in 1905, the football team was forced to attend an all male school in Gainesville, thus marking the beginning of the football program at the University of Florida. The following year, the college student body selected crimson as the official school color. The administration in 1905 took crimson and combined it with the recognizable purple of the championship football teams to achieve the color garnet. The now famous Garnet and Gold colors were first used on an FSU uniform in a 14-6 loss to Stetson on October 18, 1947.

FSU is also the home of the esteemed Marching Chiefs, the largest collegiate marching band in the world. The Marching Chiefs are the force behind the famous "War Chant".

School songs

Alma Mater - High Over Towering Pines: High over towering pines our voices swell, Praising those Gothic spires, we love so well. Here sons and daughters stand, faithful and true, Hailing our alma mater, F.S.U.

Hymn to the Garnet and Gold: Here's a hymn to the Garnet and the Gold, ringing to the sky. Here's a song for the men and women bold. Sing with heads held high. Striving ere to seek to know, Fight for victory. Alma Mater, this our song to you. Echoes, F.S.U.

FSU Fight Song: You've got to fight, fight, fight, for FSU, You've got to scalp 'em Seminoles, You've got to win, win, win, win this game, And roll on down to make those goals, For FSU is on the warpath now, and at the battle's end she's great. So fight, fight, fight, fight for victory, the Seminoles of Florida State!

The fight song was written by Thomas Wright, who owns the rights to the song. Mr. Wright allows FSU to use the Fight Song every year in exchange for 2 season tickets.

According to Mr. Wright, the FSU symbol was based off his profile in honor of this song that he wrote.

FSView & Florida Flambeau

The FSView & Florida Flambeau is the campus paper of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. The paper, as expected, focuses mainly on events that occur in and around the campus. Most national news is relegated to a "News Briefs" section on the front page, below the fold. The paper runs once per week during the summer, and twice per week (Monday and Thursday) during the school year. The sections include News, Sports, Arts & Life, Classifieds, and Viewpoints (which includes an editorial cartoon, "Ink Globally, Act Locally" by cartoonist Mandy Newham). Special sections include NightLife, Bon Apetite, Rush and Dining Guide.

After changing hands three times in 13 years, the FSView was sold to the Tallahassee Democrat in late July 2006, making it part of the Gannett chain.

The FSView's production staff is also responsible for Edge Magazine. Edge Magazine consists of articles geared towards students, advertisements for local establishments, and a "Tally Girl" model (a female Tallahassee resident often scantily clad).

• FSView and Florida Flambeau website

Past Presidents

• Talbot D'Alemberte 1994-2003
• Dale W. Lick 1991-1994
• Bernard F. Sliger 1976-1991
• Stanley Marshall 1969-1976
• John E. Champion 1965-1969
• Gordon W. Blackwell 1960-1965
• Milton W. Carothers 1960
• Robert M. Strozier 1957-1960
• Albert B. Martin 1957
• Doak S. Campbell 1947-1957
• Edward Conradi 1909-1941
• Albert A. Murphree 1897-1909
• Alvin Lewis 1892-1897
• George Edgar 1887-1892

Notable faculty

Nobel Prize

• Paul Dirac, 1933 Physics
• Konrad E. Bloch, 1964 Medicine
• Robert Sanderson Mulliken, 1966 Chemistry
• John Robert Schrieffer, 1972 Physics (currently on staff)
• James M. Buchanan, 1986 Economics
• Sir Harold W. Kroto, 1996 Chemistry (currently on staff)

Pulitzer Prize

• Robert Olen Butler, Fiction
• Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Music

Guggenheim Fellowship

• Robert Olen Butler, English
• Donald L.D. Caspar, Biological Science
• Kathleen M. Erndle, Religion
• Richard L. Greaves, History
• Thomas Joiner, Psychology
• Michael Kasha, Physical Chemistry
• John Kelsay, Religion
• David Kirby, English
• Bruno Linder, Chemistry
• Dale A. Olsen, Music
• Jill Quadagno, Sociology
• Michael Ruse, Philosophy
• Raymond K. Sheline, Chemistry and Physics
• Melvin Ernest Stern, Oceanography
• Gary Taylor, English
• Mark Wingate, Music
• Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Music

National Academy of Sciences

• Donald L.D. Caspar, Biophysics
• Lev P. Gorkov, Physics
• Michael Kasha, Chemistry 1971
• Sir Harold Kroto, Chemistry
• Melvin E. Stern, Geophysics

National Academy of Engineering

• David C. Larbalestier, Superconducting Materials
• Simon Ostrach, Space Science/Mechanical Engineering

