History of Florida State University in Timeline

Florida State University, established in 1851 in Tallahassee, Florida, is a public research university and a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Designated as a preeminent university within the state, it holds the distinction of being located on Florida's oldest continuous site of higher education.

1901: Florida State College Status

In 1901, the institution became Florida State College.

1902: First Official Varsity Football Team

In the fall of 1902, Florida State University fielded its first official varsity football team, then known as "The Eleven".

1904: First State Champions of Florida

In 1904, the Florida State football team became the first ever state champions of Florida.

1905: FSU became the state college for women

In 1905, FSU became the state college for women.

1905: Passage of the Buckman Act

In 1905, the Florida Legislature passed the Buckman Act, reorganizing the Florida college system.

1911: Florida Supreme Court Decides Westcott Will Issue

In 1911, The Florida Supreme Court decided the Westcott will issue in favor of the state, stating that the change in character was within the intent of the Westcott will.

1919: Florida State Size Among State Universities

Until 1919, Florida State was the largest of the original two state universities in Florida.

1920: University facility founded

In 1920, the university facility (later called Camp Flastacowo) was founded as a retreat for students.

1930: The Ringling Museum Opened

In 1930, The Ringling Museum, the State Art Museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida, opened its doors.

1930: Acquisition of the FSU Southwest Campus

In 1930, the FSU Southwest Campus was acquired by the university, formerly known as "The Farm".

1933: FSCW Size and Awards

By 1933, the Florida State College for Women had grown to be the third largest women's college in the US, and was the first state women's college in the South to be awarded a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa.

1935: Establishment of Student Government

The student government was established in 1935 and consists of executive, judicial, and legislative branches.

1940: Student Activities Facility Opens

In 1940, a student activities facility first opened at the Rowena Longmire Student-Alumnae building.

1947: Return to Coeducational Status and Designation as Florida State University

By 1947, the Florida Legislature returned the FSCW to coeducational status and designated it Florida State University.

1947: FSU ended being state college for women

In 1947, FSU ended being state college for women.

1947: Reforming Male Collegiate Sports and Choosing the Seminoles Name

In 1947, after the hiatus when FSU was a women-only college, FSU students voted to use the name "Seminoles" as the university collective name and symbol.

1947: Seminoles Name Chosen

In 1947, the name Seminoles was chosen by students and is officially sanctioned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

1950: High Energy Physics program established

In 1950 the High Energy Physics program at Florida State was established.

1956: Construction of Strozier Library and Tully Gymnasium

In 1956, Strozier Library and Tully Gymnasium were built.

1956: Alma Mater Composed

In 1956, the alma mater for Florida State University was composed by Charlie Carter.

1959: Discontinuation of Journalism Department

In 1959, the Journalism department was discontinued.

1962: First African-American Undergraduate Student Admitted

In 1962, Maxwell Courtney became the first African-American undergraduate student admitted to Florida State.

1965: First African-American Athlete Joins FSU Baseball Team

In 1965, Fred Flowers joined the FSU baseball team as the first African-American athlete in university history.

1966: First African-American Basketball Player

In 1966 Lenny Hall became the first African-American basketball player for Florida State.

1967: Beginning of Panama City Campus Operations

Florida State University Panama City began operations in 1967.

1968: First African-American Football Player

In 1968 Calvin Patterson became the first African-American player for the university football team.

1972: Margaret Menzel Class-Action Lawsuit

In 1972, Margaret Menzel, a professor in the biology department, led a class-action lawsuit charging discrimination against women in pay and promotion.

1975: Settlement of Margaret Menzel Lawsuit

In 1975, The Margaret Menzel case was settled with an agreement that the university would establish a task force to investigate bias against women at the university and to revise its anti-nepotism policy.

1979: The Southeast Review Founded

In 1979, The Southeast Review, a literary journal, was founded as Sundog.

1980: Bill Wade Elected Homecoming Princess

In 1980, Bill Wade, a gay male student, was elected homecoming princess using the name "Billie Dahhling".

July 1982: FSU Assumes Control of Panama City Campus

In July 1982, FSU assumed control of the Panama City campus.

1984: Dirac Papers Donation Begins

From 1984-1997, Dirac's wife donated papers related to Dirac's work at FSU and Cambridge University.

1987: Start of Top Five AP Poll Ranking Streak

From 1987, the Seminoles football team started their streak of finishing ranked in the top five of the AP Poll for 14 straight years.

1987: Completion of New Panama City Campus

In 1987, a new 26-acre waterfront site for the Panama City campus was completed.

December 1989: Opening of the Paul A. M. Dirac Science Library

The Paul A. M. Dirac Science Library opened in December 1989 as the main science library for Florida State University.

