Founded in 1883, Stetson University is a collegiate institution based in central Florida. The university is named for its benefactor and hat manufacturer John B. Stetson, and its motto stands as ‘For God and Truth’.
The three campuses of Stetson are based in Gulfport, Tampa and a primary campus in DeLand for undergraduate and graduate programmes. The College of Law dates back to 1900 and was the first law school in Florida, and ranks among the best law schools nationwide for trial advocacy and legal writing. Its satellite campus in Tampa also shares space with an active court, Florida's Second District Court of Appeal.
The College of Arts and Sciences is comprised of 19 academic departments and several interdisciplinary programmes. At the School of Music at DeLand performances are a held at the historic Lee Chapel, which can seat 700 people and contains a Beckerath organ and two Steinway concert grand pianos. Also hosted at DeLand is the School of Business Administration, which is accredited by the AACSB International in both business and accounting courses dating back to 1897.
Athletics teams are known as the Hatters, and compete in the NCAA Division I. There are eight men’s sports programmes and ten women’s, including American football which was reinstated in 2013, the same year that women’s lacrosse was added. Basketball and volleyball teams play at the Edmunds Centre, which can seat up to 5,000 people.
Founded in 1970 by student John Fraser, the model United States Senate at Stetson is the longest running project of its kind. Annually in March students from across the nation attend this senate to learn and perform correct procedure, and the event regularly invites sitting US Senators.
Among the alumni of Stetson are two former Florida governors, Doyle Carlton Sr. and David Sholtz, fomer US senator and administrator of the US Veterans Administration Max Cleland, the late actor Ted Cassidy and the president of Delta Air Lines Glen Hauenstein.
