Telling the Rollins Story
To achieve the aspiration that we’ve laid out in our vision statement—“to be one of the nation’s leading colleges, emphasizing academic excellence, global citizenship, personal growth, and responsible leadership”—we must clearly differentiate Rollins from its competitors in the increasingly competitive higher-education market. Over the past several years, we’ve taken the first step in that effort: refining a collection of messages that capture Rollins’ essential nature.
The next step is just as important. We, as a community, must embrace this clear, differentiating message and apply it in a consistent, disciplined way when we communicate about the College. In other words, we all need to sing from the same hymnal. This site is that hymnal.
This digital messaging platform articulates the College’s core messages and supports each with a set of proof points and stories that help reinforce these strategic statements. This site is designed as an internal resource—a tool to help all of us more effectively tell the Rollins story—and it should not be shared outside the College. The site’s proof points and stories, however, are meant to be shared, and we hope you find them a useful resource as you help us share the Rollins story with prospective students, alumni, parents, community members, and others.
The Office of Marketing will continually update the site with new proof points and stories, so we encourage you to bookmark the site and refer to it frequently.
Rollins is built on a human scale.
We’re powered by relationships, especially the partnerships between inventive, inspiring faculty and motivated, industrious students. Through this intimate and personalized learning environment, students are mentored and challenged by expert faculty every day, helping them unlock their unique potential to make the world brighter, smarter, and more enterprising.
Proof Points
- U.S. News & World Report ranked Rollins the No. 2 regional university in the South in 2022-23 for its uncommon commitment to teaching undergraduate students.
- The average class size at Rollins is 17, and the student-to-faculty ratio is 11:1.
- More than 90 percent of College of Liberal Arts classes are taught by full-time Rollins faculty.
- More than 600 students and 100 faculty have participated in Rollins’ Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program since its inception in 1999.
Stories to Share:
- Two Decades of Discovery: Celebrating the 20th anniversary of Rollins’ Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program by looking back at 20 of the program’s most significant accomplishments.
- Mentors Matter Most: From original research to globetrotting field studies, explore 11 ways meaningful mentorship will maximize your #Rollins Life.
- The Chemistry of Connection: How chemistry professor Ellane Park connects with her students both in and outside the classroom
- Craft Commune: Rachel Simmons ’97’s printmaking studio is a hotbed of collaborative creation.
- Colleagues in Curiosity: Students and faculty work side by side to tackle some of their fields’ most pressing issues as part of Rollins’ Student-Faculty Collaborative Scholarship Program.
- Return Engagement: The Rollins way of doing things set these seven alumni professors up for postgraduate success—and pulled them back to teach.
- The Fantastic Dr. Fuse: How physics professor Chris Fuse parlayed his love of the fantastical into a career in science and now uses that passion to inspire his students.
Rollins is globally engaged.
From semester- and summer-long programs to faculty-led field studies throughout the year, Rollins students are empowered to explore the world and test their ability to make it better. Along the way, they gain the courage to put their ideas to work in the world and the know-how to implement them, sharpening their knowledge on the stone of experience.
Proof Points
- More than 70 percent of College of Liberal Arts students study abroad.
- Rollins consistently ranks among the top 10 master’s-granting institutions nationally for the percentage of students who study abroad.
- Rollins offers more than 90 study-abroad programs through its Office of International Programs.
- The U.S. Department of State has named Rollins a top producer of Fulbright Scholars 10 times. Since 2006, Rollins has produced 60 U.S. Fulbright students.
- International students comprise more than 10 percent of the student body in the College of Liberal Arts (Fall 2022).
Stories to Share
- 10 Reasons Rollins Delivers the Best in Study Abroad: From deep cultural immersion to rigorous coursework, here are 10 of our favorite ways Rollins consistently ranks among the top institutions in the country for study abroad opportunities
- Partners in Progress: On this field study, students don’t have to move a mountain. But with the help of a Rollins graduate and an entire village, they’re helping transform one.
- Sustainable Roots: Environmental studies professor Barry Allen’s Costa Rican field studies have been preparing Rollins students to become the next leaders in conservation for more than two decades.
- Water Works: Science and service converge in a Rollins field study that has helped bring clean water to the Dominican Republic for more than two decades.
