Rollins College

Rollins College is a private liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida. Founded in 1885, it is one of the oldest colleges in the state and operates as a primarily undergraduate institution with additional graduate programs. Rollins offers programs through its College of Liberal Arts, the Crummer Graduate School of Business, and its professional and continuing studies division. The college emphasizes small class sizes and close interaction between students and faculty. Its lakeside campus near Orlando supports a residential learning environment that attracts students interested in the liberal arts, business, and interdisciplinary study. Rollins also competes in NCAA Division II athletics as the Tars.

Rollins College was founded in 1885 by New England Congregationalists who sought to establish a liberal arts institution in Central Florida. Incorporated on April 28, 1885, in nearby Sanford, the college opened for classes in Winter Park on November 4, 1885. Edward Payson Hooker, a Congregational minister, served as the first president of Rollins College. From its beginning, the institution was coeducational and nonsectarian. In the early twentieth century, Rollins College expanded its academic offerings and campus facilities. Under President Hamilton Holt, who served from 1925 to 1949, the college introduced the Conference Plan in 1927, emphasizing discussion-based classes and close faculty-student engagement. Throughout the later twentieth century, Rollins College added graduate and professional programs, including business education. Today, Rollins College continues to operate as a private liberal arts college in Winter Park, maintaining its historic campus and academic traditions while serving undergraduate and graduate students.