4 November, 2015 0 Comments

Bold Visions Inspire Giving

November 4, 2015 By Leave a Comment
A rendering of the health center at FAU

A rendering of the health center at FAU

It’s been a good two weeks for Boca Raton’s two universities, thanks to the generosity and vision of Christine Lynn.

Lynn University announced at its annual State of the University address recently that it will build the Christine E. Lynn University Center, a project that begins the final phase of the school’s Campus Master Plan.

 The new building is made possible by a $15 million gift, the largest in university history, from Board of Trustees Chair Christine E. Lynn. Mrs. Lynn’s commitment is a challenge grant that establishes the foundation for others to participate in this momentous project.

This week, Ms. Lynn gave Florida Atlantic University $5 million gift to help construct a building on its Boca Raton campus.

 The Christine E. Lynn Sports Medicine Center will be a treatment center for FAU student athletes within the Schmidt Family Complex for Academic and Athletic Excellence. It’ll include rehabilitation facilities, hydrotherapy treatments and medical exam rooms.

Both Lynn and FAU are growing in stature, importance and reputation thanks in large part to the dynamic leadership provided by its presidents—John Kelly at FAU and Kevin Ross at Lynn. That kind of dynamic leadership spurs excitement and giving. Leadership matters. You can’t succeed without it.

 “The Christine E. Lynn University Center will stand at the heart of our campus and enhance the experience of students, employees and every person who visits,” says President Ross. “We are grateful for Mrs. Lynn’s unparalleled generosity and the role she continues to play in our university’s future.”

The university center’s design is the culmination of years of preparation, beginning with the development of the Lynn 2020 strategic plan in 2005, and the Campus Master Plan, developed with design firm Gensler and approved by the board of trustees in 2009.

 “Our approach is based on Lynn’s core values as a vibrant, energetic campus,” says Gensler Senior Associate Cliff Bollmann. “The goal is to drive energy on campus and create a space where students want to be.”

 The building will encompass student essentials including Lynn’s award-winning 24-hour dining, Hannifan Center for Career Connections, the Center for Learning Abroad, campus store, mailroom, coffee shop, student affairs offices, collaboration spaces and more. Its design includes a large “living room” for informal gatherings and presentations, with expansive glass windows that connect students outdoors with activity occurring inside.

The university center, collectively with future residential spaces including the recently announced Mary and Harold Perper Residence Hall, will bring together academics, housing and the overall student experience to drive engagement and create a gathering place for future generations. The project’s crowning element will be a green space envisioned as a park dedicated to Mrs. Lynn.

The university center is expected to be completed in 2018 and is only one part of Lynn’s bold vision which includes an award winning curriculum and relationships with key partners including that little company in Cupertino– Apple.

At FAU, keep a close watch on the Tech Runway which will nurture start-up companies via funding, mentoring and activities.

The Runway itself is a start-up and I’ve been proud to serve on its advisory board.

Next week, I along with local businessman Connor Lynch and Stacey Halberg of Northern Trust will host a special dinner in Delray to introduce the concept to key leaders. President Kelly and others will be there to share the vision.

Exciting times…indeed. Our local universities are leading the way.

 

 

 

23 March, 2015 0 Comments

FAU & Lynn: Driving Local Innovation

March 23, 2015 By Leave a Comment
President John Kelly has energized not only FAU but the broader community.

President John Kelly has energized not only FAU but the broader community as well.

We pride ourselves on being local trend spotters here at YourDelrayBoca.com.

So we are proud to announce that we are seeing a positive trend taking shape in Boca Raton, which will impact the entire region.

Our two local universities FAU and Lynn are making major strides to deepen their excellence, expand their influence and increase their relevance to our local economy.

This is important because both FAU and Lynn are major drivers of intellectual capital and leaders in how our region is viewed by the world. If the Boca area is seen as an intellectual hub and a magnet for young talent, it virtually guarantees economic sustainability and quality of life for the entire community.

FAU has clearly been invigorated by the leadership of President John Kelly. Great leaders engage with the world and bring energy to institutions.  In his first year, Dr. Kelly’s drive and ambition for FAU has clearly penetrated not only the university community but the outside world as well.

A recent agreement to partner with Scripps Florida and the Max Planck Institute is just one of many partnerships fostered as a result of his energetic leadership. It seems that wherever we travel these days, the topic of FAU comes up in conversation and usually in terms of collaboration and external outreach. In Delray alone, the university is working with Delray Students First, Dare 2 Be Great and the Achievement Centers for Children and Families.

