I have driven past the Palm Beach Atlantic University campus several times over the past year, and I am very impressed with the buildings and the location. It is just a few blocks from CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Florida, and only a mile away from the beach. And so yesterday, I decided to park the car and walk around the campus a bit. I had it in my mind that it was a party school. After all, being so close to a hipster hangout like CityPlace and only a mile from the beach, I thought the student body must be there for 4 years of fun. And so, I was surprised to see a banner on the wall of the student center proclaiming "Over 55 Years Of Developing Christian Leaders." That was a surprise. And so I looked the place up on the internet when I got home.
I learned on Wikipedia that the school is a private nondenominational Christian university with nine colleges and a focus on liberal arts and some professional studies. The school has 4,100 students and has "experienced unprecedented growth" over the past few years. PBA is currently building a new business school (they offer an MBA, by the way) and is planning to build a new performing arts center, welcome center, and a new health sciences complex. As far as being a party school, I see that students are required to attended Chapel 24 times a year. They also must participate in Workship, PBA's community service program, which includes mission trips to places around the world during the summer and spring breaks. Sounds to me like those students are a pretty serious bunch. It is nice to know there are still young people who want to make a positive difference with their careers, although I did notice that Chapel takes place four times a week at the Desantis Family Chapel, which I assume refers to Governor Ron Desantis, who made sure Florida students are taught the positive aspects of slavery ("learning useful skills") and is gleefully helping to deport every last undocumented immigrant in the country. These are certainly interesting times.
Mr. Hoyt, on behalf of Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA), we want to thank you for your interest in our campus and for sharing our story. We would like to clarify a point: The DeSantis Chapel is named in honor of entrepreneur Carl DeSantis and is not affiliated with Governor Ron DeSantis or his family. We would be honored to welcome you back for a guided tour if you’d like to learn more about PBA’s history and mission.
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