St. Petersburg College (commonly referred to as SPC, formerly known as St. Petersburg Junior College or SPJC) is a state college in Pinellas County, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System, and is one of the institutions in the system designated a "state college," as it offers a greater number of four-year bachelor's degrees than traditional two-year community colleges focused on associate's degrees. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and enrolls about 65,000 students annually.
The school was founded in 1927 as a private, two-year junior college, the first in Florida. It later became a state institution, and grew to include campuses throughout Pinellas County. Today it has eleven campuses and centers: four in St. Petersburg, Florida, and seven more in Seminole, Pinellas Park, Largo, Clearwater, and Tarpon Springs.
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History
St. Petersburg College was founded in 1927 as St. Petersburg Junior College by Captain George M. Lynch, Pinellas County's city superintendent of schools for the city of St. Petersburg, as a private, non-profit institution. It was created in part because of the economic downturn preceding the Great Depression as a way for local students to receive a postsecondary education without having to relocate or pay high tuition. On opening day, the college consisted of 102 students and 14 faculty members, operating from an unused wing of St. Petersburg High School. After one semester, SPJC moved its operations to a former high school facility overlooking Mirror Lake, where it remained until January 1942. At this point, the facility was moved into a single building on the corner of 5th Ave. N. and 66th St. N.--a building still in active use today as the James E. Hendry Administration Building, part of the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus.
SPJC became a public college in 1948.
After a 1959 study clearly illustrated the demand for a higher-education facility in northern Pinellas county, SPJC began planning the development of a second campus located in Clearwater, Florida. In 1962, the college acquired 72.8 acres (295,000 m2) of land in the vicinity of Drew Street and County Road 32 (Old Coachman Road), land which previously contained an orange grove and a waste disposal site. Construction began on February 25, 1964. That same year, the new campus, consisting of only five buildings, was officially dedicated on November 21.
Like almost all other Florida colleges, SPJC was all-white until the mid-1960s. A companion junior college for black students, Gibbs Junior College, opened its doors in 1957. Gibbs was placed under the supervision of SPJC in 1965, and became the Gibbs campus of SPJC. In 1966-67 the name was changed to the Skyway Campus of SPJC. It ceased operations in 1967. The only association of today's (2016) Gibbs Campus of SPC with the former Gibbs Junior College is nominal; it is not located where the college was.
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Campus
St. Petersburg College has no resident students. This is mostly because no single campus is large enough to warrant a need for student on-campus housing. Many of the SPC campuses do not offer a large curriculum of available courses, but instead specialize in one or two specific fields. For example, the Caruth Health Education Center in Pinellas Park specializes in courses centering on health care, while the Seminole campus is a highly technology-oriented campus. The Seminole campus also serves to house SPC's University Partnership Center, a campus that offers select degree programs from 16 fully accredited institutions, including Barry University, Case Western Reserve University's Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Cleveland State University, Eckerd College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida International University, Florida State University, Indiana University, Saint Leo University, University of Central Florida, University of Florida, and University of South Florida. In total, SPC's University Partnership program offers 60 bachelor's degrees and 39 graduate degrees.
Both the Student Services building on the St Petersburg/Gibbs Campus and the Natural Science, Mathematics and College of Education Building on the Clearwater Campus were both recently awarded LEED Gold Certification. The two buildings mark the first LEED Gold higher education buildings in Pinellas County.
Academic profile
As of 2007, of the 65,000 students enrolled in the institution, 36,133 were enrolled in degree seeking programs; while 25,797 were non-degree seeking students. 16,051 of those students were female and 9,417 were male. The average ages of student enrollment proved to be in the range 20-24, which provided education to over 7,698 students.
For four years in a row, St. Petersburg College was designated Florida's leader in distance learning among the state's 28 other community colleges. It ranked first in the number of courses offered (2,309) and the number of students (16,656). SPC has once again placed near the top of Community College Week's Top 100 Associate's Degree Producers List. In the primary category, All Disciplines, SPC was ranked 10th.
