For 168 years, Florida State University has stood proudly in the heart of Tallahassee, Florida. What began as an all-female college has become one of the nation’s leading universities with something new happening around every corner. FSU is home to 17 different colleges that provide over 200 programs of study, and the university is only adding more to be proud of. On Aug. 9, Florida State University was named “No. 18 best public university in the nation” by U.S. News & World Report.
This recognition has pushed FSU into the Top 20 public universities for the first time, marking a historic event for the Seminoles. In 2017, the university was ranked No. 33 and moved up seven spots to No. 26 in 2018.This year’s rise to No. 18 is the “greatest single-year increase in university history,” according to Tallahassee Democrat. FSU shares the coveted No. 18 spot with three other dignified universities: Penn State University, University of Pittsburgh and Purdue University.
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Florida State President, John Thrasher, was blown away by the increase in ranking over the course of three years. In an official speech given on August 9, Thrasher said, “It’s an incredible accomplishment for Florida State University. The credit goes to so many people — our faculty, our staff, and certainly, our great students. I couldn’t be prouder.”President Thrasher made it clear in 2014 that one of his goals during his time leading FSU was to reach the Top 25 public universities in the nation.
In an interview with Tallahassee Democrat, President Thrasher attested to FSU’s sheer ability to succeed. “As much as we’ve come up in the numbers, I think the university was that good when we got here,” said Thrasher. “It’s just that we’ve put the money and resources in the right places. It gives us a chance to go and tell the world, ‘this is an elite university and we are doing great things here.”
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Not only did FSU rise in the overall rankings, but the university’s 72% four-year graduation rate shattered records and landed it at the top spot in Florida and amongst the top 10 public universities in the nation. When asked about FSU’s impressive leap in the rankings, U.S. News & World Report chief data strategist said, “Florida State University moved up in the rankings this year due to large improvements in graduation rate performance and faculty resources, as well as improvements in academic reputation.”
With a goal of reaching the Top 15 public universities in the nation, FSU is on the upward path to success and improvement. The core values of Vires (strength), Artes (skill) and Mores (character) can be seen throughout the halls of this historic university through each one of the 41,000 students. It goes without saying that Florida State University is well on its way to shattering more records through growth, change and improvements.