Eckerd College Eckerd College is a private 4 - year coeducational liberal arts college at the southernmost tip of St . Petersburg , Florida , in the Tampa Bay metropolitan area . The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools . Campus . Eckerd College has a suburban campus on Frenchman ' s Creek and Boca Ciega Bay , about from Gulf of Mexico beaches . The campus is near , but separate from , residential and commercial neighborhoods of St . Petersburg . The college is committed to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable campus , supported by such initiatives as its Yellow Bike program . The college has several architectural styles , but a common feature is the use of glass and external views to emphasize a connection with the environment . Recent campus additions include the Peter H . Armacost Library , Iota residential housing complex , sports facilities , a renovated student center and the renovated Miller Auditorium . Other campus buildings include those designed and used for classrooms , laboratories , offices , conferences , theatrical productions , musical instruction , art exhibits , athletic events , and student services . The just - finished Iota housing complex was constructed to be ecologically friendly . The James Center For Molecular and Life Sciences , a , $ 25 million USD laboratory facility , opened in February 2013 . Dolphins and manatees can sometimes be seen swimming near the college ' s South Beach area . Campus birdlife includes great blue herons , cranes , egrets , pelicans , wood stork s , cormorants , roseate spoonbill s , bald eagles , hawks , pileated woodpecker s , and many species of seagulls . Alligators are occasionally seen in campus ponds . Students . There are 1 , 819 full - time degree seeking students and 163 faculty members ( 109 full - time and 54 part - time ) , for a 11 : 1 student : faculty ratio . The college ' s students come from nearly every state , with about one - quarter from Florida . The gender distribution is 42 % male and 58 % female . The college ' s Program for Experienced Learners serves about 1 , 500 non - traditional student s , with classes taught largely in the evenings and on weekends . At the May , 2011 commencement , 393 degrees were awarded in the residential program and 139 in the Program for Experienced Learners . Admission Profile . Class of 2014 Applications : 3 , 246 Accepted : 2 , 325 ( 72 % ) Average GPA : 3 . 3 / 4 . 0 SAT middle 50 % : 1005 - 1230 | Average : 1123 ACT middle 50 % : 23 - 28 | Average : 25 Geographic Distribution Average Distance from home : Florida : 17 % | Mid - Atlantic : 22 % | Midwest : 17 % | New England : 18 % | South : 12 % | West : 11 % | US Abroad : < 1 % | International : 3 % Top 10 Intended Majors Undecided | Marine Science | Biology | Pre - Med | International Relations and Global Affairs | Environmental Studies | Visual Arts | Communication | Literature | Academics . Eckerd College awards both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees . While known for programs in Marine Science , Chemistry , Environmental Studies , International Business , and Creative Writing , among other subjects , Eckerd offers majors covering the entire spectrum of the liberal arts . Degree programs in 38 fields are available , along with opportunities for student - designed majors . From its founding , the college has encouraged responsible innovation in all of its academic programs . For example , Eckerd College originated the 4 - 1 - 4 academic calendar , with the " 1 " representing the Winter Term during the month of January , in which each student concentrates on a single class . Before graduation , students in nearly all majors are required to either pass a senior - year comprehensive examination or to complete a senior thesis project . All students must complete a senior seminar course in their final year . Since Eckerd faculty are encouraged to be , and many are , active scholars , numerous undergraduate research opportunities are available to students . One such long - running research effort is D . A . R . W . I . N . , a computer science project ( partnered closely with marine science ) to automate dolphin dorsal fin recognition . A United States Geological Survey center in St . Petersburg provides further research opportunities . Eckerd College graduates have received prestigious awards for advanced study through the Rhodes , Marshall , Hollings , Fulbright , Rotary , and National Science Foundation programs . Phi Beta Kappa ( Eckerd is one of the youngest colleges in the country to be awarded a chapter ) and Sigma Xi are among the nationally recognized academic societies at