Palm Beach Atlantic University

infobox University
name= Palm Beach Atlantic University
established= 1968
city= West Palm Beach
country= USA
endowment = $62.9 million
website= http://www.pba.edu
motto= Enlightening Minds, Enriching Souls, Extending Hands
president= David W. Clark
SGA president= Victoria Lott (So.)
state= Florida
mascot= Sailfish

Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) is a small comprehensive nondenominational (26 denominations represented in the student body) faith-based university with a core emphasis on character formation by integrating a Christian worldview with the liberal arts and selected professional studies. It is located one mile (1.6 km) from the Atlantic Ocean on the Intracoastal Waterway. Its purpose is to offer a curriculum of rigorous studies and a program of student activities dedicated to the development of lifetime learning, leadership and service to mankind. PBA is located in West Palm Beach, Florida, United States and has an enrollment of more than 3,200 students. The mean SAT is 1090. The student to faculty ratio is 15:1 with 161 faculty and 134 adjunct faculty. Dr. David W. Clark has served as president since 2003.

History

Palm Beach Atlantic University was the vision of and was founded by Dr. Jess C. Moody in 1968 while he was the pastor of First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach. He served until the first class graduated in 1972 and resigned from the presidency to focus on his duties at First Baptist Church. Two laymen of the church, Dr. Donald Warren and Riley Sims became involved as trustees before the university began and continued to contribute time and support for many years. Dr. Warren served as chairman of the trustees for 38 years until 2007

In July 1972, Dr. Warner E. Fusselle, previously President of Truett-McConnell College, became the second President of the university and led the accreditation process with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools which was achieved in December 1972.

Dr. George Borders, Vice President of Student Affairs at Stetson University, became the third President of Palm Beach Atlantic University in 1978. He was popular with students and the Florida Baptist Convention. After his resignation in 1981 to become the President of the Florida Baptist Foundation, Dr. Claude H. Rhea became president.

Rhea's leadership saw the development of the Rinker campus and expansion of academic programs. On a business trip to Paris, Dr. Rhea collapsed and died in the Paris-Orly Airport.

Dr. Paul R. Corts, previously president of Wingate College, became the fifth President of Palm Beach Atlantic. He presided over the growth to a university until 2002, with the addition of two graduate programs.He resigned in 2002.

Dr. David W. Clark, President of FamilyNet, and founding provost of Regent University became President in 2003. He has announced his resignation after the 2008-9 academic year.

Campus

PBA's campus is located in West Palm Beach on the Intracoastal Waterway. The first structure built specifically for PBA, the W.G. Lassiter Jr. Student Center, was completed in 1982. This was followed by Johnson Hall and Sachs Hall in 1989.

Residence halls include Okeechobee Hall, Rinker Hall, Baxter Hall, Johnson Hall, Pembroke Hall, Weyenberg Hall, Flagler Towers, Lakeview Apartments, and Mango Apartments.

Classroom buildings include the Vera Lea Rinker School of Music and Fine Arts, the Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy, Borbe Hall, MacArthur Hall, Rinker Hall, and the Okeechobee Building.

A continuous building program has characterized the last decade of growth at Palm Beach Atlantic University. In January 2007 the first phase of the state-of-the-art convert|62000|sqft|m2|abbr=on. Warren Library was dedicated. Construction continues on phase two, and the convert|86.000|sqft|m2|abbr=on. building will be completed in 2009. The building is named after Dr. Donald Warren, who served as the first chairman of the Board of Trustees for 38 years. The university has extension campuses in Orlando and Wellington offering adult and graduate degrees.

A new campus with outdoor athletic fields and a new athletic exercise and administration building is under construction. Located at the former historic Hillcrest neighborhood less than two miles (3 km) from from campus, the 90 acre campus will be completed in 2010.

National Rankings

* Palm Beach Atlantic achieved the status of 43rd in the Tier One Top 60 category of "Universities-Master's (South)" by US News & World Report [ [http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/t3univmas_s_brief.php USNews.com: America's Best Colleges 2009: Universities-Master's (South): Tier 1 ] ]

* The Princeton Review ranked PBAU One of the Best Southeast Colleges in 2008.

* Listed in "100 Best Buy Colleges" in the United States for 2007. One of only 4 in Florida.

* Listed by the Templeton Foundation as a College That Encourages Character.

Available Degrees

The University offers more than 60 majors but is best known for producing outstanding graduates in business, education, media communication, theater, music, ministry and counseling.

PBA also is renowned for its required community service program, "Workship" (a portmanteau of Work and Worship). Since the school was founded in 1968, 1.8 million hours of student community service have been given by the students and faculty.

The Gregory School of Pharmacy offers the Pharm.D. in pharmacy. It is one of four pharmacy schools in Florida.The University is organized into nine academic schools: Arts & Sciences, Communication & Media, Education & Behavioral Studies, Gregory School of Pharmacy, MacArthur School of Leadership, Ministry, Music & Fine Arts, Nursing, and Rinker School of Business. A new campus was established in Orlando in 2002 and in Wellington in 2007.

Accreditation & Memberships

Palm Beach Atlantic University is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education.

Membership is maintained in many organizations including:

* Independent Colleges and Universities of Florida
* The Florida Council for Teacher Education

* Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education

* Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education

* The National Association of College Admissions Personnel
* Council of Independent Colleges

* Association on Higher Education and Disability
* Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

Athletics

PBA is a member of the NCAA Division II and a member of the NCCAA. Presently, the "Sailfish" compete in eleven intercollegiate sports including women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's soccer, baseball, softball, men's and women's tennis and men's and women's cross country. School colors are navy blue and white. A new athletic campus, known as "Hillcrest," located on 96 acres about convert|2|mi|km from the main campus is under construction and will be completed by the end of 2009. The Palm Beach Atlantic Athletic Campus will have soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, basketball, volleyball and running trails as well as a new state of the art weight and training room. A new convert|34000|sqft|m2|abbr=on building will be constructed along with various other buildings.

Men's athletic teams

* Baseball
* Basketball
* Cross Country
* Soccer
* Tennis

Women's athletic teams

* Basketball
* Cross Country
* Soccer
* Softball
* Tennis
* Volleyball

References

* Paul W. Beasley. "Guided By God's Hand: PBA's First 35 Years." (Atlanta: Crux Communication, 2003).

External links

* [http://www.pba.edu/ Official website]
* [http://pbasailfish.com/ Athletics website]
* [http://www.pba.edu/catalogs/ Catalogs]
* [http://www.pba.edu/undergraduate/faculty.cfm Faculty]
* [http://www.pba.edu/graduatestudies/pharmacy/ Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy]
* [http://www.pba.edu/nursing/ School of Nursing]
* [http://www.pba.edu/library/ Warren Library]