Florida Institute Of Technology

fit.edu

"Florida Tech" redirects here. For other uses, see Florida Tech (disambiguation).

Florida Institute of Technology, also known as Florida Tech, is a private, research independent technical research university located in Melbourne, Florida. Founded in 1958 as Brevard Engineering College, the institute has been known by its present name since 1966. Florida Tech's curriculum is largely focused on engineering and science fields, and places highly in several regional and national college-ranking surveys. As of 2008, the institute had an on campus student body of 6,400, almost equally divided between graduate- and undergraduate-level students, with the plurality of them focusing their studies on engineering and the sciences. As of 2009, its student body was roughly 10,000 combined on campus and online.

Contents

1 History

1.1 Geographic history

1.2 Jensen Beach Campus

1.3 Sponsored events

2 Campus

2.1 Main campus

2.2 Satellite campuses

3 Organization

4 Academics

4.1 Student demographics

4.2 Colleges

4.3 Rankings

4.4 Research and endowment

5 Student life

5.1 Athletics

5.2 On-campus housing/residence life

5.3 Student organizations

6 Notable Florida Tech People

6.1 Alumni

7 See also

8 References

8.1 Further reading

9 External links

History

Miller Building

In the beginning, classes were held in leased classrooms at Eau Gallie Junior High School (now Westshore Junior/Senior High School at 250 West Brevard Avenue) and at University of Melbourne's lone building on Country Club Boulevard. Classes were moved from Eau Gallie Junior High School to Melbourne Methodist Church on Waverly St. in 1959 after the school district disapproved of two black students using the junior high school classrooms.

In 1961, Brevard Engineering College purchased the property of the University of Melbourne (Florida) which became the main campus in the heart of Melbourne, Florida. The only existing building at the time was the current Ray A. Work building. The next building to be built was the Keuper building, originally used as a library. Today it houses the Admissions, Financial Aid and Student Employment departments. In the 1960s and 1970s many buildings were constructed on the main campus.

Since 1996 the university has been in the midst of much construction and expansion. Following a $50 million grant given to them by the F. W. Olin Foundation, Florida Tech has constructed three new facilities for their engineering, life science, and physical science departments.

In the early 1990s Florida Institute of Technology changed its promotional identity from FIT to Florida Tech, to avoid confusion with the Fashion Institute of Technology at the State University of New York. This name change created some confusion in the Orlando, Florida area with the existing Florida Technical College and Florida Technological University, the former name of the University of Central Florida.

Historic sign from Florida Tech Alumni Association and Florida Department of State.

As part of Florida Tech's 50th Anniversary celebration, new constructions began in summer of 2006 with the construction of the Panthereum, a concert and lecture venue located adjacent to the Homer Denius Student Center. The south campus began expansion as well. A new, three-building residence hall complex, Harris Village, was completed in time for the fall 2008 semester.

More south campus construction began in 2008 with the start of the Scott Center for Autism Treatment and the Harris Center for Science and Engineering. Construction will begin in 2009 on a new dining center, parking complex, and NCAA-certified swimming pool and diving center. On the main campus, the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts is rising quickly next to Evans Library.

Geographic history

Florida Tech Panther

The northern part of Florida Tech's main campus contains some rich history. The headwaters of Crane Creek are located here, and the creek begins in the Botanical Gardens southeast of Columbia Village Suites. These Botanical Gardens, colloquially referred to as 'The Jungle', occupy much of the northeastern part of the main campus and are home to a wide variety of local species, with transient visits from alligators and manatees. Crisscrossed by several trails (the main one is named for Dent Smith), they contain a collection of many varieties of palm trees and other flora. Numerous bridges on campus provide crossings over two of the three streams that feed Crane Creek. The third stream comes south from the Roberts Hall and Columbia Village Suites area to the north.

The Jungle is colloquially divided into the "near Jungle" and "deep Jungle", with the former consisting of the area near campus with paved or wooden paths and bridges and the latter consisting of the more distant portions in which trails are simply worn paths through the vegetation. The plants and structures of the near Jungle are actively maintained by campus, while the deep Jungle has reverted to primarily Florida wilderness. Small wooden pagodas are scattered through the deep jungle, and students have previously set up hammocks. There are numerous "regions" of the deep jungle, characterized by their flora, including a heavily wooded area lacking significant undergrowth and an area directly behind Evans Dormitory replete with extremely large pothos.

