Raise the Torch
The Campaign for Florida State

FSU Panama City aims for $1 million mechanical engineering endowment

student walking onto FSU Panama City's campus with books in hand
Author: Eryn Dion

Organizers said education is the first step down the “pathway to prosperity,” allowing local students to stay local, attend schools locally and find quality jobs in the local area close to their families.

PANAMA CITY — About an hour after taking the stage last October during the annual Gulf Power Economic Symposium to talk about diversifying the area’s economy, Gulf Power CEO Stan Connally had an offer to do just that.

In what was probably one of the fastest turnarounds to date, Connally was approached by Randy Hanna, dean at Florida State University Panama City, with an opportunity that would both allow FSU Panama City to grow its fledgling mechanical engineering program and allow Gulf Power a chance to be a part of that growth through a contribution to an endowment that would be used for everything from scholarships to equipment, professorships and professional development.