# Lynn University

Lynn University is a private university in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. Founded in 1962, the university awards associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. It is named for the Lynn family (Christine E. and Eugene M. Lynn). It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 3,520.

## History

The school first opened in 1962 as Marymount College, a women's junior college founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary (RSHM). Due to financial hardship Marymount College sought to sell the books of its library. Donald E. Ross visited the campus to purchase the library, but was so inspired by the school he decided to stay and help it succeed. In 1971, a period of transition began, and the school was placed under the control of a lay board. At that time, Donald E. Ross was named president. In 1974, the name was changed to the College of Boca Raton. The college was granted accreditation at Level II in 1986. In 1988, it was accredited at Level III. During this time, it was transformed from a two-year school to a four-year college with a master's program.
The College of Boca Raton became Lynn University in 1991 to honor its benefactors, the Lynn family.
In 2003–2004, Donald E. Ross was paid a salary of over $5,000,000, making him at the time the highest-paid college or university president in the nation. Lynn University retained the national accounting firm KPMG to determine an equitable retirement compensation package for Ross considering his performance and 35-year term of service ("More than $4.5 million was put aside for his planned June 2006 retirement – an influx of cash designed to make up for decades of no retirement benefits" being allocated due to budget concerns). This was a third of the endowment for the university. On July 1, 2006, Ross retired after 35 years as the university's president; Kevin M. Ross succeeded his father in office.
On October 22, 2012, the university hosted the third and final 2012 U.S. presidential debate between U.S. president Barack Obama and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney concerning U.S. foreign policy. The debate was held at the Keith C. and Elaine Johnson World Performing Arts Center and was moderated by journalist Bob Schieffer of CBS News.

## Academics
### Academic programs

Lynn offers an undergraduate and graduate curriculum. Lynn offers more than 50 undergraduate degrees and 14 graduate degrees through its six colleges. Lynn's core curriculum, the Dialogues] was recognized by Inside Higher Education as an example of how colleges and universities can increase the rigor of their academic offerings and improve the comprehensive education of their students.

### Dialogues

All undergraduate students at Lynn University complete the core curriculum the Dialogues. The core curriculum is taught through 12 courses centered on three themes: Self and Society; Justice and Civic Life; and Belief and Reason. In addition to liberal arts knowledge, the Dialogues core curriculum also focuses on skills and knowledge areas essential to the success of the 21st century student—Quantitative Reasoning and Scientific Literacy.

### January term

All undergraduate day students must also complete the three-course requirements of the January Term (J-term). J-term is a three-week immersive program focusing on three core areas.
* Citizenship: "Enhance the community and make an impact on issues like homelessness, environmental sustainability and urban renewal."
* Language and culture: "Learn the way of life, cuisine and language of other countries through interactive exploration."
* Career preparation: "Build your resume, learn new interviewing skills, land an internship and get prepared for your future career."

### Colleges and schools

* College of Arts and Sciences
* College of Business and Management
* Burton D. Morgan College of Aeronautics, which is certified by the Federal Aviation Administration as an aviation training center. It is named in honor of Burton D. Morgan, an entrepreneur.
* Donald E. and Helen L. Ross College of Education
* Eugene M. and Christine E. Lynn College of Communication and Design
** Digital Media Arts College
* Lynn University Conservatory of Music

### Lynn University Conservatory of Music

Founded in 1992 as the music division of the Harid Conservatory, the Conservatory of Music became part of Lynn University in January 1999. The conservatory presents more than 50 performances each year. The Philharmonia orchestra is directed by Guillermo Figueroa.

### iPad initiative

In 2013, Lynn launched the iPad initiative. This initiative:
* is applicable to all Lynn University students
* replaces traditional textbooks and saves students up to 90% on traditional textbook costs.
* features Lynn's core curriculum on e-readers enhanced with custom multimedia content.
* provides students with education, productivity, social and news-related iOS apps—some free and some paid for by the university.
In 2016, Lynn elevated the program by providing all undergraduate day students and faculty with an iPad Pro, Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard. Lynn has been recognized as an Apple Distinguished School since 2014 for innovation in learning, teaching and campus environment.

## Athletics

Lynn University's athletic teams are known as the Fighting Knights. The university is an NCAA Division II institution, the college's athletic teams participate in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC). Lynn University teams have won a total of 25 NCAA and NAIA national championships, and 47 Sunshine State Conference championships. Men's varsity sports are baseball, basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, tennis, swimming, cross country and track & field. Women's varsity sports include basketball, golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, volleyball, cross country and track & field. Lynn has rapidly expanded its athletics roster since 2012, adding eight new programs: men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming, and men's and women's cross country and track & field.

## Notable alumni

* Joseph Abruzzo – Democratic member of the Florida Senate
* Gülşah Akkaya – Professional basketball player
* Jean Alexandre – Professional soccer player
* Tal Erel – Baseball catcher for the Israel national baseball team
* Kendra Erika – Musician
* Scott Gordon – Professional soccer player
* Svetlana Gounkina – Russian golfer; multiple Russian national champion; bronze medalist in the World Golfers Championship
* Maha Haddioui – Professional golfer and Olympian from Morocco
* Tommy Kahnle – Professional baseball player
* Lisa Kerney – Former ESPN broadcaster
* John McCormack – College baseball coach at Florida Atlantic
* Tim Melia – Professional soccer player
* Jared Montz – Professional soccer player
* Melissa Ortiz – Former player for the Colombia women's national football team
* Sherrexcia Rolle – Bahamian attorney and VP of operations and General Counsel of Western Air
* Ronald L. Rowe Jr. – Director of the United States Secret Service, 2024-2025