The Florida Institute of Technology (Florida Tech or FIT) is a
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
research university
A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...
in
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...
. The university comprises four academic colleges: Engineering & Science, Aeronautics, Psychology & Liberal Arts, and Business.
Approximately half of FIT's students are enrolled in the College of Engineering & Science.
The university's 130-acre primary residential campus is near the
Melbourne Orlando International Airport
Melbourne Orlando International Airport is a public airport northwest of downtown Melbourne, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, and 50 miles southeast of Orlando, located on central Florida's Space Coast. The airport is reached by N ...
and the Florida Tech Research Park.
The university was founded in 1958 as Brevard Engineering College to provide advanced education for professionals working in the space program at what is now the Kennedy Space Center. Florida Tech has been known by its present name since 1966.
In 2021, Florida Tech had an on-campus student body of 5,693 between its Melbourne Campus, Melbourne Sites, and Education Centers, as well as 3,623 students enrolled in their online programs, almost equally divided between graduate and undergraduate students with the majority focusing their studies on engineering and the sciences.
Florida Tech is
classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".
History
![School House at FIT](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/School_House_at_FIT.jpg)
Florida Institute of Technology was founded in 1958 as Brevard Engineering College to support
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
by Dr.
Jerome P. Keuper, who became the first president.
The first concept for the school was developed under the name Brevard Engineering Institute. Classes were originally held at the
Melbourne Municipal Airport in buildings formerly used by the Naval Air Station Melbourne. In 1961, the university moved to its current location in
Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...
.
During the 1960s additional classroom and laboratory buildings, a library (formally dedicated on 23 January 1965), the Denius Student Center, Hedgecock Gymnasium, Gleason Auditorium and several dormitories were constructed.
In 1961, the first graduate received an associate degree. The university was accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 1964
and officially changed its name to Florida Institute of Technology in 1966. Also in 1966, Dr. Jack Morelock founded the Department of Oceanography. In 1967, the School of Aeronautics was created. Defense scientists and NASA would meet with students recruiting for the space program. In 1969, the Panther Battalion Army ROTC program was formed.
[ In 1970, the college merged with Aerospace Technical Institute to form the School of Aeronautics.
]
In 1972, the university launched its first off-campus program at the request of the United States Navy.
The Evans Library was completed in early 1984. The following year the original library was renovated and dedicated as the Jerome P. Keuper Administration Building. In 1988, the Homer R. Denius Student Center was renovated, the student plaza completed, and the applied research laboratory building acquired. The Claude Pepper
Claude Denson Pepper (September 8, 1900 – May 30, 1989) was an American politician of the Democratic Party, and a spokesman for left-liberalism and the elderly. He represented Florida in the United States Senate from 1936 to 1951, and the Mi ...
Institute for Aging and Therapeutic Research and Skurla Hall, home of the School of Aeronautics, opened in 1990. In 1997, the university received a $50 million grant from the F. W. Olin Foundation
The Franklin W. Olin Foundation, founded as the Olin Foundation in 1938 by Franklin W. Olin, was an independent grantmaking Private foundation (United States), foundation from its founding in 1938 until it spent down its corpus and closed down in ...
. An engineering building and life sciences building were opened in 1999 in result of the grant.
Seven new residence halls were completed in 2003. Each resident hall was named after one of the seven fallen astronauts of the Shuttle Columbia disaster
The Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster was a fatal accident in the United States space program that occurred on February 1, 2003. During the STS-107 mission, Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disintegrated as it reentered the atmosphere over Texa ...
and dedicated to their memory. In 2004, Florida Tech obtained National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
(NSF) funding to build a 24-inch telescope atop the newly completed F.W. Olin Physical Sciences Center. However, Melbourne Beach resident Jim Ortega, who had retired from the University of Virginia to Florida in 1998, stepped forward with the additional funds needed to secure a 32-inch telescope. In gratitude to this donation, the telescope was named the Ortega Telescope. In 2005, the F.W. Olin Physical Sciences Center opened.
