Broward College

Broward College
Seal of Broward College
Established	1959
Type	Public College
Endowment	$75.7 million
President	J. David Armstrong, Jr.
Admin. staff	1,000+
Students	67,000
Location	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA
Campus	Urban
Former names	Junior College of Broward County (1959-1968) Broward Junior College Broward Community College
Athletics	6 major sports teams
Colors	Blue, silver, and white
Nickname	Seahawks
Website	www.broward.edu

Broward College, previously known as "Broward Community College", is a state college in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S., and part of the Florida College System. It was established in 1959 as part of a move to broaden Florida's two-year community college system. In 2008 it adopted its current name, reflecting that it is one of the schools designated a "state college", meaning it can offer a greater number of four-year bachelor's degrees than traditional community colleges.

History

The institution was founded in 1959 as the "Junior College of Broward County". It opened its doors the following year under the leadership of President Joe B. Rushing, with a with a faculty of 28 serving a class of 701 students. Until the college’s first permanent buildings were completed in 1963, students attended classes in the former Naval Air Station Junior High buildings on the western edge of the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

After helping JCBC through its formative years and onto firm footing, Rushing in 1965 announced he was returning to his home state of Texas to become founding president of Tarrant County Community College in Fort Worth. In 1968, A. Hugh Adams, superintendent of public education in Charlotte County, Florida, was appointed president and served in that role until 1986.

Changes began almost immediately. A month after his arrival, the college changed its name to Broward Junior College. Two months after Dr. Adams’ arrival, the Florida Legislature removed junior colleges from oversight by county school boards, and transformed their advisory boards into district boards of trustees.

Adams’ interests lay in expanding access to the college for citizens living throughout the county. In his 19 years as president, South and North campuses were created, as was the Downtown Center and the Tigertail Lake Center.

Succeeding Adams was Dr. Will Holcombe, a protégée of Dr. James L. Wattenbarger, the architect of Florida’s community college system and executive vice-president at Brevard Community College. Dr. Holcombe had served in a variety of administrative capacities at Broward before joining Brevard’s administrative team.

During his 17 years as president, Holcombe worked to expand infrastructure and to create community partnerships to better serve the needs of the community and its workforce.

Larry Calderon succeeded Holcombe upon his retirement in 2004. When Dr. Calderon left the college in 2006, Holcombe returned to serve as interim president through the appointment of J. David Armstrong, Jr., in July 2007. President Armstrong came to the college from his position as Chancellor of the Florida College System.

Many documents describing this history have been digitized by the Broward College Archives and Special Collections department on Central Campus and are available online at the Internet Archives.

Campuses and Education Centers

Broward College has three campuses and a variety of educational centers located throughout Broward County.

• The A. Hugh Adams Central Campus, the college’s first permanent campus, is in Davie. Originally opened with seven buildings on a 152-acre (0.6 km²) site, the Adams campus is now home to more than 30 buildings including the Buehler Planetarium and Observatory, Institute of Public Safety, an aquatic complex, the Mayer Gymnasium, a health sciences complex and the Ralph R. Bailey Concert Hall. The University/College Library there is a joint research facility owned by the college in partnership with Florida Atlantic University. Adams Campus also is home to the College Academy @ BC a collegiate high school opened in partnership with the Broward County Public Schools in 2001.

• The Judson A. Samuels South Campus, named for a South Broward community leader and one of the college’s most influential trustees, is on a 103-acre (0.4 km²) tract in Pembroke Pines, just west of the Florida's Turnpike. The campus is home to the college’s Aviation Institute, located adjacent to North Perry Airport, as well as the joint-use Broward College/Broward County South Regional Library. Dedicated on Feb. 1, 2007, the library is the first building in Broward County constructed to meet the standards of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design’s building rating system, set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

• The North Campus in Coconut Creek covers approximately 113 acres (0.46 km²) adjacent to the Florida Turnpike. Dedicated in 1972, North Campus has grown to more than a dozen buildings including the Omni Auditorium, Health Science Center II, the Toski-Battersby Golf Training Center and the Broward Community College/North Regional Broward County Library. It will soon be home to the Junior Achievement Huizenga Enterprise Village, named after Broward County entrepreneur and major donor, Wayne Huizenga.

• The Willis Holcombe Center is located in the heart of Downtown Fort Lauderdale. Built in partnership with Florida Atlantic University, the Holcombe Center forms the Higher Education Complex on East Las Olas Boulevard. The Holcombe Center houses Broward College’s district administrative offices as well as over 210,000 square feet (20,000 m²) of high-tech classroom space consisting of wired classrooms, science and technology labs and a full array of student services.

• The Institute for Economic Development is located within the Willis Holcombe Downtown Center (Fort Lauderdale). The institute offers a variety of continuing education courses, corporate training services, customized workforce development resources as well as support groups and training for women transitioning into the workforce.

• The Pines Center serves southwestern Broward County as part of the Pembroke Pines Academic Village, a 77-acre (310,000 m²) campus built in the Jeffersonian quadrangle style of the University of Virginia. Other entities in the academic village include the Southwest Broward Regional Library, Pembroke Pines Charter High School, an athletic/aquatic complex and a wetlands preserve.

• The Weston Center is located within the Weston Branch Library (Weston) and offers a variety of credit and non-credit courses. The site is home to a fast-track Associate in Arts degree in Business Administration.

• Broward College Maroone Automotive Training Center at Miramar was opened early in 2007 on a 23-acre (93,000 m²) site on Riviera Boulevard adjacent to the Florida Turnpike near the Broward/Miami-Dade county line in Miramar. The center provides classrooms, work bays and administrative offices for the college’s automotive programs.

• The Tigertail Lake Center, located alongside I-95 in Dania Beach, offers conference and picnic facilities and aquatic and water sports classes. Scuba diving classes are also available. The center also is home to the BC Adventure Learning Center, providing low and high-ropes challenge programs and other team-building exercises.

Notable Alumni & Attendees

Main article: List of Broward College Alumni

Broward College has produced thousands of alumni over the years. The most notable alumni of Broward College are Jim Naugle the former Mayor of Ft. Lauderdale, the Emmy award-winning reporter Johnathan Walton, the former Governor of Maryland Parris Glendening, the rock musician Marilyn Manson, Major League Baseball player Matt Latos, famous astrophysicist Daniel Roman, and the actress Nancy Valen.

References

Professional Baseball player Mat Latos. Mlb.com

External links

• Official Web site