Eckerd College . Eckerd ' s Ethics Bowl teams have consistently captured awards in intercollegiate competition , winning the competition for seven straight years ( 2004 - 2011 ) . Supporting the academic program is the Peter H . Armacost library , a $ 15 million state - of - the - art facility opened in January 2005 . The two - story library is conveniently located near the college ' s student center and dormitories . It houses book and periodical collections and features seating for about 400 , including seventeen group - study rooms and fifty - eight computer stations . Both high - speed cable and wireless connectivity are available throughout the library . Opportunities for study - abroad are available at Eckerd College , with students having traveled to all seven continents for academic work . For over 30 years the college has maintained the Eckerd College Study Centre on London ' s Gower Street . Eckerd hosts a significant international student population in its traditional program , and short - term English - immersion courses are held in a dedicated on - campus facility . Since 1980 , Eckerd College has also been the home of the Leadership Development Institute that provides managers and executives with the time , tools , and setting needed to explore and strengthen their leadership skills . Rankings . Eckerd College is also one of only forty liberal arts schools profiled in Loren Pope ' s Colleges That Change Lives , and was ranked # 138 among all national liberal arts colleges in the United States by US News and World Report . Eckerd was also named one of thirteen " Institutions of Excellence in The First College Year " by the Policy Center on the First Year of College . Athletics . Eckerd College is a member of the Sunshine State Conference ( NCAA Division II ) fielding 13 athletic teams in coed and women ' s sailing , men ' s and women ' s basketball , men ' s and women ' s soccer , baseball , volleyball , men ' s and women ' s golf , men ' s and women ' s tennis , and softball . The Eckerd varsity sailing team competes nationally as a member of the SAISA ( the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association ) and is a member of the ICSA ( Intercollegiate Sailing Association ) . The college ' s basketball and volleyball teams play in the McArthur Physical Education Center ' s gymnasium . A swimming pool , adjacent to the gymnasium , is open to all students . Eckerd ' s mascot is the Triton , and the school ' s colors , teal , navy and black were adopted by the athletic programs in 2005 ; previously the school ' s colors had been black , red , and white . In 2006 , for the first time in the 24 - year history of the Eckerd College Women ' s Volleyball program , the Tritons qualified for the NCAA South Region tournament . In addition to Division II teams , Eckerd students also participate in club sports such as rugby union , lacrosse , and field hockey . The Eckerd College Men ' s Lacrosse Team finished the 2006 season ranked # 3 in the National Collegiate Club Lacrosse Poll , with a 13 - 1 record . Since its founding in 2003 the team has captured two state championships , a regional championship , and a third - place national finish . In 2000 , the Eckerd ' s Men ' s club Volleyball Team won the NIRSA Division II Sports Club Volleyball Championships in Reno , Nevada . Campus life and activities . Eckerd College maintains a regular series of on - campus events for the benefit and enjoyment of campus and community . The music , theatre , and art programs are active in staging concerts , dramatic productions , and artistic shows , respectively , throughout the academic year . On - campus speakers have included the late nobel laureate in economics , Milton Friedman , the late Israeli Foreign Minister , Abba Eban , Jimmy Carter , Michael Collins , Anderson Cooper , Jared Diamond , Gerald Ford , Stephen Jay Gould , Jesse Jackson , Coretta Scott King , Stephen King , Henry Kissinger , Richard Leakey , Dennis Lehane , Seyyed Hossein Nasr , William Proxmire , Paul Rusesabagina , Helmut Schmidt , Peter Singer , James Van Allen , Elie Wiesel , and Yevgeny Yevtushenko . Exactly eighty two different clubs and organized activities are available for Eckerd College students , funded and authorized by Eckerd ' s student government , the Eckerd College Organization of Students ( ECOS ) . ECOS has an operating budget of nearly a half - million dollars that it distributes to student - run clubs and organizations . Among these clubs and organizations are Eckerd ' s student newspaper , " The Current , " which can be found online at theonlinecurrent . com , a radio station ( WECX ) , an on - campus