Construction on the Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research at Melbourne International Airport began in 2008. The following year, the College of Business became the Nathan M. Bisk College of Business, and the Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts This place has closed
The Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts is a museum in Melbourne, Florida, located in Brevard County. It is part of Florida Institute of Technology and exhibits textiles, clothing and accessories.
Opened in 2009, the Center fea ...
, the Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research at the Melbourne International Airport, the Scott Center for Autism Treatment, the Harris Center for Science and Engineering and the Harris Institute for Information Assurance were opened.
In 2009, the college began offering online degrees. November 20, 2015, marked the unveiling of the Harris Student Design Center, an 11,500 square foot building on the south side of campus. This facility provides space for students completing design projects. In 2016, the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Innovative Design (CAMID) and the Larsen Motorsports High Performance Vehicles & Research Development Center opened at the Research and Development Center on Palm Bay Road.
The university established its football program in 2010. The Panther Aquatic Center was opened a year later. In 2011, the university partnered with the Brevard Art Museum and established it as the Foosaner Art Museum
The Foosaner Art Museum, formerly the Brevard Art Museum, was located along the Indian River (Florida), Indian River in the Eau Gallie Arts District, 1463 Highland Avenue, Melbourne, Florida, Melbourne, Florida. Since opening in 1978 the Foosaner ...
.Brevard Business News
''Brevard Business News'' is a weekly newspaper in Melbourne, Florida, United States covering business news and trends for the Space Coast region of Central Florida
Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources ...
. ''Florida Tech announces $1 million gift, renames Brevard Art Museum the Foosaner Art Museum'' (Melbourne, Florida: Brevard Business News, August 8, 2011), page 15.
In October 2020, the university broke ground at the Olin Quad for the new Health Sciences Research Center, a 61,000 square foot three story facility with 22,300 square feet for classrooms, training and labs.
College archives
The Harry P. Weber University Archives opened in 2014. It was named after professor emeritus Harry Weber, who first joined the college in 1966 and was instrumental in establishing the archives. The archive collection serves to preserve the history of the institution and it is located in the Evans Library.
Jensen Beach Campus
Florida Institute of Technology's Jensen Beach Campus, also known as School of Marine and Environmental Technology or (SOMET), was a specialized branch campus located on the former campus of Saint Joseph College of Florida
Saint Joseph College of Florida (1890–1972) was a college operated by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Florida in St. Augustine and in Jensen Beach, Florida.Thurlow, Sandra Henderson, Sewall's Point, The History of a Peninsular Community on Florid ...
on the Indian River Lagoon in Jensen Beach, Florida
Jensen Beach is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Martin County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,652 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Port St. Lucie, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Histor ...
, approximately 50 miles south of the university's main campus. The campus attracted oceanography, underwater technology and other assorted marine biology students. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had more officers that are graduates of FIT in Jensen Beach than from any other campus or college in the country. The SOMET was transferred to the main campus and became the Department of Marine and Environmental Sciences (DMES). The campus closed after the transition in 1986. In 2016, DMES was renamed Department of Ocean Engineering and Sciences (DOES) to communicate the department's focus.
Campus
The university's 130-acre main campus is located in Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...
, on what is known as the Space Coast
The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is one of several "themed" coasts around Florida. All orbital launches from American soil carrying NASA ast ...
region along the Atlantic Ocean. The university offers many student services including tutoring, health services, health insurance, and campus safety. Florida Tech has six residence halls and three apartment style accommodations for on-campus living.
Off-campus sites
Florida Tech offers specialized graduate degree programs through sites in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in ...
, Fort Eustis, Virginia
Fort Eustis is a United States Army installation in Newport News, Virginia. In 2010, it was combined with nearby Langley Air Force Base to form Joint Base Langley–Eustis.
The post is the home to the United States Army Training and Doctrine ...
, Fort Lee, Virginia
Fort Lee, in Prince George County, Virginia, United States, is a United States Army post and headquarters of the United States Army Combined Arms Support Command (CASCOM)/ Sustainment Center of Excellence (SCoE), the U.S. Army Quartermaster Sc ...
, Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C.
In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...
, Quantico, Virginia
Quantico ( or ; formerly Potomac) is a town in Prince William County, Virginia, United States. The population was 480 at the 2010 census. Quantico is approximately 35 miles southwest of Washington, DC, bordered by the Potomac River to the east ...
, Dover, New Jersey
Dover is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about west of New York City and about west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 18,157, , Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst
Lakehurst Maxfield Field, formerly known as Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst (NAES Lakehurst), is the naval component of Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst (JB MDL), a United States Air Force-managed joint base headquartered approximately ...
, Lexington Park, Maryland
Lexington Park is a census-designated place (CDP) in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States, and the principal community of the Lexington Park, Maryland Micropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,626 at th2010 census
History
Nati ...
, Aberdeen Proving Ground
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work a ...
, Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
, Rockledge, Florida
Rockledge is the oldest city in Brevard County, Florida. The city's population was 24,926 at the 2010 United States Census, and is part of the Palm Bay−Melbourne− Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Rockledge was officially ...
, Melbourne, Florida
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. ...
and Orlando, Florida.
Academics
Student demographics
In fall 2021, Florida Tech enrolled 4,453 students at the main campus; 1,240 at off-campus locations; and 3,623 online for a total of 9,316 students. The male to female ratio in the student body was 69:31. 82% of all students came from the United States, 38% of students were from Florida and 16% of all students came from other countries. In 2020, the average combined Critical Reading and Math SAT
The SAT ( ) is a standardized test widely used for college admissions in the United States. Since its debut in 1926, its name and scoring have changed several times; originally called the Scholastic Aptitude Test, it was later called the Schol ...
score of incoming freshmen at the undergraduate level of Florida Tech was 1232.
Colleges and academic divisions
The university offers degrees in a variety of science and engineering disciplines and is one of the few universities to offer aviation degrees. The university is divided into four academic units: College of Aeronautics, College of Engineering and Science, Nathan Bisk College of Business, College of Psychology and Liberal Arts.
Accreditation
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 CSAB, Inc., formerly called the Computing Sciences Accreditation Board, Inc., is a non-profit professional organization in the United States, focused on the quality of education in computing disciplines. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM ...
. Florida Tech's chemistry program is accredited by the Committee on Professional Training of the American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...
. Aeronautical Science and Aviation Management programs are accredited by the Council on Aviation Accreditation. The Clinical Psychology PsyD program is accredited by the American Psychological Association and the graduate Behavior Analysis programs by the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI).
Rankings
Times Higher Education ranks Florida Tech as one of the top 1,000 universities in the world and 245th in the U.S. FIT is also listed as a top 800 world university in the Shanghai rankings
The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong University ...
. U.S. News & World Report ranks Florida Tech 202nd among national universities in the U.S.
PayScale
Payscale is an American compensation software and data company which helps employers manage employee compensation and employees understand their worth in the job market. The website was launched on January 1, 2002. It was founded by Joe Giordano a ...
ranks Florida Tech 123rd in the U.S. based on return on investment (ROI). In 2012, Bloomberg rated Florida Tech as the best Florida college in ROI, using their own methodology and data from PayScale. The Brookings Institution
The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...
ranked Florida Tech first in Florida and 94th nationally for alumni earnings in 2015, also using data from PayScale. CollegeNET and PayScale ranked Florida Tech 902nd out of 1,363 colleges for enabling social mobility in 2017.
In 2018, Niche
Niche may refer to:
Science
*Developmental niche, a concept for understanding the cultural context of child development
*Ecological niche, a term describing the relational position of an organism's species
*Niche differentiation, in ecology, the ...
ranked FIT 190th out of 1,647 colleges in America after surveying students and recent alumni about their experiences on and off campus. The university received A's in the areas of academics, value, professors, diversity, campus food, and student life.
