President Frank Brogan gave his annual State of the University address last Wednesday that included a light-hearted chat about his son Colby and more serious topics such as Hurricane Katrina and the future of the school’s sports and research programs.
“The greatest challenge to any university president in the 21st century is to provide ample parking places for faculty, staff and the student body,” Brogan jokingly said.
Brogan’s opening act for the address was FAU’s new marching band, followed by an introduction from Board of Trustee Dr. Roy Levow. “If Colby begins to cry at any time during this morning’s programs it is no doubt simply a wet diaper and no reflection on the delivery of this year’s State of the University address.” Brogan said about his seven-month-old son.
More than 600 new students are enrolled this year and credit hours are up one percent over last year. The incoming freshman class’ average SAT score this year is 20 points higher than the national average. Its average GPA is up to 3.35 from 3.34 last year.
Brogan stressed the importance of partnerships with other universities and private institutions. These partnerships “provide access and opportunity where once there was none,” he said.
FAU is now the regional campus of the medical school for the University of Miami and currently there are 40 students enrolledin the program. Brogan said it is the only partnership between a public and private university in the country. It provides students with the opportunity to complete their first two years of their medical education at FAU. He hopes that in the future students will have the opportunity to receive their entire medical education here, including their residency. There are plans to tear down the Boca Raton Community Hospital and rebuild on campus, where it would become a teaching hospital.
FAU also has a partnership with the Harbor Branch Oceanic Institute located just north of Fort Pierce. “It is one of the most important Oceanic Institutes on the face of the earth,” Brogan said. Construction of an $11 million state of the art teaching and research facility is about to begin. Brogan said that in that facility there will undergraduate, graduate, and research opportunities for students.
A partnership with the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute was recently formed. The institute looks for “new and innovative ways to treat and ultimately cure cancer,” Brogan said. He also said he hopes one day, one of the geniuses from the institute will look into a test tube and say, “Aha, I found it,” referring to a cure for cancer.
Brogan also mentioned a $5 million donation, in which the state will match, from Barry Kaye, an expert in the life insurance industry that will be used to support a new School of Finance. Brogan also talked about the athletics department.
He emphasized the student in student athletes and said he wants them to be “successful both on the field but first and foremost in the classroom.” He noted that the graduation rate for the student athletes is higher than the general graduation rate for the student body. There are 450 student athletes competing in 17 different NCAA sports.
“An exciting year in sports lies ahead beginning with this years football season, which marks the official 1-A division debut of the fighting owls,” Brogan said. He also said that the football team has a challenging season ahead. Brogan announced the launch of the “dollar drive” that the university is offering to help the victims of Katrina. He said that if every member of the faculty, staff and student body donated one dollar the school could collect more than $30,000 overnight. One of the donation boxes sat next to Brogan’s podium during his speech. Emily Charlemont, a student assistant in the Volunteer Center, said that since the boxes will have money in them they would be located in various departments so they can be guarded. This is a university wide fundraiser so the boxes will be located on all of the campuses. Brogan also announced that a giant garage sale will be held for the victims as well.
To help students from the areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina FAU has extended the fall registration deadline for them. So far 42 students have enrolled. Displaced faculty members who need to continue their research from those areas are also being invited to use the labs at FAU. Five nursing students from FAU will travel to the affected areas to help with the relief effort, if they receive permission from the Red Cross.
“You can contribute not only dollars but your heart and making certain that we can help to lift some of the burden that’s being faced by so many of our citizens, our neighbors and our country,” Brogan said. He concluded with, “That’s the hallmark of FAU, people who come together to not only teach and learn but people by virtue of that fact are making the world a better place even now.” Jason Parsley can be reached at [email protected] or 561-297-2960
