Valencia 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 ...

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

. 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 was founded in 1967 as Valencia Junior College and changed its name in 2010 because the academic scope of the school had expanded to include

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 si ...

s. Valencia has several campus locations in Orlando with additional campus locations in Winter Park and

Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

Seal

The official seal of the college includes the coat of arms of

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

, Spain, in the middle and the entire diamond design stems from it. However, the college is not named for the city in Spain, but rather for the Valencia oranges which used to be prevalent in

Central Florida Central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, including the Tampa Bay area and the ...

Student profile

College-wide Headcount was 68,351 for 2015. 51.6% AA 48.6% AS/AAS/Certificate Race/Ethnicity Diversity Enrollment: 17.9% African American, 4.9% Asian/Pacific Islander, 32.5% Caucasian, 32.5% Hispanic, 0.3% Native American, 11.5% Other

Locations

Valencia College operates a total of eight campuses and three sites in its service area, which encompasses Orange County and Osceola County. Its district office is in Orlando. *Downtown Campus - A state of the art campus inaugurated over Fall 2019. The only Valencia Campus that currently offers student housing, and is also shared with UCF. *West Campus - Which houses High-tech programs like engineering, architecture, math, and health sciences. *East Campus - Home of the School of Arts and Entertainment *Winter Park Campus *Poinciana Campus *Osceola Campus *Lake Nona Campus *School of Public Safety

Training facilities

*Advanced Manufacturing Training Center: Kissimmee *Accelerated Skills Training: Downtown Campus *Accelerated Skills Training: Northwest Orlando *Accelerated Skills Training: Osceola Campus *Accelerated Skills Training: Poinciana Campus *Fire Training Facility: Orlando

Academics

UCF Partnership

A longstanding partnership between Valencia College and the

University of Central Florida The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a public research university whose main campus is in unincorporated Orange County, Florida. UCF also has nine smaller regional campuses throughout central Florida. It is part of the State Universi ...

has contributed to Valencia's transfer rate, considered to be the highest in the country. The DirectConnect to UCF program guarantees Valencia graduates acceptance and streamlined admission to the

. Since the program's inception in 2006, approximately 45,000 students have indicated that they are DirectConnect students.

School of Public Safety

The Valencia College School of Public Safety houses three major program areas: Criminal Justice, Fire Rescue and Safety and Security. Valencia College will train the next generation of public safety professionals using state-of-the-art technology and the latest in simulation training. Programs for firefighters, law enforcement, corrections, security officers and homeland security elevate and unify training standards across all divisions of public safety. This interdisciplinary approach promotes cross-sector training and collaboration between public safety agencies that help make our communities safer—both in times of crisis and in maintaining the peace. * The Criminal Justice Institute occupies a state-of-the-art criminal justice training facility. The CJI is certified and approved by Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to operate law enforcement and corrections academies, advanced courses and specialized training. Valencia is one of 4 colleges in Florida that trains Department of Juvenile Justice recruit officers. * The Fire Rescue Institute provides career pathways to meet the needs of the fire service community in Central Florida and prepares all levels of fire service professionals, including the fire fighter, fire officer, fire inspector, fire investigator and fire instructor. * The Safety and Security Institute is still in development. The Safety and Security Institute will build upon programming already being offered by Valencia College and the School of Public Safety to provide professional and leadership training for private security officers and managers, as well as homeland security specialists. The Safety and Security Institute will be the first of its kind to provide standardized training and certifications to the security professionals working within Central Florida's many airports, hotels, theme parks and attractions.

Valencia Continuing Education and Professional Training

Valencia Continuing Education and Professional Training is located at West Campus. Valencia's continuing education, training and professional development division of Valencia College serves businesses, government agencies, individuals and organizations of all sizes, across every industry throughout the Central Florida community. Valencia International and Continuing Education is located alongside the continuing education and professional training division at West Campus. Valencia's International and Continuing Education division offers conversational English and Spanish courses, cultural diversity workshops, American sign language and corporate training programs to prepare students for entry into a college degree program.

Accreditation

Commission on Colleges of 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 priva ...

Awards

* Winner of the 2011 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. * Named "best community college in the nation" for dedication to student success by the Aspen Institute. * Chosen by ''Time Magazine'' in 2001 as one of the nation's best schools at helping first-year students excel.

Athletics

Although Valencia is not a member 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 ...

(NJCAA),

Intramural sports Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, or a set geographic region. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' meaning " ...

are available. The Valencia College Brain Bowl team participates as a member 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 ...

and has won ten national community college championships at NAQT and six state championships.

Notable alumni

* Bob Allen, politician and member of the

Florida House of Representatives The Florida House of Representatives is the lower house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida Senate being the upper house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopt ...

32nd District . * Rich Crotty (1970), 3rd

Mayor of Orange County, Florida Mayor of Orange County, Florida is the chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of County Commissioners. The mayor is elected countywide. Duties and powers The mayor is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the county government ...

