2013–2014 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

university has supervised $75 million in new projects. New buildings
include the Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research,
Ruth Funk Center for Textile Arts, Scott Center for Autism Treatment,
Harris Center for Science and Engineering, Panther Dining Hall,
Panther Aquatic Center, Florida Tech Commons, Varsity Training
Center and a parking structure.
Since 1958, when 154 students signed up for the first fall semester, more
than 53,000 degrees have been earned by students at Florida Tech. As
the institution advances and the alumni ranks multiply, the university
remains dedicated to developing concerned scientists, aviators, engineers
and business leaders who will change the world.
CAMPUS ENVIRONMENT
Florida Tech’s campus is located in Melbourne, a residential community
on Florida’s Space Coast. The area offers a delightful year-round
subtropical climate and inviting ocean beaches. The campus is within
an hour’s drive from the entertainment areas in Central Florida and
is part of the Florida High Tech Corridor.
The university’s location gives it a unique place in the academic world.
Corporations whose scientists and engineers are making tomorrow’s
technological breakthroughs for the U.S. space program surround
the Kennedy Space Center. The space center’s proximity allows easy
interaction between space center personnel and the university community.
Moreover, the growing number of innovative high-tech businesses
and industries in the Melbourne area help to make Florida’s
business environment one of the most promising and exciting in the
nation, and helps university professors to stay abreast of the latest
challenges and developments in the scientific, technical and business
worlds. With both the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean
nearby, students in the oceanography, aquaculture, environmental science
and marine biology programs have ready access to the beaches
and waters for a variety of field experiments and research projects.
Overall, Florida Tech’s location is ideal for keeping pace with developments
in science, technology and business.
Facilities
The Botanical Garden is a lush Florida forest of palm, water oak
and tropical vegetation on campus. Visitors can enjoy leisurely walks
on the pathways through this garden. One path, the Dent Smith
Trail, is named in honor of the man who founded the Palm Society
and contributed significantly to the university’s palm collection. More
than 200 species of palm, some quite rare, are found on the campus.
The Emil Buehler Center for Aviation Training and Research
consists of a main building and 17,600-sq.-ft. hangar, located on eight
acres at Melbourne International Airport. In addition to flight training,
the building houses centers in human factors and simulation,
and room for a fixed-base operation with space for 56 aircraft on the
apron for student use and aviation services to the local population.
Special features include separate rooms for simulators and training,
a student lounge and airfield viewing room, lounges for both instructor
and general aviation pilots, conference and briefing rooms, a room
for weather/flight planning and offices for general operations. Emil
Buehler was an aviation pioneer, architect and engineer who left behind
a legacy of aviation science and technology innovation.
The Nathan M. Bisk College of Business building is located on
the south campus and houses offices for business faculty and administrators,
and a Student Resource Center.
4 Florida Tech 2013–2014
The Charles and Ruth Clemente Center for Sports and
Recreation is a $6.8-million sports complex that opened in fall 2001.
The 57,250-sq.-ft. facility houses varsity and intramural basketball
courts, a racquetball court, a complete fitness center, group fitness
room, volleyball and badminton courts, the Center Court food services
area, men’s and women’s locker rooms, an equipment checkout
area and two multipurpose meeting rooms. A complete outdoor recreation
rental program offers canoes, kayaks, camping and backpacking
equipment for rent. The 5,000-sq.-ft. weight and fitness area is
equipped with cardiovascular machines including treadmills, elliptical
machines, exercise bikes and stair-climbers, free weights and selectorized
weight equipment. Recreation and athletics department offices
are also located in the facility. The Clemente Center hires student
staff to work in the facility throughout the year.
The seven-story Frederick C. Crawford Building provides
space for modern laboratories, classrooms and faculty offices for
the mathematical sciences, and humanities and communication
departments. Also in the Crawford Building are the offices of the
director of graduate programs, vice president for research, associate
vice president for information technology and chief information officer
and assistant vice president for institutional compliance. In addition
to these, the building houses the Human-Centered Design Institute
and the office of its director.
The Homer R. Denius Student Center houses the SUB Café and
Deli, the university bookstore and the campus mailroom. Located
on the second floor is the Office of Student Life, which includes the
offices of the vice president for student affairs, dean of students, student
activities and orientation. The John T. and Martha Hartley Room
and offices for Student Government (SG), Campus Activities Board
(CAB) and other campus organizations are also on the second floor.
Located on the first floor of the Denius Student Center, the university
bookstore offers new, used and rental textbooks, office supplies, study
guides, magazines, postcards and imprinted giftware. Clothing for
all seasons, hats, umbrellas and an extensive collection of gift items
are also featured. Students may sell their used textbooks year-round
with a Florida Tech student ID card. Orders can also be made online
at www.fit.bkstore.com or by phone. Bookstore hours are Monday
through Friday from 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m., with extended hours at the
beginning of each semester.
The 65,000-sq.-ft. Evans Library and Learning Commons
is located in the Learning Pavilion, which also houses the
Applied Computing Center, Academic Support Center and a
teaching auditorium and café. The library’s website (lib.fit.edu)
is an electronic gateway to information in aeronautics, business,
engineering, humanities, psychology and the sciences. Its
Summon web-scale discovery tool offers web-like searching and
access to books, e-books, journals, e-journal articles, databases,
conference proceedings, newspapers and more.
Students begin the research process with multidisciplinary databases
such as Academic Search Complete, Biography Reference Bank, Gale
or ProQuest. More focused and comprehensive research continues
with electronic access to major indexing and abstracting services
including Chemical Abstracts (SciFinder), Biological Abstracts,
Compendex, Oceanic Abstracts, MEDLINE, MathSciNet, Science
Citation Index (Web of Knowledge) among others.