This area around Crane Creek was known as Cathead in the early 1900s after numerous panthers that lived in this area.

Melbourne's first (one-room) wooden school house is here, at the end of the Dent Smith Trail, northwest of the Evans Library.

The railroad of the Union Cypress Company traveled from east to west here just south of the Crawford Science Tower. It carried lumber from cypress swamps to the west, to the former mill town of Hopkins, just south of Crane Creek and U.S. 1.

Jensen Beach Campus

Main article: Florida Institute of Technology (Jensen Beach Campus)

In 1968, the Hydrospace Technical Institute (HTI) was chartered in a donated building in Cocoa Beach. In 1972, the campus of Saint Joseph College of Florida located on the Indian River in Jensen Beach, Florida was purchased with the support of Ralph Evinrude, owner of Outboard Marine Corporation and husband of Frances Langford. The HTI was moved to Jensen Beach, and became the School of Marine and Environmental Technology(SOMET). The Jensen Beach campus closed in 1986 and SOMET was transferred to the main campus to become the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences(DMES). An MBA program had been started on the campus and it was continued for a time in rented quarters on East Ocean Boulevard in Sewall's Point. The campus in Jensen Beach was subsequently sold. The dormitories and cafeteria located on the hill west of N.E. Sewall's Point Road were torn down and replaced by an assisted living facility. The rest of the campus lying east of Sewall's Point Road is now owned by the Martin County government and is now the Martin County Indian Riverside Park. The old chapel building is being converted into the Children's Museum of Martin County while the former administration building (once a home called Tuckahoe) located on Mount Elizabeth, which is actually a Native American midden, is being restored by the Friends of Mount Elizabeth. The library and classroom buildings and the old metal building were all demolished.

Sponsored events

Florida Tech has been sponsoring and hosting a "Business Ethics Competition" since 1996 for Brevard County high schools.

Campus

Main campus

Crawford Building

Florida Tech's main campus is located in Melbourne, Florida.

For a list of residence halls at Florida Tech, see Florida Institute of Technology housing.

Grissom Hall - First floor contains classrooms and some faculty offices, especially humanities professors. Grissom Hall's basement is home to WCRR, Crimson, and FITV. Its second and third floors are used as residence.

Homer Denius Student Union Building (SUB)- First Floor houses the SUB Caf, Florida Tech Bookstore, Florida Tech Mail Annex. Second Floor houses the Office of Student Life, offices for Student Government Association, FITSSFF, Campus Activities Board, Student Ambassadors, College Players, Anime Club, Alpha Phi Omega, Players in Harmony, and the Greek Life Office. Second Floor also contains the John and Martha Hartley Room.

Shepard Hall - Classrooms used for math, science, and English, houses the department of science/mathematics education.

Link "Engineering" Building - Department of Marine and Environmental Systems and the Florida Tech Hydrogen Center.

Skurla Hall - School of Aeronautics.

Crawford "Science" Tower -Humanities and Math department offices and University College offices.

Olin Physical Sciences Building

Gleason Performing Arts Center - for plays, WFIT concerts, and special performances on campus.

Charles and Ruth Clemente Center for Sports and Recreation - contains a dining facility, two large gymnasiums, and a racquetball court.

F.W. Olin Engineering Complex - (Not to be confused with the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering, which was founded by the same foundation) Engineering Departments of Mechanical/Aerospace, Electrical/Computer, Civil and Chemical; and the Computer Sciences Department.

F.W. Olin Life Sciences Building - Biological Sciences programs.

F.W. Olin Physical Sciences Building - Chemistry Department and the Physics/Space Sciences Department. One notable feature is a large telescope dome on the roof of the building that houses a 32" telescope (the largest optical telescope in the state of Florida).

Clemente Center

Frueauff Building - Fluid Mechanics Laboratory, Engineering Material Sciences Laboratory.

Evans Library - A member of the Federal Depository Library Program.

Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research at Melbourne International Airport.

Satellite campuses

Florida Tech also has satellite campuses at Huntsville, Alabama (Redstone Arsenal Site), Hampton Roads, Virginia (Fort Eustis Office, Army Education Center), Norfolk Naval Station (Building CEP-87), Fort Lee, Virginia (Fort Lee Site at the Army Logistics University), Alexandria, Virginia (National Capital Region Site), Marine Corps Base Quantico, Fort Detrick, Morris County, NJ, Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Kennedy Space Center, Rockledge, Florida, and Orlando, Florida.

