Florida Senate - 2015 (NP) SR 1282
By Senator Simmons
10-00388-15 20151282__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution congratulating Seminole State College of
3 Florida on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, which
4 will be celebrated on June 4, 2015.
5
6 WHEREAS, legislation creating a junior college in Seminole
7 County was approved by the Legislature and signed into law by
8 Governor W. Haydon Burns on June 4, 1965, and
9 WHEREAS, on March 27, 1966, land was purchased for the
10 first permanent campus of Seminole Junior College, as it was
11 then known, and classes began 6 months later, on August 29, in
12 22 portable buildings, and
13 WHEREAS, reflecting its evolving mission, Seminole Junior
14 College was renamed Seminole Community College on July 1, 1975,
15 and Seminole State College of Florida on September 21, 2009, and
16 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida has grown from
17 its first enrollment of 754 students, and now serves more than
18 30,000 students at campuses and sites in Sanford/Lake Mary,
19 Altamonte Springs, Geneva, Heathrow, Oviedo and the Port of
20 Sanford, and
21 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida today offers
22 more than 198 programs of study, including an Associate in Arts
23 degree with 91 programs of study, 24 Associate in Science and
24 Associate in Applied Science degrees, 64 college credit
25 certificates and Applied Technology diplomas, 16 postsecondary
26 adult vocational programs, a high school diploma program, adult
27 basic education and GED programs, English language studies,
28 apprenticeships and other workforce development programs, and 5
29 bachelor’s degrees, and
30 WHEREAS, in addition to its diverse program offerings,
31 Seminole State College of Florida has a diverse student body
32 that is 55 percent women, nearly 50 percent minorities, 42
33 percent nontraditional students aged 25 and older, and 22
34 percent first-generation college students, and
35 WHEREAS, more than 50 percent of Seminole County Public
36 School District students who go on to postsecondary education
37 enroll at Seminole State College of Florida, and nearly 1,000
38 military servicemen and servicewomen, veterans, and their
39 dependents attend annually, and
40 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida now draws
41 students from 23 states and 75 countries and is ranked 15th
42 among 1,167 colleges in the nation for the number of Associate
43 in Arts degrees awarded annually, and
44 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida has served more
45 than 1 million student enrollments since its founding 50 years
46 ago, growing from a graduating class of 112 students in 1967
47 1968 to a graduating class of 5,955 in the 2013-2014 academic
48 year, now with a total of more than 80,000 degrees and
49 certificates awarded, and
50 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida has established
51 dynamic business, industry, and educational partnerships that
52 enhance the region’s economic development and vitality, and
53 WHEREAS, since 2006, Seminole State College of Florida has
54 partnered with the University of Central Florida to offer
55 DirectConnect to UCF, an award-winning program that provides a
56 pathway to guaranteed entry to their hometown university for
57 more than 9,000 qualified students at the college, and
58 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida’s partnership
59 with the Seminole County Public Schools is a national model for
60 degree completion and provides pathways from high school to
61 higher education and careers, and
62 WHEREAS, over the past 9 years, alumni of Seminole State
63 College of Florida’s Art and Phyllis Grindle Honors Institute
64 include an Intel Science Talent Search finalist, a Truman
65 Scholar, a New Century Scholar, and eight Jack Kent Cooke
66 Undergraduate Transfer Scholars who have collectively received
67 more than $1 million in scholarships, and
68 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida has helped to
69 develop and enhance the small-business community of Seminole
70 County through its Center for Economic Development at Heathrow,
71 supporting more than 4,000 clients since 2007 and adding more
72 than $300 million to the economy of Seminole County, and
73 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida has remained a
74 distinctive cultural center that provides diverse professional
75 and academic courses, programs, and events, and
76 WHEREAS, Seminole State College of Florida awards nearly
77 $80 million in financial aid annually, is the third-largest
78 employer in Seminole County, and has an estimated $430 million
79 positive annual economic impact in the county, NOW, THEREFORE,
80
81 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
82
83 That Seminole State College of Florida be recognized for
84 its outstanding service to the residents of Seminole County and
85 this state and congratulated on the occasion of its 50th
86 anniversary, which will be celebrated on June 4, 2015.
87 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
88 presented to the District Board of Trustees of Seminole State
89 College of Florida as a tangible token of the sentiments
90 expressed herein.