WITH BEACH-SIDE CAMPUSES spread across Florida’s spectacular Atlantic coast, Florida Atlantic University (FAU) is certainly an attractive place to study. But it’s also a public university that has built its reputation for degree programmes that capitalise on its strategic coastal location and the quality of its research. In February 2015, a groundbreaking initiative was announced, which
sees the university joining forces with two of the world’s leading research institutions—the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience and Scripps Florida. This will offer FAU students access to state-of-the-art research facilities—and the chance to work alongside world-class scientists. “We will provide students with unique scientific research programmes
that will be the envy of the academic world,” says FAU President John Kelly. This collaboration with two notable not-for-profit research organisations is set to attract the brightest students and best faculty to the university, and elevate its research status in the US and beyond.
EXCELLENCE AND INCLUSION In 2014, FAU celebrated its 50th anniversary. It boasts one of the most diverse student populations in America. “We are one of only three public-research institutions in the US with more than 17 per cent black students and a similar proportion of Hispanic students,” says FAU Provost Gary Perry, “and we champion access and inclusion in education.” The university is investing $2.9 million in the transformation of its John
D MacArthur Campus, which it shares with the two organisations, in order to create a hub of scientific inquiry, innovation and economic development. “We will create the knowledge economy of the future,” says Kelly. One of its guiding principles has been to offer research opportunities
to undergraduates as well as to graduates. While graduates in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programmes on the remodelled campus will be able to study alongside Max Planck and
Scripps scientists, undergraduates will also benefit by having their research projects mentored by the same leading scientists. The three institutions are focusing their research around curing diseases
and developing new drugs. “FAU, Max Planck and Scripps will solve real-world problems,” says Kelly, “and take strides to improve human health.”
A TRUE RESEARCH UNIVERSITY The university, which is already recognised nationally as a High Research Activity university by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, is directing its resources into increasing the numbers of students studying subjects such as bioengineering, bioinformatics, chemistry and computational biology. The university is creating an experiential, hands-on programme open to every undergraduate. The STEM initiatives are only one aspect of a vibrant and varied syllabus
at FAU, comprising more than 180 separate degree options, which the university offers to its 30,000-plus students. Key areas of excellence include marine science, with campuses such as Dania Beach being ideally situated to study marine ecosystems; societal issues, particularly those concerning the ageing local population; and neuroscience. The university refers to areas in which it excels, such as environmental science, as “pillars”, with “platforms” being the supporting structure of undergraduate research, knowledge creation and big data analysis. Basking in Florida sunshine, FAU’s six campuses—its main Boca
Raton site and those in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce and Jupiter—offer a highly desirable environment in which to study. In addition, the collaboration with the Max Planck and Scripps institutions has elevated FAU’s reputation for innovative research to a new level. Under John Kelly’s direction, the university is engaged in what it calls “a race for excellence”. Only the fittest minds will keep up, and FAU seems intent on fostering them.
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