- Global Citizenship in Action: How Rollins’ Global Links Initiative is creating cross-cultural bridges between Rollins and women entrepreneurs in the developing world
- The Ambassadors: For nearly 70 years, Rollins graduates have served as stewards of international goodwill through the Fulbright Program.
- The Re-Education of Rwanda: Professor Scott Hewit is determined to change education in a small Rwandan village where the lights don’t always turn on and the psychic scars of genocide are all around.
Rollins is entrepreneurial.
When higher education grew static and stilted, Rollins convened a conference to reimagine it. When we saw opportunities to bring our students—to bring education itself—more fully into the world, we seized them. When we don’t see opportunities, we make them.
Proof Points
- In 2015, the College launched Rollins Foundations in the Liberal Arts, an innovative general-education curriculum designed to prepare students to develop solutions to tomorrow’s most pressing problems.
- U.S. News & World Report ranked Rollins among the top 5 most innovative regional universities in the South in its 2022-23 rankings of Best Colleges.
- Rollins is home to Rally, an accelerator program that propels qualified social entrepreneurs to build their ideas into self-sustainable ventures within the Central Florida community.
- Rollins’ social entrepreneurship program was the first in the world to earn accreditation from AACSB International, the world’s leading association of business schools.
- Rollins’ 3/2 Accelerated Management Program allows students to earn a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from the Crummer Graduate School of Business in just five years.
- In 2018, a team of Rollins students advanced to the finals of the Hult Prize, the world’s most prestigious collegiate competition for social innovation startups.
Stories to Share
- Entrepreneurial Ecosystem: From courses and programs to pitch competitions and mentorship, Rollins provides students and alumni a network of resources to transform ideas into successful ventures.
- Future Proof: Why a Rollins education is perfect prep for our ever-evolving world.
- Financing a Better Future: How William Glass ’14 and Andrew Holliday ’13 developed a passion for helping others eliminate financial stress.
- Standing Guard: By founding two companies focused on risk management and security, childhood refugee Akmal Ali ’03 devotes each day to keeping us safe.
- The Artrepreneurs: Armed with arts degrees, these Rollins grads have harnessed their creative passions to launch successful businesses in everything from organic spirits to footwear.
- Power Play: Four Rollins social entrepreneurship students are literally bringing power to the people with a portable upcycled battery that harnesses renewable energy for those who need it most.
Rollins is civic-minded.
Our faculty-led field studies, student-led Immersion programs, and initiatives in leadership and community engagement have won national recognition. Our innovative, interdisciplinary core curriculum allows students to engage with some of the world’s most pressing issues. We’re proud to be agents of change, in our backyard and around the world.
Proof Points
- SPARC Day—the College’s annual day of service—is meant to ignite interest and passion in first-year students, encouraging them to ask tough questions about themselves, others, and the issues facing communities in the 21st century.
- In over 15 years of SPARC Day, more than 10,000 Tars have contributed over 40,000 hours to 75 community partners across Central Florida.
- Rollins was ranked No. 1 in the nation for the highest percentage of students who participate in alternative breaks for the 2018-19 academic year. It was the seventh consecutive year that Rollins has ranked in the top 5 and the fifth time the College has held the top spot.
- Rollins is one of just 42 colleges and universities in the world to earn Ashoka U’s Changemaker Campus designation.
- In 2020, Eliane Heller ’21 became the seventh Rollins student to earn Campus Compact’s Newman Civic Fellowship, which recognizes and supports students committed to achieving social change.
Stories to Share
- Making Films That Make a Difference: How this trio of alumni is helping shape the world through documentary film.
- Vet with a Cause: Marissa Cobuzio ’19 is pursuing a career in mission-based veterinary medicine because she loves animals—and people.
- Champions for Change: A prestigious leadership development program backed by the U.N. is putting Rollins students on the front lines of today’s most challenging issues.
- The Making of an Advocate: Elizabeth Smith ’22 ’24MPH came to Rollins wanting to embrace a new beginning. That all changed when the world was thrown into chaos. Now, she’s emerged from the pandemic as a fierce advocate for disability rights.
