Florida College

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Florida College

Motto:	"Education Above & Beyond"
Established	1942
Type:	Private
Endowment:	US$8 million
President:	C.G. "Colly" Caldwell
Faculty:	45
Undergraduates:	600
Location	Temple Terrace, FL, USA
Campus:	Suburban, 20 acres
Colors:	Red and White
Nickname:	Falcons
Affiliations:	none
Website:	www.floridacollege.edu

Florida College is a small, accredited, coeducational Christian college located in Temple Terrace, Florida, in the Tampa metropolitan area. Degree programs include the Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies, the Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, the Bachelor of Arts in Music, the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, as well as an Associate of Arts degree.

Since its founding as a junior college in 1946, Florida College has drawn its staff, faculty, and the majority of its students from non-institutional Churches of Christ (Restoration Movement); it is also recognized among these churches as an important training center for ministers. The college maintains no official connection with any religious body, however, for doctrinal reasons. This gives it some unusual characteristics as religious colleges go – Florida College accepts no direct contributions from any organized religious body, and the members of its board serve as individuals rather than as official representatives of any religious body.

The high emphasis Florida College places on its Christian heritage is expressed in its tradition of daily chapel services. All members of the board of directors and all faculty members are required to be active members in a Church of Christ. All students are required to receive daily instruction in Biblical topics. Course materials in the natural sciences generally endorse Young Earth creationism.

1 History of Florida College
2 Past Presidents
3 Accreditation
4 Alumni
5 Student housing
6 Miscellaneous facts
7 See also
8 Contact information
9 External links

[edit] History of Florida College

Florida College drafted its charter in 1944 and enrolled its first students in 1946. The original name of the school, "Florida Christian College," was later shortened to assuage reservations felt by some school supporters over the proper use of the word "Christian."

The campus sits on the banks of the Hillsborough River and is bordered on one side by a golf course. The first buildings on the site formed part of a resort hotel. After the economic collapse of 1929 the property was acquired by Florida Bible Institute (now Trinity College) before being sold to FC's founders.

The college charter stipulates the Board of Directors be active in a local, generally non-institutional, Church of Christ. The college is funded by private donations. In 1996 the college added its first accredited four-year degree program, the Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies.

The founders envisioned an education integrating the Bible into a liberal arts curriculum, as articulated in the charter:

To establish and maintain a college wherein the arts, sciences and languages shall be taught and also to provide opportunity for young men and young women to study the Bible as the revealed will of God to man and as the only sufficient rule of faith and practice, while they are educated in the liberal arts.

The college remains committed to the founders’ intention to provide an education grounded in biblical studies. Bible study is a required component of each degree program, chapel assemblies constitute a vital part of the daily routine, and faculty members in every discipline are expected to ground instruction in religious fundamentals.

[edit] Past Presidents

L. R. Wilson, from 1946 to 1949
James R. Cope, from 1949 to 1982
Bob F. Owen, from 1982 to 1991
Charles G. "Colly" Caldwell, III, from 1991 to the present.

[edit] Accreditation

In 1954 the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted Florida College full accreditation for the Associate of Arts degree. In 1996 the Association granted accreditation for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies. More recently, the College has expanded its bachelor's degree programs to include a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, an interdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies, and a Bachelor of Arts in Music. By 2008, Florida College will add a Bachelor of Science in Business.

[edit] Alumni

Florida College receives support from alumni across the United States. Twenty-eight alumni clubs have formed in cities as far away as Modesto, California and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many clubs sponsor summer camps designed to recruit new students.

[edit] Student housing

Students are required to live on campus until they reach the age of 21. This encourages the development of close bonds between FC students and enables guidance of students' social activities. In situations where an adult relative lives in the immediate vicinity this rule is sometimes relaxed.

The current residence halls include:

The A. W. Dicus Building
Wilson Hall
C Dorm
Sutton Hall (formerly the Temple Terrace Country Club)
Hinely Hall (actually a wing of Sutton Hall)

In addition, Florida College is building a new men's dormitory that will house all male students and will stand in place of the recently dismantled Boswell Hall.

[edit] Miscellaneous facts

Accreditations: Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Student-faculty ratio: 12:1
Financial Aid: 90% of students at FC receive financial aid
Tuition: $15,930 for the 2005-2006 academic year (two semesters)
90% of student body lives on campus
Athletic teams participate in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and baseball.
The school's original mascot was the pelican. Remnants of this appear on campus in the name of the student center snack bar (The Pouch) and occasional items of merchandise showing the school's falcon logo reworked to represent a pelican.
The school's original motto, "A Friend to Youth," is reflected in the name of its touring PR band, the Friends.
Prior to the College's ownership, the building that now holds the student center and campus post office was once called Club Morocco and housed an illegal casino said to have been frequented by Al Capone.
Famed Southern Baptist preacher Billy Graham decided to enter the ministry while enrolled at Florida Bible Institute, the college that preceded Florida College on the site. As a result, FC public relations personnel are sometimes asked if Billy Graham attended the school.