On Jan. 24, 1851, the West Florida Seminary (Florida State University) was chartered  by an act of the General Assembly of Florida that called for the establishment of two seminaries of higher learning, one to the east and one to the west of the Suwannee River.

In 1901, the school was renamed “Florida State College” in order to reflect changes that had been made to the curriculum.  By this time, the school had expanded, boasting clubs and organizations, participation in intercollegiate athletics, and dormitories.

In 1905, the Florida legislature passed the Buckman Act in an attempt to reduce duplication in Florida’s institutions of higher education. As a result, Florida State College was renamed “Florida Female College” and was transformed into a college exclusively for white women. In 1909, the name of the institution was changed to the more grammatically correct “Florida State College for Women.”

With the end of World War II and the Congressional passage of the GI Bill, there was an enormous influx of male students looking to earn a college degree. In 1947, Florida’s governor signed a bill transforming both Florida State College for Women and the University of Florida, which had been exclusively for white male students, back into coeducational institutions. The Florida State College for Women was then renamed Florida State University (FSU).

Florida State University is one of 12 public institutions in the State University System (SUS) of Florida. The Florida Board of Governors coordinates the universities in the SUS and oversees the Florida State University’s Board of Trustees.  Today, FSU is composed of 17 colleges and institutes and offers more than 300 programs of study, including law and medicine.