$3 million estate donation shows couple’s love for FSU

In a significant show of support for their alma mater, Florida State University alumni Scott and Suzi Brock recently announced a $3 million charitable donation to underscore the couple’s continued appreciation for FSU athletics, give back to the School of Business and honor Scott Brock’s late father, a native Northwest Floridian who dedicated his life to public service.

Your gift includes:

• $1.5 million to support Seminole Boosters, who provide financial support to 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 establish the Hurdis A. Brock Endowed Graduate Scholarship in Public Administration in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy.

Scott Brock said the gift demonstrates the family’s lifelong connection to Florida State University.

“This remarkable gift reflects the Brocks’ dedication to Florida State University and their belief in our students, student-athletes and faculty members,” said FSU President Richard McCullough. “We are deeply grateful to Scott and Suzi for their vision and the example they have set for our FSU family.”

The family’s connection to the university began with Hurdis Brock, namesake of the proposed graduate fellowship in public administration. Hurdis attended FSU and modeled after 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 have been blessed in our lives and careers,” Scott said. “As we developed our estate planning, we wanted to include a gift to Florida State University that would benefit faculty and students academically and athletically for generations to come.”

Suzi Brock earned a bachelor’s degree in communications in 1981 and added a degree in interior design in 1995. She owns Suzi Brock, CKD, a kitchen and bathroom design firm.

Scott and Suzi also each followed an older sibling to college, “which helped lead to us attending FSU,” Suzi said. “I’m grateful to our alma mater and happy we were able to leave this legacy.”

Support for Seminole Booster

The Brocks began attending FSU sporting events over 45 years ago when they began their undergraduate studies. As Tallahassee residents, they still do, hosting barbecues before football games and attending various sporting events with classmates who became lifelong friends.

“We are proud of Florida State University and always want to show our support,” Scott said.

Your donation to Seminole Boosters will fully benefit FSU Athletics. Seminole Boosters, an FSU Direct Support Organization, provides funds for athletic scholarships, facilities, operations and more at the university.

“We greatly appreciate the Brocks’ support of Seminole Boosters and Florida State University Athletics,” said Stephen Ponder, President and CEO of Seminole Boosters. “Such support enables our student-athletes to excel on and off the field, and this gift solidifies the Brocks’ legacy in FSU Athletics.”

Driving the business forward

After graduating, Scott worked in accounting for two years 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. This includes Hartline’s leadership in fundraising and the current construction of Legacy Hall, the college’s state-of-the-art future home.

“The business school has helped me succeed in my career,” Scott said. “And it’s great to see that Dean Hartline has worked diligently to create a new world-class facility for the school and attract top-notch professors and students — improving not only the accounting department, which I greatly respect, but the entire school.”

Hartline said the pledge will “change lives, enhance our accounting department and our college, and benefit our students in their careers.”

“We sincerely thank Scott and Suzi for their extremely generous commitment to our leadership,” he added.

In the service of the public

Scott said his father was a longtime friend of Reubin Askew, Florida’s governor from 1971 to 1979 and namesake of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy’s Askew School of Public Administration, which will administer the new graduate fellowship.

“The College is honored by this investment by the Brock family to support students interested in public service,” said Dean Tim Chapin of the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy. “Governor Askew’s commitment to advancing the interests of all Floridians is upheld by the nationally renowned Reubin O’D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy.”

Scott credits his father as the first in his family to attend college. Hurdis Brock, who enrolled after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, was one of the first students at the newly named Florida State University, where he met Askew. An influx of male World War II veterans prompted the renaming of Florida State College for Women in 1947.

Hurdis returned to active duty in the Army to serve during the Korean War, one semester away from completing his bachelor’s degree. After returning to the United States, he began a career in the automotive parts industry and later served on the Fort Walton Beach City Council for nine years. He has been involved in volunteer activities throughout his adult life, including membership in the Lions and Rotary Clubs.

“Growing up after the Depression, he knew that many people had little to eat, so he always had a heart to help those who didn’t 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.”