Our 2024 Dean’s Annual Report, published this week, showcases “our most remarkable accomplishments and the forward-thinking approaches that elevate every member of our college community,” Dean Michael Hartline says. The report stands as a testament to the college’s exceptional faculty members, dedicated staff members, engaged alumni and supportive industry partners. It features 16 pages of data and highlights that reflect, as Hartline says, “the college’s global significance and our continued success at connecting business graduates with fulfilling careers and their best and brightest futures.” |
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With sadness, the college announces the passing of Charles “Chuck” Hardwick, a 2005 Alumni Hall of Fame member and the namesake of the Charles Hardwick teaching awards. “We mourn the loss of a genuine giant in the lives of our faculty members, our students and our College of Business family,” said Michael Hartline, dean of the college. Hardwick made a $450,000 philanthropic investment to create four teaching awards that paid forward, as he said, his debt of gratitude to "the teachers who meant so much to me." That marked the second significant gift to the college from Hardwick, who earned a bachelor's degree from the college in 1962, then an MBA in 1964. |
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The college sadly announces the passing of Mary W. Solomon, a major benefactor of the college and the widow of E. Ray Solomon, the college’s longest-serving dean to date. In 2023, Mary Solomon committed $1 million to establish the E. Ray Solomon Family Floor in Legacy Hall, the college’s future five-story home. She made her philanthropic investment in honor of her late husband and his dedication “to the institution to which he joyfully gave so many years of service, energy and heart," she said. Michael Hartline, dean of the college, said: “We’ll always warmly remember and honor Mary for her vision and generosity in the name of her family and husband, whose enormous contributions paved our path to preeminence.” |
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The college is poised to induct three distinguished former faculty members – Robert Andrew Brymer, William Ross Heck and James “Jim” Pitts -- into the Charles A. Rovetta Faculty Hall of Fame. Brymer shaped the landscape of ethical business practices, hospitality research and student career success. Heck (1925-2005) left an indelible mark on accounting education and tax law. And Pitts hastened the rise of the college and university as a business faculty member and university administrator. They’ll be inducted March 25 during the 2025 Faculty and Staff Awards Dinner and Celebration, featuring the Charles A. Rovetta Faculty Hall of Fame. |
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College programs surged in U.S. News & World Report’s 2025 rankings of online master’s degrees and MBA specialties – leaping to No. 8 among public schools and No.12 among all schools for master’s degrees in management information systems (MS-MIS) and risk management and insurance (MS-RMI). The college maintained its No.16 public ranking for its online MBA program and achieved a No. 8 public rank for its online MBA specialty in marketing. Also, its rankings for best online graduate programs for veterans increased to No. 6 among public universities offering specialty master’s programs online and to No. 13 among public MBA programs. The next application deadline for online master's programs is March 1. To learn more and request information, visit graduatebusiness.fsu.edu. |
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Peter Jones (B.S. Accounting ’77), a college Alumni Hall of Fame member who has devoted countless hours of service to FSU boards and support organizations, was appointed in late January to the FSU Board of Trustees. In 2015, Jones concluded a 27-year career at Franklin Templeton Investments, where he served as chairman of Franklin Templeton Institutional LLC and president of Franklin Templeton Distributors Inc. From 2020 to 2023, he served as the inaugural chair of the Professional Advocacy Board for the Department of Finance. He continues to serve on the investment committee of the FSU Foundation. |
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Tony DiBenedetto (B.S. MIS ’87), a college Alumni Hall of Fame member who rose from the depths of a turbulent childhood, will receive the prestigious Horatio Alger Award this spring. The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans annually bestows the award on people who have succeeded despite significant challenges and have remained committed to higher education and charitable efforts in their communities and beyond. DiBenedetto is the CEO of Appspace and the founder and chair of Think Big for Kids, a nonprofit that works to break the cycle of poverty through its efforts among middle school and high school students.
