Florida Senate - 2018                            (NP)    SR 1928
       
       
        
       By Senator Bradley
       
       
       
       
       
       5-02612-18                                            20181928__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing February 25, 2018, as “St.
    3         Johns River State College Day” and commemorating the
    4         college’s 60th anniversary.
    5  
    6         WHEREAS, St. Johns River State College, formerly known as
    7  St. Johns River Junior College and St. Johns River Community
    8  College, was founded in 1958 to serve the counties of Clay,
    9  Putnam, and St. Johns, and
   10         WHEREAS, St. Johns River State College’s first campus was
   11  located in Palatka and officially opened for organizational
   12  purposes on February 25, 1958, and
   13         WHEREAS, St. Johns River State College served 191 students
   14  in its first semester and has evolved into a multi-campus
   15  institution that currently serves approximately 11,000 students
   16  and offers Bachelor of Applied Science, Bachelor of Science,
   17  Associate in Arts, and Associate in Science degrees, as well as
   18  a variety of certificate and workforce training programs, and
   19         WHEREAS, upon its merger with Collier-Blocker Junior
   20  College in 1964, St. Johns River State College became a fully
   21  integrated public junior college serving all students in Clay,
   22  Putnam, and St. Johns Counties, and
   23         WHEREAS, in 1976, the Florida School of the Arts, the first
   24  state-supported professional arts school, began full operation
   25  as part of St. Johns River State College, with a charter class
   26  of 51 students, and
   27         WHEREAS, in 1977, St. Johns River State College opened its
   28  first branch campus in Orange Park and, in 1986, opened its
   29  second branch campus in St. Augustine, and
   30         WHEREAS, in 1997, Senate Bill 1688 authorized all community
   31  colleges to offer workforce development programs, opening the
   32  door for St. Johns River State College to become a fully
   33  comprehensive community college, and
   34         WHEREAS, in 2004, the Thrasher-Horne Center opened on the
   35  Orange Park campus to host art exhibits, theatrical
   36  performances, community events, and business conferences, and
   37         WHEREAS, in 2010, St. Johns River State College was granted
   38  approval to offer its first baccalaureate degrees by the State
   39  Board of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and
   40  Schools Commission on Colleges, and
   41         WHEREAS, with this approval, the college was elevated from
   42  a Level I to a Level II accredited institution and changed its
   43  name to St. Johns River State College to better reflect this
   44  status, and
   45         WHEREAS, St. Johns River State College continues its
   46  comprehensive and educational role by expanding its offerings in
   47  academic, workforce development, and adult education areas, as
   48  well as community education to better serve area residents, NOW,
   49  THEREFORE,
   50  
   51  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   52  
   53         That February 25, 2018, is recognized as “St. Johns River
   54  State College Day,” and the college is celebrated for its 60th
   55  anniversary as an outstanding institution of higher education
   56  focused on student success.
   57         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be
   58  presented to Joe H. Pickens, J.D., president of St. Johns River
   59  State College, as a tangible token of the sentiments expressed
   60  herein.