American Academy of Arts & Sciences

• Donald Caspar, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Frances C. James, Evolutionary and Population Biology and Ecology
• Michael Kasha, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Melvin Stern, Astronomy and Earth Sciences
• Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, Visual and Performing Arts

ISI Highly Cited Faculty

• Roy F. Baumeister, Psychology/Psychiatry
• Sir Harold Kroto, Chemistry
• Werner Herz, Chemistry
• Shridhar Sathe, Agricultural Sciences
• R. Jay Turner, Social Sciences
• Alan Zindler, Geosciences

Other notable faculty

• John Dorsey, 2006 Award in Chromatography from the American Chemical Society
• Barbara Hamby, poet in residence
• Mark W. Horner, 2006 NSF award winner
• Robert Holton, inventor of synthetic process for Taxol
• Frederick L. Jenks, 2002 TESOL Heinle & Heinle Excellence in Teaching Award
• Alan Marshall, Society for Applied Spectroscopy Fellow (2004)
• Doron Nof, Fridtjof Nansen Medal
• Victor Nuñez, acclaimed film director
• Donald Robson, Tom W. Bonner Prize of the American Physical Society (1972)
• Per Arne Rikvold, 2004 Foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
• Michael Ruse, Philosopher of Science, known for his work on the relationship between creationism and evolution
• Pedro Schlottmann, 1982-1986 Heisenberg Fellowship of the DFG (German Science Foundation)
• Friedrich Stephan, discovered the suprachiasmatic nucleus (circadian "clock")
• Stephan von Molnár, 1986 Alexander von Humbolt Senior U.S. Scientist Award
• Mark Winegardner, Novelist
• Kun Yang, 2003 Outstanding Young Researcher Award of the Overseas Chinese Physics Association

Notable alumni

Athletics

Please see: Notable Florida State Seminoles

Business

• Michael F. Ahern, Chief Operating Officer & Co-founder, Streampipe
• Charles A. Bruning, former President & CEO, AmeriMark Capital Corporation
• Ted T. Cecala, Chairman & CEO, Wilmington Trust Corporation
• Meg Crofton, President, the Walt Disney World Resort
• Hugo deBeaubien, President deBeaubien, Knight, Simmons, Mantzaris, & Neal
• Salvador Diaz-Verson, President, Diaz-Verson Capital Investments
• Daniel P. Dillon, President & CEO, Welch's
• Jefferey D. Gargiulo, President & CEO, Sunkist Growers, Inc
• Thomas Glansen, Vice President, FLATFEE250.COM
• Verle B. Hammond, President & CEO, Innovative Logistics Techniques, Inc (INNOLOG)
• Chuck Hardwick, Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Pfizer Inc
• Amos McMullian, Chairman, Flowers Foods
• Gary L. Rogers, former Vice Chairman & Executive Officer, General Electric
• Jeffrey P. Rohr, CFO, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu and Deloitte & Touche USA
• James M. Seneff, Chairman & CEO, CNL Financial Group, Inc
• Randell A. Smith, Chairman & Co-Founder, Smith Travel Research
• Eugene Taylor, Vice-Chairman, Consumer & Commercial Banking, Bank of America
• Jimmy M. Woodward, Vice President & CFO, Flower Foods, Inc

Entertainment

Print media and Internet

• Cathy Areu, founder, publisher Catalina magazine
• James O. Born, novelist
• Matt Chapman, co-creator of Homestar Runner
• John Earl Haynes, historian, specializing in American communist and anti-communist movements
• Doug Marlette, editorial cartoonist (1988 Pulitzer Prize), comic strip Kudzu, novelist The Bridge, Magic Time
• Jordan S. Rubin, novelist
• Gwyn Hyman Rubio, novelist
• Jeff Shaara, novelist

Music

• Lily Afshar, First woman to receive a Doctorate of Music in guitar performance
• Sam Beam, sole member of Iron & Wine
• Ryan Key (vocals/guitar), Sean Mackin (vocals/violin), the band Yellowcard
• Rachel McDonnel, Sarah Poulous, Pyromantic, and Rogue, the band The Crüxshadows
• Jim Morrison, singer/songwriter, the band The Doors
• Marcus Roberts, jazz pianist
• Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti, musicians, the band Creed
• David Ward-Steinman, composer Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, composer, 1st woman to win Pulitzer prize in music
• Luis Fonsi, singer/songwriter

