FAU: Happy belated birthday
I just received the latest edition of Legacy, the alumni quarterly of Florida Atlantic University (FAU). I was pleasantly surprised to see my mini bio printed in the Owlnotes section. Back longer than I care to remember, I attended full-time day classes while working full-time nights to finish my senior year and earn my baccalaureate in chemistry. Damn near killed me. But more importantly, FAU reached its fortieth birthday last quarter.
Opening in 1964 on an old U.S. Army Air Corps base in Boca Raton, Florida, FAU was one of the nation's first universities created to specifically serve upper-level and graduate students. Since its first enrollment of 867 students, FAU has become the state's fastest growing four-year university, featuring seven campuses, 27,000 students, and 67 baccalaureate, 55 graduate, three specialist, and 17 doctoral degree programs.
Once a mainstay of business, education, and the liberal arts, its areas of focus now feature more science-oriented studies that include computer sciences, engineering, ocean engineering, nursing, the chemistry and biomedical fields, and urban planning and design.
Close integration with programs of the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute, the Scripps Institute, and University of Miami School of Medicine will in the near future introduce on-campus medical programs. Intercollegiate sports have blossomed out of nothing. The school hired its first athletic director in 1981 and now fields 14 men's and women's programs in NCAA Division 1A competition and the Sun Belt Conference. That's a lot of growth in a few short years. Heck, even the football team's quarterback, Jared Allen, played in the 2005 Hula Bowl.
Funny thing is, despite its growth from a few isolated buildings to seven fully-packed campuses, FAU has retained its small-campus atmosphere, and newer students tell me that professor access and student assistance are as wonderful as ever. That's a good thing, because I consider myself fortunate to have been a part of the Owl Experience.