Northwest Florida State College (NWFSC) is a

public college A public university, state university, or public college is a university or college that is State ownership, owned by the state or receives significant funding from a government. Whether a national university is considered public varies from o ...

with its main campus in

Niceville, Florida Niceville is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States, located near Eglin Air Force Base on Boggy Bayou that opens into Choctawhatchee Bay. It is part of the Crestview- Fort Walton Beach-Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. ...

. 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 2020–2021, enrollment consisted of 640,183 students. Together with th ...

, and is accredited by the

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) is a regional educational accreditor recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation. As of 2022, the organization oversees ap ...

, offering associate and baccalaureate degrees, and several certificate programs. NWFSC operates multiple campuses across Okaloosa and

Walton Walton may refer to: People * Walton (given name) * Walton (surname) * Susana, Lady Walton (1926–2010), Argentine writer Places Canada * Walton, Nova Scotia, a community ** Walton River (Nova Scotia) *Walton, Ontario, a hamlet United Kingd ...

counties.

History

Established in 1963 by the Florida Legislature, the college was officially named Okaloosa-Walton Junior College in March 1964 and began operations in August 1964. In March 1988, the institution's name was changed to Okaloosa-Walton Community College to reflect its expanded role in various community services. In April 2003, the

Florida Board of Education The Florida Board of Education, also known as the State Board of Education (SBE), is a committee composed of members appointed by the Florida governor to guide and direct the public K-12, community college and state college education in the U.S. st ...

authorized OWCC to offer baccalaureate degree programs. By December 2003, the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools granted approval for the college to confer bachelor's degrees. On July 1, 2004, the institution was renamed Okaloosa-Walton College to align with its new status. The college launched its first bachelor's programs in Project and Acquisitions Management and Nursing in Fall 2004. Additional baccalaureate programs in Teacher Education were approved in 2007, and the Nursing program became a stand-alone degree in 2008. The State College Bill (SB 1716) passed by the Florida Legislature in 2008, and signed into law by Governor

Charlie Crist Charles Joseph Crist Jr. ( ; born July 24, 1956) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 44th List of governors of Florida, governor of Florida from 2007 to 2011 and as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. represen ...

, led to the rebranding of the institution as Northwest Florida State College on July 8, 2008. This legislation aimed to increase access to baccalaureate degrees and respond to community educational needs. NWFSC now offers baccalaureate programs in Project Management, Management and Supervision, Nursing, Elementary Education, Middle Grades Math Education, Middle Grades General Science Education, and Early Childhood Education. The college may introduce additional bachelor's programs in response to regional needs.

Campuses

The college operates a main campus in Niceville, which was transferred from the Eglin Air Force Reservation by an Act of Congress in January 1966. It also manages a joint campus with the

University of West Florida The University of West Florida (West Florida or UWF) is a public university in Pensacola, Florida, United States. Established in 1963 as a member institution of the State University System of Florida, the University of West Florida is a comprehe ...

Fort Walton Beach Fort Walton Beach, often referred to by the initialism FWB, is a city in southern Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,922, up from 19,507 in 2010. It is a principal city of the Crestview� ...

, and additional centers in

DeFuniak Springs DeFuniak Springs ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Walton County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,919 as of the 2020 Census, up from 5,177 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Crestview— Fort Walton Beach—Destin, Florid ...

, Crestview, Santa Rosa Beach, and

Hurlburt Field Hurlburt Field is a United States Air Force installation located in Okaloosa County, Florida, immediately west of the town of Mary Esther. It is part of the greater Eglin Air Force Base reservation and is home to Headquarters Air Force S ...

Collegiate High School

The Collegiate High School (CHS) at NWFSC, a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

established in 2000, offers high school students the opportunity to earn both a

high school diploma A high school diploma (sometimes referred to as a high school degree) is a diploma awarded upon graduation of high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary s ...

and an Associate in Arts degree (or transferrable college credits). Initially, CHS only provided an Associate of Arts degree, but starting in the 2022–2023 school year, it introduced a program allowing freshmen to earn an Associate of Science degree. Students can choose to remain in the AS program or switch to the AA program when they reach 10th grade. The school offers all educational materials and services at no cost to students, including textbooks, transportation, and technology. CHS has been recognized as a top-performing school in Florida and received the

National Blue Ribbon School The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...

award from the

U.S. Department of Education The United States Department of Education is a United States Cabinet, cabinet-level department of the federal government of the United States, United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, havin ...

in 2006 and 2013.

Mattie Kelly Arts Center

The Mattie Kelly Arts Center is a major venue for performing arts and educational events. It includes a 1,650-seat main stage theater, a 195-seat Sprint Theater, the Mattie Kelly Art Galleries (McIlroy Gallery and Holzhauer Gallery), a music wing, a visual arts building, and an amphitheater.

Libraries

NWFSC has two library locations: the Niceville Campus Library, located within the Susan Myers Learning Resources Center, and the Emerald Coast Library at the Fort Walton Beach Campus. The Emerald Coast Library serves both NWFSC and the

, while the Susan Myers Learning Resources Center includes the Zoghby Learning Commons, offering a range of academic support services.

Athletics

The college's athletic teams compete in the

Panhandle Conference The Panhandle Conference is a conference within the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 8. The conference consists of four state colleges and one community college located in Florida. Members Member institutions are Chip ...

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, publica ...

, a body of the

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

Region 8.

Notable alumni

Robert Coello Robert Coello (; born November 23, 1984) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and in the KBO League for the Nex ...

, former

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

pitcher * Chris Duarte, professional basketball player *

Andrés Feliz Andrés Rafael Feliz Sarita (born July 7, 1997) is a Dominican basketball player for Real Madrid of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Northwest Florida State Raiders and the Illinois Fighting Illini. He ...

, professional basketball player *

Kedrick Brown Albert Kedrick Brown (born March 18, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. Born and raised in Zachary, Louisiana, Brown played college basketball at Okaloosa-Walton Community College (now Northwest Florida Stat ...

, former professional basketball player * Jason Michaels, former MLB outfielder *

Xavier Moon Xavier Moon (born January 2, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for Zenit Saint Petersburg of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for Northwest Florida State and Morehead State. The nephew of former NBA basketb ...

, professional basketball player *

Alan Ritchson Alan Michael Ritchson (born November 28, 1982) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Aquaman / Arthur Curry on The CW superhero series ''Smallville'' (2005–2010), where he appeared as a guest star between the fifth and 10th seas ...

, actor *

Ray Sansom Ray Sansom (born July 11, 1962) is an American politician who was a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing portions of Okaloosa and Santa Rosa counties from 2002 to February 21, 2010. Sansom is married to Trici ...

, former

speaker of the Florida House of Representatives The speaker is the Speaker (politics), presiding member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Speaker and his staff provide direction and coordination to employees throughout the House and serve the members in carrying out their constitut ...

Donell Taylor Quence Donell Taylor II (born July 26, 1982) is an American former professional basketball player. He is tall. He can play as a point guard or as a swingman, but his primary position is shooting guard. Early life and college career Taylor was ...

, former professional basketball player

References

External links

* {{authority control Universities and colleges established in 1963 Florida College System Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools High schools in Okaloosa County, Florida Charter schools in Florida Education in Okaloosa County, Florida Public high schools in Florida 1963 establishments in Florida Two-year colleges in the United States