Organization

Florida Tech sign on Babcock Street

Florida Tech administration is headed by the Executive Council, consisting of President Anthony J. Catanese, Provost and Executive Vice President T. Dwayne McCay, Vice President of Financial Affairs and CFO Jack Armul, and Senior Vice President for Advancement Kenneth Stackpoole.

Under Provost McCay are the six individual college deans, Vice Provost for Enrollment Management Garry Hamme, Vice Provost for Research Frank Kinney, Vice Provost for Student Affairs/Dean of Students Rodney Bowers, Associate Provost for Auxiliary Enterprises Brian Dailey, Associate Provost for Information Technology J. R. Newman, Director for Facility Security P. Porche, Associate Provost and Registrar Charlotte Young.

Academic Affairs covers the graduate and international programs, study abroad programs, institutional research, the university safety office, and the Evans Library. Enrollment Management covers undergraduate and graduate admissions as well as financial aid and scholarships office. Vice Provost for Research covers sponsored programs, Institute for Energy Systems, Intellectual Property, Institute for Computing and Information Systems, Institute for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National Center for Hydrogen Research, Institute for Biological and Biomedical Sciences, National Center for Small Business Information, and Institute for Marine Research. Student Affairs covers the Office of Student Life, which includes Residence Life and student organizations, Career Services and Cooperative Education, International Student and Scholar Services, Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS), Campus Ministry, and the Holzer Health Center/OMNI Health Care. Auxiliary Enterprises include the Clemente Center, Athletics, Food Services, Campus Services, Bookstore, and ELS Language Center.

Academics

Student demographics

As of October 2008, Florida Tech enrolled 2,654 undergraduate and 2,291 graduate students on its physical campuses and 1,031 undergraduate and 424 graduate students online. The male to female ratio in the student body was 65:35. 81% of all students came from the United States, representing all 50 states; 30% of those were from Florida and 19% of all students came from 104 other countries.

Enrollment Breakdown in Florida Tech Student Body

College of Engineering

1,879

29%

College of Science

727

(11%)

College of Aeronautics

417

(7%)

College of Psychology and Liberal Arts

591

(9%)

College of Business

473

(8%)

University College

2,131

(33%)

No College Designated

182

(3%)

Colleges

Main article: Florida Institute of Technology Academics

The university offers degrees in a wide variety of science and engineering disciplines, and is one of the few universities to offer an aviation degree. Florida Institute of Technology is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). The Engineering programs are also accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). The Computer Science program is accredited by the Computer Science Accreditation Commission of the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board. Its chemistry program is accredited by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society. Aeronautical Science and Aviation Management programs are accredited by the Council on Aviation Accreditation. The university is divided into six colleges: College of Aeronautics, College of Engineering, College of Business, College of Psychology and Liberal Arts, College of Science, and University College.

Rankings

Barron's Guide rated Florida Tech a est Buy in College Education. Florida Tech was *also named one of the top 13 technical institutions in engineering in the Fiske Guide to Colleges.[citation needed]

Washington Monthly College Rankings rated Florida Tech's ROTC program ranked first in nation.[citation needed]

Princeton Review rates Florida Institute of Technology among the top southeastern colleges.[citation needed]

Washington Monthly College Rankings rated Florida Tech as one of the top private universities in Florida.[citation needed]

Florida Institute of Technology is ranked as a third-tier national university in the US News & World Report's 2007 college ranking guide.

Named one of the nation's top 18 technological institutions in the Fiske Guide to Colleges 2009[citation needed]

Research and endowment

Main article: Florida Institute of Technology Academics

Florida Institute of Technology has various research facilities, including Institute for Energy Systems, Intellectual Property, Institute for Computing and Information Systems, Institute for Materials Science and Nanotechnology, National Center for Hydrogen Research, Institute for Biological and Biomedical Sciences, National Center for Small Business Information, and Institute for Marine Research, as well as other departmental laboratories.

Florida Tech performs research in the field of photo-voltaic powered automobiles and robotics.

Faculty and students in the Physics/Space Science department conduct research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, High Energy Physics (experimental particle physics), Lightning, Solid State and Condensed Matter Physics, and Space and Magnetospheric Physics.

