LAKELAND (Aug. 20, 2012) – For an unprecedented second consecutive year, Florida Southern College has been named the No. 1 Most Beautiful Campus in America by the prestigious Princeton Review.

The ranking was announced today in advance of tomorrow’s release of the 2013 edition of Princeton Review’s The Best 377 Colleges. Florida Southern received the same ranking in the 2012 edition of the college guide. The Most Beautiful Campus designation is a notable indicator of quality of life on college campuses, and Florida Southern’s inclusion in The Best 377 Colleges marks it as one of the country’s best institutions for undergraduate education.

This is the first time The Princeton Review has given the Most Beautiful Campus designation to the same college in consecutive years. It is the third year in a row FSC has been in the top 10 in the college guide’s list of Most Beautiful Campuses.

In addition, the College was ranked No. 11 in the category Everybody Plays Intramural Sports, the second year it has been ranked in the top 20 in the nation for participation in intramural sports.

The Most Beautiful Campus ranking follows the College’s designation earlier this year as a National Historic Landmark by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Last year, FSC was also selected as one of the nation’s “Ten College Campuses with the Best Architecture” by the distinguished journal Architectural Digest.

FSC is home to the largest single-site collection of structures designed by renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The College also boasts three buildings designed by Robert A.M. Stern, Dean of the Yale School of Architecture and classically styled buildings from the College’s earliest years in Lakeland.

“Our selection as the Most Beautiful Campus for an unprecedented second year in a row is truly gratifying,” said FSC President Anne B. Kerr. “It is a tribute to the vision of Mr. Wright, and it also recognizes our efforts to build upon this outstanding architectural legacy. The architecture and campus beauty reflect the stellar academic quality and vibrant student life programs at FSC. We are proud to be among the top 15 percent of America’s colleges listed in this prestigious guide.”

Florida Southern has just completed a major beautification project in the center of the campus. A magnificent, terraced green space, Mr. George’s Green, has been installed next to Allan Spivey Residence Hall, on the former site of the varsity tennis courts. The Green, named in memory of the late George Jenkins, founder of Publix Super Markets, provides a great space for a variety of student activities and concerts.

FSC also completed a striking new athletic complex, the Wynee Warden Tennis Center, which will be dedicated on Sept. 14, and an expansion to TûTû’s Cyber Café. Improvements are almost complete to the renovated Chas P. Smith Lobby at Jenkins Field House and the Bishop Robert and Faye Fannin Campus Ministries Center.

The Best 377 Colleges reports 62 lists of top 20 colleges in various categories. The lists are based on The Princeton Review’s survey of students at the colleges. Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and three colleges outside the United States are profiled in the guide. The Princeton Review's Web site explains the basis for each rating score in the book.