Barron's Barron's or Barrons may refer to:
*Barron's Educational Series, a publisher of books, as well as college entrance exam preparation classes and materials, now an imprint of Kaplan Test Prep
** B.E.S. Publishing, the former owner of Barron's
* ''Barr ...
ranks Florida Tech a "best buy" in college education. Florida Tech is also listed as a top technical institution in the Fiske Guide to Colleges. Florida Tech was named by Times Higher Education as one of the top universities in the United States for graduate employability in 2016.
Research
In 2018, Florida Tech was awarded $17.4 million in external research funding. From 2009 to 2012, the number of Florida Tech faculty who serve as principal investigators increased by 100% including four recipients of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Awards. During this time period, five new interdisciplinary research institutes were initiated that are the focal point for Florida Tech undergraduate and graduate research. These new research university institutes include:
*Indian River Lagoon Research Institute
*Human-Centered Design Institute
*Institute for Energy Systems
*Institute for Marine Research
*Institute for Materials Science & Nanotechnology
*Institute for Research on Global Climate Change
Other research facilities include:
*Harris Institute for Assured Information
*Institute for Computing and Information Systems
*Center for Advanced Coatings (formerly the National Center for Hydrogen Research)
:*Plasma Spray Thermal Laboratory
:*High Heat Flux Laser Test Laboratory
:*Material Science Analysis Laboratory
*Institute for Biological and Biomedical Sciences
*National Center for Small Business Information
In the college of engineering, some of the research laboratories and research groups include:
*Robotics and Spatial Systems
*Laser, Optics, and Instrumentation Laboratory
*Wind and Hurricane Impact Research Laboratory
*Wireless Center of Excellence
*Information Characterization and Exploitation Laboratory
*BioComplex Laboratory
*Computer Vision Group
*Laboratory for Learning Research
*Software Evolution Laboratory
*Center for Software Testing Research
Faculty and students in the Physics/Space Science department conduct research in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Planetary Sciences, High Energy Physics (experimental particle physics), Lightning, Solid State and Condensed Matter Physics, and Space and Magnetospheric Physics.
The Florida Academy of Sciences is headquartered at Florida Tech. The academy is the Florida affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The academy also sponsors the Florida Junior Academy of Science and publishes the Florida Scientist journal.
On April 23, 2019, Florida Tech was elected to the Universities Space Research Association
The Universities Space Research Association (USRA) was incorporated on March 12, 1969, in Washington, D.C. as a private, nonprofit corporation under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS).
Institutional membership in the asso ...
.
Evans Library
The Evans Library at Florida Tech was opened in 1984. Prior to the opening of the Evans Library, the university had a library in what is now the Keuper building. One of the features of the Evans Library is its Applied Computing Center (ACC). The ACC has 70 computers for student use which have high speed internet connection and access to software programs including word-processing, statistical analysis, programming, and presentation development software. The Special Collections Department at the Evans Library is home to the Radiation, Inc. Archives which houses documents such as manuals, photographs, correspondence, physical objects, and other memorabilia from Radiation, Inc. Radiation Inc., which later became Harris Corporation and then L3Harris Technologies, was an advanced radio communications company located in Melbourne, FL which had a large impact on the city as well as on Florida Tech. Radiation Inc.'s cofounder Homer Denius helped to finance Florida Tech in its early years while cofounder George Shaw served as the first chairman of Florida Tech's board of trustees. The Denius Student Center and Shaw Hall at Florida Tech are named in their honor. The Evans Library Special Collections Department collaborated with retired Radiation, Inc. employees in collecting materials for the Radiation, Inc. Archives.
Athletics
Florida Tech's athletic teams are known as the Panthers. The school fields teams in 18 sports, 9 each for men and women, at the NCAA Division II
NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...
level and is a member of the Sunshine State Conference. The sports include: baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's crew, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's golf, men's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, and women's volleyball. The men's and women's swimming & diving teams were added in fall 2011 and men's lacrosse in Spring 2012. In 2015, Florida Tech Track joined the Peach Belt Conference as associate members.
The university had a football program from 2013 to 2019. The football team played in the NCAA Division II Gulf South Conference
The Gulf South Conference (GSC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level, which operates in the Southeastern United States.
