Year in review: Florida State University’s momentum defined 2025

Florida State University moved through 2025 with steady momentum and a clear sense of purpose. It was a year marked by major milestones, bold investments and a community that pulled together through challenge and progress.

This year, FSU celebrated its highest-ever national ranking, record-breaking graduation and retention rates, significant steps forward for FSU Health, history-making research expenditures, the completion of the new home of the College of Business and a fifth national championship for women’s soccer.

NATIONAL RANKINGS

• FSU bolstered its standing as one of the nation’s top public universities. U.S. News & World Report ranked Florida State No. 21 among public universities and No. 51 nationally, the highest overall in school history. The university also earned top marks for First-Year Experiences and Learning Communities.
• Niche ranked FSU the No. 11 Top Public University in America, with several programs landing in its national Top 10. Princeton Review again ranked FSU No. 2 for student experience.

STUDENT SUCCESS

• FSU broke its own records in graduation and retention rates, securing its role as a formidable national leader in student academic success. Freshman retention reached 97%. The four-year graduation rate rose to a record 78%, and the six-year rate reached 86%. Transfer students set a new high with an 80% graduation rate, the best ever in the State University System.
• FSU also expanded access and opportunity. First Lady Jai Vartikar’s First-Gen Explorers launched with new support for internships and study abroad, and the Center for Academic Retention and Enhancement (CARE) added a Global Learning Community through International Programs.
• FSU reinforced its commitment to first-generation student success during its second annual Horizons Unlimited Conference. Nearly a quarter of FSU’s undergraduates are the first in their families to attend college.
• FSU launched the FSU D.C. Study Away Program, a new housing and internship option for students looking to gain hands-on experience in the nation’s capital. Located in Washington, D.C., the program will provide students with the opportunity to obtain direct experience through internships at agencies, advocacy and association groups, corporations and government sites.
• Two Florida State University College of Arts and Sciences students, Grace Hickey and Kaya Simmons, have been awarded the 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholarship, a national honor recognizing outstanding undergraduates pursuing research careers in natural sciences, mathematics and engineering.
• President McCullough appointed Joe O’Shea as Vice President for Student Academic Success, a new role responsible for overseeing the university’s award-winning student academic success initiatives. The new senior leadership position was established to advance FSU’s student-centered mission and lead the university’s comprehensive efforts to recruit, retain and graduate an accomplished student body.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION

• FSU set new benchmarks in research this year. Faculty submitted $1.22 billion in proposals and reached $487 million in research expenditures, a 50 percent increase since 2021.
• Discovery Days, now in its third year, highlighted the strength of this work. More than 2,500 people attended talks, demonstrations and showcases across campus.
• The National High Magnetic Field Laboratory set a world record with a new compact superconducting magnet. This latest record was achieved with a miniature electromagnet with the moniker “Little Big Coil.”
• Florida State University has tapped aerospace leader and decorated test pilot Drew Allen to head its high-impact initiative, InSPIRE — the Institute for Strategic Partnerships, Innovation, Research and Education. InSPIRE is FSU’s effort to turn Northwest Florida into a hub for aerospace and defense innovation.
• FSU furthered its efforts to advance quantum science and engineering through its Quantum Initiative. Over the past two years, FSU has hired seven new faculty members and 11 postdoctoral fellows as researchers seek a greater understanding of how to apply these new technologies to improve our world.
• The College of Law launched a new academic and legal initiative that’s attracting national attention for its anticipated role in shaping high-impact constitutional litigation. The first and only First Amendment Clinic in the state will focus on defending First Amendment rights and be led by Professor Denise M. Harle, a partner at Shutts & Bowen LLP and nationally recognized expert in constitutional law.
• The Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship became the first U.S. college to partner with global retailer UNIQLO. The strategic partnership provides FSU’s Retail Entrepreneurship Program access to UNIQLO’s Management Candidate Program, preparing the next generation to take on a variety of roles as innovators, talent developers, problem solvers and business leaders.

