Happy 25th Anniversary, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College!

Last night, Florida Atlantic hosted a 25^th anniversary celebration event for the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, one of the few university-affiliated, freestanding honors colleges in the nation. Along with this milestone, we also commemorated a quarter-century of achievement at the college’s home, the John D. MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, both of which opened in 1999.

The celebratory event took place at the Pelican Club in Jupiter and was attended by alumni, donors, faculty, staff and friends in the community. We also were joined by keynote speaker Ryan Serhant, founder and CEO of SERHANT real estate brokerage. He starred in Owning Manhattan on Netflix and has been featured in Million Dollar Listing New York.

The Wilkes Honors College is widely known for its exceptional research-based curriculum, high standards of excellence and expansive opportunities. Based on selectivity, rigor and benefits, it recently was ranked No. 17 among the Best Honors Colleges in the nation by College Transitions, and No. 1 in Florida. Its students also regularly receive high academic honors. In the past three years, five students from the Wilkes Honors College have been named Goldwater Scholars — the most prestigious national research fellowship for undergraduates.

Since 1997, when the land for Florida Atlantic’s Jupiter campus was donated by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the site has grown to become an epicenter for cutting-edge scientific discoveries. In addition to the Wilkes Honors College, the campus is home to the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute, the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) and the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology. Moreover, the FAU High School Jupiter Campus – in Partnership with Max Planck Academy, welcomed its inaugural class in 2020. It collaborates with MPFI to provide distinct opportunities for STEM-focused high school juniors and seniors. 

As the Wilkes Honors College and John D. MacArthur Campus continue to raise the bar for academic excellence and scientific breakthroughs, their roles will remain essential in solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges through research and innovation. I am deeply grateful to our incredible supporters who have contributed to the success of our students, programs, research activities and partnerships in Jupiter, and to everyone who joined us last night to celebrate this 25-year milestone. I look forward to a bright future with many more decades of success ahead.