St. Johns River 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 ...

Northeast Florida Florida's First Coast, or simply the First Coast, is a region of the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida. The First Coast refers to the same general area as the directional region of Northeast Florida. It roughly ...

with campuses in Palatka, St. Augustine, and Orange Park. Founded in 1958 (for organizational purposes) as St. Johns River Junior College, 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 ...

and one of several colleges in the system designated a "state college", meaning they can offer more

bachelor 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 ye ...

s than traditional

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

s. It is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools 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 priv ...

. Florida School of the Arts, Florida's first state-sponsored arts school, is housed within the Palatka Campus.

History

According to the college's Web site, the first president, Dr. B. R. Tilley, was appointed in 1958 and the college opened its doors that year; however Walter Smith states that Tilley was appointed in 1959 "to plan for the opening". Initial classes were held in a Baptist church, until it could build its Palatka facility; the school later expanded with campuses in Orange Park and St. Augustine in order to serve Putnam, St. Johns, and

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...

Counties. It was founded simultaneously with

Collier-Blocker Junior College Collier-Blocker Junior College, located at 1100 N. 19th Street in Palatka, Florida, opened its doors in 1960. It was one of eleven black junior colleges founded in the late 1950s at the initiative of the Florida Legislature. Since racial integrati ...

, for negro students, and nominally absorbed the institution in 1964, although none of the faculty and few of the students moved to St. Johns. Between 1966 and 2011, when it adopted its current name, it changed its name to St. Johns River Community College. The adoption of its current name coincided with its designation as a

state college State College is a city in central Pennsylvania, United States. State College may also refer to: Related to State College, Pennsylvania * State College Area School District, a school district serving State College * State College Area High School ...

that can offer a greater number of bachelor's degrees to its academic programs. The current president of the college is

Joe Pickens Joe Hill Pickens (born November 5, 1958) is an American politician, educator, and college administrator who currently serves as President of St. Johns River State College. He previously served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to ...

. He took over from Dr Robert L. McLendon Jr., who had served as president of the college from 1972 to 2008. In 2012, a wall was created with portraits and other mementos of Collier-Blocker. The Thrasher-Horne Center for Performing Arts opened on the Orange Park campus in 2004.Thrasher-Horne Center announces completion, show dates
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Florida School of the Arts

Florida School of the Arts (colloquially known as FloArts) is an accredited arts school under the umbrella of St. Johns River State College. It is located in the F building of the Palatka Campus. It was first opened in 1976, designed to be an intimate setting where students received close and individual attention. Florida School of the Arts offers course concentrations with accredited Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees in the fields of Visual Art (Animation, Studio Art, Graphic Design/New Media, Photography), Acting, Dance, Musical Theatre, and Theatre Production/Design (Costume Design, Scenic/Lighting Design, Stage Management).

Campus locations

*Palatka Campus ( Putnam County) *St. Augustine Campus ( St. Johns County) *Orange Park Campus (

Clay County Clay County is the name of 18 counties in the United States. Most are named for Henry Clay, U.S. Senator and statesman: * Clay County, Alabama * Clay County, Arkansas (named for John Clayton, and originally named Clayton County) * Clay County, Flor ...

) *

Florida School of the Arts St. Johns River State College is a public college in Northeast Florida with campuses in Palatka, St. Augustine, and Orange Park. Founded in 1958 (for organizational purposes) as St. Johns River Junior College, it is part of the Florida College ...

(Palatka Campus)

Notable alumni and attendees

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Johns River State College Two-year colleges in the United States Educational institutions established in 1958 Education in Clay County, Florida Education in St. Johns County, Florida Florida College System Palatka, Florida Tourist attractions in Palatka, Florida Education in Putnam County, Florida St. Augustine, Florida Buildings and structures in St. Johns County, Florida Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Universities and colleges in the Jacksonville metropolitan area Buildings and structures in Putnam County, Florida Buildings and structures in Clay County, Florida 1958 establishments in Florida