Marilyn Southwick Fregly International Speaker Series

Global business executives presenting seminars and interacting with graduate business students on campus is integral to understanding international business policy and practices. That’s why the International Business Center is proud to be associated with the newly-formed International Speaker Series at the Hough Graduate School of Business.

The International Speaker Series was made possible by the continued support of the Fregly Foundation, which established the Marilyn Southwick Fregly International Business Endowment in 2010. The goal of the speaker series is to expand our students’ global awareness, create interest in working abroad, give students a firsthand look at foreign business practices and provide funding for visiting faculty to teach specialized international business courses.

Marilyn Southwick Fregly

Dr. Marilyn Southwick Fregly, a former professor emeritus at the University of Florida, personified the collaboration desired by the Warrington College of Business. Dr. Southwick Fregly taught public relations in the College of Journalism and Communications, but offered her talent and drive to advance the international programs at Warrington.

Dr. Southwick Fregly’s mission to spread international business initiatives throughout Warrington continues despite her passing in 2006. In her honor, the Fregly Family Foundation, Inc., has established the Marilyn Southwick Fregly International Business Endowment benefiting Warrington and the University of Florida.

The endowment is designed to support increased access for graduate business students to participate in international internships and study abroad programs. It will also support faculty to teach specialized international business topics in the Hough Graduate School of Business.

Dr. Southwick Fregly earned a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communications in 1958, a second bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1959, a master’s degree in Liberal Arts and Sciences and a doctorate in English in 1967 from the University of Florida.

Dr. Southwick Fregly was a UF professor emeritus of public relations and an assistant professor of behavioral studies prior to that. From 1968-72, she was a communications, humanities and journalism faculty member at Santa Fe Community College in Gainesville and advised the student newspaper, as well as the student radio and TV stations. She was chairwoman of UF’s institutional review board for nonmedical research. With her husband, she co-authored several works on blood pressure, the role of sodium in health, and serendipity in science. She worked in the Center of International Economic and Business Studies of the College of Business Administration, focusing on programs giving graduate students hands-on experience in international trade and business. She also helped managers in the Russian Federation develop education programs.

Dr. Southwick Fregly passed away on October 30, 2006.