FSU HEALTH

• FSU reached a landmark agreement with Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare to create an academic health center that will anchor the future of FSU Health. The partnership will connect education, research and patient care to support communities across North Florida.
• FSU and City of Tallahassee City Manager Reese Goad agreed to a proposed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that will serve as the basis for the transfer of all City-owned hospital assets currently leased to Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Inc. This agreement will begin the transformation of the hospital into a full academic health center, operating under FSU Health.
• FSU named Jeremy Slaga its first Vice President and Chief Clinical Operations Officer. The collaboration will expand clinical training, support research growth and bring new health care options to the region.
• FSU is taking the lead as a national beacon for pediatric rare disease research. With the signing of HB 907, the Sunshine Genetics Act, by Gov. Ron DeSantis, FSU’s College of Medicine will house the newly established Florida Institute for Pediatric Rare Diseases. This transformative act jumpstarts the Sunshine Genetics Pilot Program with $3 million in funding and lays the groundwork for a $100 billion genomic medicine industry in Florida.
• FSU launched the Institute for Connecting Nutrition and Health, or ICON-Health, to tackle diet-related chronic diseases through multidisciplinary nutrition research. ICON-Health is bringing together researchers from a variety of disciplines to work on problems that will move nutritional science forward.
• FSU will enhance nursing education and health care innovation in Northwest Florida thanks to $10 million from Bruce and Tracey Berkowitz and the Fairholme Foundation. This historic gift — the largest ever for FSU’s College of Nursing — will support expanding the undergraduate nursing program and nursing innovation at the Panama City campus, aiming to improve regional health care and address the local nursing shortage.

NEW FACILITIES

• FSU completed Legacy Hall, the new home of the College of Business, which will open in January. The 218,000-square-foot building will give students modern classrooms and collaboration spaces and bring faculty and industry partners together in one place.
• The university opened the Interdisciplinary Research and Commercialization Building, adding major new space for materials science, quantum technology and industry collaboration.
• IGNITE Tallahassee, a 40,000-square-foot incubator, opened at Innovation Park to support early-stage companies and turn university research into real-world solutions.

THE ARTS

• FSU marked 25 years of stewardship of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, which now welcomes 400,000 visitors annually and has added more than 12,000 works to its collections.
• FSU acquired the Governor’s Square movie theater for the College of Motion Picture Arts, giving students and alumni a dedicated space for screenings, collaboration and community events. The college retained its distinction as the fourth-ranked public film school in the nation while climbing to No. 14 in The Hollywood Reporter’s 2025 rankings of top U.S. film schools, up from No. 17.
• The College of Fine Arts launched the Institute for the Arts and Art Therapy with the Imprisoned, the first of its kind, led by Professor Dave Gussak.
• The College of Music celebrated 125 years of musical excellence, with its Music Therapy Program celebrating its 70th anniversary.
• Florida State University’s Office of Research hosted the Festival of the Creative Arts, a campuswide collaborative event highlighting the different voices, talents and creativity of FSU faculty and students throughout January and February. Departments from across campus celebrated the innovation and creative excellence that result from combining various modes of expression and subjects.

FACULTY ADVANCEMENT & RECOGNITION

• FSU welcomed three new National Academy members: Regan Bailey and Patrick Stover in the College of Medicine, and A. Stewart Fotheringham in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.
• Vice President for Research Stacey S. Patterson was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, an honor that is nationally recognized as the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors.
• The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) named four Florida State University faculty members — Hoyong Chung, Yaacov Petscher, Prashant Singh and Branko Stefanovic — as 2025 NAI Senior Members. NAI Senior Members are active faculty, scientists and administrators with success in patents, licensing and commercialization and have produced technologies that have had real impact on the welfare of society
• President Richard McCullough was inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame, joining a prestigious group of innovators at a ceremony in Tampa in October. He received the honor in recognition of his pioneering research on regioregular polythiophenes and other groundbreaking organic electronic materials. His accomplishments also include founding companies that have driven the commercialization of printable electronics and reactive metal inks, furthering advancements in the field.
• Pamela Keel, professor of psychology, was named the 2025-2026 Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor.
• Gwen Welliver, associate professor in the School of Dance, was honored as a Guggenheim Fellow, joining the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation’s prestigious 100th class for her innovative work in choreography.

