Palm Beach State College is a

public college A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...

Lake Worth, Florida Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Worth ...

. It is part of the

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 2013-14, enrollment consisted of more than 813,000 students. Together w ...

. Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 27,000 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associate in arts and associate in science degree programs, and short-term certificates, as well as continuing education and avocational courses. In 2009, the college started its first baccalaureate program, a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Supervision & Management.

History

Palm Beach State College was founded in 1933 as Palm Beach Junior College and was the first public junior college in the state of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

. The Old Palm Beach Junior College Building is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. The

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

's first classes were held at Palm Beach High School in

West Palm Beach West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some R ...

. County school superintendent Joe Youngblood and Howell Watkins, principal of Palm Beach High School, who became the college's first dean, were instrumental in opening the college. The college's initial goal was to provide additional training to local

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

graduates who were unable to find jobs during the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. In 1948, Palm Beach Junior College moved to Morrison Field, a deactivated Army Air Force base, which is now Palm Beach International Airport. In 1951, the college relocated to the Lake Park Town Hall. Due to the limited availability of space at the town hall, the college had to lay off faculty and staff and cut enrollment to 200 students. During this period, Palm Beach Junior College was known as "the little orphan college." In 1955, the

Palm Beach County Palm Beach County is a county located in the southeastern part of Florida and lies directly north of Broward County and Miami-Dade County. The county had a population of 1,492,191 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous county ...

Commission gave the college in Lake Worth, and the state

legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial powers of government. Laws enacted by legislatures are usually known ...

passed a bill providing over $1,000,000 for construction at this site. The college moved to this location, which remains its main campus, in the fall of 1956. In 1965, Palm Beach Junior College merged with

Roosevelt Junior College Roosevelt Junior College was an institution serving African-American students, located on an 18-acre campus at 1235 Fifteenth Street in West Palm Beach, Florida. It took its name from the adjacent black Roosevelt High School, named in honor of for ...

, which was established in 1958 under President Britton Sayles to serve

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

students. In 1968, control over the college passed from the Palm Beach County

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, w ...

to a

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit org ...

. In 1978, the college opened its Belle Glade campus. The

Palm Beach Gardens Palm Beach Gardens is a city in Palm Beach County in the U.S. state of Florida, 77 miles north of downtown Miami. , the population was 59,182. Palm Beach Gardens is a principal city of the Miami metropolitan area, which was home to an estimated 6 ...

campus opened in 1982. In 1983, the college opened a campus adjacent to

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-c ...

Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

. In 1988, the college's board of trustees changed the college's name to Palm Beach Community College. The District Board of Trustees approved a resolution in June 2009 stating that the college's name should change in light of offering baccalaureate degrees. On September 8, 2009, the Board approved changing the name to Palm Beach State College. The new name officially took effect on January 12, 2010.

Organization

The college is part of the

Campus

Palm beach state college after a rain storm

Palm Beach State College's main campus is located in Palm Beach County, Florida. In addition to the Lake Worth campus, the largest (114 acre/51 building complex) and longest established campus (1956), the college also serves students at full-service locations in Belle Glade (1978),

(1982),

(1983) and

Loxahatchee Groves Loxahatchee Groves is a town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 3,180. Loxahatchee Groves was incorporated November 1, 2006, as the 38th municipality in Palm Beach County. The first el ...

(2017).

Academics

Palm Beach State College enrolls nearly 26,666 students in over 100 programs of study including bachelor of applied science, associate in arts and associate in science degree programs, and short-term certificates.

Enrollment

The most popular program of study is the associate in arts degree. Among associate in science degrees, the nursing program has the highest enrollment and number of graduates. In August 2009, the college started its first baccalaureate program, a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Supervision & Management. Palm Beach State now offers three bachelor's degrees in six tracks. Information Management was added in 2011 and Nursing in 2012. The college is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is an educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. This agency accredits over 13,000 public and priva ...

to award the Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Applied Science, Associate in Arts, Associate in Science and Associate in Applied Science degrees. The Palm Beach State College truck technology program was ranked as the best in the United States in 2015.

