Florida State University

Leon County officials say the 2013 legislative session turned out well for the region. Schools, universities and state employees are all celebrating.

Local leaders met with state legislative delegates today on Tuesday to discuss how the laws and budgets passed this session will affect the local community.

Rep. Alan Williams (D-Tallahassee) said, this year’s budget includes pay raises for the thousands of state workers in the area, the first they’ve seen in seven years. And that should help boost the local economy.  

Longtime Florida State University administrator John Carnaghi has died. Carnaghi was a beloved member of the Tallahassee community and helped oversee a 22 year period of growth at FSU.

When John Carnaghi came to Florida State University in 1991, it was a far cry from the institution that exists today.

“The grounds weren’t clean. We didn’t have the kind of plants and flowers you see today. We didn’t have our accounts in order, there was no decent parking,” said former FSU President Sally D’Alemberte.

Florida State University is facing more fall out stemming from their failed partnership with a bankrupt animation studio that left Florida taxpayers 20 million dollars in the hole. Emotions are running high between the Chancellor of the Florida Board of Governors and the program’s students over a proposal to move the program to Tallahassee.

A burgeoning Florida State University film program could leave both students and taxpayers shortchanged.

On Sunday, August 19, Florida State University bid farewell to the man who started its Black Studies Program – and who inspired hundreds of students to spend their lives in pursuit of justice. 

He was a world-renowned academic, minister and activist for racial equality.  But what Bill Jones did best was teach. He was down to earth – cooking for students, loaning them money to keep them in school.  Above all, said Doctor Billy Close, now an FSU professor himself, Jones taught them – regardless of color, gender or orientation – to conquer their doubts.

Two students from the Florida State University film school are finalists in the national Sprite Films competition, which puts the winning film in theaters across the country this fall. The public can vote for the audience-choice award, now through the end of August at Sprite.com/films.

Florida State University students can expect to pay about 13-percent more for their classes this year, and FAMU students can expect a 12-percent increase. But that’s not what the two schools wanted.  The increases are a compromise of sorts between members of the state board that oversees Florida’s public universities.  And over the course of a two-hour meeting Thursday, votes over tuition increases were all over the place.

Thanks to Florida State University’s most recent student dance marathon, Big Bend Hospice will be able to help more young people deal with grief.  Tom Flanigan reports the check presentation took place Tuesday morning at the FSU College of Medicine.

“I want to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the college, said Associate Dean Dr. Alma Littles.

The reason for the occasion was a$20,000 check presentation to Big Bend Hospice.  Jake Poteet was one of the more than 1500 FSU students who raised the money through the school’s last Dance Marathon.

Florida State University is joining 14 other universities in bringing a lawsuit against a Georgia firm. Ryan Benk reports FSU claims the company is violating their trademark rights.

The Georgia company Signature Designs originally held a license to use the FSU logo. But, after university officials found discrepancies in their financial reporting in 2008, they terminated their contract. A lawyer representing the universities, Charlie Henn, says his clients discovered the trademark infringement after an online investigation.

For half-a-century, Florida was the center of gravity for America’s manned space program.  Now that program is essentially on hold.  Tom Flanigan reports the push is now on to redirect all the Florida resources once dedicated to the manned space effort to more earthbound uses.

Today, former Florida Lieutenant Governor Frank Brogan is Chancellor of the State University System.  But he vividly recalls something that fired his imagination when he was a little boy.