AROUND CAMPUS If you haven’t already, check out the new Innovation Hub in the Shores Building. It’s equipped with so many technologies and techniques our students and faculty can use or learn about, and it is really exciting to see how Florida State is carrying out its strategic goal of deepening our commitment to continuous innovation. I took a tour during DIGITECH and was blown away by our students’ ideas and inventions.
As you may know, the campus is saying its final farewell to the “old” Oglesby Union this week during a series of commemorative events to honor the facility where so many memories were made. On May 7, we’ll start taking down most of the building complex to make room for a new state-of-the-art facility that is scheduled to open in fall 2020. The new Oglesby Union will be an amazing asset where we can engage with our students in a more functional, modernized space.
Also, congratulations are in order for Pam Perrewé, who was recently selected as the 2018-2019 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor. Pam joined the faculty in 1984 and has distinguished herself as a teacher, scholar and faculty athletics representative. This honor is well-deserved.
FSU ON THE RISE Next week, we’ll celebrate one of the happiest times in the academic life of a university — graduation! For the first time, FSU will hold four spring commencement ceremonies to better accommodate the increasing number of students who are participating in the ceremonies and their guests.
Our undergraduate students are graduating in fewer years and at a higher rate than ever before. Our 4-year graduation rate places us in the Top 20 nationally! That’s incredible, and it’s really a credit to you — our top-notch faculty — and our outstanding students.
You probably already know that we received a record number of applications for undergraduate admission this year. More and more students are showing an interest in attending graduate school at FSU, too. Applications for admission to graduate school for the summer have seen a 91 percent increase!
That reflects the rising reputation of our graduate programs. In fact, FSU’s programs in criminology, business, law, education, nursing and engineering all made significant jumps in U.S. News and World Report’s new edition of Best Graduate Schools, released in March.
Congratulations to all of you on another spectacular academic year! Your dedication and commitment to educating students and elevating Florida State to higher national prominence inspire me every day!
Enjoy the final days of the spring semester, and please continue to share your ideas with me and keep me posted on all the exciting news throughout campus.
Sincerely,
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