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Stetson's Florida Firsts

As Florida's first private university, Stetson University has set the standard for excellence in many ways since being established in 1883.

• Stetson was the first private university in Florida to be granted a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, the nation's oldest and most prestigious undergraduate honors organization.
• The Stetson College of Law was the first law school in Florida. 
• The College of Law was the first in Florida to admit women.
• The first woman lawyer in Florida to earn a law degree graduated from Stetson College of Law in1908.
• Stetson was the first private university in Florida to enroll African-American students.
• In Florida, Stetson University played the first intercollegiate basketball games (both men's and women's), the first intercollegiate baseball game and the first intercollegiate football game.
• The School of Business Administration was the first in Florida.
• The School of Music was the first in Florida.
• Stetson is home to the first college newspaper in Florida, The Stetson Reporter, founded in 1887.
• The Eugene M. and Christine Lynn Business Center was the first building in Florida to be certified a green building by the U.S. Green Building Council under its Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System^TM. The designation was awarded in 2003.
• Stetson's Elementary and Secondary Education Programs were the first in Florida.
• Stetson's Geography Program was the first in Florida.
• Stetson is home to the first college-level Model Senate program.
• Stetson had the first collegiate theatrical company in Florida.
• The Stetson University Center at Celebration, which opened in September 2001, is Osceola County's first university campus.
• Stetson was the first educational institution to receive a Year 2000 Sustainable Florida Award honoring implementation efforts and community involvement in environmental issues.

Online Archives

Visit the Stetson University duPont-Ball Library's Digital Archives to learn more about the university's history, and to view photographs, yearbooks, bulletins and special collection memorabilia.