Dr. Randy Avent, president of 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polytechnic University, was selected to the 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» 500 list by 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Trend magazine for the second year in a row. The list recognizes the most influential executives in the state.
LAKELAND, Fla. β Dr. Randy K. Avent, president of 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Polytechnic University, was selected for the second consecutive year as one of 91ΒιΆΉΣ³»βs most influential business leaders. 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Trend magazine just released its annual list recognizing the stateβs top executives in a variety of economic sectors and industries.
βI am honored to receive this recognition once again, as 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly continues to mature and establish itself as a premier STEM institution,β Avent said. βAfter only six academic years, our University is making an incredible impact in 91ΒιΆΉΣ³»βs economy by creating a pipeline of highly skilled talent and helping drive the high-tech industry throughout the state.β
Avent has led 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly through many important milestones as the Universityβs founding president. Some of these milestones include achieving ABET accreditation last fall and most recently, breaking into the U.S. News & World Report rankings as a top 40 public engineering college without a Ph.D.
91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Poly also successfully launched the new academic year with significant enrollment gains for the fall 2020 semester, despite the many challenges caused by the COVID-19.
βThis has certainly been an unusual year, creating many new challenges due to the pandemic, but our University has remained strong, flexible and resilient,β Avent said. βWeβve been able to adapt quickly to the situation as it evolves, and that has allowed us to continue providing a high-quality education and experience for our students.β
The third annual 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» 500 publication is a yearlong research initiative by the editors of 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Trend. The executives selected in 2020 are based on extensive contacts in regional business circles, hundreds of interviews, and months of research. The list includes industry categories used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis of the U.S. Department of Commerce, such as education, agriculture, hospitality, law, and real estate.
βIf it were a country, 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» would boast the 17-largest economy in the world. We are fortunate to have some of the greatest innovators in all sectors of our stateβs economy β from education to manufacturing, health care and technology, among others,β 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» Trend publisher David Denor said in a letter accompanying the list.
βThe passion, interest and desire that these influential have for improving 91ΒιΆΉΣ³» perhaps will inspire all of us to do a little more.β
Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
