MEDIA CONTACT: Cara C. Perry
772-873-3339, ccarlton@fau.edu

FAU Announces First Treasure Coast Campus "Corporate Partners"

PORT ST. LUCIE, FL (December 5, 2005)- Harbor Federal Bank, First Peoples Bank, Publix Supermarkets Charities, Indian River National Bank and First National Bank & Trust are the first corporations to join the newly formed Corporate Partners Program (CPP) and to commit private funds to FAU's Treasure Coast Campus. The CPP was recently created to initiate the essential fundraising effort for FAU's Port St. Lucie location.

"Our goal is to facilitate an exchange between the University and the surrounding business communities. Local businesses need employees, and our students want professional opportunities in the area," said FAU Campus Director of Development Andra "Annie" Boehning. "The Corporate Partners' contributions, interest and support of the University's efforts in research and education have officially commenced an era of progress for FAU on the Treasure Coast."

The CPP mission is to assist the FAU community and the private sector in building collaborative partnerships; ultimately educating the workforce, driving economic development, and increasing corporate and other private sector support for FAU and its programs.

"We are honored to begin relationships with these well-known and respected local businesses," said Campus Vice President Gerri McPherson. "The success of the University is contingent upon the support and involvement of the local community."

J. Hal Roberts, Executive Vice President and COO of Harbor Federal, has taken an active role in FAU as chair of the Treasure Coast Campus Advisory Board. "It was natural for Harbor Federal to become a Corporate Partner," said Roberts. "As a financial institution rooted on the Treasure Coast, we feel very strongly about growth and economic development in this region. Supporting higher education is the key to such progress."

For more information, contact Annie Boehning at 772-873-3340.

-FAU-