History of Florida Atlantic Univ.
I don't know how to post videos here, so I created a link to a YouTube video the school made a couple of years ago.
Some things that the video left out:
The old air field was a radar training facility during WWII and taught those on the Enola Gay before their mission to Japan
In the early 70's we were designated as an owl sanctuary by the Audubon Society. The air field (by then a small municipal airport) would scare off any predators the Burrowing Owl might have, hence the Burrowing Owls nickname. Although the campus is now much larger than it used to be, you can see many owls after sundown with their offspring.
In JFK's last speech (held in Tampa), he applauded Thomas Flemming for his efforts to create the public university, the first at it's time South of Gainesville. Flemming and the staff FAU had at them time sent JFK an invite to the opening ceremony, which was received the same day he was shot in Dallas. LBJ took his place at the ceremony.
The first Miami Dolphin cheerleaders were FAU cheerleaders. That pipeline still continues to this day.
All of the original dorms have been torn down for new large, modern towers.
As the video was made in 2011, here are some things that have changed since then:
President Obama started his campaign at FAU last Spring. Even though the administration insists that it was just another speech. I got to miss classes for a day, so I digress.
FAU's own Alfred Morris broke Miami's own Clinton Portis' the Washington Redskins record for most yards in a season... in just his rookie year.
Rusty Smith (I'm sure Memphis remembers him), was the first Owl to be drafted into the NFL. He was picked by Tennessee, and honestly hasn't done much since.
We have recently become known for
students that have lost their minds during final reviews as well as
a professor that lacks common sense.
Besides those two loonies, FAU is a great school, with nice (and hot) students, wise and helpful professors, and the nicest campus in the land. We're one mile away from the beach, which can be seen from the football stadium and some of the dorms. The city of Boca Raton is finally liking the idea of having a major university in it's city limits, and a revitalization project has started along the school's border. Towering apartment complexes have started going up, and new bars, clubs, and restaurants have opened for business along 20th St (soon t be renamed University St), all are a walking distance from the dorms and stadium.
If you want to get a sense of what FAU is like today, and where it will be in 5 years, think UCF 5 years ago, only with more palm trees and the night life is a couple blocks away.