Eastern Florida State College

Eastern Florida State College, formerly Brevard Community College, is a public college in Brevard County, Florida. It is a member of the Florida College System and has campuses in Cocoa, Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Titusville, as well as a Virtual Campus. EFSC is a direct connect satellite campus program to The University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida.

"EFSC" redirects here. For the shutter type, see electronic first shutter curtain.
Eastern Florida State College
MottoExplore. Achieve. Succeed.
TypePublic college
Established1960
Parent institution
Florida College System
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
PresidentMr. James H. Richey
Academic staff
251[1]
Administrative staff
185
Students25,000
Location
Brevard County
,
Florida
,
United States
CampusSuburban
AthleticsNJCAA Region 8
11 major sports teams
NicknameTitans
MascotMr. Titan
Websitewww.easternflorida.edu

Since its inception, the college has served more than a half-million students. About 35,000 students take courses annually on the Titusville, Cocoa, Melbourne and Palm Bay campuses, and online. According to state Florida College System statistics, the college has among the top graduation rates in the 28-member Florida College System, and the highest graduation rate among state and community colleges in Central Florida.[2]

In 2010, the college reported 25,000 students enrolled for courses.[3] There were 1,200 employees in 2011, including support personnel and faculty.[4]

History

In the fall of 1960, the Brevard County School Board founded Brevard Junior College with 768 students in the former Cocoa High School (built in 1925) on Forrest Avenue in Cocoa. Dr. J. Bruce Wilson was president. There were 31 faculty members. Four associate degrees were offered.[1] The School Colors were Red-White-Blue and the School Mascot was a "Spartan".

At the time, it was racially segregated, and a separate Carver Junior College for African-American students was opened the same year.[5] To accomplish desegregation in compliance with the law, Brevard Junior College merged with the all-black Carver Junior College [6] in 1963 and moved to the present location of the Cocoa Campus at 1519 Clearlake Rd in Cocoa. The college was renamed Brevard Community College in 1970 when the state of Florida created a system of two-year colleges. The college would then offer aeronautics specialities as it would be a foundation school for many NASA-tied universities such as Florida Institute of Technology and University of Central Florida. In 1966, the enrollment reached 4,335.[7]

The college experienced a 51% increase in enrollment for online classes from 2007 to 2010.[8]

In September 2012, a professor was placed on paid leave, and an investigation was started, after the professor allegedly made students sign a pledge to vote for Barack Obama.[9] An investigation concluded that the professor violated policies and should be fired.[10]

On July 1, 2013, it was officially named Eastern Florida State College.[11] It now offers four year degrees in health care management and general business management.[12]

Academics
Melbourne Campus

The college offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs, including career and technical programs.[13]

In 2009, there were 19.7 students per class on average.[14]

Most of EFSC's students take part in its Associate in Arts transfer program. In 2007, EFSC was listed 21st in the nation in the number of AA degrees awarded.[15] Transfer and articulation partnerships between EFSC and the University of Central Florida, a joint initiative called "DirectConnect," and with the Florida Institute of Technology, whose TechTrack program guarantees the admission of EFSC graduates who wish to transfer to Florida Tech, make possible the seamless transfer of credits to other four-year institutions. The EFSC-UCF partnership also involves the sharing of facilities and services with UCF on EFSC's campuses, including the EFSC/UCF Joint-Use Library.

Administration

The president's office is on the Melbourne campus. The Registrar's Office is on the Cocoa Campus with a main college mailing address for Eastern Florida State College of 1519 Clearlake Rd, Cocoa, FL, 32922. There are admissions and advising offices on each of the four campuses.[16] The college is directed by a five-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Governor. The current chair is Alan H. Landman, a Melbourne attorney.[17] James H. Richey is president of the college, named to that position in January 2012 after serving as interim president since October 2011.[18] Richey also previously served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel.

Athletics

In the first year {1960-61} the school offered the Men's Sports of Basketball and Baseball as "Club" teams. Over the next few years they added Wrestling, Cross Country, Track and Field, Golf, TennisArchery, fencing, Judo and Rifle. The school was a member of the Florida Athletic Conference and the NJCAA participating in the Southern Conference. The first Basketball Coach was Albert Green and the first Baseball Coach was George King. EFSC's Athletic teams are nicknamed the Titans and participate in softball, baseball, women's basketball, men's basketball, men's golf, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis and women's volleyball. They participate in the Southern Conference of the Florida State College Activities Association (FSCAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8.[19] The men's golf program has won seven National Junior College Championships since 1969.[20]

Other programs

The college include the Law Enforcement Academy which trains people for employment in local law enforcement positions. There are about 25–30 students.[21]

Cultural
The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts

The 2,000-seat Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts, on the Melbourne campus, offers performances and cultural art events. The Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, on the Cocoa campus, features one of the largest public-access telescopes in Florida[22] as well as large-format movies, laser light shows, and other presentations.

The Titusville campus contains the John Henry Jones Gymnatorium, used for performing arts as well as athletic events. The Digital Media Bobcats, have conducted the Independent Digital Features Festival since the Fall of 2011 Showcasing the talent of the Digital Media students.

WEFS TV is a non-commercial educational television station operated by EFSC. WEFS TV broadcasts educational, cultural, and informational materials and telecourses of special interest.

The Harry T. and Harriette Moore Multicultural Center commemorates the lives and work of the Moores, African-American community leaders who lived and worked in Brevard County, martyr-pioneers of the civil rights era.

Notable people
Main article: List of Eastern Florida State College people

References
  1. Spitzer, Michelle (November 7, 2010). "BCC looks beyond half-century". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  2. "Florida College System Graduation Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2005-02-14. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  3. Spitzer, Michelle (May 11, 2010). "BCC trims 56 positions". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1B.
  4. Stover, Bob (October 13, 2011). "Changing of the guard". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. pp. 11A.
  5. "College History". Archived from the original on 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-09-20. Retrieved 2013-06-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. "Hard work fueled a new 'Today'". Florida Today. Melbourne, Florida. March 20, 2016. p. 7. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
  8. Spitzer, Michelle (June 3, 2010). "BCC preps for role in reshaping work force". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  9. Todd Starnes (17 September 2012). "Professor Made Students Sign 'Vote for Obama' Pledge". Fox News Radio. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  10. James Eng (19 February 2013). "College: Professor urged students to vote for Obama, should be fired". MSN News. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  11. "BCC Name Change". Newschannel 13. Archived from the original on 2013-05-14. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  12. USAtoday, Aug22,2013, page 5A "Community colleges graduate to 4 ears"
  13. "Degrees and Certifications". Archived from the original on 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  14. Spitzer, Michelle (April 2, 2009). "BCC tight, but welcomes more". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1A.
  15. "Florida Department of Education statistics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2013-06-14.
  16. "College policy and website".
  17. "Board of Trustees".
  18. "Richey Named BCC President". Spacecoast Business.
  19. "Sports Affiliations". Archived from the original on 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-05-21.
  20. GolfProg_Nov07.indd
  21. Camodeca, Sara (January 8, 2010). "69 graduate from police academy". Melbourne, Florida: Florida Today. pp. 1B.
  22. "Our History and Mission". Eastern Florida State College. A leader in science and technology, the College is home to the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, which features one of the largest public-access telescopes in Florida, as well as large-format movies, laser light shows and other educational planetarium presentations.

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