Eckerd College 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 ...

liberal arts college A liberal arts college or liberal arts institution of higher education is a college with an emphasis on undergraduate study in liberal arts and sciences. Such colleges aim to impart a broad general knowledge and develop general intellectual ca ...

in St. Petersburg, Florida. Founded in 1958, part of the campus is waterfront and

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc s ...

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priv ...

, Eckerd is a member of the

Annapolis Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

and Oberlin groups of national liberal arts colleges.

History

The institution now known as Eckerd College 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 World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and later by the

baby boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are ofte ...

. The United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

worked together to establish 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 Liberal arts education (from Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as La ...

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, drugstore magnate Jack Eckerd donated $12.5 million to the college as part of his broader interest in Florida politics. The following year the institution's name was changed to Eckerd College. Ruth Eckerd Hall, a 2,100-seat regional performing arts venue for concerts, plays and civic events in nearby Clearwater also benefited from Eckerd's philanthropy, and is named for Jack Eckerd's wife. Eckerd would serve as interim president of the college. Despite the name change from ''Florida Presbyterian,'' a covenant relationship is still maintained with the

, and conferred degrees will have the text ''founded in 1958 as Florida Presbyterian College'' in the official seal. In the 1980s, college president Peter H. Armacost decided to spend much of the college's endowment on real estate development — specifically, building waterfront homes and a retirement center on college-owned land next to the main campus. In 2000, the Board of Trustees discovered that more than half of Eckerd's endowment had been spent without its knowledge or consent. Armacost abruptly retired, the college's vice president for finance resigned, and the college itself eventually lost the partially developed land. Armacost's retirement was met with controversy from both faculty and alumni, and despite the scandal, the main library on campus still bears Armacost's name. In February 2004, the college announced that it had regained solvency. Despite this, one of the first challenges Armacost's replacement, Donald R. Eastman III, faced was having the institution warned that it might lose its accreditation because of these financial problems. Partially in response, in May 2006, Miles Collier, then-chairman of the Board of Trustees, and his wife, Parker Collier, announced a $25 million challenge gift to the college; they subsequently increased this to $40 million. In November 2008, alumnus Grover Wrenn, a member of the founding Class of 1964, gave the college a $1 million gift, the largest at the time from an alumnus. Eastman's position at Eckerd became the second-longest of any president at the college. Although later in his tenure he came under criticism for statements about campus sexual assault, Eastman is still credited with doubling applications for admission to Eckerd, providing more student housing, and improving the college's stature after its financial scandal. Eastman was succeeded by Damián J. Fernández in July 2020. In the Fall semester of 2021, Eckerd had 718 first-year and transfer students, its largest incoming class yet.

Presidents

* William H. Kadel (1958–1968) * Billy O. Wireman (1968–1977) * Jack Eckerd (Interim, 1977) * Peter H. Armacost (1977–2000) * Eugene Hotchkiss (Interim, 2000–2001) * Donald R. Eastman III (July 1, 2001 – June 30, 2020) * Damián J. Fernández (July 1, 2020 – August 1, 2022) * James J. Annarelli (Interim, 2022–present)

Academics

Eckerd College is accredited to award Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in more than forty majors, or students can design their own concentrations. Every student takes four years of classes across a wide variety of fields—art, literature, the natural and social sciences—regardless of their major. Often called General Education, these courses are designed to provide critical thought, the ability to make complex decisions and a commitment to lifelong learning. Every student is required to complete a set number of hours of "reflective service-learning" before graduation. New students take their first college course during a three-week orientation called "Autumn Term" that is guided by faculty and peer mentors. 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, often studying abroad. 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. As there are no graduate programs, all undergraduate students have access to research opportunities including first-year research associateships, the Ford Apprentice Scholars Program (launched by a grant from the

Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...

), honor societies, an honors program and an annual research symposium. Notable projects include the Eckerd College Dolphin Project, the longest running undergraduate-centered dolphin research program in the world., and D.A.R.W.I.N., a computer science project (partnered closely with marine science) to automate dolphin dorsal fin recognition. A

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

center in St. Petersburg provides further research opportunities. The

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is a Florida government agency founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tallahassee. It manages and regulates the state's fish and wildlife resources, and enforces related laws. Officers ar ...

(FWC) received a $6.7 million grant in 2021 to design and construct a new Marine Mammal Pathobiology Lab on Eckerd's campus to augment the lab currently owned and operated by FWC on Eckerd property just outside the college's gates.