. *

Dick Batchelor Dick J. Batchelor (born December 12, 1947) is a former member of the Florida House of Representatives. He is president of Dick Batchelor Management Group, Inc., a management consulting firm that specializes in business development, strategic gov ...

(1970), former Florida State Representative; business person, named one of “The 50 Most Powerful People” by Orlando Magazine (2004 to 2015) * Paul Davis, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (A ...

pitching coach. *

Al Weiss Allen R. "Al" Weiss (1954) is an American businessman who served as President of Worldwide Operations for '' Disney Parks, Experiences and Products'', a division of The Walt Disney Company. Career at The Walt Disney Company Weiss began his Disney ...

(1974), business person, President of Worldwide Operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. * Scott Fletcher (1978), baseball player * Tim Crews, baseball player * Mike Bielecki (1979), baseball player * Brian Butterfield, baseball coach * Wes Platt (1989), journalist and author * Gregg Hale (1992), filmmaker and producer * Howie Dorough (1993), Backstreet Boys member * Chris Kirkpatrick (1993), 'N Sync member *

Sharon Lewis Sharon M. Lewis is a Canadian television personality and film director from Toronto, Ontario. She studied political science at the University of Toronto.John McKay, "Sharon Lewis finds activism experience a plus for new role as CounterSpin host," ...

(1993), television personality and film director *

Olindo Mare Olindo Franco Mare (born June 6, 1973) is a former American football placekicker. He was originally signed by the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at MacMurray College and Syracuse. Mare, who was se ...

(1994), football player * Scott Stapp (attended),

Creed A creed, also known as a confession of faith, a symbol, or a statement of faith, is a statement of the shared beliefs of a community (often a religious community) in a form which is structured by subjects which summarize its core tenets. The ea ...

member *

Chase Stokes James Alexander Chase Stokes (born September 16, 1992) is an American actor. He is known for his role as John Booker Routledge (John B) in the Netflix teen drama series ''Outer Banks''. Early life Stokes was born in Annapolis, Maryland, the onl ...

, Actor * Ben Saunders (attended), professional fighter,

Mixed Martial Artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

* Chris Latvala, Florida House of Representatives, 67th District * Linda Stewart, Member of

Florida Senate The Florida Senate is the upper house of the Florida Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida, the Florida House of Representatives being the lower house. Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution of Florida, adopted in ...

, representing the 13th district. * Salina de la Renta, professional wrestler *

Carmelo Ríos Santiago Carmelo Javier Ríos Santiago (born May 21, 1973 in San Juan, Puerto Rico) is a Puerto Rican politician, lawyer and senator. He has been a member of the Senate of Puerto Rico since 2005. Early years and studies Carmelo Ríos was born on May 2 ...

, (attended) Puerto Rican senator, Majority Leader of the Puerto Rico Senate *

Dave Martinez David Martinez (born September 26, 1964) is an American professional baseball coach and former outfielder who is the manager for the Washington Nationals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as the bench coach for the Tampa Bay ...

, baseball coach and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...

for the

Washington Nationals The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C.. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. From 2005 to 2007, the team played in RFK Stadiu ...

. * Aaron Jackson, a

human rights Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...

and

environmental A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scal ...

activist. *

Dahvie Vanity Blood on the Dance Floor was an American electronic music group from Orlando, Florida, formed in 2006. The group's longest standing lineup, from 2009 to 2016, consisted of Jesus David Torres also known as Dahvie Vanity (born 1984) and Jayy Von ...

(attended), former Blood on the Dance Floor member *

Daisy Morales Daisy Morales (born December 11, 1960) is an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives of district 48, serving Orange County from 2020. She has previously served on the Orange County board a ...

(attended), Florida House of Representatives 48th District *

Kim Young Young Kim (Korean 김영) (born 2 February 1980) is a South Korean professional golfer. Kim was born in Chunchon, South Korea. She played on the LPGA of Korea Tour winning five times between 1999 and 2003. She won once on the Futures Tour in ...

, professional golfer *

Maxwell Alejandro Frost Maxwell Alejandro Frost (born January 17, 1997) is an American politician, activist and musician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he was previously the national organizing director for March f ...

, activist and politician File:Rich Crotty.jpg, Rich Crotty File:Dick Batchelor.jpg,

File:Scott Fletcher on April 5, 2012 (cropped).jpg, Scott Fletcher File:Mike Bielecki signature.jpg, Mike Bielecki File:Brian Butterfield (48680616386) (cropped).jpg, Brian Butterfield File:Howie D NKOTBSB Newcastle.jpg, Howie Dorough File:Chris at manband.jpg, Chris Kirkpatrick File:Sharon Lewis hosted an Evening With Pam Grier (6830127861).jpg,

File:Olindo Mare Seahawks cropped.jpg,

File:Scott Stapp 2012 (6853191192).jpg, Scott Stapp

References

External links

* {{Coord, 28, 31, 18, N, 81, 27, 52, W Florida College System Two-year colleges in the United States Universities and colleges in Orlando, Florida Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Educational institutions established in 1967 1967 establishments in Florida Robert A. M. Stern buildings