VP of Public Service Jorge Calzadilla and his team have been making the rounds and turning heads in the community with their zeal to make an impact and to turn FAU into a university of national significance.

Calzadilla came with President Kelly from Clemson where he served 27 years and did remarkable work impacting children in South Carolina. If you meet Jorge, you can’t help but be swept up by his enthusiasm and vision for FAU.

On the research front, we recently had a chance to hear new VP of Research Dan Flynn discuss his plans to turn FAU into a major research institution complete with patents, start-ups, commercialization efforts, student research opportunities, faculty initiatives and major grants. Flynn has done it before at other institutions and sees no barriers to FAU becoming a world class research center utilizing the amazing natural resources provided by the ocean and the Everglades.

All of this is good news for students, our region, Boca and Delray, alumni and the general community.  Not only will a reinvigorated FAU attract talent, it will help our region retain its young minds. Already in some of our work with young students in Delray and Boca we are beginning to hear a desire to stay home and attend FAU or come back home for graduate work. And keep an eye on FAU’s Tech Runway and Research Park because within a decade or even sooner you will see the first superstar company launched right here in our backyard. All of the elements are in place.

This is great news for those of us who value economic development and it provides our region with an opportunity to go beyond food, beverage, services, construction, tourism and retirees to fuel our economy.

At Lynn University, President Kevin Ross and his leadership team are innovating on multiple fronts.

From a curriculum that is high on relevance and providing hands on experience in an increasingly global society to a very impactful partnership with a little company in Cupertino called Apple, Lynn’s campus crackles with excitement.

Dr. Ross has attracted a top-notch faculty attracted by the opportunity to innovate and a diverse student body that is placing a premium on making an impact on the world.

Whenever I visit with President Ross I’m reminded of a saying: “Normal” is what the majority does, which is why “different” is so much more interesting.

Indeed.

And Lynn has transformed its model to be both different and compelling.

To have both Boca universities performing at high levels at the same time is a unique and happy circumstance.

Switched on cities, progressive non-profits, schools and businesses will find ways to tap into the innovation and excellence happening at Lynn and FAU.

And that’s good news for Boca Raton and Delray Beach.

 

 

 

 

29 September, 2014 0 Comments

FAU’s Promise

September 29, 2014 By Leave a Comment
Football is only one part of the FAU vision for greatness

Football is only one part of the FAU vision for greatness

We went to the FAU football game Saturday and it was great.
A 41-37 thriller won by the Owls.
I’m embarrassed to say it was the first time I attended a game. I love football and FAU and I’ve had my share of opportunities but we just never seemed to go.
But when Beth Johnston, a dear friend who works for FAU, arranged for a Delray day and a spot in the President’s suite alongside friends we just had to go.  I’m glad we did.
The new stadium is beautiful.

The sight lines are great and the atmosphere is terrific. It’s college football and you get swept up in the excitement.
The crowd was fair, not empty but not filled either, but those who attended seemed to be having a wonderful time. Still, the program has some work to do in order to fill 30,000 seats. It’s important that they get there and it will be a landmark day for our community when it happens. And I think it will.
In addition to football, the afternoon was a primer on FAU. Beth is a great host and a passionate professional she wasn’t going to let this opportunity to connect people to FAU pass.

We started the afternoon with some FAU trivia that focused on the university’s academic accomplishments; which are surprising and considerable.
Over the course of the game we had a chance to mingle with President Kelly and his wife, FAU Board Chair Anthony Barbar and the newly appointed director of public leadership among others from the school and foundation.  It was an enlightening experience and President Kelly and his team exude vision, confidence and ambition. They yearn to be a top 25 university, a place of national significance and they seem to have a plan and a laser like focus to achieve that lofty goal.
We should not only be rooting for that to happen we ought to be involved in making it so. Because if FAU thrives and excels it’s good for all of us, especially it’s host city Boca and it’s neighbor Delray.
It’s also good for our kids and community. Businesses will have an educated workforce, entrepreneurs may decide to stay and others will locate here because of FAU’s research, resources and energy.
A great university is a valuable calling card and amenity for a region.
In my few minutes with President Kelly we discussed his tenure at Clemson and it’s impact on Greenville and the region which was significant. He’s enamored with Delray and is clearly reaching out for closer ties. So is Jorge Calzadilla, the recently hired VP of Public Service who did magnificent things for children in Clemson’s service area. Mr. Calzadilla also mentioned a desire to focus FAU’s resources on community issues especially those relating to children and families. This is an opportunity that city officials in Delray would be wise to embrace.
Chairman Barbar also sees the new administration as an amazing opportunity to fulfill FAU’s potential to impact the region. He and other business leaders recently travelled to Raleigh NC where they saw the power of three great universities to drive innovation and economic development in the Research Triangle area.

