Jeremy Martin, President, Florida Southern College
Jeremy Martin, president of Florida Southern College (FSC), spoke with Invest: about the school’s personal, dynamic approach to education, national enrollment environment, and the successful outcomes of graduates. He also shared details about FSC’s new athletic center and upcoming School of Architecture.
What are your immediate priorities for FSC?
Our priorities at FSC are to understand the drivers of our success, sustain enrollment growth, and to continue the robust alumni and donor engagement. In my role, it’s important to learn what works well before making any changes.
Another important priority is our emphasis on personal education. Our smaller size allows us to prepare students through dynamic, engaged learning. This sets us apart from the larger institutions in the state of Florida.
We have built on the exceptional liberal arts base at FSC through our WRIGHT Foundations curriculum. Every student gets a broad-based liberal arts education. Two-thirds of our graduates are now in the natural sciences, health sciences, or business. We are actively meeting the needs of Polk County, Florida, the country and world. That liberal arts base, combined with a career-focused and comprehensive education, is at the core of what FSC does for students.
How would you describe the state of higher education in the region? What are the key trends you are seeing?
Nationally, demographic changes present challenges for enrollment. Florida and the southeastern region are growing, and those population increases present opportunities for enrollment. Polk County is one of the fastest growing counties, so being a base for students who need an education is certainly an advantage for FSC. As other regions of the country experience declines, they’ll be more likely to recruit students from the southeast. The strength of Florida’s higher education institutions is a major factor in keeping that talent in the state.
How is FSC positioning itself to tackle challenges of affordability and outcomes?
The largest portion of our budget is allocated to financial aid and scholarships. We want FSC to be an affordable option for students. Outcomes drive return in higher education, and 98.5% of our graduates achieve successful outcomes post-graduation. That includes employment, admission to graduate and professional programs, and military commissions. These outcomes show potential students that there will be a significant return on their investment.
What are some of the recent milestones and achievements for FSC over the past year?
Polk County continues to see growth in the healthcare field. FSC is meeting the demand for healthcare workers by offering bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees through our School of Nursing and Health Sciences. We have achieved a 100% placement rate for all of our healthcare graduates, including physical therapy. FSC graduates are widely recognized by healthcare facilities across the region for their professionalism and skills. For three years running, FSC Career Services has ranked in the top-20 nationally; FSC is the only institution in Florida to do so.
We recently opened the Adams Athletic Performance Center for our NCAA Division II athletic program, a program that has already seen 30 national championships. This spring, we will open a major expansion of the Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art at FSC. We’re also preparing for the opening in fall 2025 of our School of Architecture, utilizing FSC’s distinction as the largest single-site of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture in the world.
What is your near-term outlook and top priorities for the higher education sector in Florida, and especially for FSC?
The top priority is to continue to offer an education differentiated by the value it provides our graduates. Through dynamic engaged learning, students who study at FSC are going to emerge with the skill set needed to excel in their careers and become leaders in their community and their field. There is increasing pressure to demonstrate the tangible value of a degree, and FSC emphasizes this through career readiness and strong outcomes.
