Garnet & Gold Traditions

Hi, I'm Randy Hannah and I'm the dean here at Florida State University, Panama City. And happy birthday to Florida State University. As we celebrate our 175th birthday here in Panama City, we look back and we were founded in the early 1980s. There was a huge need for higher education in Northwest Florida and the University of West Florida had started to meet that need with a campus adjacent to Gulf Coast State College.

In early 1980s, members of the Florida legislature decided to transfer this campus from University of West Florida to Florida State University and it's been an important part of the FSU family ever since. When we started in the 80s, we primarily taught education, business, and social work.

Today, we have a wide range of programs: business, education, engineering, public safety and security, and a doctoral program in nurse anesthesia. We offer almost 30 separate programs here at FSU Panama City and we're also proud to be the administrative home of the College of Applied Studies, one of FSU's newer academic colleges. In the College of Applied Studies, we have public communication, public safety and security, crime scene investigation, and nurse anesthesia. We're proud of the growth of both the College of Applied Studies and FSU Panama City, where every day we work hard to meet both the economic and educational needs of those in Northwest Florida.

As Florida State University celebrates its 175th anniversary, we at the College of Arts and Sciences are delighted to look back at the role we have played in FSU's rich history. The college itself is the oldest and largest on campus and dates to the early 20th century.

While Arts and Sciences disciplines such as Mathematics, English, and History were in place at the institution's founding back in 1851. We have served generations of students from the start, covering all majors both within and outside the college. Arts and Science's graduates reside in all states in most of the world's nations. They include distinguished award winners, accomplished professionals, heads of state, university presidents, entrepreneurs, and more.

In 1947, what was then the Florida State College for Women became Florida State University and both FSU and Arts and Sciences began to form their modern shapes. The institution's first master's degree in 1908 and first doctoral degree in 1952 were awarded by Arts and Sciences. Over the coming decades, FSU's student enrollment grew fivefold, while arts and sciences grew by adding dozens of majors and doctoral programs.

In 1975, FSU chose to streamline the college, which at the time comprised 75% of FSU from 25 academic departments to 18, a move that led to the formation of six new colleges. Today, the college consists of 900 faculty and staff who are part of 16 academic departments, 14 centers and institutes, and two ROC units. With its size and mission, the college's impact on the university community is immense. Nearly 11,000 current students and over 100,000 alumni call Arts and Sciences their collegiate academic home.

Meanwhile, Arts and Sciences faculty generate over $100 million per year in research expenditures while delivering almost half of FSU's doctoral degrees. At the College of Arts and Sciences, we are thrilled to reflect on our long history that is closely linked to this great institution. It is with joy that I speak the words, "Happy anniversary, FSU!"

As America celebrates its 250th year and FSU celebrates its 175th year, we at the College of Communication & Information reflect on our shared values, our quest for knowledge, and our goal to bring that knowledge to the public. From its inception, Florida State University has recognized the importance of communication from elocution to expression to speech to modern communication as a cornerstone of career preparation, our curriculum and FSU's mission.

In 1926, we recognized a new frontier, the science of information. We taught our first library science course on organizing data and information and getting it to the people who needed it. Then in 1938, we recognized that understanding and treating communication disorders was also intrinsic to our mission and added coursework in the Department of Speech. The foundation for our college was laid.

Every decade, we have found new ways to get knowledge to people who need it, to store and organize knowledge that continues to grow in size and complexity, and to communicate with fast-changing technology. And for 30 years, our college has been a pioneer in synchronous online education, reaching across America and around the world.

In 2009, we knew that to lead the 21st century, we had to bridge the gap between information and communication. Two strong colleges were merged to create our current powerhouse, the College of Communication & Information. Focused on connecting, communicating, and innovating.

Our college also includes forward-looking centers and institutes, state-of-the-art information technology, the FSU speech and hearing clinic, the gamut of digital media production, and robust partnerships with community businesses and nonprofit organizations. From speech language pathology to communication to cutting edge cyber security, our three schools, School of Communication, School of Communication Science & Disorders, and School of Information are nationally ranked.