The College of Technology and Management (CTM) developed the Sustainability Management BAS degree. The program focuses on sustainable business strategies, energy and resource management, legal aspects of sustainability, and sustainability in built and natural environments. Among other major courses, areas of study include Legal Aspects of Sustainability, Environmental Communication, Sustainable Enterprise Planning, Sustainable Business Strategies, Energy and Environmental Techniques, Sustainability in the Natural Environment and Sustainability in the Build Environment.
The Seminole Campus-based Environmental Science Technology AS includes three sub-plans: Water Resource management, Environmental Resources/Energy Management and Sustainability and includes newly developed courses in Renewable Energy Resources, Solar Energy, Environmental Regulations, Environmental Compliance, Hydrology, Urban Resources Pollutants and Hazardous Waste/Materials Management.
In addition, St. Petersburg College's Corporate Training department has partnerships with Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the US Green Building Council to offer online LEED examination training courses and with Solar Source Institute to provide online and face to face solar energy generation, installation and inspection training. SPC/CT offers nearly 50 other sustainability focused certification and continuing education programs.
In 2010, St Petersburg College was named Outstanding Business of the Year by Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the US Green Building Council.
Libraries
St. Petersburg College has eight campus libraries, as well as an extensive online library. The eight campus libraries include the Allstate Center Library, Clearwater Campus Library, SPC Downtown Library, SPC Midtown Library, West St. Petersburg Community Library at St. Petersburg Gibbs Campus, Health Education Center Library, Seminole Community Library at Seminole Campus, and the Tarpon Springs Campus Library. The St. Petersburg/Gibbs and Seminole campus libraries are joint-use libraries, giving users the benefits of a public library and a college library in one. The collections include print and electronic books, academic journals, magazines and newspapers, thousands of online research databases, streaming videos, audiobooks, images, citation tools, music, and periodicals. Study areas, computer labs, and printing services are also available. In addition to on site reference librarians, students can use digital reference services such as AskALibrarian, where they can chat, email or text with an SPC librarian.
Locations & Hours:
Allstate Center Library 3200 34th Street S St. Petersburg, FL 33711 Phone: 727-341-4486 Hours: Monday - Thursday: 3:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. Friday, Saturday & Sunday: Closed
Clearwater Campus Library 2465 Drew Street Clearwater, FL 33765 Phone: 727-791-2614 Hours: Monday - Thursday: 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday: Closed
Downtown Library 244 Second Avenue N St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Phone: 727-341-7199 Hours: Monday - Thursday: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. - 12 noon Saturday & Sunday: Closed
West Community Library at St. Petersburg/Gibbs 6700 8th Avenue N St. Petersburg, FL 33710 Phone: 727-341-7186 Hours: Monday - Thursday 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday - Closed
Health Education Center Library 7200 66th Street N Pinellas Park, FL 33781 Phone: 727-341-3604 Hours: Monday - Thursday: 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Sunday: Closed
Seminole Community Library at Seminole Campus 9200 113th Street N Seminole, FL 33772 Phone: 727-394-6905 Hours: Monday - Thursday: 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. Saturday: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sunday: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Tarpon Springs Campus Library 600 Klosterman Road Tarpon Springs, FL 34689 Phone: 727-712-5718 Hours: Monday-Thursday: 7:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Saturday: Closed Sunday: 12 - 7 p.m.
Student life
Caruth Health Education Center: Human Services Organization, Physical Therapist Assistant Club, Radiography Club, Student American Dental Hygienists Association, Student Caruth Health Information, Management Association, Student Nurses Association, and Veterinary Technician Society.
Clearwater: Badeya (Black Student Union), Chess Club, College Democrats, Computer Club, Club Green, Emerging Green Builders, Ethics Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, High Achievers, International Club U.N.I.T (United Nations Integrating Together) and Latinos Unidos, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Math & Science Club, Phi Theta Kappa- Tau Zeta Chapter, Positive Directions Association, Silent Titans, Student Ambassadors, Student Government Associations, The World Percussion Club, and Wheels in the Wind.
