Last Friday, I had the pleasure of inducting alumni from the Class of 1966 into the Majestic Owls Society. The Society was established in 2015 to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of each graduating class from FAU, beginning with our first alumni from the Class of 1965.

Much has changed since our Majestic Owls were students at FAU. In fact, we weren’t even known as “Owls” yet. In 1966, our Boca Raton campus consisted of a few buildings: the Library, Learning Resources Building, Sanson Science Building, General Classrooms South, Algonquin Hall and a cafeteria. The Humanities Building including the University Theatre and the Administration Building were added that year. Our student body has grown from fewer than 3,000 students to more than 30,000.

Members of the Class of ’66 include Dan Mica, who was FAU’s first student body president and went on to become a U.S. congressman, and Eduardo Padron, president of Miami Dade College, who recently was named a recipient of the 2016 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

We’re very proud the accomplishments of all of our Majestic Owls and appreciate the faith they had in our fledgling university so many years ago. Happy 50^th Anniversary, Class of ’66! Go Owls!