Film, television and theatre

• Dan Bakkedahl, correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show
• Alan Ball, screenwriter, director, Six Feet Under, American Beauty
• Colleen Clinkenbeard, voice actress/producer/writer/director, Fullmetal Alchemist
• Lee Corso, sports broadcaster, ESPN
• Valerie Cruz, actress
• Ron J. Friedman, writer of Academy Award nominated films Brother Bear, Chicken Little, and Open Season
• Davis Gaines, stage actor, The Phantom of the Opera (1986 musical)
• Paul Gleason, actor, Star Wars, Die Hard, The Breakfast Club
• Courtney Hansen, actress, TV personality, syndicated columnist, and model
• Cheryl Hines, actress, producer, director Curb Your Enthusiasm, Campus Ladies,RV
• Tara Dawn Holland Christensen, Miss America (1997), singer
• Traylor Howard, actress, Monk on USA Network, Son of the Mask
• Jonathan King, producer and VP of Production at Focus Features whose work includes Dreamgirls, I, Robot, and Finding Forrester
• Nancy Kulp, actress, The Beverly Hillbillies
• Christine Lahti, Academy Award winning director, actress, Chicago Hope, Jack & Bobby
• Mark Perez, screenwriter and producer, Accepted, The Country Bears, Herbie Fully Loaded
• Burt Reynolds, actor, Boogie Nights, The Longest Yard, The Dukes Of Hazzard, Deliverance
• Gayle Sierens, News Anchor, WFLA-TV, Tampa-FL
• Richard Simmons, fitness expert
• Ron Simmons, Former WCW World Heavyweight Champion and WWE superstar Farooq
• Tonea Stewart, actress, In the Heat of the Night
• Robert Urich, actor, Vega$, Spencer: For Hire
• Drew McWeeny, screenwriter, film critic, internet columnist, Masters of Horror
• Casper Van Dien, actor, Saved by the Bell, Starship Troopers

Government

• Art Agnos, former Mayor of San Francisco (1988-92)
• Reubin O'Donovan Askew, former Governor of Florida (D)
• Allan Bense, current (2004-06) Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives
• Allen Boyd Jr., congressman (D)
• Charlie Crist, Governor of Florida, (R)
• Parris N. Glendening, former Governor of Maryland (1995-2003)
• Jeff Kottkamp, Lt. Governor of Florida, (R)
• Mel Martinez (J.D.), former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, current Florida U.S. Senator (R)
• Ray Sansom, Speaker elect of the Florida House of Representatives, (R)
• Orson Swindle, Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission (1997-2005)
• Dina Titus, Minority Leader of the Nevada Senate (1993- )
• T. K. Wetherell, former Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, President of Florida State University (D)

Law

• Jim Bacchus (J.D.), Justice and Chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization
• Kenneth B. Bell (J.D.), Florida Supreme Court Justice
• Lance Block (J.D.), President, Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers
• Terry Bowden (J.D.), ABC Sports Commentator
• Raoul G. Cantero, III (B.A.), Florida Supreme Court Justice
• Eric Gustafson (J.D.), Financial analyst and commentator for CNBC
• Tony La Russa (J.D.), Manager, St. Louis Cardinals
• Sheila McDevitt (J.D.), Senior Vice President and Corporate Counsel, TECO
• Jim Towey (J.D.), Director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
• Y. Drake Buckman, II, (B.A.), Civil Rights and Trial Attorney

Meteorology

• Stephanie Abrams, (B.S.) meteorologist, The Weather Channel
• Neil Frank, meteorologist, (M.A., Ph.D.), Director, National Hurricane Center (1974-1987)
• Janice Huff, meteorologist, (B.S.) WNBC, Today Show
• Rich Johnson, meteorologist, (B.S.) The Weather Channel
• Jennifer Lopez, meteorologist, (B.S.) The Weather Channel
• Max Mayfield, (M.A.) Director, National Hurricane Center (2000-2007)
• X. William Proenza, (B.S.) Director, National Hurricane Center (2007- )
• Brett Cimbora, lead meteorologist, 15th OWS Scott AFB Illinois

Military

• General Jay Garner, United States Army, ret. defense consultant
• Brigadier General Franklin L. Hagenbeck
• Admiral Paul David Miller (ret.), Chairman of Alliant Techsystems
• Captain Scott Speicher, pilot, missing in action after the Gulf War

