State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF)
SCF Profile
SCF is an accredited, public Florida institution established to provide college training for the residents of Manatee and Sarasota counties. The College is a member of the Florida College System and receives the majority of its funding from state allocations, tuition and fees.
SCF is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.
Enrollment in credit classes at the College is more than 11,000 students annually, including residents of Manatee and Sarasota counties, individuals from neighboring Florida counties, many other states and several foreign countries.
Students attend classes on SCF campuses in Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch and Venice; at many business and public sector sites throughout the community; and via online opportunities.
The College is a member of the Association of Florida Colleges, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
SCF History
On Sept. 17, 1957, the State Board of Education established Manatee Junior College as an approved college with the primary mission of providing college training for young people and adults. On Nov. 5, 1957, Dr. Samuel R. Neel, Jr. became the first president. The College began its first classes with 502 students on Sept. 2, 1958, in a former senior high school. In 1959 the first classes were held on the southwest Manatee County campus with a full-fledged sophomore class and a large freshman class enrolled in university-parallel courses.
In 1973 classes were offered at Venice High School to provide higher education opportunities for residents of south Sarasota County. The College Board of Trustees in 1977 established the College’s Venice Center, which initially was supported with contributions from citizens of North Port, Englewood and Venice. In 1983, the College received an appropriation from the Florida Legislature to build Venice’s full-service campus, which was dedicated on March 30, 1985.
The College’s name was changed to Manatee Community College in 1985.
In January 2003, the College opened the Center for Innovation and Technology at Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park on five acres of land donated by Schroeder-Manatee Ranch. This location offers both credit classes and a wide variety of noncredit, personal and professional development and workforce training classes. Schroeder-Manatee Ranch donated an additional five acres in 2007 and a Medical Technology and Simulation Center opened in 2010.
In 2009, the State Board of Education approved the College’s proposal to deliver a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. To reflect this change to a four-year, degree-granting institution, the College’s name was changed to State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota. The College remains committed to its associate degree programs while expanding its mission to a multiple-campus institution offering four-year degrees needed to meet the higher level education needs of the local workforce.
More than 55,000 graduates have received SCF degrees in the College’s history.
SCF Locations
SCF Bradenton is in southwest Manatee County close to Sarasota Bay. The 100-acre, full-service campus is 10 miles from Interstate 75 and can be reached using Exit 217.
SCF Venice is on U.S. 41 in south Sarasota County, 42 miles south of SCF Bradenton. The 100-acre, full-service campus is easily accessible from Venice, Englewood and North Port. The campus is eight miles from Interstate 75 and can be reached using Exit 191.
SCF Lakewood Ranch is in northeast Sarasota County at 7131 Professional Parkway, Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park. The campus is two miles from Interstate 75, and can be reached using Exit 213.
SCF Mission Statement
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, guided by measurable standards of institutional excellence, provides engaging and accessible learning environments that result in student success and community prosperity.
SCF Vision Statement
State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota is the region’s first choice for innovative, responsive, quality education, workforce training and community partnership.
SCF Institutional Values
- Integrity
- Collaboration
- Innovation
- Inclusivity
SCF Strategic Priorities
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Lead with bold opportunities as the region’s first investment of choice.
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Boldly lead the growth of innovative academic and student life programs.
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Be the community’s academic cornerstone as the only 4-year, full-college experience.
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Embody our community’s socio-economic vision.
State College of Florida Foundation Inc.
History
In 1978, a dedicated group of concerned community leaders united around a common goal: to make certain that the first and largest public college of the Manatee and Sarasota region could meet the daunting challenges of higher education emerging in the 21st century.
Their imagination and vision created a foundation that would make a great college better, provide deserving students with an opportunity to earn a college education through scholarships, and raise funds to better equip classrooms and energize faculty development. The founders visualized a foundation contributing to the cultural and economic heritage of the greater community and empowering the College through financial flexibility.
The Foundation provides more than $1.8 million in annual scholarship support to students and more than $1 million annually in faculty, program and equipment support to the College.
Role of the Foundation
The Foundation is incorporated as a charitable 501(c)(3) corporation with a mission that includes the following four major components:
- Public promotion of the College.
- Cultivation, solicitation and stewardship of private gifts.
- Allocation of dollars raised.
- Management of the endowment portfolio.
What the Foundation Provides the College
- Annual scholarships to help students with tuition, fees and books.
- Classroom instructional/laboratory equipment and library resources to equip students with 21st century skills.
- Funding for capital purposes to help with new or renovated building priorities.
- Faculty support to permit the College to expand “high need” programs by hiring more faculty.
- Program support to help establish new and innovative programs.
Information on opportunities to participate in any of the Foundation’s programs is available online at SCF-Foundation.org.
Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development
SCF’s Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development provides quality learning and training opportunities for people of all ages. LLL/WF provides industry driven, workforce training and non-credit classes conducted at SCF campuses and off-site locations. Thousands of people annually take classes and attend events at the College, local businesses and online.
Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development administrative offices are in the Center for Innovation and Technology at SCF Lakewood Ranch. Offices also are maintained at SCF Bradenton and SCF Venice. The Traffic Safety Institute has offices at SCF Bradenton and SCF Venice, as well as downtown Sarasota.
Schedules are updated each term and are available on the College’s website at SCF.edu/Training. During the summer months, a STEM focused Kids’ Summer Camp is a primary focus for educational enrichment. Information can be found at SCF.edu/Kids.
Traffic Safety Institute
SCF.edu/TSI
Serving Manatee, Sarasota and DeSoto counties, the Traffic Safety Institute provides driver improvement and substance abuse prevention programs in an attempt to improve public safety and save lives. Programs offered include:
- Driving Under the Influence (DUI) Program
- Mature Driving Class
- Special Supervision Services
- Basic and Advanced Driver Improvement Courses
- First-time Driver License Class
- DUI Victims Program
- Driving While License Suspended/Revoked Class (DWLS/R)
Workforce Training
Workforce Training enhances the technical, leadership, management and interpersonal skills of employees and organizations throughout Manatee and Sarasota counties. It is committed to individual and organizational success and has the flexibility and resources to provide quality organizational development and training where and when it is needed. Workforce Training serves organizations of all sizes, in both the public and private sectors. Training and development services focus on practical skill building and transfer of those skills back to the workplace. Training topics cover the spectrum of individual and organizational performance, customer service, leadership, computer skills, quality, and manufacturing certifications - essentially any area related to success in the workplace. Programs and services are offered in a range of formats including individual consultations, customized training and development programs, and online training classes.
Lifelong Learning
Lifelong learning combines professional continuing education training with personal enrichment opportunities.
- Personal enrichment courses enable people from all segments of the community to clarify values, increase occupational skills and enhance personal growth. Programs are provided to learners of all ages through multiple instructional deliveries. Classes range from Kids’ Summer Camp to courses geared toward older learners and jointly sponsored events with local lifelong learning organizations such as Lifelong Learning Academy.
- Certification preparation courses enable residents to obtain licensure and to successfully prepare for licensure examinations.
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