Downtown: Anime Club, Band/Jazz Ensemble, Brother to Brother, Campus Crusade for Christ, Campus Green Party, Chorus & Madrigalians, Circle K, College Democrats, Collegiate Music Educators, CoMotion Dance Theatre, Ethics in Action, Forensics, Friends of Internationals, Harmabee (Black Student Union), High Achievers Club (Affiliated with the Student Support Services Program), International Club, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Intramural Sports, Phi Theta Kappa- Eta Nu Chapter, Student Government Association, SIFE (Students in Free Enterprise), and Student Republican Association.
St. Petersburg/Gibbs: Academic Team/Brain Bowl, Band/Jazz Ensemble, Brother to Brother, Campus Crusade for Christ, Chorus & Madrigalians, Circle K, Colleges Against Cancer, Collegiate Music Educators, CoMotion Dance Theatre, Ethics in Action, Friends of Florida Environmental Club, Harmabee (Black Student Union), High Achievers Club (Affiliated with the Student Support Services Program), International Club, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, Intramural Sports, Latinos United, Medical Club, Peer Academic Advisory Club, Phi Theta Kappa- Eta Nu Chapter, Space Physiology and Medicine, Student Government Association, and Student Republican Association.
Seminole: Digital Media Club, Engineering and Technology Club, Environmental Science Club, Student Government Association, Phi Theta Kappa, Seminole Campus for Christ, and Hospitality Club.
Tarpon Springs: Art Club, Billiards Club, Chess Club, Coffee House, Cultural club, COE Kappa Delta Pi Drama Club, Fitness Club, Christian Club, Latinos United, Phi Theta Kappa- Alpha Zeta Tau, Photography Club, St. Petersburg College Students Counsel for Exceptional Students, Student Ambassadors Program, Student Government Association, Sustainability Club, Tabletop Titans (gaming club), and View from The Hill Campus Newsletter.
Athletics
The St. Petersburg College athletic teams go by the name "Titans." They are a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and compete in the Suncoast Conference of the Florida State College Activities Association (FSCAA). The Titans are represented by a men's basketball and baseball team, as well as a women's volleyball, basketball, tennis, and softball team. The college also has a cheerleading squad who cheers for the men's and women's basketball teams. Cheerleading is also present at pep rallies and other school functions. The Titans softball team appeared in the first Women's College World Series in 1969.
Notable people
Notable alumni include Gus Bilirakis, the current U.S. representative from Florida's 9th District; Henry Lyons, the former president of the National Baptist Convention; Jim King, the former president of the Florida Senate; Frank Wren, the current general manager of the Atlanta Braves; Carl M. Kuttler, Jr., the former president of St. Petersburg College; and Nicole P. Stott, NASA astronaut, Daryl L. Bortel, US Air Force, Retired. Jim Morrison of the Doors attended SPC briefly. Bryan LaHair played baseball for SPJC
Partnerships
St. Petersburg College is partnered with the Multijurisdictional Counterdrug Task Force Training (MCTFT) and the Florida Army National Guard in counterdrug efforts. In partnership with St. Petersburg College, the MCTFT provides unique, tuition-free military and counterdrug training for local, state, federal, and military criminal justice professionals as well as awareness training for community leaders.
St. Petersburg College is also partnered with the Combating Transnational Organized Crime (CTOC) Center of Excellence (COE). The CTOC COE provides unique, tuition-free CTOC training in support of Department of Defense strategies. The CTOC COE has campuses on Camp Blanding Joint Training Center near Starke, Florida, at St. Petersburg College in St. Petersburg, Florida, and on Camp Murray near Tacoma, Washington.
Innovation Lab [Makerspace @ SPC]
Located on the second floor of the Dennis Jones Library on the SPC-Seminole campus, the Innovation Lab [Makerspace @ SPC] allows users to get hands on experience with the latest technology including a 3D printer, Cublets KT06 modular robots, littleBits Circuits, and Raspberry Pi kits. Opened on June 3, 2014, the Innovation Lab also contains equipment for podcasting and audio recording, including a professional-grade microphone and mixer. In addition to a variety of open source applications available for users, it also contains a reference collection including relevant books and magazines. The Innovation Lab is open students, professors, and non-students who hold a library card.
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