Seminole State College of Florida
28°44′40″N 81°18′20″W / 28.74438°N 81.30552°W
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Former names | Seminole Junior College Seminole Community College |
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Motto | My Choice. My Future. My Place. |
Type | Public |
Established | 1965 |
Chairman | Scott D. Howat |
President | E. Ann McGee, Ed.M. |
Academic staff | 784 |
Administrative staff | 20 |
Students | 30,107[1] |
Location | , , |
Campus | Suburban |
Newspaper | The Scribe |
Colors | Blue and Gold |
Nickname | Raiders |
Website | www.seminolestate.edu |
Seminole State College of Florida (commonly referred to as Seminole State) is a public state college located in Seminole County, Florida, United States. Seminole State is a member institution of the Florida College System, and competes in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region VIII (Suncoast Conference) in baseball, softball and women's golf.
Founded in 1965, the Florida State Legislature signed a charter creating "Seminole Junior College." The college opened in August 1966 with 700 students, at a former citrus grove in Seminole County, near U.S. Route 17/92 and Interstate 4 (between the cities of Lake Mary and Sanford). The college's enrollment had exceeded 7,000 by October 1971, and by 1975, Seminole Junior College became "Seminole Community College", with enrollment reaching 14,161. In 2006, Seminole Community College partnered with the University of Central Florida to launch "DirectConnect to UCF", which guarantees Seminole Community College (SCC) graduates admission to the university, as well as academic advising by university counselors. In September 2009, the SCC Board of Trustees unanimously approved a motion to rename the institution "Seminole State College of Florida," eight months after the introduction of the institution's first state-approved Bachelor's degree program, the Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.) in Interior design.
As of 2011, the college serves over 30,000 students, full-time and part-time, and is also one of the largest employers in Seminole County. The college has expanded into four campuses since 1965, with its main campus located in Sanford, and its satellite campuses located in Oviedo, Altamonte Springs and Heathrow. The Oviedo campus had opened in 2001, the Heathrow campus opened in 2007, and the Altamonte Springs campus had opened in 2008.
History
Establishment
On July 1, 1965, the Florida State Legislature signed a charter creating Seminole Junior College.[2] That year, the Seminole County School Board hired Dr. Earl S. Weldon to be the newly formed College’s president. One of Dr. Weldon’s first duties was to locate a piece of land to build the school. After reviewing many possible locations, R.T. Milwee (superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools) and Dr. Weldon chose an 80-acre (320,000 m2) lot that once belonged to Chase Citrus Groves, a location chosen for its proximity to U.S. 17-92 and Interstate 4. Portable classrooms and offices were put in place, and plans were made for the construction of the College’s permanent structures.
Seminole Junior College
Seminole Junior College opened in 1966. Seven-hundred students paid $5 per credit hour to further their educations. Initial class offerings included accounting, business, English I and II, journalism, Spanish, math, science and speech, among others.
Construction began in 1968 on the Campus’ first permanent structures. The F-Building, which houses the faculty offices, was built that year. The Vocational Building, Science Building and a library followed in 1969. The Admissions Building, the Student Center, the E-Building, the Health Building (the gym) and the Automotive Technology Building were added in 1974.
Seminole Community College
On July 1, 1975, Seminole Junior College became Seminole Community College. By the end of the college’s first decade, enrollment had increased to 14,161.
The G-Building (Fine Arts), the J-Building (business tech, drafting and design, digital media and healthcare) and the K-Building (used for automotive technology, EMT and fire training) were added in the late 1970s, and this period of growth for the College continued into the 1980s, seeing construction of the Adult Education Building and the Science Lab.
Dr. Weldon and Dr. Reitz both retired from the college in 1995. The next year, Dr. E. Ann McGee, a community college graduate and administrator at Broward College, succeeded Dr. Weldon as the college's president. Faced with a more than 20 percent dip in attendance when she took office, Dr. McGee has rejuvenated Seminole State with a period of substantial growth in enrollment, new construction, and in new community partnerships. Under Dr. McGee’s direction, the SCC Foundation's assets increased from $1 million to more than $7 million.
The new millennium
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/3a/Seminole_Community_College.gif)
Sparked by a $2.5 million donation from the Central Florida Auto Dealers’ Association, SCC opened its $10.1 million Automotive Training Center in January 2007. The next chapter of Seminole State’s growth came when the innovative Center of Economic Development at Heathrow opened in Fall 2007. The Center partners Central Florida’s economic development leaders with the College to train the region’s work force in business/technology-related programs, attract and retain leading technology companies to Central Florida, and sustain the driving force behind the region’s economic engine The College’s Altamonte Springs Campus opened in January 2008. The Campus houses SCC’s Healthcare Program, a diverse offering of A.A. degrees and adult education.