FSU's College of Communication & Information has become a global leader by exploring the relationships between people, information, communication, and technology. We are the FSU College of Communication & Information, building the future of how we connect for the next 175 years and beyond.

Hello, I'm Thomas Blomberg, dean of the FSU College of Criminology & Criminal Justice. As we celebrate the 175th anniversary, we reflect with pride on a legacy of excellence and the role our college has played in helping shape it. Established in 1958, we are proud to be the nation's oldest PhD program. Over the decades, our college has grown and evolved. Our emphasis on translational research has positioned us at the four of criminology and criminal justice research that translates into real-world solutions that are making a difference.

Today, we're home to the nation's most productive faculty measured by their scholarship and publications. And we continue to attract leading researchers and outstanding students from around the world, deepening our impact and expanding our reach throughout Florida and well beyond. As Florida State has risen in national rankings, our college has helped fuel that ascent, earning top honors from a host of ranking organizations year after year as the best program in the nation and world. And we're not standing still.

Through our role as an embedded research partner in the Capitol Regional Realtime Crime Center, for example, we are shaping policy in a field destined to fundamentally change law enforcement and criminology research forever. The Real Time Crime Center opened its door in 2024. It's already been named the nation's best.

At our Aging and Adult Fraud and Research Policy Institute, we're leading the way with novel research into a crime whose growth is being fueled not only by the exploding elderly population, but by the criminal's use of artificial intelligence. With the upcoming renovation of the Kellogg building, we will add 50,000 square ft of new space. We are investing in the future of research and education and innovation.

As we look ahead, we are excited for what's to come for Florida State University and for the role that we will continue to play in driving its success. The future is bright and we're proud to help lead the way. We look forward to what the next 175 years will bring.

For nearly a century and a half, the visual and performing arts have been woven into the very fabric of Florida State University. That story begins in 1886 when art was introduced as a foundational course of study. An early recognition that creative inquiry belongs at the heart of a great university.

By 1906, Art had become its own department. Theater followed soon after with the first production staged in 1915 and dance classes beginning in 1933. These disciplines did not simply coexist. They grew, evolved, and gained distinction.

In 1973, the School of Visual Arts and the School of Theater were formally established, drawing together long-standing traditions from across the university.

In 1989, dance joined that constellation. And in 2008, the unification of these schools created the College of Visual Arts, Theater, and Dance. And in 2015, it became the College of Fine Arts.

Today, that college encompasses far more than its original pillars. Alongside theater, art, and dance, the College of Fine Arts includes nationally recognized programs in design, art education, and art history, along with a broad range of interdisciplinary and emerging areas of study that continue to shape the future of creative practice.

Across these decades, Florida State has been shaped by faculty of extraordinary distinction, artists, designers, scholars, and teachers whose work figures prominently in their fields. Visiting professionals from across the disciplines have also been drawn here by the strength of programs and the university's commitment to the arts, linking rigorous training to the professional worlds beyond our campus. The result is a global community of alumni whose work reflects both excellence and impact.

Together, we honor that legacy and proudly say, "Happy birthday, FSU.

For 175 years, Florida State University has delivered a first rate education, created opportunities, and shaped leaders who serve their communities and the world. At the College of Law, we are proud to be part of that legacy.

Our story began in 1966 when Florida's leaders and educators came together with a bold vision to expand access to public legal education and prepare graduates to lead with integrity, purpose, and excellence. We opened our doors just one year after being established by the Florida Legislature, welcoming students to the historic Longmire building. With a small faculty and a big mission, FSU Law quickly became a place where ambition met opportunity.

Over the decades, our college has grown alongside the university. We've launched nationally respected journals, expanded experiential learning and built a faculty whose scholarship and public engagement shape legal thought nationwide. Our campus evolved as well from a single building to a vibrant academic community centered around our historic village green and D' Alemberte Rotunda where students, faculty, alumni and visitors gathered to learn, connect, and celebrate.

In 2012, we expanded into the former First District Court of Appeal building, strengthening our commitment to advocacy, skills training, and hands-on education. In recent years, we have continued to innovate, launching the Juris Master Program, establishing the Stoops Center for Law and Business and the Institute of Law, Technology and Innovation, and strengthening interdisciplinary and professional pathways for our students. Across six decades, FSU law graduates have become judges, legislators, advocates, entrepreneurs, and leaders in every sector of society. They carry with them the values of this institution excellence, service, professionalism, and resilience.