In 2008, Florida Institute of Technology endowment was approximately $42 million, significantly lower than other competitive technical universities like Virginia Tech, MIT, and Georgia Tech, mainly due to Florida Tech short history. It is projected that the university financial structure will improve by 2014, to increase its endowment to $100 million or more.

Student life

Athletics

The athletics program at the university emphasizes the school's variety of NCAA Division II teams. The sports include Basketball, Cross-country, Volleyball, Crew, Softball, Tennis, Golf, and Soccer. Florida Tech is a prominent member of the Sunshine State Conference.

It was announced by President Catanese at the State of Florida Tech speech in September 2009, that FIT was going to investigate the possibility of starting a football program. The school is negotiating to buy a local secondary school's facilities which includes a new football stadium. The team would likely begin play at the NCAA Division 2 level as an independent team due to the fact that the Sunshine State Conference is one without football. Many decisive factors are still uncertain at this point, but should the efforts be a success, the team could possibly start play in a couple of years.

Boston Red Sox pitcher Tim Wakefield attended Florida Tech and set the home run record in 1987 as a first baseman. His number (3) was retired in 2006.

The ice hockey team has a rivalry with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University from Daytona Beach, Florida. The Florida Tech ice hockey program is a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, playing at that organization's Division 3 level.

Florida Tech's Daniela Iacobelli won the National NCAA Division II Woman's Golf Championship in 2007.

On-campus housing/residence life

Main article: Florida Institute of Technology housing

A highly residential campus, Florida Tech has seven traditional residence halls, an eight-building Southgate Apartments complex, the seven-building Columbia Village suites and three-building Harris Village suites.

Student organizations

Student Union Building

Florida Institute of Technology currently has approximately 95 active student organizations on campus. The university-sponsored student organizations, such as Student Government Association, Campus Activities Board, the Homecoming Committee, FITV (CCTV Channel 99 on campus), and The Crimson (student-run university newspaper) operate in primary university funding. Some organizations are run by membership dues, such as the many fraternities and sororities on campus, as well as certain professional organizations like IEEE and AIAA. Other organizations are operated via Student Activities Funding Committee funding, overseen by the Student Government Association Treasurer. Organizations like Residence Hall Association, ACM, Anime Club, and others are operated by SAFC funding.

Inside of the Homer Denius Student Union Building (1st Floor)

Florida Tech Student Organizations

Governance

Student Government Association

Class Council InterFraternity Council Residence Hall Association Order of Omega Panhellenic Council

Fraternities and Sororities

Fraternities

Alpha Tau Omega Chi Phi Lambda Chi Alpha - Beta Nu Zeta Pi Kappa Alpha Pi Lambda Phi Tau Kappa Epsilon-Omicron Nu Chapter

Sororities

Alpha Phi Gamma Phi Beta Phi Sigma Sigma

Academic/Professional Organizations

American Chemical Society Student Affiliates American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (No Longer Registered, but still active) American Institute of Chemical Engineers American Meteorological Society (No Longer Registered) American Society of Civil Engineers American Society of Mechanical Engineers Association for Computing Machinery Collegiate Aviation Business Executives Collegiate Entrepreneur's Organization Future Educators of America IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Society of Physics Students Society of Women Engineers Student Astronomical Society Students for the Exploration and Development of Space

Honor Societies

Phi Sigma Sigma Eta Kappa Nu (No longer registered) Lambda Pi Eta - Upsilon Xi (No Longer Registered) Pi Tau Sigma (No Longer Registered) Psi Chi - Florida Tech Chapter Phi Beta Delta (No Longer Registered) Rho Lambda Tau Beta Pi Tri-Beta Upsilon Pi Epsilon

Diversity Appreciation Organizations

African Students Union(A.S.U) Caribbean Student Association Chinese Students and Scholars Association ISA-Sanskriti Latin American Student Association Muslim Student Association National Society of Black Engineers Florida Institute of Technology chapter Saudi Student Association (No Longer Registered) Saudi Student House Taiwanese Student Association (No longer Registered)

Service Organizations

Alpha Phi Omega Best Buddies International International Student Service Organization Student Ambassadors SQUAMISH

Student Arts/Media/Performances Organizations

Amateur Radio Club Belletrist Campus Activities Board College Players Dance Association Film Society FITV Florida Tech Pep Band The Crimson WCRR 89.5HD2