Athletics

The college athletics teams, which are nicknamed the Panthers, compete in the

Southern Conference The Southern Conference (SoCon) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly k ...

of the

Florida State College Activities Association Florida College System Activities Association Incorporated (FCSAA) is the governing body for all extracurricular activities of the member schools of the Florida College System. Activities include athletics, Brain Bowl, forensics, music, publicat ...

, a body of the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

Region 8. In 2013, the Panther baseball team were runners up at the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series. The Panthers lost 7-3 in the National Championship Game to Central Alabama Community College.

Notable people

Administrators and faculty

Historical administrators and faculty of the college include names foundational to the history of education in Palm Beach County and Florida, as evident on buildings throughout the campus and on public schools across the county bearing their names. In 1933, then-county school superintendent Joe A. Youngblood and then-Palm Beach High School principal Howell L. Watkins founded Palm Beach Junior College with volunteer teachers and 45 students. More names of that ilk include the college's first and second presidents, John I. Leonard (from 1936 to 1958) and Harold C. Manor (from 1958 to 1978) respectively, and Britton G. Sayles, president and founder of Roosevelt Junior College (from 1958 to 1965). And the school's third and fourth presidents, Edward M. Eissey (from 1979 to 1997) and Dennis P. Gallon (from 1997 to 2015). Notable faculty names include Watson B Duncan III of whom it was written: "the man who taught myth was indeed mythological". In addition to inspiring students and seeing the new theater named for him, between 1948 and 1991, Duncan taught English and speech, and was chair of the communications department.

Alumni

Among the most notable alumni of Palm Beach State College are actor

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor, considered a sex symbol and icon of 1970s American popular culture. Reynolds first rose to prominence when he starred in television series such as ' ...

Jesper Parnevik Jesper Bo Parnevik (; born 7 March 1965) is a Swedish professional golfer. He spent 38 weeks in the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking in 2000 and 2001. Early years and amateur career Parnevik was born in Botkyrka, Stockholm County, a ...

who currently plays on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also ...

, soap opera actress Deidre Hall,

Yolanda Griffith Yolanda Evette Griffith (born March 1, 1970) is an American professional basketball hall of fame player who played in both the ABL and WNBA. A former WNBA MVP, she is considered one of the greatest rebounders and defensive players in the history ...

, an Olympic Gold Medalist and Professional Basketball Player with the WNBA, and James L. Wattenbarger who was the Architect of the Florida Community College system. Judge Reinhold at the 47th Emmy Awards afterparty cropped and airbrushed

Judge Reinhold at the 47th Emmy Awards afterparty cropped and airbrushed

Ross Baumgarten Ross Baumgarten (born May 27, 1955) is an American former professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball for five seasons in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Baumgarten played for the Chicago White Sox from 1978 to 1981, ...

, professional baseball player *

Dante Bichette Alphonse Dante Bichette Sr. (; born November 18, 1963) is an American former professional baseball player, currently employed by the Toronto Blue Jays organization. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder for the California An ...

, professional baseball playerPalm Beach State Panthers – List of MLB Draftees
''Baseball Reference''. Retrieved on June 24, 2016. * Wilson G. Bradshaw, President of

Florida Gulf Coast University Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) is a public university in Lee County, Florida. It is part of the State University System of Florida and is its second youngest member. The university was established on May 3, 1991, and is accredited by the ...

Mark Brownson Marshall Phillip "Mark" Brownson III (June 17, 1975 – February 1, 2017) was a professional baseball right-handed pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Colorado Rockies (1998–1999) and Philadelphia Phillies (2000). Ca ...

, professional baseball player *

Crystl Bustos Crystl Irene Bustos (born September 8, 1977), also known as The Big Bruiser, is an American softball player at the designated hitter or third base position although on the roster she is a designated player. She is a two-time Olympic gold medali ...

