LAKELAND, Fla. (August 25, 2006) — Lawrence E. Ross, the Anne and Bill France professor of business and coordinator of the graduate program at Florida Southern College, has been awarded an academic grant valued at $50,000 by WebSurveyor, a company specializing in online survey software and services, for use of the company’s software as a teaching tool. His students will use the survey software to conduct market research analyses for actual clients, in accordance with the college’s emphasis on active learning opportunities for all students.

“The most powerful learning takes place when students apply classroom lessons in real-life settings,” said Ross. “Students in my marketing research class have been conducting surveys for clients for years now, but the more current the technology the students use, the more relevant their learning is to the business field upon graduation. This online survey software is state-of-the-art, so this grant provides a wonderful learning opportunity for our students.”

The WebSurveyor software will allow students to create online surveys, quickly gather data, and analyze and share results through professional reports. Ross has won permission to use the software at no cost for two years.

About Florida Southern College
Founded in 1885, Florida Southern College is a private, comprehensive, United Methodist college with a liberal arts core. The college maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 38 undergraduate majors and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, and nursing. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student/faculty ratio, provides strong student/faculty mentorship programs, boasts 25 NCAA Division II national championships, and is ranked by U. S. News and World Report as one of the top ten Southern Comprehensive Colleges-Bachelors and by the Princeton Review as a “Best Southeastern College.” Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world’s largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.