In a significant show of support for their alma mater, Florida State University alumni Scott and Suzi Brock recently announced a $3 million charitable bequest that underscores the couple's enduring appreciation for FSU Athletics, gives back to the College of Business and honors Scott Brock's late father, a northwest Florida native who dedicated his life to public service.
Their gift includes:
- $1.5 million to support Seminole Boosters, which financially assists FSU Athletics.
- $1.4 million to establish the Scott and Suzi Brock Endowed Professorship in Accounting and the Scott and Suzi Brock Endowed Scholarship in Accounting in the College of Business.
- $100,000 to create the Hurdis A. Brock Endowed Graduate Scholarship in Public Administration in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.
Scott Brock said the gift illustrates the family's lifelong connection to Florida State University.
"This remarkable gift reflects the Brocks' devotion to Florida State University and their belief in our students, student-athletes and faculty members," FSU President Richard McCullough said. "We are deeply grateful to Scott and Suzi for their foresight and the example they set for our FSU family."
The family's connection to the university started with Hurdis Brock, namesake of the planned graduate scholarship in public administration. Hurdis attended FSU, leading the way for Scott, who earned a bachelor's degree in accounting in 1981. Scott is now senior director of state government affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb, where he has worked for 25 years.
"We've been blessed throughout our lives and careers," Scott said. "As we developed our estate plan, we wanted to include a gift to Florida State University that would benefit faculty and students academically and athletically for generations."
Suzi Brock earned a bachelor's degree in communications in 1981 and added a degree in interior design in 1995. She owns a business, Suzi Brock, CKD, that designs kitchens and bathrooms.
Scott and Suzi each also followed an older sibling to the university, "contributing to why we attended FSU," Suzi said. "I'm grateful to our alma mater and excited that we could make this bequest."
Backing Seminole Boosters
The Brocks started attending sporting events at FSU more than 45 years ago when they embarked on their undergraduate degrees. As Tallahassee residents, they still do, tailgating before football games and attending various athletic events with classmates who became lifelong friends.
"We're proud of Florida State University and always want to show our support," Scott said.
Their pledge to Seminole Boosters will fully benefit FSU Athletics. Seminole Boosters, an FSU Direct Support Organization, provides funding for university athletic scholarships, facilities, operations and more.
"We genuinely appreciate the Brocks' support of Seminole Boosters and Florida State University Athletics," said Stephen Ponder, president and CEO of Seminole Boosters. "Such support allows our student-athletes to excel on and off the playing field, and this gift cements the Brocks' legacy in FSU Athletics."
Elevating Business
After graduation, Scott worked for two years in the accounting field before landing in government affairs in the pharmaceutical industry. He credits the college for launching his career and Dean Michael Hartline for raising the college's profile nationally and globally. That includes Hartline's leadership in fundraising and current construction of Legacy Hall, the college's state-of-the-art future home.
"The College of Business helped me be successful in my career," Scott said. "And it is great to see that Dean Hartline has been working diligently to create a new first-class facility for the college and to attract quality professors and students - improving not only the accounting department, which I'm fond of, but the entire college."
Hartline said the pledge would "change lives, elevate our accounting department and college, and distinguish our students in their careers."
"We genuinely thank Scott and Suzi for their extremely generous commitment to our preeminence," he added.
Serving the Public Good
Scott said his father was a longtime friend of Reubin Askew, Florida's governor from 1971 to 1979 and the namesake of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy's Askew School of Public Administration, which will oversee the new graduate scholarship.
"The college is honored by this investment by the Brock family in support of students with interests in public service," said Dean Tim Chapin of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. "Gov. Askew's commitment to advance the interests of all Floridians is being upheld by the nationally renowned Reubin O'D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy."
Scott salutes his father as the first in his family to attend college. Enrolling after service in the U.S. Army during World War II, Hurdis Brock became among the first attendees of the newly named Florida State University, where he met Askew. An influx of male WWII veterans prompted the name change, in 1947, from the Florida State College for Women.
Hurdis returned to active Army duty to serve during the Korean War, just one semester shy of earning a bachelor's degree. Upon his return to the U.S., he embarked on a career in the automotive parts industry and later served nine years on the Fort Walton Beach City Council. He performed community service throughout his adult life, including as a member of the Lions and Rotary clubs.
"Growing up after the Depression, he knew that, for many, food was scarce, so he always had a passion to help those who did not have enough to eat," Scott, the youngest of three sons, said of his father. "Public service was always a part of his life, and he instilled that in my brothers and me."
