The University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee (USFSM), also known as USF Sarasota-Manatee, is a separately accredited, four-year institution in the University of South Florida System, which comprises USF Tampa and USF St. Petersburg (USFSP). Located at 8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Florida, USA. USFSM is situated a half-mile north of University Parkway in Manatee County. Just steps from beautiful Sarasota Bay, USFSM’s scenic campus is near the historic Crosley Mansion, the Ringling and the Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ). USFSM was established in 1975 as a regional campus of the University of South Florida and gained separate accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award bachelor’s and master’s degrees in June, 2011. USFSM also offers an instructional site at 5920 Pam American Blvd. in North Port, Florida, convenient for students from North Port, Port Charlotte, Punta Gorda, Englewood, Venice and Arcadia. Overall, USFSM serves students from Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties. USFSM shares the resources of a major public research university in a hometown setting, with small classes (13:1 student/faculty ratio) and world-class faculty, 88 percent of whom hold a terminal degree in their field. USFSM offers over forty bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and certificate programs in four colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business, Education, and Hospitality and Technology Leadership. Day, evening, weekend and online classes serve more than 4,500 students annually. In August 2013, USFSM welcomed its first freshman class (first time in college) and opened state-of-the-art teaching labs at Mote Marine Laboratory as part of its new general education curriculum, and now offers a unique Bachelor of Science in Biology degree.