- Ingrid Ryan ’24 Earns Leadership Alliance Award
- Rollins Ranked as a Leader in Alternative Breaks
- Wild Wonders: Service and adventure converge on an Immersion experience in the Everglades, where hands-on learning leads to lasting impact.
- Leadership Lessons (L)earned: These Rollins College grads credit thriving careers in medicine, law, and business to lessons learned in service of others.
Rollins is rigorous.
Rollins is a comprehensive liberal arts college committed to providing a transformative education in a healthy, responsive, and inclusive environment. We are dedicated to scholarship, academic achievement, creative accomplishment, cultural enrichment, social responsibility, and environmental stewardship. Our graduates leave Rollins as global citizens and responsible leaders empowered to lead meaningful lives and forge productive careers.
Proof Points
- U.S. News & World Report ranked Rollins the No. 1 regional university in the South in its 2022-23 rankings of “Best Colleges.”
- For more than 25 consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Rollins among the top 2 regional universities in the South.
- Phi Beta Kappa, the world’s oldest and most prestigious academic honor society, installed a chapter at Rollins in 2022, a historic milestone that affirms the value of a Rollins education and the importance of our mission.
- In 2019, Forbes ranked Rollins’ Crummer Graduate School of Business the No. 1 MBA program in Florida and the No. 51 MBA program in the nation.
- Rollins was ranked the No. 1 liberal arts college in Niche’s annual rankings.
- Rebecca Charbonneau ’16 was one of just 35 U.S. students to earn a 2018 Gates Cambridge Scholarship. She received her PhD in the history of science at the University of Cambridge and is now the historian-in-residence at Harvard’s Center for Astrophysics.
- Isaac Gorres ’21 earned a 2020 Goldwater Scholarship, the preeminent undergraduate award in the fields of mathematics, engineering, and the natural sciences.
- First-generation college student Wyatt Deihl ’21 was one of just 62 students to receive a 2020 Truman Scholarship, the nation’s foremost award for those seeking to make a difference in public policy.
Stories to Share
- We’re No. 1! Rollins is one of the nation’s best colleges, but don’t just take our word for it. Explore some of the ways college experts rank Rollins No. 1.
- Rollins Ranked No. 1 Regional University in the South
- Rollins Inducts First Members of Phi Beta Kappa
- My Rollins Gateway: How Rollins prepared Francisco Wang ’22 to pursue one of the world’s most prestigious graduate programs at the University of Cambridge
- Emily Curran ’22 Earns National Science Foundation Fellowship
- Isaac Gorres ’21 Earns Goldwater Scholarship
- Wyatt Deihl ’21 Earns Truman Scholarship
- Jacqueline Bengtson ’22 Earns Fulbright and Critical Language Scholarships
- Space to Explore: How Rollins prepared Rebecca Charbonneau ’16 to thrive at two of the world’s most prestigious universities
- Rollins Ranked No. 1 College in Florida
- Rollins Ranked No. 1 in Leadership Development
Rollins is committed to excellence on and off the field.
Rollins knows athletics is about more than winning games. It’s about building relationships, developing character, and learning to lead. These traits help our student-athletes set the pace—in competition and in the classroom. With the highest academic success rate in the Sunshine State Conference, Rollins ranks among the nation’s best in blending academic and athletic success.
Proof Points
- Rollins has won 23 national championships, 93 Sunshine State Conference Championships, and 10 Sunshine State Conference Mayor’s Cup Championships.
- Rollins has earned the Division II Presidents’ Award for Academic Excellence for 12 consecutive years.
- Rollins student-athletes have posted a cumulative GPA above 3.0 for 40 straight semesters.
- Jessika Linnemeyer ’22, a biology major and volleyball star, earned an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship, a prestigious award given to student-athletes who excel in both academics and athletics.
- Rollins’ 2021-22 men’s baseball team competed in the NCAA II College World Series, where they made it to the national semifinals.
Stories to Share
- Jessika Linnemeyer ’22 Earns NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship
- Rollins Ranked in Top 5 Nationally for Athletic and Academic Excellence
- Fielding Success: How Rollins prepared Damian Clarke ’19 to succeed both on the field and in the lab
- Eye on the Ball: Across multiple sports and in the classroom, the Tars turned in fantastic finishes for the 2021-22 school year.