As we celebrate Florida State University's 175th anniversary, we are reminded that our greatest legacy is not just in our buildings or our programs, but in our people. At FSU Law, we are honored to be part of this extraordinary university story and excited to continue shaping the future of law, justice, and leadership for generations to come. Thank you for being part of our journey.

175 years Florida State University is celebrating its 175th anniversary and I am proud that the College of Medicine continues to play a vital role in its success. This has been a special year for our college too as we celebrated the 25th anniversary since Governor Jeb Bush signed the legislation that established this college. We also just celebrated the 20th anniversary of our first graduating class.

We've come a long way since we began teaching in double wide trailers on the FSU campus. Today, our two central campus buildings, including one dedicated to research, total more than 300,000 square ft. And we've grown to include six regional campuses across the state and three sites dedicated to rural training. We've seen programmatic growth as well with the establishment of our School of Physician Assistant practice which joins our doctoral and master's degree programs and our Graduate Medical Education program continues its accelerated growth adding new residency and fellowship programs directly addressing Florida's physician workforce shortage.

Today, we celebrate the 175th anniversary of our university and look with excitement to the next 175 as we launch bold initiatives like FSU Health, which will transform patient care and research. We're building a new academic health center in Tallahassee and an FSU Health Hospital in Panama City Beach. We've launched the Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases and the Institute for Connecting Nutrition and Health and our clinical practices continue to grow to serve our communities.

I am so proud of this university, its students and alumni and I hope you join me in this sense of pride and accomplishment. Congratulations FSU. I look forward to our future success.

1901 Music becomes one of four original departments of renamed Florida State College.

1911 Ella Scoble Opperman becomes first dean of the music program.

1942 First Summer Music Camps start on FSU Campus.

1954 FSU begins Music Therapy Program.

1955 Premiere of Carlisle Floyd Susannah at FSU.

1974 FSU Marching Chiefs perform in Syria and Jordan for the U.S. Department of State International Fair Trade.

1979 Aaron Copland spends a week with the music program.

1981 First Biennial Festival of New Music.

1983 Ellen Taaffe Zwilich (BM '60; MM '62) becomes first woman to win Pulitzer Prize in Music for Three Movements of Orchestra

1984 Arts Administration starts at FSU

2005 FSU designates music program College of Music

2025 FSU designates first degree in Community Music in the nation

This year we celebrated 175 years of Florida State University and just last year at the College of Nursing we marked 75 years of impact.

We are educating the next generation of nurses and we are generating science and discovery that will change how nursing science will evolve in the age of digital health and artificial intelligence. We're producing nurse practitioners and nurse scientists that will really bring that care and compassion with skills to take care of our patients and communities and populations that we serve. And we are so proud with our boldly rising strategy.

We are boldly rising into top in the nation for our federal research support. We are the first in the nation that launched the master of science of nursing degree focused on AI applications in healthcare and we are also the nation's first that launched the nurse practitioner lifestyle medicine clinic that is really re-imagining on how care can be delivered. We're so proud of all of our graduates, our alumni, our faculty, our students that is really changing the world through compassionate care and advancing nursing science.

I'm Dean Tim Chapin of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. It's a great joy to celebrate the university's 175th anniversary. For 175 years, Florida State University has evolved to meet the needs of a changing world, educating students, advancing knowledge, and serving the public good.

The story of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy is deeply woven into that larger university story. One that began long before our college was formally created. As early as 1851, Florida State was teaching courses exploring government, law, and public life. And in 1899, students began studying economics at the university. In 1918, sociology joined the university's academic landscape, helping students understand how societies function and change.

In the decades that followed, Florida State expanded its commitment to preparing public leaders and global citizens. Instruction and public administration began in the 1930s, and the geography program took flight in the 1940s. In 1953, one of the South's earliest international affairs programs was established to prepare students for a rapidly changing global environment. During the 1960s and 1970s, a period of tremendous social change in the United States, Florida State launched programs focused on community planning, population, and demography, and interdisciplinary social sciences.