1990: National Science Foundation Award

In 1990, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Florida State University the right to host the new National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

1993: National Championship Win

In 1993, the Seminoles played in a national championship game and won the championship under head coach Bobby Bowden.

1997: Dirac Papers Donation Ends

From 1984-1997, Dirac's wife donated papers related to Dirac's work at FSU and Cambridge University.

1999: National Championship Win

In 1999, the Seminoles played in a national championship game and won the championship under head coach Bobby Bowden.

June 2000: Approval of the FSU College of Medicine

In June 2000, the Florida Legislature approved the creation of the allopathic Florida State University College of Medicine.

2000: End of Top Five AP Poll Ranking Streak

The Seminoles football team's streak of finishing ranked in the top five of the AP Poll ended in 2000 after 14 straight years.

2001: Fifth National Championship Game

In 2001, the Seminoles played in their fifth national championship game.

2005: NCAA Waiver for Seminole Imagery

In 2005, FSU's use of the Seminole imagery was granted an NCAA waiver, due to the coordination the Seminole Tribe of Florida has with Florida State.

2006: Individual Champions in 2006

In 2006 Head Coach Bob Braman and Associate Head Coach Harlis Meaders helped lead individual champions in the 200 m (Walter Dix), the triple jump (Raqeef Curry), and the shot put (Garrett Johnson).

2006: Seminole Soccer Complex Home Record

In 2006, the Seminole Soccer Complex set a home record of 4,582 for the game versus the University of Florida.

2007: Second Straight Men's Track & Field NCAA National Championship

In 2007, FSU won its second straight men's Track & Field NCAA National Championship when Dix became the first person to hold the individual title in the 100 m and 200 m.

June 2008: Addition of the King Life Sciences Building

In June 2008, the King Life Sciences Building was added to complement medical research with research in related fields.

2013: Designation as a Preeminent University

In 2013, the Florida Legislature and the Florida Board of Governors designated Florida State University as one of the first two "preeminent universities" among the twelve universities of the State University System of Florida.

2013: Anti-Discrimination Policy Established

Official university policy established in 2013 prohibits discrimination against multiple protected groups, including the LGBT community.

2013: National Championship Win

The 2013 Seminoles football team won a national championship in 2013 under Jimbo Fisher.

November 20, 2014: School Shooting

On November 20, 2014, a shooting occurred on the university campus where a shooter injured three and was shot dead by police.

2014: Social Mobility Index Ranking

In 2014, Florida State is ranked the 29th top college in the United States by Payscale and CollegeNet's Social Mobility Index college rankings.

2014: The Ringling Ranked Second Most Popular Attraction

In 2014, The Ringling was selected as the second most popular attraction in Florida by the readers of USAToday Travel.

2017: Ranking for Most Efficient Universities

In 2017, Florida State was ranked one of the most efficient universities.

2018: Replacement of Goldstein Library with Innovation Hub

In 2018, the Goldstein Library was replaced with the Innovation Hub, a technology hub, makerspace, and design-thinking center.

2019: FSU College of Business Ranking

For 2019, the FSU College of Business was ranked 27th undergraduate program among all public universities and 44th among all national universities.

February 14, 2022: Fitch Ratings Affirms FSU Issuer Default Rating

On February 14, 2022, Fitch Ratings affirmed the FSU Issuer Default Rating at AA+ with a stable outlook.

2022: U.S. News & World Report Ranking

For 2022, U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida State University as the 19th best public university in the United States, and 55th overall among all national universities, public and private.

August 2023: Alumni Count

As of August 2023, Florida State University has over 400,000 alumni located in all fifty states and in many countries.

2023: Entering Freshmen Class Statistics

For the Fall 2023 entering freshmen class, the average admitted student had a weighted GPA of 4.26, and the acceptance rate for admission in 2023 was 25.4% for 74,038 freshman applicants.

2023: Panama City Campus Student Engagement

In Fall, 2023 the campus had over 1200 students engaged in undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

2023: Annual Research Expenditures

In fiscal year 2023, Florida State University was awarded over $414 million in annual research expenditures in sponsored research.

2023: R&D Expenditures Data

Per 2023 National Science Foundation data, Florida State University had research and development (R&D) expenditures of $414.46 million and ranked 79th out of 890 evaluated institutions.

2024: Financial Endowment and Assets

As of 2024, FSU's university-wide financial endowment was $785.2 million with total assets valued at $1.03 billion.

2024: Seminoles had the third-most College World Series appearances

As of 2024, the Seminoles had the third-most college world series appearances.

2024: Enrollment of 44,308 students

In 2024, Florida State University enrolled 44,308 students from all 50 states and 130 countries.

2024: Free Speech Ranking

In 2024, Florida State University ranked third in the United States for free speech and thought in a ranking released by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.