Eastern Florida State College

Eastern Florida State College
Motto Explore. Achieve. Succeed.
Established 1960
Type Public
President Jim Richey
Academic staff
 251[1]
Administrative staff
 185
Students 14,616
Location Brevard County, Florida, USA
Campus Suburban
Athletics NJCAA Region 8,Panhandle Conference
9 major sports teams
Mascot Titans
Affiliations Florida College System
Website www.easternflorida.edu

Eastern Florida State College, formerly Brevard Community College, is a public state college on Florida's Space Coast, in Brevard County, Florida. A member institution of the Florida College System, it has four campuses in Cocoa, Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Titusville, as well as an Aerospace program at Kennedy Space Center and a Virtual Campus.

Since its inception, the college has served more than a half-million students. About 35,000 students take courses annually on the Titusville, Cocoa, Melbourne and Palm Bay campuses, and online. According to state Florida College System statistics, the college has among the top graduation rates in the 28-member Florida College System, and the highest graduation rate among state and community colleges in Central Florida.[2]

In 2010, the college reported 25,000 students enrolled for courses.[3] There were 1,200 employees in 2011, including support personnel and faculty.[4] Eastern Florida State College is ranked 19th among more than 1,200 community colleges in the nation in awarding Associate Degrees.

History

Then called Brevard Junior College, the school opened with 768 students in the fall of 1960 in the former Cocoa High School on Forrest Avenue in Cocoa. Dr. Bruce J. Wilson was president. There were 31 faculty members. Four associate degrees were offered.[1]

At the time, it was racially segregated, and a separate Carver Junior College for African-American students opened the same year.[5] It was an all-white college. To accomplish desegregation in compliance with the law, it merged with the all-black Carver Junior College in 1963 to form the Brevard Community College.[6] The schools merged in 1963 and moved to the present location of the Cocoa Campus at 1519 Clearlake Rd in Cocoa. The college was renamed Brevard Community College in 1970 when the state of Florida created a system of two-year colleges.

The college experienced a 51% increase in enrollment for online classes from 2007 to 2010.[7]

In September 2012, a professor was placed on paid leave, and an investigation was started, after the professor allegedly made students sign a pledge to vote for Barack Obama.[8] An investigation concluded that the professor violated policies and should be fired.[9]

On July 1, 2013, it was officially named Eastern Florida State College.[10] It now offers four year degrees in health care management and general business management.[11]

Academics

Melbourne Campus

The college offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs, including career and technical programs.[12]

In 2009, there were 19.7 students per class, average.[13]

Most of EFSC's students take part in its Associate in Arts transfer program. In 2007, EFSC was listed 21st in the nation in the number of AA degrees awarded.[14] Transfer and articulation partnerships between EFSC and the University of Central Florida, a joint initiative called "DirectConnect," and with the Florida Institute of Technology, whose TechTrack program guarantees the admission of EFSC graduates who wish to transfer to Florida Tech, make possible the seamless transfer of credits to other four-year institutions. The EFSC-UCF partnership also involves the sharing of facilities and services with UCF on EFSC's campuses, including the EFSC/UCF Joint-Use Library.

Administration

The president's office and the college's headquarters are on the Cocoa campus. The college is directed by a five-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Governor. The current chair is Alan H. Landman, a Melbourne attorney.[15] Dr. James H. Richey is president of the college, named to that position in January 2012 after serving as interim president since October 2011.[16] Richey also previously served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel.

Presidents

  1. J. Bruce Wilson, 1960–1966
  2. Leo C. Muller, 1966–1968
  3. Maxwell King, 1968–1998
  4. Michael Kaliszeski (Interim), 1998
  5. Thomas E. Gamble, 1999–2006
  6. Jim Drake, 2006–2011
  7. Jim Richey, 2011–present

Athletics

EFSC's Athletic teams are nicknamed the Titans and participate in softball, baseball, women's basketball, men's basketball, men's golf, men's soccer, women's soccer, women's tennis and women's volleyball. They participate in the Southern Conference of the Florida State College Activities Association (FSCAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8.[17] The men's golf program has won seven National Junior College Championships since 1969.[18]

Other Programs

The college include the Law Enforcement Academy which trains people for employment in local law enforcement positions. There are about 25–30 students.[19]

Cultural

The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts

The 2,000-seat Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts, on the Melbourne campus, offers performances and cultural art events. The Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, on the Cocoa campus, features one of the largest public-access telescopes in Florida[20] as well as large-format movies, laser light shows, and other presentations.

