For a barometer on a college or university's performance, don't forget employers. Allen Blay certainly doesn't. "The employers who hire our students consider FSU one of their favorite places to recruit because our students outperform when they get into the field," says Blay, the EY Professor and chair of the Department of Accounting. "Our students outperform our competitor universities, because they're well trained, and they've got a fire lit under them."

The robber said he had a gun, and 17-year-old bank teller Miles Romney wasn't about to question him. Romney merely did what his employer had instructed him to do in such cases – follow orders. In this case, that meant: (1) start handing over $100 bills and (2) don't press the alarm -- or he'd get shot. "I got robbed at gunpoint," Romney reflects about 25 years later. "That's why I dance." Leave it to Romney to turn any moment, even a serious one, into a punchline. 

Charles Hardwick told a lecture hall full of students last month that decades from now they'll look back – just as he has done with gratitude and magnitude – on their time at Florida State University and the College of Business. "Who is it you are going to remember?" he asked them. They'll likely remember their best professors, he said. If they're like him, they'll want to thank them, along with the college and university. And he's doing so generously.

About their first encounter 32 years ago, Ken and Deb Armstrong hold nothing back. "We met in a bar," he says with a smile. "Literally," she says with a laugh. Little did they know that decades later they'd teach together in Florida State University’s College of Business. We thought we'd share their story, just in time for Valentine's Day. The Armstrongs have been working together at the college for almost five years and at the university for about 12 years, making them a symbol of teamwork, excellence, stability and – you bet – love.

Having built a rock-solid private equity firm, Peter Collins knows a little something about earth science – which he likens to raising money for a private equity fund. "Fundraising is like geology," he said. "It's all about time and pressure. It's cold calling. It's going and seeing people. It's about determination, and that's really, at the end of the day, what you get paid for."

Officials in the College of Business see lofty rankings as a guidepost. Better yet, a lighthouse. "It's a signal to us that we're on the right track," said Ashley Bush, chair of the Department of Business Analytics, Information Systems and Supply Chain, or BAISSC. "It's a signal to students that there's value in the degree, and it's a signal to potential employers that we have a high-quality program."

The Florida State University College of Business secured two new Top 10 rankings among public schools nationwide and stood strong among the nation's best on U.S. News & World Report's 2022 rankings of online master's degrees and MBA specialties.

An impressive site to network and jump-start careers. A spacious location to study, collaborate and aim high. A state-of-the-art place that will propel the college forward. Business students say they think the construction of Legacy Hall will provide a long list of benefits with an overarching result: launching the college to new heights.

You can chase the rankings. Or, you can let the rankings chase you. "We think the rankings are important," said Dean Gatzlaff, a longtime faculty member and leader of the Real Estate Program at Florida State University's College of Business. "They're important to our college, administration, alumni and students, and they certainly generate a lot of interest in our program."

Happy New Year and welcome to 2022! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful holiday season with family and friends. A new year brings new hope, new energy and renewed excitement for what lies ahead.