Whether you are a new or returning student, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to Florida Atlantic University during this 40th anniversary year. The university’s charter class of 867 students arrived on the Boca Raton campus on September 14, 1964, just a few days after Hurricane Cleo had laid waste to much of South Florida. In those days, the campus still looked very much like the Army airbase it had been during World War II, and many classes were held in the old barracks buildings. On October 25, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson officiated at the dedication of FAU, making this university one of the few in the nation to be so honored by a sitting chief executive officer of the United States.
From the very beginning, FAU has had a character all its own. It was established as the first university in the nation to offer degree programs exclusively at the upper-division and graduate levels, offering community college graduates the opportunity to work toward bachelor’s, master’s, specialist’s and doctoral degrees. Twenty years after FAU opened, the demand for a lower-division program became so strong that freshman and sophomore classes were introduced.
Today’s FAU is serving more than 26,000 students on seven campuses strategically located along more than 100 miles of South Florida’s Atlantic coastline. Opening the door to higher education is what FAU is all about, and I am very glad that you have chosen to take advantage of what this university has to offer you. Not so many years ago, I was walking in your shoes, as I studied for my master’s degree in educational administration and supervision here at FAU. I speak from experience when I tell you that you will find whole worlds of opportunity at this university and that the experiences you have here can change your life, as they have mine.
Here are my best wishes to you for a successful semester in the classroom and in all of your other activities. Please remember that the Owls will play their first home football game in Lockhart Stadium on September 25 against Illinois State. Last year, FAU’s incredible three-year-old team became the Cinderella squad of college football by advancing to the semi-finals of the Division I-AA championships. Let’s keep the magic going this year! Go Owls!
Sincerely,Frank T. Brogan ’81President