| Palm Beach Atlantic University | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Enlightening Minds, Enriching Souls, Extending Hands |
| Established | 1968 |
| Religious affiliation | Christian Interdenominational[1] |
| Endowment | $57.4 million[2] |
| Provost | Dr. Joseph Kloba |
| Undergraduates | 2,434[3] |
| Postgraduates | 826[3] |
| Location | West Palm Beach, Florida, USA |
| Colors | Navy and White |
| Athletics | NCAA Division II |
| Mascot | Sailfish |
| Website | http://www.pba.edu |
Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) is a comprehensive interdenominational (26 denominations represented in the student body) faith-based university with a core emphasis on character formation by integrating a Christian worldview with the liberal arts and selected professional studies. It is located in West Palm Beach, Florida approximately one mile (1.6 km) from the Atlantic Ocean on the Intracoastal Waterway. Its purpose is to offer a curriculum of rigorous studies and a program of student activities dedicated to the development of lifetime learning, leadership and service to mankind. The mean SAT is 1170. The student to faculty ratio is 15:1 with 161 faculty and 134 adjunct faculty. In the process of finding a new president for the university, vice president of Development, William “Bill” M. B. Fleming, Jr. has been placed in the role of interim president.
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Palm Beach Atlantic University was the vision of and was founded by Dr. Jess C. Moody in 1968 while he was the pastor of First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach. He served until the first class graduated in 1972 and resigned from the presidency to focus on his duties at First Baptist Church. Two laymen of the church, Dr. Donald Warren and Riley Sims, became involved as trustees before the university began and continued to contribute time and support for many years. Dr. Warren served as chairman of the trustees for 38 years until 2007.
In July 1972, Dr. Warner E. Fusselle, previously President of Truett-McConnell College, became the second President of the university and led the accreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools which was achieved in December 1972.
Dr. George Borders, Vice President of Student Affairs at Stetson University, became the third President of Palm Beach Atlantic University in 1978. He was popular with students and the Florida Baptist Convention. After his resignation in 1981 to become the President of the Florida Baptist Foundation, Dr. Claude H. Rhea became president.
Dr. Rhea's leadership saw the development of the Rinker campus and expansion of academic programs. On a business trip to Paris, Dr. Rhea collapsed and died in the Paris-Orly Airport.
Dr. Paul R. Corts, previously president of Wingate College, became the fifth President of Palm Beach Atlantic. He presided over the addition of two graduate programs, from 1991 until 2002. He resigned in 2002 to accept a position as Assistant Attorney General for Administration with the United States Department of Justice.
Dr. David W. Clark, President of FamilyNet, and founding provost of Regent University became the sixth President in 2003. During his presidency enrollment grew from 2600 to 3291. Five new buildings were completed including the magnificent Warren Library, a mini campus in Wellington was built, and 96 acres (390,000 m2) for a new athletic campus were acquired. The university budget grew from $43 million to $73 million. Over 4,600 or 40 percent of all degrees were awarded during his tenure. President Clark announced his retirement during the 2008-9 academic year the end of June.
On June 30, 2009, Lu Hardin was announced as the seventh president of Palm Beach Atlantic University. An educator who became a state senator, Hardin, 57, was the former president of the University of Central Arkansas (UCA). During his six-year tenure, enrollment at UCA increased from 8,000 to 13,000 and the average incoming student ACT score rose from 22.1 to 23.5. Graduation rates increased from 47 to 55.4 percent. Hardin championed the UCA athletic program’s successful bid to obtain National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I status. The PBA board of trustees accepted his resignation effective March 4, 2011. On March 7, 2011 Lu Hardin pleaded guilty in federal court in Little Rock, AR to two federal felony charges (wire fraud and money laundering) which occurred during his tenure at UCA.[4]
On March 10, 2011, Robert Simpson, chairman of Palm Beach Atlantic University's board of trustees, announced William “Bill” M. B. Fleming, Jr. as interim president. Fleming, 59, is well known in Florida and in higher education circles nationwide. He joined Palm Beach Atlantic in 1992, and serves as the University's chief institutional advancement officer. Previously he served in several administrative roles at Wingate University and Guilford College, both in North Carolina. As vice president of development, Fleming serves as the University’s chief institutional advancement officer. Since his arrival on campus, more than $114 million has been raised in support of annual, endowment and capital projects at PBA. Under his leadership, PBA actively seeks partnerships with the business, professional and nonprofit sectors.
PBA's campus is located in West Palm Beach. The first structure built specifically for PBA, the W.G. Lassiter Jr. Student Center, was completed in 1982. This was followed by Johnson Hall and Sachs Hall in 1989. A new campus was established in Orlando in 2002 and in Wellington in 2007.
