# Florida College System

The Florida College System, previously the Florida Community College System, is a system of 28 public community colleges and state colleges in the U.S. state of Florida. In 2020–2021, enrollment consisted of 640,183 students. Together with the State University System of Florida, which consists of Florida's twelve public universities, the two systems control all public higher education in the state of Florida.
While governed by local boards of trustees, the colleges are coordinated under the jurisdiction of Florida's State Board of Education. Administratively, the chancellor of the Florida College System is the chief executive officer of the system, reporting to the commissioner of Education who serves as the chief executive officer of Florida's public education system. In 2009, the Florida Legislature changed the name from the "Florida Community College System" to the "Florida College System," reflecting the fact that some of its member institutions now offer four-year bachelor's degrees. As of 2024, Hillsborough Community College is the last remaining member institution to use "community" in its official name.

## Mission and offerings

Section (s.) 1004.65, Florida Statutes (F.S.), establishes the primary mission and responsibility of Florida College System institutions as responding to community needs for post secondary academic education and career degree education. This mission and responsibility includes:
    (a) Providing lower level undergraduate instruction and awarding associate degrees.
    (b) Preparing students directly for careers requiring less than baccalaureate degrees. This may include preparing for job entry, supplementing of skills and knowledge, and responding to needs in new areas of technology. Career education in a Florida College System institution shall consist of career certificates, credit courses leading to associate in science degrees and associate in applied science degrees, and other programs in fields requiring substantial academic work, background, or qualifications. A Florida College System institution may offer career education programs in fields having lesser academic or technical requirements.
    (c) Providing student development services, including assessment, student tracking, support for disabled students, advisement, counseling, financial aid, career development, and remedial and tutorial services, to ensure student success.
    (d) Promoting economic development for the state within each Florida College System institution district through the provision of special programs, including, but not limited to:
       1. Enterprise Florida-related programs.
       2. Technology transfer centers.
       3. Economic development centers.
       4. Workforce literacy programs.
    (e) Providing dual enrollment instruction.
    (f) Providing upper level instruction and awarding baccalaureate degrees as specifically authorized by law.
A separate and secondary role for Florida College System institutions includes the offering of programs in:
    (a) Community services that are not directly related to academic or occupational advancement.
    (b) Adult education services, including adult basic education, adult general education, adult secondary education, and General Educational Development test instruction.
    (c) Recreational and leisure services.
In addition, s. 1007.33(2), F.S., requires that any Florida College System institution that offers one or more baccalaureate degree programs:
    (a) Maintain as its primary mission:
       1. Responsibility for responding to community needs for post secondary academic education and career degree education as prescribed in s. 1004.65(5), F.S.
       2. The provision of associate degrees that provide access to a university.
    (b) Maintain an open-door admission policy for associate-level degree programs and workforce education programs.
    (c) Continue to provide outreach to underserved populations.
    (d) Continue to provide remedial education.
    (e) Comply with all provisions of the statewide articulation agreement which relate to 2-year and 4-year public degree-granting institutions as adopted by the State Board of Education pursuant to s. 1007.23, F.S.
In 2023, the presidents of the system's member institutions issued a joint statement against Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and stated that they "will not fund or support any institutional practice, policy, or academic requirement that compels belief in critical race theory or related concepts such as intersectionality".

## Member institutions

| Broward College Chipola College College of Central Florida Daytona State College Eastern Florida State College Florida Gateway College College of the Florida Keys Florida SouthWestern State College Florida State College at Jacksonville Gulf Coast State College Hillsborough Community College Indian River State College Lake–Sumter State College Miami Dade College | North Florida College Northwest Florida State College Palm Beach State College Pasco–Hernando State College Pensacola State College Polk State College Santa Fe College Seminole State College of Florida South Florida State College St. Johns River State College St. Petersburg College State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota Tallahassee State College Valencia College |

## Student profile

Racial and/or ethnic background (2014) :
| | Students | Florida | United States |
| Non-Hispanic White | 45% | 57% | 63% |
| Hispanic (of any race) | 26% | 23% | 17% |
| Black | 18% | 17% | 13% |
| Multi-ethnic | 2% | N/A | N/A |
| International student | 2% | N/A | N/A |
| Other races | 8% | N/A | N/A |

## Athletics

The schools athletic teams are governed by the Florida State College Activities Association (FSCAA) and compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8.