History
Originally known as the Mi ...
as an affiliate member. It won its first game, its first homecoming game, and its first bowl game. In May 2020, Florida Tech shut down its football program due to budget cuts that followed the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
pitcher Tim Wakefield
Timothy Stephen Wakefield (born August 2, 1966) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Wakefield began his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, but is most remembered for his 17-yea ...
attended Florida Tech and set the home run record in 1987 as a first baseman. His number (3) was retired in 2006.
Florida Tech teams and individuals have won several national championships. The men's soccer team won the NCAA Division II National Championship in 1988 and 1991. Daniela Iacobelli
Daniela Iacobelli (born November 27, 1987) is an American professional golfer who has played on the Epson Tour and LPGA Tour.
Early life and education
Iacobelli was born in Detroit, Michigan. She played college golf at Florida Institute of Tech ...
won the National NCAA Division II Woman's Golf Championship in 2007. Florida Tech's Men's swimming 200-yard freestyle relay team won their event in the NCAA Division II National Swim Championship in 2017.
Student life
On-campus housing
Florida Institute of Technology has six traditional residence halls, an eight-building Southgate Apartments complex, a seven-building Columbia Village set of suites and a three-building Harris Village set of suites.
Off-campus housing
Florida Tech runs apartment-style housing options located near campus at Mary Star of the Sea - Newman Hall and Panther Bay Apartments.
Student organizations
Florida Institute of Technology has 132 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 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), 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. Arts, media, and performance organizations include: Amateur Radio Club, Belletrist, College Players, Dance Association, Film Society, FITV, Florida Tech Pep Band, The Crimson and WFIT.
Students at Florida Tech have the opportunity to participate in a number of club and intramural sports in addition to the varsity athletics programs. The university offers intramural sports Flag Football, Ultimate Frisbee, martial arts, paintball, Disc Golf and Judo. Sport clubs include ice hockey, soccer, table tennis, Collegiate wrestling and baseball. The Florida Tech ice hockey program is a member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, playing at that organization's Division 3 level.
Greek life
Florida Tech has a number of Greek life opportunities for students. The university's fraternities include Alpha Tau Omega, Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha (), commonly known as Lambda Chi, is a college fraternity in North America which was founded at Boston University in 1909. It is one of the largest social fraternities in North America, with more than 300,000 lifetime members a ...
, Chi Phi
Chi Phi () is considered by some as the oldest American men's college social fraternity that was established as the result of the merger of three separate organizations that were each known as Chi Phi. The earliest of these organizations was for ...
, Delta Tau Delta
Delta Tau Delta () is a United States-based international Greek letter college fraternity. Delta Tau Delta was founded at Bethany College, Bethany, Virginia, (now West Virginia) in 1858. The fraternity currently has around 130 collegiate chapter ...
, Lambda Chi Alpha
Lambda Chi Alpha (), commonly known as Lambda Chi, is a college fraternity in North America which was founded at Boston University in 1909. It is one of the largest social fraternities in North America, with more than 300,000 lifetime members a ...
, Pi Kappa Alpha, Pi Lambda Phi
Pi Lambda Phi (), commonly known as Pi Lam, is a social fraternity with 145 chapters (44 active chapters/colonies). The fraternity was founded in 1895 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Pi Lambda Phi is headlined by prestigious chapte ...
, Sigma Tau Gamma
Sigma Tau Gamma (), commonly known as Sig Tau, is a United States college social fraternity founded on June 28, 1920, at the University of Central Missouri (then known as Central Missouri State Teachers College). The fraternity was founded as a re ...
and Tau Kappa Epsilon
Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, making the Fraternity an interna ...
. Its sororities include Alpha Phi
Alpha Phi International Women's Fraternity (, also known as APhi) is an international sorority with 172 active chapters and over 250,000 initiated members.
Founded at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York on September 18, 1872, it is the fo ...
