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(Sarasota, FL, July 20, 2005) – The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee received $100,000 from L-3 Communications Aviation Recorders for the Crosley Campus Center scheduled to open in fall 2006. The second-floor lobby will bear the company’s name in honor of the gift.

“The convenience of having USF Sarasota-Manatee here in our own community provides the opportunity for businesses like ours to grow. It is important for area businesses to have access to a local pool of college graduates,” said Bruce G. Coffey, president of L-3 Aviation Recorders. Coffey added the company currently has two USF students in its internship program.

Matching funds under the Alec P. Courtelis Facility Enhancement Challenge grant from the Florida Division of Colleges and Universities brings value of the gift to $200,000. This 100-percent matching grant is a one-time opportunity only available during new construction to provide funds for state-of-the-art technology and enhancements. Since December 2004, more than 100 businesses, foundations, faculty, staff, alumni, and other individuals have come forward with over $2.6 million in private gifts and grants for the Initiative. Total funds for enhancement of the new facility, including state-matching funds, are now more than $5.2 million. The USF Foundation, a direct support organization of the university, manages endowed gifts and provides ongoing funds through investment earnings.

According to the company Web site, L-3 Aviation Recorders holds 70 percent of the world’s market for voice, flight data, and marine recorders. Better known as “black boxes,” these recorders provide safety investigators with reliable information on aircraft, ship, or vessel crew performance for the time leading up to an accident or incident. L-3 Aviation Recorders products are recognized worldwide for crash survivability, state-of-the-art performance, and low cost. The company’s acquisition of flight systems engineering assets expanded the product line to include cabin surveillance systems, designed specifically for aircraft applications and the first system of its kind approved by the Federal Aviation Authority.

The Crosley Campus Center will be a 100,000-square-foot facility with 24 classrooms; a 190-seat lecture/exhibition hall; seminar and video-conferencing rooms; computer labs; a child care center; student gathering places; faculty and staff offices; a technology and learning center; dining facilities; and training facilities for the School of Hotel and Restaurant Management. Once completed, the Center will offer some 800 courses annually in 39 academic programs.

USF Sarasota-Manatee is an upper-level campus for those with an associate’s or bachelor’s degree interested in pursuing a baccalaureate or master’s degree, professional certification, or continuing education credit. The campus offers the prestige of a nationally ranked research university with the convenience of a hometown campus, including classes in south Sarasota County at Manatee Community College Venice.