In recent years, Seminole State has deployed a number of courses via distance learning. In 2006, Seminole State partnered with the University of Central Florida, the third-largest university in the nation, to launch DirectConnect to UCF, which guarantees Seminole State graduates hassle-free admission to the university and academic advising by university counselors.[2]
On September 21, 2009, the Board of Trustees, with permission from the Florida Legislature and input from students, changed the name of the college from Seminole Community College to Seminole State College of Florida, since it is now offering bachelors degrees in addition to associate degrees.[3]
Campuses and Education Centers
Sanford/Lake Mary
This Campus, located in Sanford, Florida, offers a full curriculum taught in small, intimate classroom settings. In addition to offering a wide variety of degree and certificate programs to meet even the most unique needs, the Campus is also home to Seminole State's Art & Phyllis Grindle Honors Institute, the Fine Arts Theatre, and the colleges planetarium and intercollegiate athletics programs. The Fine Arts Gallery in Building "G" is the oldest gallery in Seminole County.
Oviedo
The Oviedo Campus is one of Seminole State's most popular campuses due to its proximity to affordable student housing and a bustling commercial district. The campus is only a few miles from the University of Central Florida, making it an ideal choice for students who wish to transfer there after they have achieved an associate degree.
Altamonte Springs
Seminole State's program offerings at the Altamonte Springs Campus concentrate in three key academic areas: healthcare, general education requirements for the A.A. degrees offered by the College, and adult education.
The Center for Economic Development at Heathrow
This facility partners Central Florida’s economic development leaders with Seminole State to train the region’s work force in business/technology-related programs, attract and retain leading technology companies to Central Florida and sustain the driving force behind the region’s economic engine. It offers relevant programming for the area’s emergent work force. The college's interior design and construction programs are based at the facility. It is also the home of the Employ Florida Banner Center for Digital Media [1], a statewide resource for the digital media industry. The Seminole County Economic Development Department and the Seminole County Regional Chamber of Commerce are also based at the center.
Distance Learning
In recent years, Seminole State has deployed a number of courses via distance learning. Seminole State College is currently using ANGEL and is migrating to the open source Sakai system in 2010.
Academics
Rankings
According to an October 2007 article from the Florida Department of Education, Seminole State ranked 13 out of 15 Florida community colleges in terms of the number of Associate's Degrees awarded.[citation needed] The report ranked United States community colleges by various categories, including total Associate’s Degrees awarded, and Associate's to African Americans and Hispanics. The article stated that 15 Florida community colleges ranked among the top 100 colleges in the United States, in terms of numbers of Associate's Degrees awarded, with Miami Dade College at number 1 and Valencia Community College at number 3. Two other Central Florida schools, Brevard Community College and Daytona Beach Community College, were 27th and 59th respectively.[citation needed] Seminole Community College ranked 71 out of 100 in total Associate's Degrees awarded during the period. Seminole State did not rank in the top 100 with regard to Associate's conferred upon Hispanics or African Americans.[citation needed]
Graduation statistics
The GlobalScholar CollegeFinder web site provides useful data for prospective students of Seminole State College of Florida:[citation needed]
Gender or Ethnicity | Graduation Rate |
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Male | 32% |
Female | 31% |
African-American | 16% |
Hispanic | 25% |
Accreditation's and approvals
Seminole State College of Florida is accredited and approved by the following organizations:[citation needed]
- American Bar Association
- Approval Committee for Certificate Programs (ACCP)
- American Medical Association (AMA)
- Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs (CAAHEP)
- Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE)
- Committee on Accreditation for Respiratory Care (CARC)
- Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER)
- National League of Nursing (NLN)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools(SACS)
Student life
Seminole State offers over 40 clubs and organizations including the Environmental Club, the Hispanic Student Association and the African American Cultural Forum. The college also sponsors a student run Government Association that is the voice of the students.
The school offers a healthy dose fine arts activities, with an art gallery on campus that showcases work by the students and a dramatic theatre that is open to the public. The Encore! Music Series presented by the school features performances by the Seminole State Gospel Choir and the Concert Chorale.
