Eckerd College
Eckerd College is a private liberal arts college in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. Founded in 1958, part of the campus is waterfront and beach on Boca Ciega Bay. Because of its location, Eckerd is considered a "beach school" and has its own student volunteer maritime search and rescue team. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and a member of the Annapolis group of national liberal arts colleges and the Oberlin Group of Libraries.
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 and later by the baby boom. The United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the Presbyterian Church 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 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 Presbyterian Church, and conferred degrees 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
- Billy O. Wireman
- Jack Eckerd
- Peter H. Armacost
- Eugene Hotchkiss
- Donald R. Eastman III
- Damián J. Fernández
- James J. Annarelli
Academics
- Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography
- Biology/Biological Sciences
- Environmental Studies
- Psychology
- Development and Child Psychology
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, 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 to automate dolphin dorsal fin recognition. A United States Geological Survey center in St. Petersburg provides further research opportunities. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 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 and Sigma Xi 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.
Students can study abroad, including at the Eckerd College Study Centre on London'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 #130 in the National Liberal Arts Colleges category of the 2022-23 U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges rankings.Eckerd College was ranked No. 128 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.
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 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 top volunteer-producing colleges and universities in 2020.
Eckerd was profiled in The Princeton Review's Best 386 Colleges as well as its Guide to Green Colleges in 2022.
Campus
Eckerd College has a suburban campus on Frenchman's Creek and Boca Ciega Bay, about 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 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 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, $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 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.