Florida State University

A MESSAGE FROM JOHN THRASHER

•  FEBRUARY 19, 2018 •

Dear Faculty,

It has been an incredible start to the spring semester, and FSU Day at the Capitol was a great way to celebrate.

We were blessed with a beautiful day to show off our academic successes and research and remind Florida’s lawmakers why Florida State University is such a good investment.

LEGISLATIVE SESSION
As you know, the legislative session began last month, and we’re making a bold and confident request of $90 million to support our efforts to hire world-class faculty and scholars, advance our professional and graduate degree excellence, support our preeminence and maintain our facilities. Plus, we’re asking the Legislature for about $75 million for new facilities on campus.

We are truly grateful for the Legislature’s ongoing support as we continue to strive to reach new levels of national prominence.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Over the past few weeks, we’ve received lots of exciting news:

  • We received more than 50,000 applications for first-year admission to the 2018 summer and fall semesters. That number is about 10,000 more than last year’s record-breaking total. This tremendous interest in FSU reflects our growing national prominence!

  • Kiplinger’s Personal Finance listed FSU as one of the nation’s Best College Values. The publication ranked FSU No. 4 on its list of best value public institutions for out-of-state students and No. 14 for in-state students. We’re in good company, too. Joining FSU in the Top 5 on the out-of-state list were the University of North Carolina, University of Florida, University of Virginia and University of California, Berkeley.

  • The U.S. News & World Report online rankings were released in January, and FSU had three online graduate programs rank in the Top 10: business; criminology and criminal justice; and computer information technology. We also had two more online graduate programs rank in the Top 20 — education and the MBA program.

These accolades, and so many others, are obviously the result of the faculty and administration’s commitment to student success. Kudos to all of you for your efforts!

ADMINISTRATIVE NEWS
Last month, we traveled to FSU Panama City for the Board of Trustees meeting, and we met with several students and faculty members and toured their facilities. Dean Randy Hanna has shown great leadership as the Panama City campus continues to grow in key areas such as entrepreneurship and engineering.

A week later, it was FSU’s turn to host the Florida Board of Governors in Tallahassee. It was my pleasure to lead a discussion with Professor Susan Fiorito, director of the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship, and Ricardo Schneider, president of Danfoss Turbocor Compressors Inc., about the role universities play in meeting industry’s talent and research needs.

ON CAMPUS
If you’ve been following the news regarding fraternity and sorority life, you know that on Jan. 29 Vice President for Student Affairs Amy Hecht and I announced significant policy changes designed to create a healthier campus community and produce safer, more responsible student behavior. I believe our students are beginning to fully understand the serious obligation they have to behave responsibly, and I hope this marks the beginning of a real culture shift on campus.

The President’s Advisory Panel on University Namings and Recognitions is diligently working to examine and make recommendations on current university policies concerning campus names and markers, including statues and other recognitions. In the coming weeks, the panel will seek input from all university constituencies through a series of Town Halls. Please watch your email for a list of dates and places for these forums. Your feedback is important to ensure that the panel can make a recommendation that is inclusive of the entire FSU community.

On a lighter note, we’re in the heart of the Opening Nights Performing Arts winter season — a world-class arts festival that really distinguishes us from other universities in the country. There are spectacular shows and performances being offered nearly every night during the month of February, and I hope you are able to catch a performance or two.

It’s a great time to be at Florida State University, and all of you play a big role in our success. I always enjoy reading the positive media attention you are generating for FSU, and I’m pleased to share some of those clips below.

Please continue sharing your news with me. I always look forward to hearing your ideas and feedback.

Sincerely,

Watch! 2018 FSU Day at the Capitol

FSU Faculty in the News

Florida State University

Office of the President
Florida State University
222 S. Copeland St.
Tallahassee, FL 32306
www.fsu.edu