All of these programs came together in the creation of the College of Social Sciences in 1973. Renamed the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy in 2015, the college is the university's third largest and most diverse in its people and its worldviews. Over the past five decades, the college has grown into a nationally recognized academic leader.

Home to six core academic units, several interdisciplinary programs, and numerous other research centers and institutes, our programs shape public policy, guide economic development, improve public health, strengthen democratic institutions, and support resilient communities around the world.

As Florida State University celebrates 175 years, we honor the scholars, students, and leaders who contributed to this legacy. Looking back, the college is extremely proud of our role in the university's history. Looking ahead, we believe that the future is made in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy at Florida State University.

I'm David Springer, 10th Dean of the College of Social Work and proud three-time alum of Florida State University. For more than a century, social work has been taught at FSU. We are part of the very fabric that weaves together our compassionate community.

In 1918, Dr. Raymond Bellamy taught the first helping professions course at FSU, laying the foundation in a way that still guides and serves us today. Our history is deeply rooted across our campus. From some of the early buildings that were a part of the Florida State College for Women to the Bellamy building in the heart of campus to our current home at University Center at Doak Campbell Stadium.

For the past decade, we have proudly remained among the top social work programs in the country. There is no greater privilege than this work to change lives and to strengthen communities. Our collective actions lead to healing and to hope where it is most needed. This is the power of social work. This is the promise of Florida State University. Go Noles!

Hi, I'm Don Farr, dean of the Dedman College of Hospitality here at Florida State University. And as our university celebrates its 175th anniversary, it gives me great honor to be able to talk to you a little bit about how Hospitality played a role in its history.

It all started about 80 years ago in 1947, the same year that Florida State Women's College became Florida State University. Under the leadership of Helen Underwood, the hospitality program formerly known as the Hotel and Restaurant School, had 14 undergraduate students and only six master students.

As the program started to grow in the 50s and 60s, student groups started to form, Society of Hosts and another program was a Little Dinner Series, probably a program that you're very familiar with. It's an experiential program where our students come up with a theme of their dinner. They prepare the dinner. They serve the dinner. When we go out and speak to our alumni, this is one of the programs that just about every single alumni remembers.

In 1973, Professor Ashby Stiff took 10 students over to Switzerland for our first study abroad program. 53 years later, our hospitality students are still enjoying that study abroad experience. The 80s and 90s were monumental years for us. We became internationally renowned due to the success of our recent graduates. We changed the name from Hotel and Restaurant to Hospitality. We moved from the Johnson building to the football stadium. Getting our students in front of industry leaders became paramount. We started career days, mock interviews, and industry workshops.

In the late '90s into 2000, we received a transformative gift from Nancy and Robert Dedman. It really turned the trajectory for our Florida State University's hospitality program. Shortly thereafter, we became the Dedman School of Hospitality. We are now in our 79th year. In 2020, we became Florida State University's 19th college.

Today, Dedman stands among the world's greatest hospitality programs. As Florida State celebrates 175 years, we honor the students, the faculty, the alumni whose dedication has shaped our college. And we look forward to leading the next chapter of Hospitality education.

Hello, I'm Suvranu De, dean of the joint FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. As Florida State University celebrates 175 years of excellence, I'm honored to share how our college represents one of the boldest chapters in FSU's historic past. For 130 years, FSU built a legacy of innovation and academic achievement.

By the late 1970s, technology was booming and Florida needed more engineers. Both FSU and Florida A&M University dreamed of expanding their engineering programs into full colleges, but tight budgets and competing priorities stood in the way. Then came a decision that would define FSU's future.

President Bernie Sliger and FAMU president Walter Smith proposed something unprecedented. A joint engineering college, the first of its kind in the nation. Many thought it could not be done, but together they made it happen. Visionaries Joe Lannutti from FSU and Charles Kidd from FAMU designed this groundbreaking collaboration. In 1982, they became the college's first co-directors and 35 pioneering students joined us.