FSU GLOBAL

• FSU broadened its global footprint this year through strengthened faculty collaboration and transformative student experiences worldwide. In the IIE Open Doors 2025 Report, FSU ranked No. 1 among public universities and No. 4 overall for long-term study abroad. The First Year Abroad program welcomed a record 314 students for its 20th anniversary.
• FSU was named a Fulbright Top-Producing Institution, expanded its academic reach with the launch of a fully online Intensive English Program, and celebrated its international heritage on campus with the October unveiling of bronze statues cast from the same molds as those at FSU Florence.
• In November, FSU further advanced global collaboration when the Learning Systems Institute convened more than 340 education leaders from 41 countries in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, through a partnership with the World Bank and UNESCO to address the worldwide teacher shortage.

CAMPUS CORNER

• FSU’s campus and Tallahassee were transformed by a rare winter storm on January 21-22, when unprecedented snowfall and ice blanketed the area. Classes were canceled, and students enjoyed the once-in-a-generation experience by building snowmen, sledding and capturing memorable photos of frosted campus landmarks.
• The FSU Flying High Circus reached a defining moment in 2025 as its new big top rose on campus, replacing the landmark tent destroyed by the May 2024 tornadoes and restoring a cherished symbol of tradition and student artistry.

ATHLETICS

• Florida State claimed its fifth national soccer title by defeating Stanford 1-0 in the NCAA Women’s College Cup championship on Dec. 8 at CPKC Stadium, Kansas City. It was the program’s second title in the past three years.
• FSU completed major improvements to Doak Campbell Stadium and opened the Dunlap Football Center.
• Construction moved ahead on the new Women’s Lacrosse complex, with the inaugural season beginning in February.
• Student-athletes recorded strong academic results. The NCAA reported a 91 percent Graduation Success Rate, a school record.

FSU REMEMBERS

• The FSU community demonstrated remarkable strength and resilience in the aftermath of the April 17 campus shooting. The university continues to mourn the two lives lost that day — Robert Morales and Tiru Chabba — and heartfelt sympathy remains with the families and students affected by the shooting. FSU held a Gathering of Unity vigil, opened the Student Union for reflection and provided consistent support for the community. The response showed how closely the campus pulls together in difficult moments. Campus safety also underwent significant enhancements over the summer, including the installation of new classroom locks, panic buttons, lockdown systems and the expansion of safety training programs.
• In August, the FSU family also gathered to celebrate the life of President Emeritus John Thrasher, honoring his decades of leadership and service. Thrasher, who died on May 30, served as FSU’s 15th president from 2014 to 2021. Under his leadership, the university climbed in national rankings, completed its largest fundraising campaign to date, and set records for graduation and retention rates.
• The FSU community remembered the profound legacy of renowned chemist and inventor Robert Holton, who passed away on May 21 at the age of 81, leaving behind an indelible mark on science and medicine. His pioneering work on the synthesis of the cancer drug Taxol revolutionized its accessibility, benefiting patients worldwide.
• In June, the FSU community lost Alan Marshall, the pioneering chemist whose work revolutionized analytical chemistry. Marshall, who passed away at 81, was renowned for founding and leading the FT-ICR Facility at the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory.

FSU PREPARES TO CELEBRATE 175TH ANNIVERSARY

• Florida State will celebrate its 175th anniversary in 2026. First Lady Dr. Jai Vartikar will lead a yearlong commemoration that honors the university’s history and highlights its growth across Florida and the nation.