## Chancellors and directors

| Year | Names | Title |
| 1957–1967 | James L. Wattenbarger | Director of the Division of Community Colleges |
| 1967–1983 | Lee G. Henderson | Director of the Division of Community Colleges |
| 1984–1997 | Clark Maxwell Jr. | Executive director of the Florida Community College System |
| 1998–2007 | J. David Armstrong, Jr. | Executive director of the Florida Community College System (1998–2001), chancellor of the Florida College System (2001–2007) |
| 2007–2011 | Willis N. Holcombe | Chancellor of the Florida College System |
| 2011–2014 | Randall W. Hanna | Chancellor of the Florida College System |
| 2015–2018 | Madeline M. Pumariega | President & CEO of Take Stock in Children (2013–2015), chancellor of the Florida College System (2015–2018) |
| 2019–present | Kathy Hebda | Chancellor of the Florida College System |

## Timeline

James L. Wattenbarger, distinguished service professor emeritus, University of Florida and Harry T. Albertson, former chief executive officer, Florida Association of Community Colleges, outlined the history of the Florida College System through 2009.
Timeline of the Florida College System :
| 1927 | St. Petersburg Junior College founded as private, two-year college |
| 1933 | Palm Beach Junior College founded as first public college |
| 1939 | Legislature passes law allowing counties to petition for the establishment of public colleges |
| 1947 | "Junior colleges" detailed in report to legislature |
| 1947–1948 | St. Petersburg Junior College becomes part of Florida's public system Legislature approves creation of three new colleges: Palm Beach Junior College, Chipola Junior College, and Pensacola Junior College |
| 1948 | Creation of Florida Association of Public Junior Colleges |
| 1955 | Legislature created Community College Council to formulate long-range plans |
| 1957–58 | Community College Council issues report to legislature which recommended state plan for 28 community/junior colleges Legislature approves creation of six new colleges: Gulf Coast Community College, Central Florida Community College, Daytona Beach Community College, Manatee Junior College, North Florida Junior College, and St. Johns River Community College. Legislature approves statutory revisions permitting junior colleges to separate from K–12 Legislature establishes the Division of Community Colleges |
| 1960 | Legislature approves creation of four new colleges: Brevard Community College, Broward Community College, Miami Dade Community College, and Indian River Community College |
| 1962 | Legislature approves creation of three new colleges: Edison Community College, Lake City Community College, and Lake-Sumter Junior College |
| 1964 | Legislature approves creation of Okaloosa-Walton Community College |
| 1965 | Legislature approves creation of Polk Community College |
| 1966 | Legislature approves creation of five new colleges: Florida Keys Community College, Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Santa Fe Community College, Seminole Community College, and South Florida Community College |
| 1967 | Legislature approves creation of two new colleges: Valencia Community College and Tallahassee Community College |
| 1968 | Legislature approves creation of Hillsborough Community College Legislature approves measure allowing community colleges to be governed under local boards |
| 1972 | Legislature approves creation of Pasco-Hernando Community College |
| 1979 | Legislature creates Community College Coordinating Board |
| 1983 | Legislature replaces Community College Coordinating Board with State Board of Community Colleges |
| 1996 | Colleges become first state agency in Florida to embrace performance based budgeting |
| 1998 | Commissioner of Education eliminated from cabinet position |
| 2000 | Florida higher Education Reorganization Act restructures higher education systems and Division of Community Colleges merged with Division of Workforce Development |
| 2001 | Senate Bill 1162 eliminates State Board of Community Colleges, creates State Board of Education, and creates local boards of trustees |
| 2002 | New statutes give more control to local boards |
| 2004 | Legislation outlines process for community colleges to create baccalaureate degrees and allows community colleges to change names to reflect expanding mission |
| 2009 | The Florida Community College System is renamed the Florida College System |
| 2011 | FCS member institution Valencia College named nation's best community college as first-ever winner of Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence |
| 2012 | Governor Rick Scott announces "$10,000 degree challenge will help us continue to improve the value of our higher education system." As of 2015, 23 of the 28 Florida College System institutions are offering $10,000 bachelor's degrees. |
| 2015 | Santa Fe College is the second Florida college to win the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence |
| 2019 | Indian River State College and Miami Dade College win the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence |