The Hamilton Holt School at Rollins College

The demand for adult continuing education in our nation and the Central Florida community continues to increase. Aging baby boomers, single parents, young professionals, bachelor’s and master’s degree seekers, and adults who want to enhance their lives find their purpose at Rollins’ Hamilton Holt School, home to the College’s Professional Advancement and Graduate Studies programs.

The Hamilton Holt School features a wide range of classes in the bachelor’s and master’s programs offered during weekday evening hours and weekends, with small classes, dedicated faculty, and diverse students of all backgrounds. Hamilton Holt School undergraduates range in age from 17 to 75, and approximately 1,000 students enroll each year. Most students work part or full time and have family responsibilities, and many receive scholarship support and other financial assistance thanks to generous supporters.

A great number of students continue to live, work, and raise their families in Central Florida. Many of the Hamilton Holt School’s more than 12,000 alumni have earned undergraduate and advanced degrees and gained prominence in their professional lives. Their Rollins education continues to make a positive difference in their lives, empowering them to more effectively serve their communities as responsible leaders and global citizens.

Officially founded in 1960, the Rollins evening studies division has roots in the 1950s when a mathematics professor implemented adult education courses for returning World War II veterans. Back then, the School of Continuing Studies was characterized as “the College that cares,” and faculty vowed to provide responsive, individualized education while meeting a community need for higher education for adults.

Emeritus history professor Jack Lane recalls that about half of the students he taught in the 1960s were World War II veterans. Like today, the academic programs were offered in evening classes. Students obtained the bachelor of general studies degree with a concentration in humanities, social studies, business administration and economics, math and science, or teacher preparation.

In 1987, the School of Continuing Education was renamed the Hamilton Holt School in honor of Rollins’ renowned eighth president, Hamilton Holt, who served as president from 1925 to 1949.

“Because of the quality, character, and importance of its educational program, the trustees named the Hamilton Holt School to carry forward the College’s long-standing commitment to lifelong learning. Hamilton Holt is the towering figure in the history of the College, shaping its student-centered style of education and its reputation for academic excellence and educational innovation,” said President Emeritus Thaddeus Seymour, who was president of Rollins at the time of the renaming. “It was Hamilton Holt who established Rollins as an institution of national significance, and I am proud that his high standards and educational vision are carried on by the school that bears his name.”

Today, the Holt School has 12 majors leading to the bachelor of arts and seven master’s degree programs in everything from mental health counseling and public health to human resources and strategic communication.