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal ...

(Eckerd is one of the youngest colleges in the country to be awarded a chapter) and

Sigma Xi Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society () is a highly prestigious, non-profit honor society for scientists and engineers. Sigma Xi was founded at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a small group of graduate students in 1886 ...

are among the nationally recognized honor societies at Eckerd College. The Ethics Bowl teams have consistently captured awards in intercollegiate competition, winning the competition for seven straight years (2004–2011). Students can study abroad, including at the Eckerd College Study Centre on

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

's Gower Street, with scholarship opportunities. On average, students travel 1,000 miles from home to attend Eckerd—from roughly 48 states and 35 countries. Eckerd also offers short-term English-immersion courses in a dedicated campus facility.

Rankings

Eckerd College was ranked No. 128 (tie) overall in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category of the 2022 '' U.S. News & World Report'' Best Colleges rankings. Eckerd is one of 40 liberal arts schools that was profiled in Loren Pope's

Colleges That Change Lives ''Colleges That Change Lives'' began as a college educational guide first published in 1996 by Loren Pope. Colleges That Change Lives (CTCL) was founded in 1998 is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) based on Pope's book. The book ''Colleges That Change Lives ...

. Eckerd College ranked No. 2 in the nation, among baccalaureate institutions, for the number of students who participate in short-term study abroad and No. 3 for the total number of study abroad students in the 2018–2019 academic year, by the Institute of International Education. Eckerd ranks No. 1 in the United States in the number of

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditi ...

Hollings Scholars it has produced since that undergraduate scholarship program's inception in 2005. Eckerd ranked No. 3 among small schools on the list of

Peace Corps The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John ...

top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in 2020. Eckerd was profiled in The

Princeton Review The Princeton Review is an education services company providing tutoring, test preparation and admission resources for students. It was founded in 1981. and since that time has worked with over 400 million students. Services are delivered by 4,0 ...

's Best 386 Colleges as well as its Guide to Green Colleges in 2022. Eckerd was named the No. 4 best college "by the sea" by BestCollegeReviews.

Campus

Eckerd College has a suburban campus on Frenchman's Creek and

Boca Ciega Bay Boca Ciega Bay is a body of water connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida. It is bordered by Gulfport, St. Petersburg, and other municipalities in Pinellas County.Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

beaches. The campus is near residential and commercial neighborhoods of St. Petersburg. The college has various

sustainability Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livi ...

efforts, including bikesharing systems and efforts to reduce plastic waste. The school is ranked on the Princeton Review's list of Green Colleges for its sustainability efforts. In 1958, the founders of Eckerd College hired the Chicago architectural firm of

Perkins and Will Perkins&Will is a global design practice founded in 1935. Since 1986, the group has been a subsidiary of Lebanon-based Dar Al-Handasah (Arabic: دار الهندسة). Phil Harrison has been the firm's CEO since 2006. History The firm was establ ...

to design the college's campus and first buildings. The result is one of the world's largest intact collections of midcentury modern educational buildings designed by some of the 20th century's most important school architects. A common feature is the use of glass and external views to emphasize a connection with the environment. Recent campus additions include the Armacost Library, Iota residential housing complex, sports facilities; renovations to the student center, residence halls, and Miller Auditorium were also completed. Other campus buildings include those designed and used for classrooms, laboratories, offices, conferences, theatrical productions, musical instruction, art exhibits, athletic events, and student services. Armacost Library is a $15 million facility that opened in January 2005. The two-story library is located near the college's student center and residence complexes. 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. In addition to aquarium rooms, a marine sediment core facility, an oceanography lab, and a computer lab, the Galbraith Marine Science Laboratory, which was renovated in 2014, features a continuous flow-through system that pumps seawater into the building, so students can study marine organisms without harming them. The James Center For Molecular and Life Sciences, a , US$25 million laboratory facility, opened in February 2013. On the western side of campus, the Doyle Sailing Center was completed in 2016 to become the new home for the Eckerd Sailing teams. In 2018, The Helmar and Enole Nielsen Center for Visual Arts opened at the cost of a U.S. $15 million. This 33,000-square-foot (3,066 m2) center nurtures art forms from ancient to contemporary to not-yet-invented. All three projects incorporate green initiatives and feature natural landscaping to accent the facilities.

