| Palm Beach State College | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Your Pathway To Success |
| Established | 1933 |
| Type | Public College |
| President | Dennis P. Gallon |
| Admin. staff | 1,099 |
| Students | 51,248 |
| Location | Lake Worth, Florida, United States |
| Campus | Urban |
| Former names | Palm Beach Community College, Palm Beach Junior College |
| Athletics | 4 major sports teams |
| Nickname | Panthers |
| Website | palmbeachstate.edu |
Palm Beach State College is a member institution of the Florida College System,[1] a public state college located in Lake Worth, Florida. Palm Beach State College was formerly known as Palm Beach Community College and before that Palm Beach Junior College
Palm Beach State College enrolls more than 51,000 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, and added Information Management in 2011. A Bachelor degree in Nursing will being 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.
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Palm Beach State 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), the college also serves students at full-service locations in Belle Glade (1978), Palm Beach Gardens (1982) and Boca Raton (1983).[2]
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 initialality 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 (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.
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.
Palm Beach State College offers over 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.
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.
Alumni 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.
| Alumni | Notability |
|---|---|
| Wilson G. Bradshaw | Current President of Florida Gulf Coast University |
| Crystl Bustos | Olympic Gold Medalist in Softball |
| William Calley | Convicted war criminal (did not graduate) |
| John R. Ellis | Filmmaker and special effects artist |
| Mark Foley | Former U.S. Representative |
| Ken Green | Professional golfer |
| Yolanda Griffith | Olympic Gold Medalist and Professional Basketball Player |
| Deidre Hall | Television actress |
| Monte Markham | Television and movie actor |
| Jesper Parnevik | Professional golfer |
| Judge Reinhold | Television and movie actor |
| Burt Reynolds | Television and movie actor |
| Lucia St. Clair Robson | Historical novelist |
| Kim Swan | Politician, Leader of the Opposition in Bermuda |
| James L. Wattenbarger | Architect of the Florida Community College system |
| Charles Willeford | American writer |
| Gareth Williams | Television and movie actor |
| Tony Cruz | Baseball player for St. Louis Cardinals |