Residence halls include Oceanview (ODP), Rinker Hall, Baxter Hall, Johnson Hall, Weyenberg Hall, Flagler Towers, Lakeview Apartments, and Mango Apartments.
Classroom buildings include the Vera Lea Rinker School of Music and Fine Arts, the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy, Borbe Hall, MacArthur Hall, Rinker Hall, and the Okeechobee Building.
A continuous building program has characterized the last decade of growth at Palm Beach Atlantic University. In January 2007 the first phase of the state-of-the-art 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m2). Warren Library was dedicated. The second phase was completed in December of 2009 and is a total of86.000 sq ft (7.9897 m2). The building is named after Dr. Donald Warren, who served as the first chairman of the Board of Trustees for 38 years. The university has extension campuses in Orlando and Wellington offering adult and graduate degrees.
A new campus with outdoor athletic fields and a new athletic exercise and administration building will be constructed. Located at the former historic Hillcrest neighborhood less than two miles (3 km) from campus, the 90-acre (360,000 m2) campus will be completed in 2010. The University purchased the parcel, located between I-95 and Parker Avenue just north of Southern Boulevard, for $3.1 million from Palm Beach County. [5]
Chapel is held four times weekly in the DeSantis Family Chapel, Monday through Thursday at 11 a.m., as well as other times, dates and locations that are listed on the chapel calendar. Chapel is a requirement for all full-time students, both undergraduate and graduate, who attend class during the daytime. Students must attend 24 chapels per year. [6]
Workship is a distinctive community service program that has been at the heart of PBA since its founding in 1968. Workship combines "work" with "worship," serving God through serving the community. All full-time undergraduate students are required to serve 45 hours per year. Students may choose from PBA-sponsored group service events, or may serve individually at an non profit organization, church or school of their choice. Since the school was founded in 1968, 2 million hours of student community service have been given by the students and faculty. [7]
Mission Trips are created yearly for students. Mission teams travel to countries all over the world and minister through performing arts, street ministries, construction, medical outreach, sports workshops and more. The teams travel during the summer on a multi-week trip and on a one-week Spring Break trip. [8]
One of the school's most distinguishing features is the Frederick M. Supper Honors Program, which places students in a Socratic dialogue regarding primary texts from all the major historical epochs: all supplemented with a Christian perspective. The program is separated into six major "World of" classes in the following sequence: The World of Polis and the Covenant, The World of Caesar and Christ, The World of Christendom and Islam, The World of Humanism and Reform, The World of Reason and Revolt, and The World of Despair and Hope. During the first two semesters, students also take courses that are analogous to Public Speaking and Composition I and II, respectively known as Rhetorical Eloquence and Writing About Literature. The program is initiated (with Rhetorical Eloquence) and terminated (with Christian Vocation and Worldview) with instruction from the Honors program coordinator, Dr. Tom St. Antoine. Upon exit of the program, students are required to defend their studies in an oral exam.
Also required for the Honors program is a special elective course. Students have many options for their elective: many students choose to study abroad at the Scholars' Semester in Oxford (or another available study abroad opportunity), and many students choose to take an elective course on campus. Examples of courses that were offered in the past and currently as honors electives are: Design, Chance, and Necessity; Narrative Studies; Utopia; and Forms of the Drama. In the summer of 2012, students have the opportunity to attend a three week trip to Germany, led by Dr. Michael O'Connor, Assistant Professor of Musicology, and Dr. Beate Rodewald, Professor of English. In the preceding spring semester, students will spend their time preparing for the trip.
The University is organized into nine academic schools: Arts & Sciences, Communication & Media, Education & Behavioral Studies, Gregory School of Pharmacy, MacArthur School of Leadership, Ministry, Music & Fine Arts, Nursing, and Rinker School of Business.
The University offers more than 60 majors but is best known for producing outstanding graduates in business, education, media communication, theater, music, ministry and counseling.
The Gregory School of Pharmacy offers the Pharm.D. in pharmacy. It is one of five pharmacy schools in Florida.
Palm Beach Atlantic University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.
Membership is maintained in many organizations including:
PBA is an independent member of the NCAA Division II and an independent member of the NCCAA. Lacrosse competes as a Division II member of the MCLA in the SouthEastern Lacrosse Conference. Presently, the "Sailfish" compete in eleven intercollegiate sports including women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's cross country. School colors are navy blue and white. A new athletic campus will have soccer, lacrosse, baseball, softball, tennis, basketball, volleyball and running trails as well as a new state of the art weight and training room. A new 34,000 sq ft (3,200 m2) building will be constructed along with various other buildings.
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