The folks in Raleigh have a significant head start but there is no barrier to this region becoming world class as well –provided we knock down some parochial walls that exist between counties, cities, other institutions and business organizations.
The moment is here because in our backyard we also have a terrific university in Lynn with an international student body, a visionary president and faculty and a dynamic business school and curriculum. We just have to work together, root for one another, make some strategic investments, get involved and yes attend a few games.
The future will thank us if we do.

25 August, 2014 1 Comment

FAU Football Honors Founder of Program

August 25, 2014 By 1 Comment
Homage to Howard

Homage to Howard

Howard Schnellenberger built his legendary coaching career and was the driving force that helped Florida Atlantic University build a football stadium. Now, the field on which the Owls play their home games will bear the name of one of college football’s most accomplished program-builders.

 The field at FAU Stadium on the University’s Boca Raton campus will be named Howard Schnellenberger Field, honoring the man who coached the Owls during their first 11 seasons and retired after the 2011 campaign with 158 victories during 27 years as a head coach at four Football Bowl Subdivision institutions.

 FAU’s Board of Trustees approved the new field name during a conference call on Wednesday, Aug. 20.

 “I am humbled beyond belief that the University would bestow this great honor on the Schnellenberger family, and me personally,” said Schnellenberger. “This is probably the highlight of my coaching career. Thanks to the FAU Board of Trustees, the University, the fans, the players and the coaches that were an integral part of this.”

 A ceremony to honor Schnellenberger will be held prior to the Owls’ first home game of the season at FAU Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 13. FAU President John Kelly also will make a special presentation at halftime. FAU hosts Tulsa, with the kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m. It will be the fourth season for the Owls in the 29,419-seat on-campus stadium.

 “Coach Schnellenberger is a legend – a true visionary who always will be synonymous with FAU football,” said FAU President John Kelly. “The University, the community, and fans of college football everywhere look to Coach as the consummate leader, and are thankful for all he has done for the sport. I know FAU will always remember this as we cheer our team on the beautiful field that will forever bear his name.”

 Schnellenberger welcomed the idea of bringing football to FAU in 1998. During his tenure as FAU’s coach, the Owls garnered two bowl victories and one Sun Belt Conference championship. Twenty of his FAU players have signed professional contracts, with five drafted by the National Football League.

 An assistant coach on the Miami Dolphins’ 1972 undefeated Super Bowl championship team, Schnellenberger made his greatest mark in the collegiate ranks. His career has been highly chronicled throughout the years, from winning the first national championship as coach at the University of Miami in 1983 to ushering the University of Louisville program from near obscurity to a top 20 national ranking. Schnellenberger went 6-0 as a head coach in bowl games, the most bowl victories for a coach with a perfect record.

 After reaching the goal of bringing football to FAU – the Owls played its inaugural season in 1999 – Schnellenberger embarked on the challenge of getting a stadium built in order to move the program to the next level. FAU Stadium opened on Oct. 15, 2011, with the Owls hosting Western Kentucky. The open-air stadium features 6,000 premium seats, including 24 suites, 26 loge boxes, 1,000 premier club seats and 4,000 priority club seats.

 “ We are thankful we have the opportunity to honor Coach Schnellenberger with the naming of our football field,” said Pat Chun, FAU’s vice president and director of athletics. “As our first football coach, he forever changed Florida Atlantic University. To permanently honor Coach Schnellenberger will serve as a great reminder to all who enter our stadium of his vision, impact and legacy.”

 Schnellenberger played for Paul “Bear” Bryant at the University of Kentucky and served as an assistant to Bryant at the University of Alabama. He was an assistant to NFL Hall of Fame coaches George Allen (Los Angeles Rams) and Don Shula (Dolphins), and served as head coach of the Baltimore Colts during the 1973 season and of three games in 1974.

 Schnellenberger was hired as FAU’s director of football operations on May 1, 1998. He coached FAU’s inaugural game on Sept. 1, 2001, against Slippery Rock at Pro Player Stadium in Miami. Under Schnellenberger’s leadership, the Owls won the New Orleans Bowl in 2007, marking the quickest a program had advanced to a bowl game after moving to Division I-A, which was later renamed the Football Bowl Subdivision. FAU also won the Motor City Bowl the following season.