Online courses for students

Florida Atlantic University's presence on the Treasure Coast began with a few classes in teacher education at the Fort Pierce campus of then-Indian River Community College in 1974.More than 37 years later, FAU's College of Education is still the most popular college among students who attend the university's Port St. Lucie and Jupiter campuses.But with Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute joining FAU and biotechnology expanding in the region, FAU President Mary Jane Saunders said the university also is focusing on increasing research opportunities on the Treasure Coast and the number of courses students can take online.

More online class offerings can help Treasure Coast residents complete degrees without frequent drives to the university's main campus in Boca Raton.I think there is an era of excitement about where we are headed,Saunders said.Raising the research profile will be a great thing to do for the institution.Besides expanding the university's virtual education program, Saunders said she hopes that expansion could take place physically in residence halls she's proposing at Harbor Branch. Saunders would like to see more students studying marine sciences and oceanography at Harbor Branch.Having dorms is on my to-do list of things that will be important for Harbor Branch,said Saunders, adding plans are in early stages.If there's a residence hall, it's easy to move. You can go campus to campus to campus. But without a residence hall, it's a little bit more of a question of where you live in the community.

In 2007, Harbor Branch merged with FAU. The institute, which focuses on researching and conserving the world's oceans, estuaries and coastal regions, was in tough financial waters before the union.Harbor Branch has had a recent spurt of renovations, part of a larger $44.6 million campus redevelopment plan. A research lab is scheduled to open next month.Former FAU President Frank Brogan, who left FAU in September 2009 to be chancellor of Florida's state university system, helped make the merger happen.We have created something that is going to pay this state back over and over and over,Brogan said,not only in job opportunities and in amazing research but educational opportunities that are rapidly becoming a real envy of others in higher ed.

Brogan received a master's degree in education from FAU in 1981 and was a student in the university's early days on the Treasure Coast. He earned his degree when he was a teacher in the Martin County School District and took classes at the main campus in Boca and at the "Florida Atlantic University Extension held on Indian River's Fort Pierce campus.While FAU has expanded its course offerings locally to add nursing, engineering and other programs over the years, the most students still are enrolled in the college of education.Of the 402 students on the Port St. Lucie campus this fall, 219 students currently enrolled are in the college of education. And of the 1,275 students on the Jupiter campus this semester, 378 are in the education program, records show.

Saunders, who completed her first year as president in June, said university officials are working on defining the university's focus. They've come up with three areas: marine and coastal issues, biotechnology and contemporary societal challenges, which include topics such as aging and health care.Biotechnology is a growing speciality of the Jupiter campus and Brogan who was lieutenant governor under Jeb Bush before becoming president in 2003 is credited with forging partnerships with biotech giants such as The Scripps Research Center and the Max Planck Society, which have buildings on FAU's Jupiter campus.The partnerships with the biotechnology firms have helped the Jupiter campus transform into a graduate science center complete with its own medical Ph.D. program. It is also helping the university raise its research profile.

While doing $50 to 60 million a year in research is sizeable, there is so much more then they can and want to do in the world of research,Brogan said.I think the best days for FAU's research are still yet to come, and I think they are going to be a major research player on a national scale in the very near future.