Peter H. Armacost Library

Opening

In March 2002, anonymous donors contributed $13 million, the largest donation ever given to the college, to establish the 58,000 square foot (5,388 square meters) 2-story library named for past president, Peter H. Armacost. Fox Hall was demolished to make room for the library.$13-million given for Eckerd library - Document - Gale In Context: Biography The donation was taken as a "vote of confidence" from Eckerd College donors after an endowment shortfall during the Armacost administration. It was later revealed that the donors involved were John and Rosemary Galbraith, a former Eckerd trustee and board chairman, as well as a retired mutual fund executive and philanthropist. The library was planned to hold 300,000 books and be twice as large as the previous library at the Cobb center, opened in 1962. Construction of the library would be left to Ayers/Saint/Gross interdisciplinary design firm. The groundbreaking ceremony was held December 2002 with Armacost and his family in attendance. "I am humbled and deeply grateful to those who made that possible," Armacost said in response to the library being named after him. During then Eckerd president Eastman's speech, he said, "This library, and the national reputation this college has achieved in the blink of an eye, are nothing less than dreams that have come true." With a Friends of the Library membership, the public would be able to borrow books for $30, $40 for families.

Upgrades

Since its opening, Armacost Library has had several changes to the building. In 2018, the Current, Eckerd's campus newspaper, students were concerned about the lack of gender-neutral bathrooms in the library. As of 2022, construction was completed on gender-neutral bathrooms on the library's first floor. In 2021, the first Seed Library was established within the Armacost Library by the librarians.

Student life and activities

Eckerd College maintains a regular series of on-campus events for the benefit and enjoyment of campus and community. The music, theatre, and visual arts programs are active in staging concerts, dramatic productions, and exhibitions, respectively, throughout the academic year. On-campus speakers have included, among many others, the late nobel laureate in economics

Milton Friedman Milton Friedman (; July 31, 1912 – November 16, 2006) was an American economist and statistician who received the 1976 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his research on consumption analysis, monetary history and theory and the ...

, the late Israeli Foreign Minister

Abba Eban Abba Solomon Meir Eban (; he, אבא אבן ; born Aubrey Solomon Meir Eban; 2 February 1915 – 17 November 2002) was an Israeli diplomat and politician, and a scholar of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. During his career, he served as For ...

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

Michael Collins Michael Collins or Mike Collins most commonly refers to: * Michael Collins (Irish leader) (1890–1922), Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician * Michael Collins (astronaut) (1930–2021), American astronaut, member of Apollo 11 and ...

Anderson Cooper Anderson Hays Cooper (born June 3, 1967) is an American broadcast journalist and political commentator from the Vanderbilt family. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news broadcast show '' Anderson Cooper 360°''. In addition to his duties a ...

Jared Diamond Jared Mason Diamond (born September 10, 1937) is an American geographer, historian, ornithologist, and author best known for his popular science books '' The Third Chimpanzee'' (1991); ''Guns, Germs, and Steel'' (1997, awarded a Pulitzer Priz ...

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senato ...

, Coretta Scott King,

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

Richard Leakey Richard Erskine Frere Leakey (19 December 1944 – 2 January 2022) was a Kenyan paleoanthropologist, conservationist and politician. Leakey held a number of official positions in Kenya, mostly in institutions of archaeology and wildlife conse ...

, Dennis Lehane (a 1988 Eckerd grad),

Seyyed Hossein Nasr Seyyed Hossein Nasr (; fa, سید حسین نصر, born April 7, 1933) is an Iranian philosopher and University Professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University. Born in Tehran, Nasr completed his education in Iran and the Unite ...

, Paul Rusesabagina,

Peter Singer Peter Albert David Singer (born 6 July 1946) is an Australian moral philosopher, currently the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University. He specialises in applied ethics and approaches ethical issues from a secular ...

James Van Allen James Alfred Van Allen (September 7, 1914August 9, 2006) was an American space scientist at the University of Iowa. He was instrumental in establishing the field of magnetospheric research in space. The Van Allen radiation belts were named aft ...

Elie Wiesel Elie Wiesel (, born Eliezer Wiesel ''Eliezer Vizel''; September 30, 1928 – July 2, 2016) was a Romanian-born American writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in F ...

