Polk State College, formerly Polk Community 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 ...

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making ...

. 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 ...

. The college changed its name from Polk Community College in 2009 to reflect its first

Bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

program. Originally named Polk Junior College, it began classes in 1964. The main campus is located in Winter Haven, a second campus is located in nearby Lakeland. Smaller centers exist in Bartow, Florida, Lake Wales, Florida, Winter Haven, Florida, and two in Lakeland, Fl,

History

In 1982

Maryly Van Leer Peck Maryly Van Leer Peck (June 29, 1930 – November 3, 2011) was an American academic and college administrator. She founded the Community Career College at the University of Guam (which merged into Guam Community College in November 1977). She ...

became the first woman community college president in Florida.

Academics

Total enrollment is about 10,000 credit students and 8,700 non-credit students, served by a staff of about 1200 faculty members. Of the total credit students over 5,400 attend classes in Lakeland, 4,000 attend in Winter Haven, and over 500 attend in Lake Wales. In 2004, the Collegiate High School was opened on the Lakeland campus, and a second CHS,

Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School is located at 999 Avenue H NE in Winter Haven, Florida, United States. A charter school,About

, opened in Winter Haven in Fall 2006. The Board of Trustees approved a name change at the March 23, 2009 meeting and the college became Polk State College on July 1, 2009. The Polk State College Libraries serve students of Collegiate High School, Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School, Florida community college and university students with a growing collection of traditional and virtual resources including art prints, sculpture, and audio/video formats.

Athletics

Polk State competes in the

Suncoast Conference The Suncoast Conference (SCC), hosted by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), is one of four conferences within Region 8 of the NJCAA. It is composed of four state colleges within the state of Florida, and is administered by ...

of division I of the

NJCAA Region 8 Region 8 of the National Junior College Athletic Association comprises at least 26 community and state colleges from the Florida college system. All members of the NJCAA Region 8 are Division I, excluding Pasco–Hernando State College, which is ...

within 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, publicati ...

(FSCAA) and offers athletic programs in men's basketball and baseball, and women's cheerleading, soccer, softball and volleyball As of 2013, men's basketball has won 12 Suncoast Conference championships, three NJCAA region 8 championships.

PSC Collegiate High School

Polk State College's Lakeland and Winter Haven campuses host the 'PSC Collegiate High School Program' where students can earn their Associates of Arts (AA) degree while completing their normal high school requirements. Student can also enroll in programs such as Information technology (IT) or take the route of finishing general education prerequisites for their field of choice. Juniors and seniors in high school who meet a certain GPA requirement are currently the only ones eligible for the program. Taking the standardized PERT test is also an entry requirement; passing scores include: Reading 104-150, English 99-150, Math 113-150.

Notable people

Mark Brisker Mark Brisker (born September 22, 1969) is an American-Israeli 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) tall former basketball guard. He was born in Detroit, Michigan. At Henry Ford High School, in 1987 he was a second-team Class A All-State pick by the ''Free P ...

, American-Israeli professional basketball player *

Robert Gilchrist Robert Gilchrist may refer to: * Robert Gilchrist (basketball) (born 1990), professional basketball player *Robert Gilchrist (mayor) (died 1866), mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey * Robert Gilchrist (cricketer) (1821–1905), Scottish cricketer * Rob ...

, professional basketball player * Denise Grimsley, member of the Florida House of Representatives *

Academic *

Dean Pelman Dean Pelman (born 1995) is an Israeli-American free agent professional baseball pitcher. He plays for the Israel National Baseball Team. He pitched for Team Israel at the 2019 European Baseball Championship. He also pitched for the team at the ...

(born 1995), Israeli-American baseball pitcher for the Israel National Baseball Team *

Lawrence Scarpa Lawrence Scarpa (born October 28, 1959) is an American architect based in Los Angeles, California. He used conventional materials in unexpected ways and is considered a pioneer and leader in the field of sustainable design. Personal life Scarpa ...

, architect * Lorenzo Williams, former NBA basketball player

References

External links

* {{Coord, 27.9906672, -81.8900359, display=title Educational institutions established in 1964 Florida College System Two-year colleges in the United States Universities and colleges in Lakeland, Florida Universities and colleges in Polk County, Florida Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Buildings and structures in Winter Haven, Florida 1964 establishments in Florida NJCAA athletics