, Gamma Phi Beta
Gamma Phi Beta (, also known as GPhi or Gamma Phi) is an international college sorority. It was founded in Syracuse University in 1874, and was the first of the Greek organizations to call itself a sorority. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Man ...
and Phi Sigma Sigma
Phi Sigma Sigma (), colloquially known as Phi Sig, was the first collegiate nonsectarian sorority to allow membership of women of all faiths and backgrounds.
The sorority was founded on November 26, 1913, and lists 60,000 initiated members, 115 ...
. Florida Tech also has a chapter of Alpha Phi Omega co-ed service fraternity. Squamish, a co-ed fraternal organization, also exists on campus, although it is not Greek life affiliated.
Honor societies
The university offers a number of national and international Honor Societies including the Beta Beta Beta
Beta Beta Beta ( or TriBeta), is a collegiate honor society and academic fraternity for students of the biological sciences. It was founded in 1922 at Oklahoma City University by Dr. Frank G. Brooks and a group of his students. As of 2012, it has ...
Biological Honor Society, Chi Epsilon
Chi Epsilon () is an American civil engineering honor society. It honors engineering students in the United States who have exemplified the "principles of scholarship, character, practicality, and sociability...in the civil engineering pr ...
a Civil Engineering Students honor society, Delta Mu Delta
Delta Mu Delta () is an international honor society that recognizes academic excellence in Baccalaureate, Master's, and Doctorate degree business administration programs at Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP)-accredited ...
business honor society, Phi Eta Sigma
Phi Eta Sigma () is an American freshman honor society. Founded at the University of Illinois on March 22, 1923, it is the oldest and largest freshman honor society and has chartered three hundred and eighty-six chapters throughout the United Stat ...
National Honor Society for freshman class academic achievement, Phi Kappa Phi
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi (or simply Phi Kappa Phi or ) is an honor society established in 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study, and to promote the "unity and democracy of education ...
general academic honor society, Psi Chi
Psi Chi () is a college student honor society in psychology with international outreach founded in 1929 at the University of Kansas in the United States.
Psi Chi is one of the largest honor societies in the United States, with more than 1,150 cha ...
honor society of psychology, Tau Beta Pi national engineering honor society and Upsilon Pi Epsilon
Upsilon Pi Epsilon (): International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines, is the first honor society dedicated to the discipline of the computing and information disciplines. Informally known as UPE, Upsilon Pi Epsilon was ...
computing and information systems honor society.
Publications
The university publishes the ''Florida Tech Crimson'', a student published newspaper. The ''Crimson'' won a Society of Professional Journalists Regional Mark of Excellence Award in 2014 for best in-depth reporting at a small school (fewer than 9,999 students). In 2016, the College of Aeronautics launched an on-line publication, the ''International Journal of Aviation Sciences''. The university also publishes the ''Florida Tech Magazine''.
Notable people
Presidents
In the Summer of 2022, Robert L. King assumed role as interim president. Previous presidents include:
* T. Dwayne McCay, 2016-2022
* Anthony J. Catanese, 2002–2016
* Lynn E. Weaver, 1987–2002
* John E. Miller, 1986–1987
* Jerome P. Keuper, 1958–1986
See also
* Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida
The Independent Colleges & Universities of Florida (ICUF) is an association of 30 private, educational institutions in the state of Florida. Like the 12 public universities in Florida, all ICUF schools are accredited
Accreditation is the indepen ...
References
Further reading
* "Countdown to College: Launching Florida Institute of Technology" by Gordon Patterson. ''Florida Historical Quarterly'' Volume 77, Issue 2, Fall 1998
* "Space University: Lift-Off of Florida Institute of Technology". ''Florida Historical Quarterly'' Volume 79, Issue 1, Summer 2000.
External links
*
Florida Tech athletics website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Florida Institute Of Technology
1958 establishments in Florida
Aviation schools in Florida
Buildings and structures in Melbourne, Florida
Education in Brevard County, Florida
Educational institutions established in 1958
Engineering universities and colleges in Florida
Melbourne, Florida
Private universities and colleges in Florida
Technological universities in the United States
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools