Palm Beach State College
 | |
Former names | Palm Beach Community College, Palm Beach Junior College |
|---|---|
| Motto | Your Pathway To Success |
| Type | Public College |
| Established | 1933 |
| President | Ava Parker |
Administrative staff | 1,099 |
| Students | 48,966 (2011-12) |
| Location | Palm Beach County, Florida, United States |
| Campus | Urban |
| Athletics | 4 major sports teams |
| Nickname | Panthers |
| Website | palmbeachstate.edu |
Palm Beach State College is a public state college in Palm Beach County, Florida. It was formerly known as Palm Beach Community College and before that Palm Beach Junior College. It is a member institution of the Florida College System.[1]
Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 49,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associate in arts and associate in science degree programs, and short-term certificates, as well as continuing education and avocational courses. In 2009, the college started its first baccalaureate program, a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Supervision & Management.
History
Palm Beach State 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 initial goal was to provide additional training to local high school graduates who were unable to find jobs during the Great Depression.
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 (46 ha) 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.
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 new name officially took effect on January 12, 2010.
Campus
Palm Beach State College's main campus is located in Palm Beach County, Florida. In addition to the Lake Worth campus, the largest (114 acre/51 building complex) and longest established campus (1956), the college also serves students at full-service locations in Belle Glade (1978), Palm Beach Gardens (1982) and Boca Raton (1983).[2]
Organization and administration
The college is part of the Florida College System.
Academic profile
Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 49,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associate in arts and associate in 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. Palm Beach State now offers three bachelor's degrees in six tracks. Information Management was added in 2011 and Nursing in 2012.
The college is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Applied Science, Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees.
Palm Beach State College truck technology program has been ranked the best in the United States in 2015. [3]
Athletics
The college athletics teams, which are nicknamed the Panthers, compete in the Southern Conference of the Florida State College Activities Association, a body of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8.
Notable people
Palm Beach State College has produced thousands of alumni over the years. The most notable alumni of Palm Beach State College are Burt Reynolds the award winning actor, Jesper Parnevik who currently plays on the PGA Tour, the award winning actress Deidre Hall, Yolanda Griffith an Olympic Gold Medalist and Professional Basketball Player with the WNBA, and James L. Wattenbarger who was the Architect of the Florida Community College system.
Alumnus status is open to all graduates of Palm Beach State College, as well as all former students of Palm Beach State College who regularly matriculated and left the College in good standing.
| Alumnus | Notability |
|---|---|
| Ross Baumgarten | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Dante Bichette | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Wilson G. Bradshaw | Current President of Florida Gulf Coast University |
| Mark Brownson | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Crystl Bustos | Olympic Gold Medalist in Softball |
| William Calley | Convicted war criminal (did not graduate) |
| Tony Cruz | MLB player[4] |
| Paul Dicken | MLB baseball player[4] |
| John R. Ellis | Filmmaker and special effects artist |
| Gar Finnvold | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Mark Foley | Former U.S. Representative |
| Joe Grahe | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Ken Green | Professional golfer |
| Yolanda Griffith | Olympic Gold Medalist and Professional Basketball Player |
| Deidre Hall | Television actress |
| David Manning | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Monte Markham | Television and movie actor |
| Andy McGaffigan | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Bobby Muñoz | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Randy O'Neal | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Jesper Parnevik | Professional golfer |
| Brad Peacock | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Judge Reinhold | Television and movie actor |
| Burt Reynolds | Television and movie actor |
| Antoan Richardson | MLB baseball player[4] |
| Lucia St. Clair Robson | Historical novelist |
| Kevin Siegrist | MLB player[4] |
| Kim Swan | Politician, Leader of the Opposition in Bermuda |
| Robby Thompson | MLB baseball player[4] |
| James L. Wattenbarger | Architect of the Florida Community College system |
| Charles Willeford | American writer |
| Gareth Williams | Television and movie actor |
