LAKELAND, Fla. – The Mosaic Café officially opened at Florida Polytechnic University on Friday thanks to a naming gift from The Mosaic Company. The newly named Mosaic Café is a grab-and-go coffee and snack bar inside the University’s iconic Innovation, Science and Technology Building.
The Mosaic Company gift supports student scholarships and the University’s educational mission.
“Our students, faculty and staff will all certainly enjoy getting a hot cup of coffee and something to eat at the Mosaic Café,” said University President Dr. Randy K. Avent. “But the thing all of us at Florida Poly are most grateful for is the continuing support The Mosaic Company is giving us to move STEM innovation forward in Florida and beyond.”
Mosaic, the world’s largest combined producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash, two essential crop nutrients, is one of Florida Poly’s industry partners and is a major corporate supporter of the University Foundation’s scholarship program. The Foundation has raised more than $3 million to support scholarships for every member of the University’s Inaugural Class, helping to provide a relevant education geared toward preparing students to enter the high-tech workforce job ready. Scholarships will also be available for the University’s second incoming class, which begins this fall.
“With its unique STEM-focused mission, Florida Polytechnic University is attracting the best and brightest students from throughout the country and placing them here in our backyard. Collaborating with a cutting-edge university like Florida Poly helps to ensure Mosaic has a pipeline of new talent and remains globally competitive,” said Gary “Bo” Davis, Mosaic’s Senior Vice President of Phosphate Operations. “We’re proud to support Florida Poly during this exciting time of growth and hope that the Mosaic Café will be a true asset to the student body.”
In addition to supporting Florida Polytechnic University, Mosaic and its employees have long been involved with the Florida Industrial and Phosphate Research Institute (FIPR), now a Florida Polytechnic research institution. FIPR Institute has worked for more than 35 years to support phosphate-related studies to improve the environment, protect public health, increase mining and processing efficiency and develop sustainability through improved technology.
“The Foundation is fortunate to have a stalwart partner in The Mosaic Company,” said Grant E. Martin, Florida Poly’s Vice President of Advancement and the Executive Director of the University Foundation. “The Mosaic Café is a delightful reminder of the commitment Mosaic has made to the educational future of our students and advancement of quality research.”
Located inside the IST Building behind the Aula Magna, The Mosaic Café serves Starbucks coffees and teas, as well as an assortment of ready-to-eat food and other refreshments.