Yevgeny Yevtushenko Yevgeny Aleksandrovich Yevtushenko ( rus, links=no, 1=Евге́ний Алекса́ндрович Евтуше́нко; 18 July 1933 – 1 April 2017) was a Soviet and Russian poet. He was also a novelist, essayist, dramatist, screenwriter, ...

Gloria Steinem Gloria Marie Steinem (; born March 25, 1934) is an American journalist and social-political activist who emerged as a nationally recognized leader of second-wave feminism in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Steinem was a c ...

, Billy Collins,

Bill McKibben William Ernest McKibben (born December 8, 1960)"Bill Ernest McKibben." ''Environmental Encyclopedia''. Edited by Deirdre S. Blanchfield. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Gale, 2009. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, December 31, 2017. is a ...

Piper Kerman Piper Eressea Kerman (born September 28, 1969) is an American author. She was indicted in 1998 on charges of felonious money-laundering activities, and sentenced to 15 months' detention in a federal correctional facility, of which she eventually ...

Opal Tometi Opal is a hydrated amorphous form of silica (SiO2·''n''H2O); its water content may range from 3 to 21% by weight, but is usually between 6 and 10%. Due to its amorphous property, it is classified as a mineraloid, unlike crystalline forms of ...

, and Ibram X. Kendi. 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 student literary journal (''Eckerd Review'') a student radio station (WECX), a student activities board (Palmetto Productions) sports clubs, cultural clubs, religious clubs, political clubs, community service 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 Colleges Against Cancer and the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG). Eckerd College also has hosted the EC Coalition for Community Justice, a group seeking to raise campus housekeepers' wages, and is one of only a few schools in Florida to join the nationally recognized

Prep undergraduate certificate program—helping adventurous students prepare to serve humanity after graduation. Eckerd's Waterfront Program is a center of watersport activities—such as sailing, kiteboarding, paddle boarding, kayaking, and fishing. An award-winning student group, Eckerd College Search and Rescue (EC-SAR), helps the U.S. Coast Guard in rescue operations throughout the Tampa Bay area. The student-run Eckerd College Emergency Response Team, composed of professionally trained

emergency medical technician An emergency medical technician (EMT), also known as an ambulance technician, is a health professional that provides emergency medical services. EMTs are most commonly found working in ambulances. In English-speaking countries, paramedics are ...

s, not only prepares undergraduates for careers as first responders but is committed to aiding campus community members during medical emergencies About 90% of Eckerd students live in on-campus residence halls. Eckerd College has 12 residence hall complexes, most with a name from the Greek alphabet. Among these, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, Kappa, and Iota complexes offer traditional dorm-style housing. Omega and Nu complexes house upperclass students, and are organized around suites on each floor. Sigma and West Lodge offer an on-campus hotel style of living, with each room having its own individual bathroom. The newest dorm complex, Iota, opened on September 30, 2006. Since 1973, Eckerd College has set aside pet-friendly housing for students wishing to bring small animals to campus. Every spring, a separate graduation ceremony is held for graduating seniors' pets, complete with certificates presented by the president. The college also built a pet park in 2014 for community use.

Environmental sustainability

In 2011, the Eckerd College Sustainability Program was founded. In 2013, Sustainability Fellow (now Director) Evan Bollier '11 started "Trash to Treasure," an initiative where volunteer students collect abandoned items after students move out and sell them to students returning the next year. The college has several other green initiatives including a bike sharing program, campus recycling and composting. In 2013, the college installed a 50-kilowatt solar-powered system, the first solar initiative on campus. In 2019, then-President Donald R. Eastman III signed a pledge to prohibit college funds from being used to buy most nonessential single-use plastics. In 2021, Eckerd College appeared on the

's list of Green Colleges for its sustainability efforts, and it continues to participate in the Tree Campus USA program as it works to sustain a healthy community forest in its natural Florida setting. In 2022, Eckerd was named one of six colleges and universities in the second cohort of the

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (also known as NASEM or the National Academies) are the collective scientific national academy of the United States. The name is used interchangeably in two senses: (1) as an umbrell ...

Gulf Research Program's "Gulf Scholars Program," a pilot program designed to prepare undergraduate students to address the most pressing environmental, health, energy and infrastructure challenges in the Gulf of Mexico region. It was the smallest institution so awarded: the others were the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State Universi ...

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 n ...

, the

University of South Alabama The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May, 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. The first ...

, the

University of Southern Mississippi The University of Southern Mississippi (Southern Miss or USM) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to a ...

and Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi.