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College of Business alumni secured 52 of the businesses – including the top three -- in the 2025 Seminole 100, according to an update of an annual list that recognizes the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or led by FSU alumni. Joshua Orlinsky (BS Finance ’13) is managing partner of the No. 1 company on the list, Equiturn Business Solutions. Roberto Torres (BS Accounting and Finance ’05) is president of the No. 2 company, Black & Denim Apparel Company. Meanwhile, Sean Compton (BS Real Estate ’08) owns the No. 3 company, Southern Spear Properties LLC. FSU recognized the latest honorees during Saturday's ceremony at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. |
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Chris Spencer, an FSU alumnus and the executive director of the State Board of Administration of Florida, recently appealed to business students to consider launching their careers at the Tallahassee-based SBA. Among its responsibilities, the agency invests the proceeds of the $200 billion Florida Retirement System Pension Plan. “This will sound like a recruitment pitch because it is,” Spencer told students. Unlike in New York, he said, Tallahassee residents generally don’t have to deal with the hassle of snow, except for a freak winter storm in early February. Spencer spoke as the featured guest in the college’s Charles A. Bruning Distinguished Speaker Series. |
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Former Aer Lingus CEO Stephen Kavanagh emphasized the value of simplicity at the college this week, sharing insights from his remarkable career journey from a shy airport worker to successful airline executive. Introducing Kavanagh as part of the Dean’s Distinguished Speakers Series, Dean Michael Hartline highlighted Kavanagh’s 4,000-mile journey from Dublin to Tallahassee and said with a smile, “Stephen, I think you win the award for traveling the farthest.” Hartline and other FSU officials met Kavanagh during last year’s Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which Kavanagh co-chairs. Hartline bemoaned FSU’s 24-21 loss but championed the opportunity to meet Kavanagh there and host him here. |
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You know a building is close to completion when attention turns outdoors. Here’s what has happened outside Legacy Hall, the college’s spectacular future home, this month alone: Sidewalks began to get poured, and the crane that stood over the five-story facility for almost two years came down. The focus soon will include landscaping, starting with two 25-foot oak trees planted on the site, including one near the building’s West entrance. Meanwhile, work with brick, glass, lights and drywall, plus commons-area terrazzo flooring, continues. Completion remains scheduled for fall, with the first classes in January. “I cannot wait to see the atrium buzzing with students, faculty and staff!” Dean Michael Hartline said. #OurFutureIsWow
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FSU’s Great Give – a university-wide day of giving to FSU campaigns – is Wednesday, March 5, and the college seeks your support for its 75th Anniversary Fund. The fund supports events, marketing and other activities that spotlight the milestones, evokes the memories and honors the movers and shakers of the college’s 75 years. Events and activities this year include creation and installation of a stained-glass window in Dodd Hall and planning and hosting 75th anniversary events throughout the year. Be sure to give from the college’s campaign page on Wednesday, March 5! |
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We’d love to hear and share your story about FSUBiz as we commemorate the college’s 75th anniversary with a yearlong #75Years75Moments feature. Please fill out our quick online form to share any comments, anecdotes, remembrances, photos or videos about your time in the college. And be sure to follow our anniversary coverage on our social media channels! |
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Lee, Held appointed to key roles
Michael Hartline, dean of the college, this month announced two key appointments: Ruby Lee as the Bob Sasser Professor of Marketing and the director of the Rockwood School of Marketing and John Held as interim chief development officer. Lee had served as interim director of the school since August after Mike Brady, the school’s first director, started a new role as assistant provost in an expansion of his current duties as the university’s faculty athletics representative. Held joined the college as director of development in October. He previously worked as executive director of gift planning at Missouri University of Science and Technology. |
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On the strength of a $500,000 grant, the Dr. William T. Hold/The Alliance’s Program in Risk Management and Insurance delivered to state regulators an analysis of the National Flood Insurance Program and solutions to managing Florida’s growing risks from hurricanes and other natural disasters. The Florida Legislature awarded the grant in the fall through the state Office of Insurance Regulation, which sought the report from FSU’s Dr. William T. Hold/The Alliance’s Program in Risk Management and Insurance amid concerns from storm-impacted Florida homeowners. Chuck Nyce, chair of the Department of Risk Management/Insurance, Real Estate and Legal Studies, says the report underscores faculty members’ expanding work in public policy. |
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