- Jakobi Bonner ’20 Selected for NCAA Leadership Forum
- Lizzie Berry ’19 Named Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
- Greg Taicher ’19 Named Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Rollins is ideally located to deliver a 21st-century liberal arts education.
Our idyllic residential campus is situated in the heart of Winter Park, a friendly cosmopolitan community on the edge of Orlando, one of the fastest-growing metro areas nationally and one of the most diverse and innovative cities in the U.S. Rollins grads are ready to lead anywhere in the world, but they don’t have far to look for opportunity.
Proof Points
- Rollins is consistently ranked among the country’s most beautiful campuses. In 2015, The Princeton Review named Rollins the No. 1 most beautiful college campus in the nation.
- Forbes ranked Orlando in the top 10 for best big city in the U.S. for jobs and the No. 1 metro area with the most STEM job growth.
- Orlando was ranked the No. 1 city in the U.S. for job growth in 2019 by the U.S. Department of Labor.
- WalletHub ranked Orlando as the No. 1 best city in which to start a career and the No. 6 best city for jobs.
- WalletHub ranked Orlando as the No. 1 best city for college students in the country and the No. 4 midsize college city in the U.S.
- WalletHub has ranked Orlando in the top 10 for internships per capita, and Rollins has an entire office dedicated to helping Tars secure the best resume-builders in The City Beautiful.
- WalletHub ranked Orlando No. 2 on its list of the most fun cities in America.
- More than 150 international companies representing 20 countries do business in the Orlando area.
Stories to Share
- 11 Reasons Orlando is the Best College City in America
- Gateway to Greatness: Summer 2020 Rollins Gateway internships
- Investing in Opportunity: Summer 2019 Rollins Gateway internships
- 50 Reasons Tars Love Winter Park and Orlando
- Clinical Trials: For a decade, an intensive shadowing program at Florida Hospital has helped prepare Rollins undergrads for careers in medicine.
- Blogs & Brews: An opportunity for first-year students to work with a real-world client delivers big gains on both sides.
Rollins is a diverse and inclusive community of learners.
Rollins fosters a diverse and inclusive campus community and celebrates the open exchange of ideas within a climate of civility and mutual respect. We view differences—from race and ethnicity to sexual orientation and political perspectives—as rich opportunities for understanding, learning, and growth.
Proof Points
- The Rollins student body includes students from more than 60 countries and more than 40 states.
- In 2021, the College launched a strategic plan for diversity, equity, inclusion. President Cornwell appointed a DEI Strategic Initiative Steering Committee with faculty, staff, and student members and five task forces to address our community’s principal questions surrounding DEI.
- Rollins’ cohort-based EMBARK program is designed to give students from marginalized populations a little more peace of mind as they transition to college life. The program begins before students even start classes and introduces them to new friends who share unique experiences and social identities.
- Rollins has an active Diversity Council and several other diversity-related organizations that promote multicultural awareness and inclusiveness.
- Rollins boasts more than 150 student organizations, from the Asian American Student Association and Black Student Union to Spectrum (LGBTQ+) and Voices for Women.
Stories to Share
- My Rollins Life: Discover how Carley Matthews ’22 is using her voice to redefine the role of leadership.
- My Rollins Life: Learn how Jaheim Morris ’24 is taking advantage of every opportunity at Rollins to get involved and chart his own personalized path to success.
- My Rollins Life: Explore how Angelica Rivera ’23 has leaned into Rollins’ unique model of mentorship to forge connections and explore new paths.
Rollins is an engine of opportunity.
Rollins believes every student should have access to a transformative education. Through its College of Liberal Arts, Crummer Graduate School of Business, Hamilton Holt School of Professional Advancement, and Hamilton Holt School of Graduate Studies, Rollins offers an immersive learning experience to meet the unique needs of a wide array of students.
Proof Points
- More than 95 percent of College of Liberal Arts students receive some form of financial aid.
- Each year at Rollins, students receive more than $83 million in state, federal, and institutional resources.
- The average aid package for enrolling first-year students with demonstrated need is $35,000.
- Rollins offers a multitude of partial merit scholarships that range from $15,000 to $30,000.
- Since 2005, Rollins has awarded nearly $20 million through the Alfond Scholars Program.
Stories to Share