Florida State University Panama City
Encyclopedia
Florida State University, Panama City (commonly referred to as FSU Panama City, Florida State PC or FSUPC) is located 100 miles (160.9 km) from the main campus in Tallahassee. Beginning in the early 1980s. Since that time the campus has grown to almost 1,500 students supported by 15 bachelor’s and 19 graduate degree programs. A full-time daytime program was introduced in the fall 2000 semester.
each year. Florida State is one of two flagship universities in the State University System of Florida
. Florida State has been delegated to the first tier of research universities by the state senate, a distinction allowing FSU, along with The University of Florida
, to charge substantially more for tuition than other institutions in the State University System of Florida.
Florida State University is also home to nationally ranked programs in many academic areas, including the sciences, social policy, film, engineering, the Arts, business, politics and law. Florida State is also home to Florida's only National Laboratory - the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory as well as being the birthplace of the commercially-viable anti-cancer
drug Taxol. The Florida State University athletics programs are favorites of passionate students, fans and alumni across the United States, especially when led by the Marching Chiefs
of the FSU College of Music. Florida State is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference
and has won eleven national athletic championships as well as multiple individual NCAA Champions.
In 1976, the Bay County Commission purchased 17.5 acres (70,820.1 m²) located between Gulf Coast Community College and the beautiful waters of North Bay. The commission deeded the land to the State for use by the center. In 1981 the commission donated an additional 2.54 acres (10,279 m²) and three quadriplex buildings.
In the fall of 1982, the State Legislature and the BOR transferred administrative responsibility for the Panama City Center to the Florida State University. The new FSU at Panama City began operating with six administrative and support staff, five resident faculty, 531 students, and 11 degree programs. Classes continued to be held in the Bay County School Board Office Building and Gulf Coast Community College. Administrative offices were moved to the quadriplex buildings. When FSU accepted responsibility for the Panama City campus, it was apparent that five resident faculty could not provide all the instructional support necessary to meet the demands of a new campus. The University realized that if educational quality and program consistency were to be maintained, it would be essential for the majority of the courses on the Panama City campus to be taught by regular FSU faculty. So, a plan was developed to transport Tallahassee faculty the 100 miles (160.9 km) to Panama City. Two vans were placed on daily round trips from Tallahassee to Panama City.
On June 23, 1983, ground breaking occurred for the $9.1 million Phase I development of FSU at Panama City. The new facilities were formally dedicated on March 22, 1986. The administrative building was named in honor of Senator Dempsey J. Barron, who sponsored the bill that secured funds for the permanent location of an FSU facility in Panama City. The new campus facilities opened for students in January 1987. In March 1987, an additional 5.62 acres (22,743.4 m²) along the bay were deeded to the State for use by the campus. This donation brought the campus to its current size of 28 acres (113,312.1 m²). A new conference center facility was completed in January 2000, and the master plan for the development of the campus over the next decade includes the construction of facilities, student life and academic buildings.
Florida State University
Florida State University is one of Florida's primary graduate research universities, Florida State University awards over 2,000 graduate and professional degreesAcademic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
each year. Florida State is one of two flagship universities in the State University System of Florida
State University System of Florida
The State University System of Florida is a system of eleven public universities in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2011, over 320,000 students were enrolled in Florida's state universities...
. Florida State has been delegated to the first tier of research universities by the state senate, a distinction allowing FSU, along with The University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, to charge substantially more for tuition than other institutions in the State University System of Florida.
Florida State University is also home to nationally ranked programs in many academic areas, including the sciences, social policy, film, engineering, the Arts, business, politics and law. Florida State is also home to Florida's only National Laboratory - the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory as well as being the birthplace of the commercially-viable anti-cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
drug Taxol. The Florida State University athletics programs are favorites of passionate students, fans and alumni across the United States, especially when led by the Marching Chiefs
Marching Chiefs
Since 1949, the name Marching Chiefs has served as the official title of the marching band of The Florida State University. The Marching Chiefs is the largest college marching band in the world with approximately 470 members.-History:...
of the FSU College of Music. Florida State is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference
Atlantic Coast Conference
The Atlantic Coast Conference is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. Founded in 1953 in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC sanctions competition in twenty-five sports in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association for its twelve member universities...
and has won eleven national athletic championships as well as multiple individual NCAA Champions.
History
Recognizing the need for four-year degree programs in the Bay County area, in the early 1970’s members of the local business community, Naval Coastal Systems Center, Gulf Coast Community College, Bay County School Board and Tyndall Air Force Base began lobbying for an institution of higher learning. Shortly after the community began lobbying, the Florida Board of Regents (BOR) instituted a plan to make higher education available to Florida citizens living in major population areas located beyond a reasonable commuting distance (50 miles) of a state-supported university. In 1972, the BOR directed the University of West Florida to establish a center in Panama City. Classes began that summer with an enrollment of 65 elementary education students and a staff of two. Facilities for the center were located in the Bay County School Board Office Building and Gulf Coast Community College.In 1976, the Bay County Commission purchased 17.5 acres (70,820.1 m²) located between Gulf Coast Community College and the beautiful waters of North Bay. The commission deeded the land to the State for use by the center. In 1981 the commission donated an additional 2.54 acres (10,279 m²) and three quadriplex buildings.
In the fall of 1982, the State Legislature and the BOR transferred administrative responsibility for the Panama City Center to the Florida State University. The new FSU at Panama City began operating with six administrative and support staff, five resident faculty, 531 students, and 11 degree programs. Classes continued to be held in the Bay County School Board Office Building and Gulf Coast Community College. Administrative offices were moved to the quadriplex buildings. When FSU accepted responsibility for the Panama City campus, it was apparent that five resident faculty could not provide all the instructional support necessary to meet the demands of a new campus. The University realized that if educational quality and program consistency were to be maintained, it would be essential for the majority of the courses on the Panama City campus to be taught by regular FSU faculty. So, a plan was developed to transport Tallahassee faculty the 100 miles (160.9 km) to Panama City. Two vans were placed on daily round trips from Tallahassee to Panama City.
On June 23, 1983, ground breaking occurred for the $9.1 million Phase I development of FSU at Panama City. The new facilities were formally dedicated on March 22, 1986. The administrative building was named in honor of Senator Dempsey J. Barron, who sponsored the bill that secured funds for the permanent location of an FSU facility in Panama City. The new campus facilities opened for students in January 1987. In March 1987, an additional 5.62 acres (22,743.4 m²) along the bay were deeded to the State for use by the campus. This donation brought the campus to its current size of 28 acres (113,312.1 m²). A new conference center facility was completed in January 2000, and the master plan for the development of the campus over the next decade includes the construction of facilities, student life and academic buildings.