Free speech
A 2008 article by Marla Fisher in the journal Community College Week detailed free speech issues on campuses in California, North Carolina, and Florida. The then named Seminole Community College was among those profiled. Fisher stated that "a student at Seminole Community College in Florida had been refused permission to pass out animal-rights brochures near a cafe on campus because, according to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), an administrator did not like the group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), and didn't want her to hand out literature near where people were eating."[4]
FIRE challenged Seminole State's free speech policies detailed in Fisher's 2008 article, and described the results in a 2005 press release, "Student Free to Protest Animal Cruelty Outside of 'Free Speech Zone'." FIRE contacted Seminole State in writing after "administrators failed to produce a written copy of the alleged tabling policy (prohibiting distribution of literature)." The FIRE release added that James D. Henningsen, an official at SCC, replied to FIRE's request saying "that [SCC] [would then] allow Campos [the student] to set up a table in the campus’ café to distribute PETA literature." Henningsen also promised that the college would create a committee to review and make recommendations for changes to the college’s existing speech policies."[4]
Notable Alumni & Attendees
Seminole State College of Florida has produced thousands of alumni over the years. The most notable alumni of Seminole State College of Florida are Mikael Pernfors the former professional tennis player, John Hart the former general manager of the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers, Rob Ducey the former Major League Baseball player and olympian, and Doug Marlette the pulitzer prize winning cartoonist.
Alumni Status is open to all graduates of Seminole State College of Florida (and its prececessors), and all former students who regularly matriculated and left the college in good standing.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b8/Umpire_Ed_Hickox.jpg/150px-Umpire_Ed_Hickox.jpg)
Alumni | Notability |
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Copeland Davis | Jazz-pop pianist and composer |
Rob Ducey | Former MLB player, member of 2004 Canadian Olympic team |
John Hart | Major League Baseball manager |
Ed Hickox | Current Major League Baseball umpire |
Gregg Hubbard | Keyboardist for Sawyer Brown |
Norm Lewis | Broadway actor and singer |
Suzanne Lewis | Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park |
Doug Marlette | Cartoonist |
Paula Pell | Head writer on Saturday Night Live |
Mikael Pernfors | Swedish tennis star |
Hardy Rawls | Character actor |
Bobby Thigpen | Former Major League Baseball relief pitcher |
See also
Notes
General:
- ANGEL Learning, Inc. "Seminole Community College: Fast Track Migration to the ANGEL Learning Mangagement Suite." ANGEL Learning. 13 Apr. 2009. ANGEL Learning, Inc. 19 May 2009 <http://www.angellearning.com/community/documents/Seminole_Community_College_Case_Study_0409.pdf>
- Fisher, Marla. "Free Speech v. Censorship: Regulating Free Speech on Campus is Forcing Colleges Nationwide to Walk a Legal Tightrope in Balancing Rights of Students and Protesters." Community College Week 20.19 (May 19, 2008): 6-7. Expanded Academic ASAP. Gale. Orange County Lib., FL. 19 May 2009 <http://www.galegroup.com>.
- "Florida’s Community Colleges are Top Producers of Nation’s Associate’s Degrees for Fifth Year in a Row." Florida Dept. of Education. 12 Oct. 2007. Florida Dept. of Education 19 May 2009 <http://www.fldoe.org/news/2007/2007_10_12.asp>.
- Florida. Dept. of Children and Families. Breakdown of College/University Crime. 11 May 2007. 19 May 2009 <http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/campussecurity/docs/BreakdownofCollegeandUniversityCrime.pdf>.
- "Student Free to Protest Animal Cruelty Outside of 'Free Speech Zone'." FIRE - Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. 16 Jun. 2005. FIRE - Foundation for Individual Rights in Education 19 May 2009 <http://www.thefire.org/index.php/article/5785.html>.
- "Valencia Community College: Admissions & Retention." CollegeFinder by Global Scholar. 2008. Global Scholar, Inc. 20 May 2009 <http://www.globalscholar.com/CollegeFinder/984-valencia-community-college/admission-retention.aspx>.
References
- ^ Seminole State College of Florida, Fast Facts, February 2011. SeminoleState.edu. Seminole State College of Florida. Retrieved on 5 June 2011.
- ^ a b "The History of Seminole Community College". Seminole State College of Florida. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- ^ "Say hello to Seminole State College of Florida". Orlando Sentinel. 2009-09-21. Retrieved 2009-09-21.
- ^ a b "Florida College Slaughters PETA Member's Constitutional Rights". Foundation for Individual Rights in Education. 2005-06-15. Retrieved 2009-09-21.