Florida College

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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.

Founded in 1946 as a junior college, it draws its staff, faculty, and most students from Churches of Christ though it is not officially affiliated with these churches. This makes for some unique arrangements for a Christian college – it refrains from taking any contributions from churches directly, and the members of its board are there only as individuals and not representatives of the congregations of which they are members.

Florida College puts a high emphasis on its Christian heritage, which is expressed in its 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, even those majoring in liberal arts fields.

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

[edit] History of Florida College

Florida College enrolled its first students in 1946. The college has remained independent from church affiliation, although the college charter stipulates the Board of Directors be active in a local, generally non-institutional, Church of Christ. The college also is in a unique position to be funded entirely by private donations, as the college does not accept donations from churches or the government. In 1996, the college added its first accredited four year degree program, the Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies.

[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.

[edit] Alumni

Florida College receives support from an active and enthusiastic alumni base from all across the United States. Alumni have formed 28 "booster clubs" in cities as far away as Modesto, California and Minneapolis, Minnesota. Many of these clubs offer summer camps designed to recruit new students.

[edit] Student housing

Until they reach the age of 21, students must live on-campus. This is intended to create a close bond between students. In some situations where an adult relative lives in the immediate vicinity, this rule may be bent slightly. 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)
Boswell Hall

Currently, Florida College is building a new men's dormitory that will house all male students and will stand in place of 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
Student Population: 500 students from more than 35 states and six foreign countries
School motto is "Education Above and Beyond!"
Athletic teams: nicknamed the "Falcons", participate in basketball, volleyball, soccer, and baseball.
The school's mascot was formerly the pelican and there are currently some remnants of this on campus. These include the name of the student center snack bar (the Pouch) and a few rarely seen articles of clothing and stationery that bear the logo of the Falcon re-done as a Pelican with similar design and coloring.
The building that now holds the student center and campus post office was once called Club Morocco and housed an illegal casino. It is widely accepted that Al Capone frequented this establishment.
Famed Southern Baptist preacher Billy Graham decided to become a preacher while attending the institution that preceded Florida College on this site. Florida College now uses this former school's grounds and facilities. This potentially causes some confusion when the Public Relations department of Florida College has to answer the frequently asked question: "Did Billy Graham go to school here?"