The Titusville campus contains the John Henry Jones Gymnatorium, used for performing arts as well as athletic events. The Digital Media Bobcats, have conducted the Independent Digital Features Festival since the Fall of 2011 Showcasing the talent of the Digital Media students.

WEFS TV is a non-commercial educational television station operated by EFSC. WEFS TV broadcasts educational, cultural, and informational materials and telecourses of special interest.

The Harry T. and Harriette Moore Multicultural Center commemorates the lives and work of the Moores, African-American community leaders who lived and worked in Brevard County, martyr-pioneers of the civil rights era.

Notable alumni

Bill Posey
Darrell Hammond
Derrick Sharp
Alumni Notability
Paul Azinger PGA Tour golfer, 1993 PGA Championship winner
Bruce Bochy Major League Baseball manager
Warren Bolster Notable skateboard photographer, published by Skateboarder magazine and Surfer Magazine
Steve Crisafulli Current member of the Florida House of Representatives
Darrell Hammond Former EFSC Baseball player and cast member for Saturday Night Live (1995–2008)
Pete Marino Former Major League Soccer player
Bill Posey 1969 graduate. United States Representative from Florida
Carlos Reyes Major League Baseball player (1994–2003)
Mandy Romero Major League Baseball Player (1997–2003) for San Diego Padres, Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies.
Ernie Rosseau 1971 graduate. Professional baseball player 1973–1977. Head baseball coach EFSC 1981–current[21]
Derrick Sharp American-Israeli professional basketball player
Daniel Tosh Comedian and host of Comedy Central's Tosh.0. Attended for 1 semester before transferring to the University of Central Florida.

Notable faculty and staff

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Spitzer, Michelle (November 7, 2010). "BCC looks beyond half-century". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  2. ↑ "Florida College System Graduation Report" (PDF).
  3. ↑ Spitzer, Michelle (May 11, 2010). "BCC trims 56 positions". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1B.
  4. ↑ Stover, Bob (October 13, 2011). "Changing of the guard". Florida Today (Melbourne, Florida). pp. 11A.
  5. ↑ "College History".
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ Spitzer, Michelle (June 3, 2010). "BCC preps for role in reshaping work force". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  8. ↑ Todd Starnes (17 September 2012). "Professor Made Students Sign ‘Vote for Obama’ Pledge". Fox News Radio. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  9. ↑ James Eng (19 February 2013). "College: Professor urged students to vote for Obama, should be fired". MSN News. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  10. ↑ "BCC Name Change". Newschannel 13.
  11. ↑ USAtoday, Aug22,2013, page 5A "Community colleges graduate to 4 ears"
  12. ↑ "Degrees and Certifications".
  13. ↑ Spitzer, Michelle (April 2, 2009). "BCC tight, but welcomes more". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  14. ↑ Florida Department of Education statistics
  15. ↑ "Board of Trustees".
  16. ↑ "Richey Named BCC President". Spacecoast Business.
  17. ↑ "Sports Affiliations".
  18. ↑ GolfProg_Nov07.indd
  19. ↑ Camodeca, Sara (January 8, 2010). "69 graduate from police academy". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1B.
  20. ↑ "Our History and Mission". Eastern Florida State College. A leader in science and technology, the College is home to the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, which features one of the largest public-access telescopes in Florida, as well as large-format movies, laser light shows and other educational planetarium presentations.
  21. ↑ "50. Brevard Community College". Florida Today (Melbourne, Florida). February 13, 2011. pp. 4B.

External links

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Coordinates: 28°10′11.90″N 80°40′8.08″W / 28.1699722°N 80.6689111°W