Athletics

Eckerd College is a founding member of the

Sunshine State Conference The Sunshine State Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. All of its member institutions are located in the state of Florida, which is popularly ...

(NCAA Division II) fielding 14 athletic teams in coed and women's sailing, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, men's baseball, women's indoor volleyball and beach volleyball, men's and women's golf, men's and women's tennis, and women's softball. The Eckerd Varsity Sailing team competes nationally as a member of the SAISA (the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association) and is a member of the ICSA (Intercollegiate Sailing Association), having made an appearance in the Match Race Nationals in 2019. The college's basketball and indoor volleyball teams play in the McArthur Physical Education Center's gymnasium. A swimming pool, adjacent to the gym, is open to all students. Eckerd's mascot is the Triton, and the school's colors—teal, navy and black—were adopted by the Athletics program in 2005; previously the school's colors had been black, red, and white. In 2006, for the first time in the 24-year history of the Eckerd College Women's Volleyball program, the Tritons qualified for the NCAA South Region tournament. In addition to Division II teams, Eckerd students participate in club sports such as men's and women's

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby league: 13 players per side *** Masters Rugby League *** Mod league *** Rugby league nines *** Rugby league sevens *** Touch (sport) *** Wheelchair rugby league ** Rugby union: 1 ...

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

, and

ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) * ''Ultimate'' (Pet Shop Boys album) *'' Ultimate!'', an album by The Yardbirds *'' The Ultimate (Bryan Adams Album)'', a compilat ...

. The men's club lacrosse team finished the 2006 season ranked No. 3 in the National Collegiate Club Lacrosse Poll, with a 13–1 record. Since its founding in 2003, the team captured two state championships, a regional championship, and a third-place national finish. In 2000, the Eckerd's men's club

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

Team won the NIRSA Division II Sports Club Volleyball Championships in Reno, Nevada. In 2020, the college received the Presidents’ Award from the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

after boasting an Academic Success Rate (ASR) of 94—marking the 10th consecutive year Eckerd has achieved an ASR of 90 or above. Also in 2020, the Eckerd Athletics Department was a finalist for the NCAA Division II Award of Excellence for its work with the 10th annual Christmas for Kids event held in December 2019. Eckerd Athletics was recognized for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campus.

Notable people

Alumni

Arts

Dorothy Allison Dorothy Allison (born April 11, 1949) is an American writer from South Carolina whose writing focuses on class struggle, sexual abuse, child abuse, feminism and lesbianism. She is a self-identified lesbian femme. Allison has won a number of aw ...

(1971), writer. * Hank Green (2002), author, professional vlogger and entrepreneur. * Levi Hummon (2012), country music artist, singer and songwriter. *

Douglas Lain Douglas Lain () is a writer whose books include the post-singularity novel ''Bash Bash Revolution'' from Night Shade Books, the magical realist novel ''Billy Moon'' from Tor Books, and the Philip K. Dick Award nominated novel ''After the Sauce ...

, novelist. * Dennis Lehane (1988), writer, ''

Mystic River The Mystic River is a riverU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 in Massachusetts, in the United States. In Massachusett, means "large estuary," alluding to ...

'' and ''

Gone Baby Gone ''Gone Baby Gone'' is a 2007 American crime thriller film directed by Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a ...

,'' former writer-in-residence, and co-founder/co-director of
Writers in Paradise
'. *

Arto Lindsay Arthur Morgan "Arto" Lindsay (born May 28, 1953) is an American guitarist, singer, record producer and experimental composer. He was a member of the pioneering 1970s no wave group DNA, which featured on the 1978 compilation '' No New York''. I ...

, guitarist,

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when a ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

. * Jay Baron Nicorvo (1999), writer.

Economics

Mark Tluszcz Mark Tluszcz is co-founder and CEO of Mangrove Capital Partners, a venture capital firm he set up in 2000. He also serves as Chairman of Wix.com (NASDAQ:WIX), a popular website building platform. His achievements include turning a $2m investment ...

(1989), venture capitalist known for Skype and Wix.

Politics

* Jeffrey J. Berger (1978),

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...

, District 73 district,

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

. * Frank Farkas (1993), former Florida State Representative. * Bob Gualtieri (2000), law enforcement officer, lawyer, and politician *

Michael P. Hein Michael P. Hein (born July 20, 1965) is an American politician who served as the 1st County Executive of Ulster County, serving until February 10, 2019 after having first been elected on November 4, 2008. Prior to the creation of this position, t ...