Rhodes Scholars

• Caroline Alexander 1976
• Garrett Johnson 2006

Science and Space

• Velma Dobson (B.A./B.S., German/Psychology), Professor of Opthamology at Arizona, co-developer of the Teller Acuity Card procedure
• Sylvia Earle (B.S.), former chief scientist for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Marc H. Ellis (B.A./M.A.), theologian, philosopher
• Leonard Erickson (Ph.D., Genetics and Molecular Biology), leading researcher of the DNA repair protein as a solution to cancer and Robert Wallace Miller Professor of Oncology, Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis Cancer Center
• Holly Greening (M.S., Biology), Senior Scientist, Tampa Bay Estuary Program; Member of the National Academy of Sciences Ocean Studies Board
• David Karl (M.S., Biographical Ocenaography), University of Hawaii Professor of Ocenanography, Member of the National Academy of Sciences
• Gilbert Morriss (Ph.D., Molecular Biology), professor of Pathology at Tulane, specializing in lung molecular biology
• Dr. Paul Robinson (Ph.D., Physics), former director of Sandia National Laboratories, candidate director of Los Alamos
• Kirk Schanze (B.S., Chemistry), professor of Chemistry and Chairman of the Organic Division at the University of Florida
• Winston Scott (B.A., Music), NASA astronaut
• Norman Thagard (B.S., M.S., Engineering), NASA astronaut
• Mark Thiemens (Ph.D., Chemistry), Dean of the Division of Sciences at the University of California San Diego; Professor of Oceanography; two time Alexander von Humbolt Prize winner, Member of the National Academy of Sciences and the AAAS
• George Vourvopoulos (Ph.D., Physics), inventor and innovator in applying elemental analysis to the coal and nuclear industries
• Joe Wood (B.S., Chemistry), Principal Scientist in the R&D Laboratories for Vistakon, Johnson & Johnson Visioncare, Inc.
• Mark S. Wrighton (B.S., Chemistry), Chancellor of Washington University in St. Louis
• Hulin Wu (Ph.D., Statistics), professor of Biostatistics and Computational Biology; Professor of Medicine; Professor of Community and Preventive Medicine, University of Rochester

Other Distinguished Alumni

More distinguished/notable alumni can be found at the FSU Alumni Association,

Sites of Interest

• Official University Website
• Florida State University - Official History
• Official University News Website
• College of Law
• National High Magnetic Field Laboratory Website
• College of Medicine
• College of Business
• College of Information Website
• College of Criminology and Criminal Justice Website
• Official University Athletics Website
• WFSU Radio and Television Website
• FSView & Florida Flambeau Website - independent student newspaper
• FSU Flying High Circus Website
• World Affairs Program, FSU Model United Nations
• FSU Institute on World War II and the Human Experience
• State Archives of Florida - Links to historic graphics in the History of the University section
• Seminole Tribe of Florida
• Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
• The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
• Phi Beta Kappa Website
• Exploring FSU's Past: A Public History Project, Fall 2006

Acknowledgement

The State Archives of Florida (http://www.floridamemory.com/) provide the links to the historic graphics in the History of the University section.

v t e The State University System of Florida
Campuses	Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Florida Atlantic University Florida Gulf Coast University Florida International University Florida Polytechnic University Florida State University New College of Florida University of Central Florida University of Florida University of North Florida University of South Florida University of West Florida
Chancellors	J. Broward Culpepper (1954–1968) Robert B. Mautz (1968–1975) E. Travis York (1975–1981) Barbara W. Newell (1981–1985) Charles B. Reed (1985–1998) Adam W. Herbert (1998–2001) Judy G. Hample (2001) Debra D. Austin (2003–2005) Mark B. Rosenberg (2005–2009) John Delaney (2009) Frank T. Brogan (2009–2013) Marshall Criser III (2014–)
Governing body	Florida Board of Control Florida Board of Regents Florida Board of Governors
Other	University Press of Florida Florida Institute of Oceanography List of State University System Libraries Bright Futures Scholarship Program Florida Student Association Advisory Council of Faculty Senates
State University System of Florida - Founded in 1905

v t e Atlantic Coast Conference
Current members	Boston College Eagles California Golden Bears Clemson Tigers Duke Blue Devils Florida State Seminoles Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Louisville Cardinals Miami Hurricanes North Carolina State Wolfpack North Carolina Tar Heels Notre Dame Fighting Irish (non-football member) Pittsburgh Panthers SMU Mustangs Stanford Cardinal Syracuse Orange Virginia Cavaliers Virginia Tech Hokies Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Championships & awards	Conference champions National championships Athlete of the Year
Tournaments	Football Basketball (Men; Women) Baseball Softball Soccer (Men; Women)
Broadcast partners	ESPN ACC Network The CW Sports Raycom Sports
Former competitions	Atlantic Coast Rugby League

30°26′26″N 84°17′29″W / 30.44056°N 84.29139°W / 30.44056; -84.29139

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• Florida State University
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