In 1985, under Dean Elvin Dantin's leadership, we officially became the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, a single college jointly governed with students earning degrees from both universities. A year later, we broke ground on our campus, creating an engineering village that would become a hub for world-class research and collaboration between both institutions.

Today, as FSU marks 175 years, our college thrives with over $87 million in research expenditures per year, and we remain the nation's only joint college of engineering. This amazing evolution reflects FSU's commitment to innovation and collaboration. As we honor our shared traditions and reflect on this milestone, we look firmly to the future.

Our college proves that when communities unite with a common vision, there are no limits to what we can achieve. Together, we continue writing a story of excellence and possibility. I'm excited to see what our Seminole engineers accomplish next.

We in the Herbert Wertheim College of Business are soaring into a new era of preeminence. Our excitement is fueled by a remarkable history built upon 76 years of distinguished alumni and visionary leaders, including five esteemed deans who laid our foundation.

Our academic roots stretch back over a century to the Florida State College for Women, predating the founding of the School of Business at FSU in 1950. We remain true to the three core principles set by our first dean, J. Frank Dame. Comprehensive academic programs, a commitment to student success, and responsiveness to industry needs.

Dean Charles A. Rovetta launched the FSU MBA and oversaw the opening of a new facility in 1958, which became the Rovetta Business Building. Just four years later, the school achieved accreditation from the AACSB, the gold standard of excellence in business education. In 1974, under Dean E. Ray Solomon, our school became the College of Business with expanded fundraising and facilities. His legacy lives on through a $1 million gift from spouse, the late Mary W. Solomon, for our new Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence.

Dean Mel Stith established our alumni hall of fame, attracted major business investments, and laid the groundwork for the largest gift in FSU's history, 100 million from Jan Moran and the Jim Moran Foundation. Caryn Beck-Dudley, our 15, strengthened alumni, student engagement, expanded fundraising, and launched efforts for our brand-new building. With an extraordinary team in dedicated alumni, we have built upon all these strengths, especially in emphasizing student success, top 10 programs, and fundraising, and we launched our Charles A. Rovetta Faculty Hall of Fame.

I am most proud of the teamwork from so many dedicated friends and partners including alumni, administrators, and state officials to help us realize our dream of a world class new building. Now we celebrate Dr. Herbert Wertheim's recent $65 million investment propelling us toward an incredible future. Happy 175 years FSU. Go Noles!

Hello, I'm Susan Fiorito, the dean of the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship at Florida State University. Today, we're exploring the history behind one of the nation's most unique entrepreneurial institutions, the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship at Florida State University.

It all begins with Jim Moran, a true American entrepreneur. Born in Chicago, he sold soda at age seven, saved his money, and by 1939 purchased his first gas station. His talent for business and marketing transformed that station into a hugely successful operation and eventually led him to become one of the most innovative automotive dealers in the country.

In 1995, Jim and Jan Moran through the Jim Moran family enterprises made a visionary gift to Dean Melvin Stith at Florida State University. The gift was $1 million that established the Jim Moran Institute for Global Entrepreneurship within FSU's College of Business. The mission to cultivate, train, inspire entrepreneurial leaders, offering executive education, applied training, and support to small business owners, nonprofits, and veterans, often at little or no cost.

Over the next decades, the institute grew into a leading national resource, providing programs like the small business executive program, the nonprofit executive program, peer-to-peer groups, boot camps for veterans, and executive conferences. Then came the historic moment in 2015.

Jan Moran and the Jim Moran Foundation made the largest gift in FSU's history, a hundred million dollar commitment to create an independent entrepreneurship school. The Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship launched soon after, welcoming its first student cohort in 2017. Just two years later, with expanded academic programs, including undergraduate majors and graduate degrees, it became the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, the first standalone college of entrepreneurship in the United States.

Today, the college and the institute work hand in hand from the Jim Moran building in downtown Tallahassee, bringing entrepreneurial education and real world support together. From classrooms to community partnerships, their shared vision is to empower innovators who will shape the future of business and society.

Inspired by the legacy of Jim Moran, this thriving ecosystem continues to fuel creativity, resilience, and entrepreneurship, transforming ideas into impact across Florida and beyond.