College News Round Up

Another important college in the region, Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA), has also been the recipient of a major gift that will strengthen the pipeline between education and business. Longtime benefactors

John J. and Sheila Rinker and the Marshall & Vera Lea Rinker Foundation combined to donate an unprecedented $26 million to the West Palm Beach-based university. The funding is central to PBA’s launch of a $75 million capital campaign, which will result in the construction of the six-story Marshall and Vera Lea Rinker

Business Building—and more.

Plans for the forthcoming oncampus building include a stunning two-story atrium, a stock trading room with professional terminals and stock ticker, a 314-seat tiered lecture hall, expanded space for the Titus Center for Franchising, and the LeMieux Center for Public Policy. Moreover, the building is just the first prong in a transformative campus master plan. This long-term plan ultimately calls for a new health sciences complex, a performing arts center, and a student alumni welcome center.

“I’m so grateful that John and Sheila Rinker are visionaries and wonderfully dedicated supporters of PBA’s mission to equip students to grow in wisdom, lead with conviction and serve God boldly,” said PBA President Dr. Debra A. Schwinn. “In the fall, we welcomed the largest incoming class in the university’s history, and more students from around the world are coming to PBA. It is time to expand Palm Beach Atlantic University, allowing PBA to contribute even more strongly to our local community and world.”