Florida Senate - 2014                            (NP)    SR 1228
       
       
        
       By Senator Stargel
       
       
       
       
       
       15-01834-14                                           20141228__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing Polk State College on the
    3         occasion of its 50th anniversary.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, Polk State College, formerly known as Polk Junior
    6  College and Polk Community College, was founded in 1964 as the
    7  first public higher education institution in Polk County and is
    8  currently one of 28 public colleges in the Florida College
    9  System, and
   10         WHEREAS, Polk State College’s first campus was located on a
   11  former World War II Air Force base in Bartow and, in 1966,
   12  ground was broken for its first permanent campus in Winter
   13  Haven, and
   14         WHEREAS, in 1988, Polk State College opened its Lakeland
   15  campus off U.S. Highway 98 South, between Lakeland and Bartow,
   16  and, in the years that followed, added the Airside Center in
   17  South Lakeland, the J.D. Alexander Center in downtown Lake
   18  Wales, and the Polk State Lake Wales Arts Center off Highway 60
   19  in Lake Wales, and
   20         WHEREAS, Polk State College also operates three charter
   21  high schools that serve the students of Polk County, and
   22         WHEREAS, enrollment at Polk State College has increased
   23  from just under 1,200 students in 1964 to approximately 25,000
   24  students today, and
   25         WHEREAS, in 2009, Polk State College offered its first
   26  bachelor’s degree program and now offers a number of 4-year
   27  degrees, including a bachelor of applied science degree in
   28  supervision and management and bachelor of science degrees in
   29  nursing and criminal justice, in addition to associate in arts
   30  and associate in science degrees and a variety of certificate
   31  and workforce training programs, and
   32         WHEREAS, in 2011, Polk State College rebranded itself,
   33  adopting the eagle as its mascot and changing the school’s
   34  colors to red and black, and
   35         WHEREAS, in January 2014, the Polk State Clear Springs
   36  Advanced Technology Center opened off Highway 60 East in Bartow,
   37  a 450,000 square foot facility that houses high-tech degree
   38  programs and the Polk State Corporate College, which provides
   39  workforce training throughout the region, and
   40         WHEREAS, Polk State College promotes excellence and student
   41  success through innovation, value, and engagement while
   42  manifesting its core values of service, integrity, knowledge,
   43  diversity, and leadership, NOW, THEREFORE,
   44  
   45  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   46  
   47         That we recognize Polk State College on the occasion of its
   48  50th anniversary.