If Rip Van Winkle had fallen asleep on the Florida Tech campus a decade ago, he would be startled by the campus as it is today.
This transformation began in 1997 with an initial gift of $25 million from the F.W. Olin Foundation. Total gifts to the university from the foundation were $58 million.

As a result of the Olin Foundation’s generosity, Florida Tech’s campus was revitalized with several major facilities. The F.W. Olin Engineering Complex, housing 26 specialized research laboratories; the F.W. Olin Life Sciences Building, with 12 laboratories designed with multifunctional flex-space; the F.W. Olin Physical Sciences Center (pictured), including a high-bay research area and observatory dome housing a 32-inch telescope; and the F.W. Olin Sports Complex.

In 2001, construction of the $6.6 million Charles and Ruth Clemente Center for Sports and Recreation was made possible by a generous gift from a Florida Tech trustee and his wife, and $2.5 million from the F.W. Olin Foundation. This state-of-the-art facility invigorated student life with a variety of fitness offerings and multipurpose space.

Highlighted in the donor profiles section are two new facilities set to significantly enhance the campus environment—the College of Aeronautics’ Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Education and Research and the Ruth Funk Textile Arts Gallery at the Evans Library.

And there is more growth—and naming opportunities—on the horizon through the Golden Anniversary Campaign. Plans are under way for a 375-bed apartment-style student housing structure, set to open fall 2008, as well as an Olympic-size pool and diving well.

The College of Psychology and Liberal Arts is expanding and seeking support for its programs, including a new classroom/research building and funding for the Autism Research Center and the Community Psychological Services Center.

Florida Tech’s campus landscape is poised to make a dramatic leap forward in the near future fueled by bricks and mortar support through the Golden Anniversary Campaign. A stimulating campus environment—with abundant resources for research and scientific inquiry—will help draw outstanding students and faculty and create the foundation to support our world-class research university into the future.