Palm Beach Community College

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Located in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach Community College (PBCC) enrolls more than 49,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associate of arts and associate of science degree programs and short-term certificates. The most popular program of study is the associate in arts degree. Among associate in science degrees, the nursing program has the highest enrollment and number of graduates. In August 2009, the college started its first baccalaureate program, a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Supervision & Management. The District Board of Trustees has authorized development of a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing and a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Information Management. The college is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the Bachelor of Applied Science, Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees.

[edit] Locations

Palm Beach Community College's main campus is located in Lake Worth, Florida. In addition to the Lake Worth campus, the largest (114 acre/51 building complex) and longest established campus (1956), PBCC also serves students at full-service locations in Belle Glade (1978), Palm Beach Gardens (1982) and Boca Raton (1983).^[1]

[edit] History

[edit] Founding

Palm Beach Community College was founded in 1933 as Palm Beach Junior College and was the first public junior college in the state of Florida. The college's first classes were held at Palm Beach High School in West Palm Beach. County school superintendent Joe Youngblood and Howell Watkins, principal of Palm Beach High School, who became the college's first dean, were instrumental in opening the college. The college's initialality was to provide additional training to local high school graduates who were unable to find jobs during the Great Depression.

[edit] "The Little Orphan College" finds a home in Lake Worth

In 1948, Palm Beach Junior College moved to Morrison Field, a deactivated Army Air Force base, which is now Palm Beach International Airport. In 1951, the college relocated to the Lake Park Town Hall. Due to the limited availability of space at the town hall, the college had to lay off faculty and staff and cut enrollment to 200 students. During this period, Palm Beach Junior College was known as "the little orphan college." In 1955, the Palm Beach County Commission gave the college 114 acres (0.46 km²) in Lake Worth, and the state legislature passed a bill providing over $1,000,000 for construction at this site. The college moved to this location, which remains its main campus, in the fall of 1956.

[edit] A Period of Growth and Change

In 1965, Palm Beach Junior College merged with Roosevelt Junior College, which was established in 1958 under President Britton Sayles to serve African American students. In 1968, control over the college passed from the Palm Beach County school district to a board of trustees. In 1978, the college opened its Belle Glade campus. The Palm Beach Gardens campus opened in 1982. In 1983, the college opened a campus adjacent to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. In 1988, the college's board of trustees changed the college's name to Palm Beach Community College.

The District Board of Trustees approved in June 2009 that the college's name should change in light of offering baccalaureate degrees. On September 8, 2009, the Board approved changing the name to Palm Beach State College. The name change is expected to take place in January 2010.

[edit] Notable Alumni & Attendees

Alumni Status is open to all graduates of Palm Beach Community College, all former students of PBCC who regularly matriculated and left the College in good standing.

Judge Reinhold

Deidre Hall

Jesper Parnevik

Burt Reynolds

[edit] See also

• List of colleges and universities in Florida
• List of community colleges

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• PBCC website
• A timeline of the college's history