Eckerd College Informations

Eckerd College is a private Presbyterian liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida. The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Eckerd was founded as Florida Presbyterian College in 1958 as part of national growth in post-secondary education driven by GIs entering college after returning from World War II and later by the baby boom of children. The United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. (Southern) worked together to start the college, receiving a charter from the Florida legislature in 1958 and opening in 1960. The college opened in temporary quarters at Bayboro Harbor with a liberal arts focus and 154 freshmen; it had 310 freshmen and sophomores in January 1962, when it was about to expand with the addition of a junior class, and began the 1966–1967 academic year with 810 students. In 1971, Jack Eckerd donated $12.5 million to the college, the largest single gift it had received to that date. The following year the institution's name was changed to Eckerd College to recognize his support. A covenant relationship is still maintained with the Presbyterian Church (USA).

The past presidents of the college are William Kadel (1958–1968), Billy Wireman (1968–1977), Jack Eckerd (1977, Interim President), Peter Armacost (1977–2000), Eugene Hotchkiss (2000–2001, Interim President), and Donald R. Eastman III, who has served as president since July 1, 2001.

In the 1980s, during the tenure of President Armacost, the college embarked on an extensive development program for land owned adjacent to its main campus, including the construction of waterfront homes and a retirement center. Financial irregularities related to these projects resulting in the loss of more than half of Eckerd's endowment were discovered by the Board of Trustees in 2000, resulting in the resignation of the vice president for finance and the retirement of Armacost. The college eventually lost the partially developed land. In February 2004 the college announced that it had regained solvency.

In May 2006, Miles Collier, the Chairman of Eckerd's Board of Trustees, and his wife, Parker Collier, announced a $25 million challenge gift to the college; they subsequently increased this by a further $15 million. In November 2008, alumnus Grover Wrenn, a member of the founding class in 1960, gave the college a $1 million gift, the largest from an alumnus.

Eckerd College awards Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees. Some 39 majors are offered, including Marine Science, Chemistry, Environmental Studies, International Business, Creative Writing. Students can also design their own majors.

Eckerd College originated the 4-1-4 academic calendar, with the "1" representing the Winter Term during the month of January, in which each student concentrates on a single class. Before graduation, students in nearly all majors are required to either pass a senior-year comprehensive examination or to complete a senior thesis project. All students must complete a senior seminar course in their final year.

Among undergraduate research opportunities are available to students is D.A.R.W.I.N., a computer science project (partnered closely with marine science) to automate dolphin dorsal fin recognition. Another is the Eckerd College Dolphin Project, the longest running undergraduate-centered dolphin research program in the world. A United States Geological Survey center in St. Petersburg provides further research opportunities.

Eckerd students have won more NOAA Hollings Scholarships than students at any other school (66 recipients as of 2016[update]).Phi Beta Kappa (Eckerd is one of the youngest colleges in the country to be awarded a chapter) and Sigma Xi are among the nationally recognized academic societies at Eckerd College. Eckerd's Ethics Bowl teams have consistently captured awards in intercollegiate competition, winning the competition for seven straight years (2004-2011).

Supporting the academic program is the Peter H. Armacost library, a $15 million facility opened in January 2005. The 55,000 sq ft (5,100 m2) two-story library is located near the college's student center and dormitories. It houses book and periodical collections and features seating for about 400, including 17 group-study rooms and 58 computer stations. Both high-speed cable and wireless connectivity are available throughout the library.

Students can study abroad, including at the Eckerd College Study Centre on London's Gower Street. Foreign students attend Eckerd, which also offers short-term English-immersion courses in a dedicated campus facility.

Since 1980, Eckerd College has also been the home of the Leadership Development Institute for managers and executives.

Eckerd College is also one of 40 liberal arts schools profiled in Loren Pope's Colleges That Change Lives, and was ranked #127 of 180 among national liberal arts colleges in the United States by US News and World Report.

Eckerd College has a suburban 188-acre (0.76 km2) campus on Frenchman's Creek and Boca Ciega Bay, about 3 miles (4.8 km) from Gulf of Mexico beaches. The campus is near residential and commercial neighborhoods of St. Petersburg.

The college has various sustainability efforts, including bikesharing systems and efforts to reduce plastic waste.

The college has several architectural styles, but a common feature is the use of glass and external views to emphasize a connection with the environment. Recent campus additions include the Peter H. Armacost Library, Iota residential housing complex, sports facilities, a renovated student center and the renovated Miller Auditorium. Other campus buildings include those designed and used for classrooms, laboratories, offices, conferences, theatrical productions, musical instruction, art exhibits, athletic events, and student services.

The James Center For Molecular and Life Sciences, a 51,000-square-foot (4,700 m2), US$25 million laboratory facility, opened in February 2013. In Summer 2015, the college was to break ground on a $15 million arts building, bringing together visual and digital arts disciplines currently found across several buildings. The construction of the Sailing Cove is underway on the Western end of the campus beach. Both projects incorporate green initiatives and feature natural landscaping to accent the facilities.

Eckerd College maintains a regular series of on-campus events for the benefit and enjoyment of campus and community. The music, theatre, and art programs are active in staging concerts, dramatic productions, and artistic shows, respectively, throughout the academic year. On-campus speakers have included the late nobel laureate in economics, Milton Friedman, the late Israeli Foreign Minister, Abba Eban, Jimmy Carter, Michael Collins, Anderson Cooper, Jared Diamond, Gerald Ford, Stephen Jay Gould, Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King, Stephen King, Henry Kissinger, Richard Leakey, Dennis Lehane, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, William Proxmire, Paul Rusesabagina, Helmut Schmidt, Peter Singer, James Van Allen, Elie Wiesel, and Yevgeny Yevtushenko.

Eckerd's student government, the Eckerd College Organization of Students, gives an annual total of more than $500,000 to more than 100 student-run clubs and organizations, including Eckerd's student newspaper (The Current), a radio station (WECX), a student programming board, Palmetto Productions, sports clubs, cultural clubs, and various academic-related clubs, such as those for anthropology, art, biology, chemistry, philosophy, law, and foreign languages.

Among the service clubs are campus chapters of Amnesty International, Circle K, and Habitat for Humanity. Eckerd College also hosts the EC Coalition for Community Justice, a group seeking to raise campus housekeepers' wages.

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