Phd Universities

The 28 community or junior colleges in the Florida Community College System were established with the goal of helping Floridians complete the first two years towards an undergraduate degree. In an effort to make education at Florida junior colleges even more accessible, over 2,000 other locations throughout the state such as community centers, churches, and public schools are used as classrooms.

In an effort to ensure the effective and efficient operation of Florida junior colleges, the Florida state legislature established the Florida State Community College Coordinating Board in 1979. The board was short-lived and was replaced by the Florida State Board of Community Colleges in 1983.

The Board has proven very effective in it's role of running the Florida Junior College system. There is a tough balancing act between allowing the local junior colleges to run themselves on one-hand and establish the procedures and guidelines for the smooth operation of all the Florida junior colleges as a cohesive unit on the other hand. The Florid junior college system has received national acclaim for its ability to balance local control with state coordination and funding.

Florida's postsecondary educational needs were changing as the Florida junior college system was expanding. The most noticeable changes were an increase in the average student age and a massive increase in population as more and more people flocked to the Sunshine State from colder climates.

One of the jewels of the Florida junior college system is Palm Beach Community College located in Palm Beach, Florida. Palm Beach Community College offers greater than 100 degree programs in incredibly has an enrollment of over 48,000 students which is huge for a junior college considering that the student bodies of most public 4 year colleges and universities are not anywhere near that size.

Palm Beach Community College was the first public junior college in Florida dating all the way back to 1933. Originally classes were held in classrooms at Palm Beach High School. It should come as no surprise then that the first dean of the Palm Beach Community College was Howell Watkins who was instrumental in creating Florida's first junior college as the principal of Palm Beach High School. Looking back at history, Palm Beach Junior College was opened during the Great Depression and it's goal was to provide additional educational opportunities to recent high school graduates in order to make them better qualified to find employment.

A deactivated military base called Morrison Field which eventually become Palm Beach International Airport temporarily housed Palm Beach Junior College beginning in 1948. As Palm Beach Junior College grew and needed more space, 114 acres in Lake Worth was granted and the Florida state legislature appropriated more than $1,000,0000 in construction funds for the site. The doors opened in the fall of 1956 and the main campus still resided in Lake Worth to this day.

Palm Beach Junior College has several notable alumni including actor Burt Reynolds and acres Deidre Hall. Other famous alumni are professional golfers Jesper Parnevik and Ken Green, and former U.S. Representative Mark Foley.