Trevor Colbourn, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs second president, led the charge to expand βFloridaβs space universityβ from Florida Technological University to the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½.
Trevor Colbourn was born February 24, 1927, in Armidale, New South Wales, Australia.
Colbourn earned a bachelorβs degree in history from the University of London, a ³Ύ²Ή²υ³Ω±π°ωβs in history from the College of William and Mary in Virginia, and a Ph.D. in American history from the Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
He went on to teach history at Penn State University and Indiana University Bloomington before moving into administration. He also served as the graduate dean at the University of New Hampshire and academic vice president and eventually acting president at San Diego State University.
In 1978, he became president of Florida Technological University, after founding president Charles Millican retired.
In addition to a high-profile name change, Colbourn also established ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs honors program that would later become the Burnett Honors College and a football program that has earned national rankings; nurtured a fledgling research park; established ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs Institute for Simulation and Training; and developed a partnership with Orange County that created thousands of high tech jobs and helped transform the regionβs economy.
Under his tenure, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ also introduced the stateβs first stand-alone doctoral program in computer science, followed by Ph.D. offerings in civil, computer, electrical, mechanical, industrial and environmental engineering; business administration; and human factors psychology. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ also expanded ³Ύ²Ή²υ³Ω±π°ωβs and bachelorβs programs, dedicated new buildings at the Daytona Beach and Cocoa campuses and established Greek Park on the main campus.
He oversaw enrollment growth from 11,000 to 18,000 students and an increase in research funding from $3.8 million to $16.4 million annually. The ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ Foundationβs assets increased from almost $800,000 to more than $11 million.
βChange is what higher education is all about,β Colbourn once said. βThis institution has a distinguished past and will have a much more distinguished future. Itβs been a lot of fun, some anguish and certainly no regrets.β
A Foundation of Excellence
Since 1968, ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ has grown from a small, technological school to one of the nationβs largest universities, constantly gaining in quality. Our legacy for excellence was built by leaders who believed in the power of education to transform lives, communities and our entire state.
