This book sets forth the history of intercollegiate athletics at Florida institute of Technology, commonly known as Florida Tech. Florida Tech was founded in 1958 on Florida's Space Coast in order to provide continuing education for engineers and scientists at nearby Cape Canaveral in the early days of space exploration. Within a few years, the university began to develop a robust intercollegiate athletic program. The book seeks to pay tribute to the men and women who have been responsible for the success of the program. At the same time, it illustrates how an intercollegiate athletic program can succeed and remain consistent with the core values of the university.
In today's environment of big-time college sports, the distinction between intercollegiate sports and professional sports becomes blurred as academic institutions compromise academic standards in pursuit of athletic success and devote a disproportionate share of resources to athletics at the expense of academic needs. The book makes a compelling argument that an intercollegiate sports program can support and enhance the academic objectives of the institution without compromising academic standards or misallocating resources.
Florida Tech competes In NCAA Division II and the highly competitive Sunshine State Conference. It does so while adhering to its rigorous academic standards with an emphasis on science and engineering. The book demonstrates that in order to maintain such an athletic program, the university must have a strong, well-articulated value system and must insist that all adhere to those values.
Another conclusion to be drawn from the book is that volunteers devoting their efforts to support the athletic teams can go a long way toward offsetting the limited resources available within the university's budget.
Readers should find comfort in the fact that this book demonstrates that even today an intercollegiate sports program can be managed in a manner that causes the program to provide all of the benefits that caused colleges to sponsor sports programs while avoiding compromising the values of the institution.