The Lawrence C. Dennis Endowment for Student Success will provide support for internships, scholarships, leadership opportunities, research opportunities, and other relevant activities and opportunities that enhance the student experience and prepare them for successful careers.

Spearheaded by the College of Communication and Information Leadership Board with a generous lead gift from alumna and board member Linda Alexionok, the endowment will serve as a lasting tribute to the commitment of Dr. Lawrence C. Dennis to student success and excellence at the College of Communication and Information.

The endowment will focus on awarding student funds each year primarily for experiential learning experiences, something Larry has championed much of his career.

Dr. Dennis, a nuclear physicist with a keen interest in Information Technology  (IT), was named Dean of the College of Information in 2004 and with his visionary leadership, shaped the success of the College during his term as dean. He helped establish the STARS Alliance, a network of universities that focus on recruiting, retaining and graduating more women and minorities in Information Technology. The Alliance has grown from its 10 original members to more than 50 colleges and universities.

In 2009, he was named founding dean of the College of Communication and Information after the College of Information merged with the College of Communication. He believes that the connection to communication was that as technology was changing, those changes need to get communicated to get everyone involved and that merging and becoming the College of Communication and Information was about figuring out how to bring the expertise of these different faculty and students together to address these problems.

Under his leadership, many of the college’s programs have consistently been some of the top-rated in the nation. The online master’s program in Information Technology is ranked No. 2 among public institutions and the School of Communication Science and Disorders is No. 2 nationally and No. 14 among public schools. The Library and Information Studies program was recently ranked No. 11 nationally and No. 10 among public universities, and the School Library Media specialty degree has maintained its No. 1 status for years.

His commitment to students is evident in his extensive leadership and vision to support students at Florida State. He arrived on campus in 1979 as a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Physics. He joined the faculty one year later as an assistant professor, occupying an office adjacent to legendary late physicist Paul Dirac. He would go on and teach physics to more than 15,000 FSU students over the course of 20 years before his interests pivoted completely to information technology.

After 17 years leading the College of Communication and Information as its Dean, he returned to serve as faculty at the School of Information on August 9, 2021 and go back to his roots – teaching, guiding and inspiring students to succeed!