Sharp Fellowship supports Florida Southern business majors
|
The inaugural Robert R. and Peggy I. Sharp Fellowship in
Business was awarded to Lauren Novakoski. Pictured above
are (L-R): Peggy Sharp; Larry Ross (Professor of Business
Administration); Lauren Novakoski; Dr. Robert Tate (Vice President for Advancement); Robert Sharp; FSC President Dr. Anne Kerr.
|
LAKELAND, Fla. (April 14, 2005) - Robert and Peggy Sharp of Lutz, Fla., have established The Robert R. and Peggy I. Sharp Fellowship in Business to support business majors at Florida Southern College. The fellowship will provide scholarships and internship opportunities for students, with preference to those preparing for careers in travel, geography, or the hospitality industry. The Department of Business and Economics announced the first recipient, Lauren Novakoski, at its department awards ceremony on April 14.
"We are grateful to Bob and Peggy Sharp for establishing an endowment to create this powerful fellowship opportunity for our business students," said Dr. Anne B. Kerr, president of Florida Southern College. |
"The Sharp Fellowship program will provide our students invaluable experience in the hospitality and travel industries, allowing them to apply the knowledge they have learned in our classrooms to their internship with one of the most respected companies in the travel and hospitality field."
"We are grateful to Bob and Peggy Sharp for establishing an endowment to create this powerful fellowship opportunity for our business students," said Dr. Anne B. Kerr, president of Florida Southern College. "The Sharp Fellowship program will provide our students invaluable experience in the hospitality and travel industries, allowing them to apply the knowledge they have learned in our classrooms to their internship with one of the most respected companies in the travel and hospitality field."
Award recipients receive a scholarship for the semester of the fellowship and a stipend upon completion of the business program. In addition, the fellowship provides an internship/mentorship program with AAA Auto Club South, of which Robert Sharp is chairman of the board.
"Recognizing the tremendous need to help our up-and-coming future leaders in an educational capacity was a desire we have long fostered and, therefore, started many years ago in planning this fellowship," Sharp stated. "We're pleased that our first recipient, Lauren Novakoski, has all the attributes to become a leader in the hospitality industry, and we hope that this opportunity will expand her horizons as she prepares for the future."
Robert Sharp, a 1961 graduate of Florida Southern College, is the chairman of AAA Auto Club South and has served as past president and CEO of AAA during his 43 years of service. The organization has expanded during his tenure from 390,000 members to 3.8 million members in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Puerto Rico. Sharp has served on the Florida Southern College board of trustees for many years and has been actively involved in numerous state and national organizations in which he has held many leadership roles. He and his wife, Peggy, have been married for 39 years and have two children and two grandsons.
Novakoski is majoring in business administration and plans to enter the hospitality industry. She is looking forward to the opportunities the internship presents. "The hospitality industry offers constant interaction with people and a daily opportunity to put a smile on someone's face, and that is why I love it," she stated. Novakoski is the daughter of Timothy and Karen Novakoski of Abingdon, Md.
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 24 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. Located on scenic Lake Hollingsworth, Florida Southern is the home of the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture.