Research Organizations

Aquaculture Society Behavior Analysis Student Association MTS-SNAME SAE Mini Baja at Florida Tech Steely Eyed Rocketeers of Florida Tech

Common Interest Organizations

Anime Club Falcons Precision Flight Team FIT Fencing Florida Public Relations Association Global Justice (No longer registered) Golden Q Crew Green Campus Group Hack Club Motorcycle Club (No Longer Registered) Pre-Med Club Ninja Force at Florida Tech Relay for Life Robotics at Florida Tech (RAFT) Sailing Club at Florida Tech Society for Performance Management Society for Science Fiction and Fantasy Society for the Advancement of Management Spanish Club Sports Car Club (No Longer Registered) Ultimate Frisbee Club Undergraduate Psychology Student Association (No Longer Registered) Women in Aviation International

Political Organizations

College Republicans Young Democrats of Florida Tech

Religious Organizations

IVCF, IV, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship Newman Club Students for a Secular Society/Center for Inquiry at Florida Tech

Athletic Organizations

Blue Wave Flag Football Club Ice Hockey Team Martial arts Association Paintball Club Panther Disc Golf Club (No Longer Registered) Panther Judo Club Semper Fi Society Skydiving Club (No Longer Registered) Soccer Club at Florida Tech Table Tennis Team Wrestling Club Florida Tech Club Baseball

Notable Florida Tech People

Alumni

Name

Class year

Notability

Reference

Jere H. Akin

1974

MG (Major General) USA, (Ret). Commanded Army's Pentagon Logistics Operations during Operation Desert Shield/Storm (1990-91)

James Ball

1974

MG USA, (Ret)

James E. Bickford

1974

BG (Brigadier General) USA, (Ret). Kentucky Secretary of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

William L. Bond

1979

MG USA, (Ret). Director, Force Development, US Army

Edward M. Browne

1974

MG USA (Ret)

Douglas D. Buchholtz

1974

LTG USA, Class of 1974. Director for Command, Control, Communications, and Computer Systems Joint (DOD) Staff

Charles C. Cannon

1976

MG USA (Ret)

Charles F. Drenz

1973

MG USA (Ret)

Ann E. Dunwoody

1987

GEN USA, M.S., First female four-star general in the military

Otto J. Guenther

1973

Lieutenant General USA (Ret). Director of Information Systems for Command, Control, Communications, and Computers for the United States Army

Joan Higginbotham

1992

American engineer, NASA Astronaut, M.S. Management Science, 1992, M.S. Space Systems, 1996

Ronald V. Hite

1974

LTG USA, (Ret)

Dennis K. Jackson

1980

BG USA

Harry G. Karegeannes

1973

MG USA (Ret)

Aaron L. Lilley

1974

MG USA, (Ret)

Johnnie E. Wilson

1977

GEN USA, (Ret), M.S., Logistics Management, 1977

Michael J. Pepe

1973

BG USA, (Ret)

Albert Scott Crossfield

1982

USAF Astronaut, Honorary Doctorate of Science, 1982.

Waleed a. Samkari

1988

BG. Former director of the Jordanian Maintenance Corps. Masters Degree, 1988

Hubert G. Smith

1975

LTG USA (Ret)

Julian A. Sullivan, Jr.

1980

MG USA (Ret)

Stephen Lee Morgan

1980s

COO of CLS America, M.S. and Ed.S. in Engineering Management and Space Technology

Galen B. Jackman

1983

Chief of Legislative Liaison, U. S. Army, MG USA (Ret)

Tim Wakefield

Drafted by professional baseball in his junior year.

Felix Soto Toro

1990

Astronaut applicant, Developed the Advanced Payload Transfer Measurement System (ASPTMS) for NASA, B.S., Electrical Engineering, 1990

Kathryn P. Hire

1991

NASA Astronaut (STS-90), M.S., Space Technology, 1991

David A. King

1991

Director, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, MBA, 1991

Larry L. Hereth

1992

Commander of the Fifth Coast Guard District of the United States Coast Guard, MBA, 1992

Stephen R. Speed

1993

U. S. Naval Officer, Former mayor of Dover, Delaware, MBA, 1993

Sunita Williams

1995

NASA Astronaut, M.S., Engineering Management, 1995

George D. Zamka

1997

NASA Astronaut (STS-120), USMC Officer, M.S., Engineering Management, 1997

Richard Adams

1976

Inventor