Newest cohort of top business scholars honored by Seneff, FSU president

Joining the seventh cohort of the James M. Seneff Honors Program on the back stairs of the FSU President’s House are James and Martha Seneff; President Richard McCullough and First Lady Jai Vartikar; and Dean Michael Hartline and Marsha Hartline.
Photo by Kallen M. Lunt Click to enlarge

James M. Seneff, a celebrated alumnus and major supporter of Florida State University, on Friday encouraged a cohort of elite students in the Herbert Wertheim College of Business to emphasize means, ends and time in their life and career pursuits.

“Your biography will one day be a summary of how you thought about these three words,” he said.

Seneff, a 2006 inductee into the Wertheim College’s Alumni Hall of Fame and the founder and executive chairman of the Orlando-based CNL Financial Group, spoke as the guest of honor in a medaling ceremony for the latest cohort of the James M. Seneff Honors Program. The program launched in fall 2019 as part of a $5 million gift to the college by the CNL Charitable Foundation.

Seneff elaborated on his three key words, saying “ends” refers to your goals and “means” to resources that help you reach them. “Time” allows a process.

“How you think about these three words will define your life, your career and your investing success,” he said.

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