Florida State University is a public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, known for its programs in fine arts, education, public administration & policy, information studies, international affairs, music, criminology, nursing, and physics. Its president is T. K. Wetherell .
The Florida State University main campus is located in Tallahassee near the Florida State Capitol building. The campus is bordered by Tennessee Street (U.S. Highway 90) to the north, Gaines Street to the south, Stadium Drive to the west, and Macomb Street to the east. Florida State University also maintains two additional campuses in Panama City and Sarasota. Additionally, FSU operates an overseas studies institution in Panama, and another in London.
History
Florida State University was founded in 1851 as the Florida Seminary West of the Suwannee. In 1901, the school became known as Florida State College for Women and began offering four-year programs. The college gained its current co-educational university status in 1947. Today, over 37,000 students are enrolled at FSU's main campus. Florida State is also the home of the first chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society in the state of Florida, and is home to one of the oldest schools of public administration in the country.
Departments
Bachelors, master's, specialist's, doctoral, and professional degree programs are offered through the College of Arts & Sciences; the College of Business; the College of Communication; the College of Education; the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, jointly administered with Florida A&M University; the College of Human Sciences ; the College of Law; the College of Medicine; the College of Social Sciences; the School of Criminology & Criminal Justice; the School of Motion Picture, Television & Recording Arts (Film); the School of Information Studies; the School of Music; the School of Nursing; the School of Social Work; the School of Theatre; and the School of Visual Arts & Dance.
Traditions
The school's colors are garnet and gold. School songs include the alma mater, "High Over Towering Pines ," along with the "Hymn to the Garnet and Gold " and the "FSU Fight Song ."
"Florida State's school colors of garnet and gold are a merging of the University's past. In 1904 and 1905 the Florida State College won football cham-pionships wearing purple and gold uniforms. When FSC became Florida State College for Women in 1905, the football team was forced to attend an all-male school in Gainesville. The following year, the FSCW student body selected crimson as the official school color. The administration in 1905 took crimson and combined it with the recognizable purple of the championship football teams to achieve the color garnet. The now-famous garnet and gold colors were first used on an FSU uniform in a 14-6 loss to Stetson on October 18, 1947. [1]"
School Athletics
The school has an athletic department with programs for men and for women. The men's program consists of as baseball, basketball, cross country running, football, golf, swimming, tennis, and track & field. The women's program consists of basketball, cross country running, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track & field, and volleyball.
The school's football team is called the Seminoles (there has been controversy over the use of the mascot concept.) They participate in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Their traditional rivals include the Gators of the University of Florida and the Hurricanes of the University of Miami. The Seminoles earned the national championship title in 1993 and 1999.
Facilities
FSU is home to a pair of cutting edge nuclear resonance magnets that are used for theoretical physics research as well as for developing cures for cancer and neurological disorders. The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL), or "Mag Lab", is one of only nine such facilities in the world.
Famous alumni
- Alan Ball, screenwriter
- Sam Beam, sole member of Iron & Wine
- Terry Bowden , television commentator (son of FSU coach Bobby Bowden)
- Allen Boyd Jr., congressman (Democrat)
- The Brothers Chaps, creators of Homestar Runner
- Lee Corso, sports broadcaster
- General Jay Garner, United States Army, ret. defense consultant
- Dick Howser, professional baseball player
- Mel Martinez, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and current Senator (Republican)
- Burt Reynolds, actor
- Deion Sanders, professional football player
- Winston Scott, astronaut
- Richard Simmons, fitness expert
- Norman Thagard, astronaut
- David Ward-Steinman, composer
- Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, composer
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