Florida State University Vice President for University Advancement and President of the FSU Foundation Marla Vickers will step down from her position this summer.

Dr. Vickers, an FSU alumna and the first woman to serve in the role, joined Florida State in October 2022 and has led the university’s advancement and alumni engagement efforts during an important period for the institution.

She has overseen fundraising, alumni relations, donor engagement and communications initiatives supporting Florida State’s academic, research and student success priorities while also providing executive leadership to the FSU Foundation Board of Trustees.

During her tenure, Dr. Vickers helped launch and lead Florida State’s new comprehensive fundraising campaign and guided major philanthropic initiatives from a national model of excellence.

Among the most significant milestones during her leadership was Anne Spencer Daves’ landmark gift to the College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, resulting in the renaming of the college in her honor. The designation marked the first time an FSU college was named for an alumna and established the Anne Spencer Daves College of Education, Health, and Human Sciences, known as Anne’s College, as the first named education-related college in Florida.

Dr. Vickers also helped advance Dr. Herbert Wertheim’s $65 million investment in the College of Business, the university’s largest endowment gift in its history, which named the Herbert Wertheim College of Business and the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence. She worked closely with donors, alumni, volunteers and university leaders to strengthen philanthropic support across the university and expand engagement with the FSU community worldwide.

“Marla has provided exceptional leadership for University Advancement and the FSU Foundation during an important period for Florida State University,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “Her leadership was instrumental in advancing our comprehensive campaign and supporting transformative investments such as the renaming of Anne’s College and the Herbert Wertheim College of Business. As a Florida State graduate, she brought a deep understanding of this university and a genuine passion for its future. We are grateful for her service to Florida State and wish her all the best.”

For Dr. Vickers, the opportunity to return to her alma mater and help advance the university’s mission through philanthropy and engagement made her tenure especially meaningful.

“Returning to Florida State to serve my alma mater has been one of the great privileges of my career,” Dr. Vickers said. “I am deeply grateful to President McCullough, our alumni, donors, volunteers, my team and colleagues throughout the university for their partnership and support. Together, we have strengthened the foundation for Florida State’s future, and I will always cherish the opportunity to be part of the university’s continued growth and success.”

Before joining Florida State, Dr. Vickers served as associate vice president of Advancement at Emory University, where she directed fundraising and alumni and constituent engagement efforts for eight academic schools and units. She also held advancement positions at Yale University, the University of Chicago, George Washington University, Duke University and Georgetown University.

Dr. Vickers earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, a master’s degree from Florida State University, an MBA from George Washington University and a doctoral degree from Vanderbilt University.

Florida State University will launch a national search for its next vice president for University Advancement and president of the FSU Foundation. Information regarding interim leadership will be announced in the coming weeks.

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Florida State University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Business set aside Thursday, April 16 to tip a red hat – or hundreds of red hats – to the college’s biggest benefactor.

The college’s inaugural Red Hat Day featured students, faculty, staff, alumni and university officials who gathered, topped in red, in honor and celebration of Dr. Herbert Wertheim, whose record philanthropic investment launched a new era of preeminence in the college and whose ever-present red fedora has emerged as a collegewide symbol of distinction and optimism.

“Wear your red hat with joy,” Dr. Wertheim said during an afternoon ceremony inside the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence.

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Florida State University’s College of Business will take a monumental step in advancing its reputation as one of the top public business schools in the nation thanks to a $65 million philanthropic investment from Dr. Herbert Wertheim. 

Wertheim is a billionaire optometrist, inventor, businessman, philanthropist and the founder and president of Brain Power Incorporated (BPI), the world’s largest manufacturer of optical tints. He is renowned for his extensive philanthropic and leadership efforts, particularly in public education, health, and the arts, as chairman of his Family’s Foundation.  

Wertheim’s commitment includes financial support to endow and name the college the Herbert Wertheim College of Business and rename Legacy Hall, the college’s world-class new building, the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence. His investment is the largest philanthropic endowment gift in FSU’s history and the second-largest philanthropic gift FSU has ever received. 

“My belief in the transformative power of education and healthcare inspires me every day, and I am truly excited to partner with Florida State University to help lift the College of Business to new heights,” Wertheim said. “Together, we will empower students and future leaders to drive meaningful progress, advance innovation in healthcare and business, and create lasting opportunities that benefit our communities and the world.”

“My belief in the transformative power of education and healthcare inspires me every day, and I am truly excited to partner with Florida State University to help lift the College of Business to new heights. Together, we will empower students and future leaders to drive meaningful progress, advance innovation in healthcare and business, and create lasting opportunities that benefit our communities and the world.” — Dr. Herbert Wertheim

Significantly, Wertheim’s remarkable investment comes as the college moves into its new facility, located just south of the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, and celebrates its 75th anniversary as a separate academic unit. Also, college officials expect a record 10,000 students for the spring semester. 

“We are extremely grateful and humbled by the incredible generosity of Dr. Wertheim,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “This transformational philanthropic investment will propel the college forward and empower generations of future leaders in the global marketplace.” 

In addition to naming the college, the philanthropic investment creates several endowed funds to support various initiatives within the college, including faculty development, Horatio Alger scholarships and other scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, student professional development opportunities, funding to support preeminence and emerging trends, and a new Wertheim Business of Healthcare Initiative. 

The Wertheim Business of Healthcare Initiative will train business students to fill critical gaps in the healthcare business workforce and work with leaders in the healthcare industry to solve its most vexing problems.  

Wertheim’s investment establishes two endowed chairs: the Herbert Wertheim Chair in Health Systems Operations and the Herbert Wertheim Chair in Healthcare Workforce Leadership. These chairs will support faculty members whose scholarship and teaching are dedicated to the continuous improvement of healthcare operations and systems, as well as workforce modernization in healthcare settings. These efforts align with the university’s bold new FSU Health initiative and its emphasis on healthcare in academic programs, research, and investment, including the Wertheim College’s new MBA major in healthcare administration and its annual Business of Healthcare Summit. 

“This initiative will train business students to fill critical gaps in the healthcare business workforce and work with leaders in the healthcare industry and government to tackle pressing healthcare issues now representing more than 17% and $4.5 trillion dollars of the U.S. economy,” Dr. Wertheim said. 

Part of the total philanthropic investment will name the college’s new facility, which stands as the largest academic building in FSU’s history. The Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence will host its first classes in January, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for January 6. 

“Generations from now, we will point to this monumental investment as profoundly pivotal in both the trajectory and impact of the college,” said Michael Hartline, dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Business. “We will continue to generate innovative research and equip graduates to lead in the global marketplace, knowing this infusion of new financial support will allow us to strengthen our best work while also launching important new initiatives.” 

Dr. Wertheim’s $65 million catalytic philanthropic investment is part of $431 million in investments made by the state, private donors, corporations and foundations that will allow the Wertheim College, university and the FSU Health initiative to pursue excellence at the highest level and inspire future philanthropic investments from other donors. 

The Herbert Wertheim College of Business and the Herbert Wertheim Center for Business Excellence will serve as lasting tributes to the stature and business prominence of Dr. Wertheim. 

Wertheim’s transformative contributions have led to the establishment of seven additional named academic institutions in Florida and California: the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the Wertheim College of Nursing & Health Sciences and Wertheim School of Music & Performing Arts at Florida International University; the Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering and the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology at the University of Florida; the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at the University of California San Diego; and the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of California Berkeley. 

A self-made Horatio Alger recipient and Forbes 400 billionaire, Dr. Wertheim holds the conviction that education serves as a means of dismantling societal obstacles, thereby enhancing the overall well-being of the community and humanity. His gifts and benefactions create formal and informal opportunities for the local and global community that help address some of the most pressing healthcare challenges facing society today. 

Born into a working-class family, Dr. Wertheim overcame early academic challenges and pursued an education in optometry and optical engineering, driven by a passion for science and an innate curiosity. 

In 1971, Dr. Wertheim founded Brain Power Incorporated (BPI), a pioneering company in optical color tints, chemicals and scientific instruments and materials, which has played a critical role in the advancement of eye health for more than 50 years. He is the first doctor to indicate and promote the danger of UV light to the eye and to prescribe his breakthrough invention of UV light absorbers for lenses that has prevented millions from potential diseases and blindness. 

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