, Olympic gold medalist in softball * William Calley, convicted war criminal (did not graduate) * Tony Cruz, professional baseball player * Paul Dicken, professional baseball player *

Tal Erel Tal Erel (טל אראל; born June 16, 1996) is an Israeli baseball player for the Israel National Baseball Team. He has played college baseball at Lynn University. He played for Team Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo in the summer of ...

, Israel National Baseball Team player *

Gar Finnvold Anders Gar Finnvold (born March 11, 1968 in Boynton Beach, Florida), played baseball first at Palm Beach Community College and then for two years at Florida State University. In his two years at FSU, Finnvold pitched to a 25-7 record with a 2.69 ...

, professional baseball player *

Mark Foley Mark Adam Foley (born September 8, 1954) is an American former politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives. He served from 1995 until 2006, representing the 16th District of Florida as a member of the Republi ...

, former U.S. Representative *

Joe Grahe Joseph Milton Grahe (born August 14, 1967) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played seven seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the California Angels, Colorado Rockies, and Philadelphia Phillies. His best seasons were ...

, professional baseball player * Ken Green, professional golfer *

, Olympic gold medalist and professional basketball player * Deidre Hall, television actress *

David Manning Sir David Geoffrey Manning, (born 5 December 1949) is a former British diplomat, who was the British Ambassador to the United States from 2003 to 2007. He authored the so-called " Manning Memo", that summarized the details of a meeting between ...

, professional baseball player * Monte Markham, television and movie actor * Andy McGaffigan, professional baseball player * Bobby Muñoz, professional baseball player *

Randy O'Neal Randall Jeffrey O'Neal (born August 30, 1960) is a former American college and professional baseball player who was a pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) during seven seasons. He played at the major league level for the Detroit Tigers, Atlan ...

, professional baseball player *

, professional golfer * Brad Peacock, professional baseball player *

Judge Reinhold Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who has starred in several Hollywood movies, such as '' Ruthless People'', '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High'', '' Stripes'' and '' Gremlins'', and co-starred in all of the ...

, television and movie actor *

Sammis Reyes Sammis Daniel Reyes Martel (born October 19, 1995) is a Chilean-born former professional American football tight end. He was the first player from Chile to play in the NFL. Reyes grew up playing basketball as a youth member of the Chile nati ...

, Chilean basketball and American football player *

, television and movie actor * Antoan Richardson, professional baseball player and coach * Lucia St. Clair Robson, historical novelist *

Kevin Siegrist Kevin Ryan Siegrist (born July 20, 1989) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Charleston Dirty Birds of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008 from Palm Beach State Colle ...

, professional player *

Kim Swan Hubert "Kim" E. Swan (born 4 October 1957) is a Bermudian professional golfer and politician. He was reelected for the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) in July 2017. He was a member of parliament from 2007 to 2012, where he was Leader of the Opp ...

, politician and leader of the opposition party in

Bermuda ) , anthem = "God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , es ...

Robby Thompson Robert Randall Thompson (born May 10, 1962) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball (1986–1996) as the second baseman for the San Francisco Giants. During the Giant ...

, professional baseball player * James L. Wattenbarger, architect of the Florida Community College system *

Charles Willeford Charles Ray Willeford III (January 2, 1919 – March 27, 1988) was an American writer. An author of fiction, poetry, autobiography, and literary criticism, Willeford is best known for his series of novels featuring hardboiled detective Hoke Mose ...

, writer * Gareth Williams, television and movie actor *

Jeff Wilpon Jeffrey Scott Wilpon (born December 9, 1961) is an American businessman who is the executive vice-president of Sterling Equities, and the owner of the Overwatch League Esports team the New York Excelsior. He is the former COO of the New York Mets ...

, former Chief Operating Officer of the New York Mets

References

External links

* {{authority control Buildings and structures in Lake Worth Beach, Florida Educational institutions established in 1933 Florida College System Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges in Palm Beach County, Florida NJCAA athletics 1933 establishments in Florida

History

Organization

Campus

Academics

Enrollment

Athletics

Notable people

Administrators and faculty

Alumni

See also

References

External links