(1987),

county executive A county executive, county manager or county mayor is the head of the executive branch of government in a United States county. The executive may be an elected or an appointed position. When elected, the executive typically functions either as a ...

Ulster County, New York Ulster County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. It is situated along the Hudson River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 181,851. The county seat is Kingston. The county is named after the Irish province of Ulster. History ...

. * Janet C. Long (2002), member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopt ...

Science

* Bill Curtis (1971), software engineer who lead the development of the

Capability Maturity Model The Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is a development model created in 1986 after a study of data collected from organizations that contracted with the U.S. Department of Defense, who funded the research. The term "maturity" relates to the degree o ...

. * Tessa M. Hill (1999), associate vice provost for academic programs—public scholarship and engagement,

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The inst ...

* Aaron D. O'Connell (2005), creator of the world's first

quantum machine A quantum machine is a human-made device whose collective motion follows the laws of quantum mechanics. The idea that macroscopic objects may follow the laws of quantum mechanics dates back to the advent of quantum mechanics in the early 20th ce ...

. *

Mark Pauline Mark Pauline (born December 14, 1953) is an American performance artist and inventor, best known as founder and director of Survival Research Laboratories. He is a 1977 graduate of Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. Pauline founded ...

(1977) founder and director of

Survival Research Labs Survival Research Laboratories (SRL) is an American performance art group that pioneered the genre of large-scale machine performance. Founded in 1978 by Mark Pauline, the group is known in particular for their performances where custom-built mach ...

. *

James W. Pennebaker James Whiting Pennebaker (born March 2, 1950) is an American social psychologist. He is the Centennial Liberal Arts Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and a member of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers.Stephen Updegraff (1984), early contributor of

LASIK LASIK or Lasik (''laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis''), commonly referred to as laser eye surgery or laser vision correction, is a type of refractive surgery for the correction of myopia, hyperopia, and an actual cure for astigmatism (eye), ...

Sports

* Craig Albernaz (2005),

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

coach for the

San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco, California. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Founded in 1883 as the New Yo ...

* Steve Balboni (1978), former

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. They are one ...

first-baseman. *

Bill Evers William Joseph Evers (born January 29, 1954) is an American professional baseball coach and a former minor league player and longtime manager and instructor. In November 2018, he was named a coach on the staff of Rocco Baldelli, the manager ...

(1976), bench coach of the

Tampa Bay Devil Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Since its inception, the team's home ve ...

, former

player. * Joe Lefebvre (1979), former outfielder for

and

Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...

. *

Jim Mecir James Jason Mecir (born May 16, 1970) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for five teams over an 11-year career between and . Mecir is notable for having overcome a birth defect (namely club feet) to become an effec ...

(1992), former

player. *

Jon Mueller Jon Mueller (born 1970 in Waukesha, Wisconsin) is an American percussionist and composer, active in experimental and rock disciplines. Early life and education Jon Mueller was introduced to music through his parents, and began taking guitar an ...

(1992), college baseball coach at Albany. * Brian Sabean (1978), general manager of the

. * Jay Washington (2004), professional basketball player in PBA.

Retired or Part-time Faculty

* David Eugene Henry, artist (former part-time faculty) * Dennis Lehane, writer, ''Mystic River'' and ''

'' * Jamsheed Marker, diplomat (former diplomat-in-residence) * Peter Meinke, writer, Florida poet laureate (retired faculty member) * James Michener, writer (former part-time faculty) *

John Prevas John Prevas is a historian, classics scholar, author, and mediator. Prevas was scholar in residence and assistant professor of classics at Eckerd College from 2001 until 2011 teaching courses in ancient Greek and Roman history, Latin, and law. He ...

, writer (former scholar-in-residence/faculty) * Sterling Watson, writer (1969 alumnus, retired faculty, and co-founder/former co-director of
Writers in Paradise
') *

, Romanian-born American writer, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor (visiting faculty 1993–2016)

References

External links

*
Official athletics website
{{authority control 1958 establishments in Florida Education in Pinellas County, Florida Education in St. Petersburg, Florida Educational institutions established in 1958 Liberal arts colleges in Florida Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Private universities and colleges in Florida Universities and colleges affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA) Tourist attractions in St. Petersburg, Florida