television station , a student programming board , Palmetto Productions , sports clubs , cultural clubs , and various academic - related clubs , such as those for anthropology ( The Bipedal Society ) , art , biology , chemistry , philosophy , law , and foreign languages . Among the service clubs are campus chapters of Amnesty International , Circle K , and Habitat for Humanity . The Alliance for Concerned Individuals was founded in the spring of 2003 as the non - partisan successor to an anti - war club , entitled EC Iraq Awareness , to promote activism and awareness on campus . Eckerd College also hosts the EC Coalition for Community Justice , a group seeking to raise campus housekeepers ' wages . Eckerd ' s Waterfront Program is a center of watersport activities , such as sailing team , skiing , kayaking , and fishing . An award - winning student group , Eckerd College Search and Rescue ( EC - SAR ) , assists the U . S . Coast Guard in rescue operations throughout the Tampa Bay area . In 2008 , Eckerd was ranked as # 7 on a list of " Top 20 Wired Colleges " , according to the Princeton Review and PC Magazine . In 2006 , Eckerd was ranked # 18 . The 2008 and 2006 rankings are to be contrasted with Eckerd ' s performance in 2003 , when it made it no further than # 350 . About 80 % of Eckerd students live in on - campus dormitories that are either co - educational or all - female ; there are no all - male dorms . Eckerd College has eleven dormitory complexes , each with a name from the Greek alphabet . Among these , Alpha , Beta , Gamma , Delta , Epsilon , Zeta , Kappa , and Iota complexes offer traditional dorm - style housing . Omega and Nu complexes house upperclassmen , and are organized around suites on each floor . An on - campus hotel facility was recently converted for student use , and is now called Sigma complex . The newest dorm complex , Iota , opened on September 30 , 2006 . A long - standing , unusual feature of Eckerd College is that a few residence halls are set aside as " pet dorms " for students wishing to bring small animals to campus . Other special residence halls include " Wellness Houses " , that promote healthy living , and service - learning dormitories , for students interested in monthly community service projects . Smoking is not permitted inside Eckerd College dormitories . History . Eckerd was founded as Florida Presbyterian College after World War II as part of national growth in post - secondary education driven by returning GIs entering college and the anticipated baby boom of children . The United Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church ( US ) worked together to start the college , receiving a charter from the Florida legislature in 1958 and opening in 1960 . In 1971 , Jack Eckerd donated $ 12 . 5 million to the college , the largest single gift it had received to that date . The following year the institution ' s name was changed to Eckerd College to recognize Mr . Eckerd ' s support . A covenant relationship is still maintained with the Presbyterian Church ( USA ) . The past presidents of the college are William Kadel ( 1958 - 1968 ) , Billy Wireman ( 1968 - 1977 ) , Jack Eckerd ( 1977 , Interim President ) , Peter Armacost ( 1977 - 2000 ) , and Eugene Hotchkiss ( 2000 - 2001 , Interim President ) . Dr . Donald R . Eastman III has served as President since July 1 , 2001 . In the 1980s , during the tenure of President Armacost , the college embarked on an extensive development program for land owned adjacent to its main campus . This development included the construction of waterfront homes and a retirement center . Financial irregularities related to these projects were discovered by the Board of Trustees in the spring of 2000 , resulting in President Armacost ' s retirement , the loss of a significant fraction of Eckerd ' s endowment , and , eventually , loss of the partially developed land adjacent to the campus . The Board of Trustees pledged to bring the endowment back to its original level and , according to the college ' s website , has done so . In May , 2006 , Miles Collier , the Chairman of Eckerd ' s Board of Trustees , and his wife , Parker Collier , announced a $ 25 - million challenge gift to the college . The " Collier Challenge " will be a dollar - for - dollar match to donations of $ 25 , 000 and higher . In November , 2008 , alumnus Grover Wrenn , a member of the founding class in 1960 , gave the college a $ 1 - million gift , the largest from an alumnus . Mr . Wrenn ' s gift will rise to $ 2 - million when matched with the Collier Challenge . Also in November , 2008 , Mr . and Mrs . Collier added $ 15 - million to their earlier donation .