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 Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.
Enrollment in credit classes at the College is more than 10,000 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 Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
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 on Sept. 2, 1958, in a former senior high school with 502 students. In 1959 the first classes were held on the current 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 the residents of south Sarasota County. The College’s Venice Center, supported with contributions from citizens of the communities of North Port, Englewood and Venice, was established in 1977. In 1983 the College received an appropriation from the Florida Legislature to build the current full-service campus in Venice, which was dedicated on March 30, 1985.
The College’s name was changed to Manatee Community College in 1985.
In January 2003, SCF opened the Center for Innovation and Technology at Lakewood Ranch Corporate Park on 5 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. In 2007 Schroeder-Manatee Ranch donated an additional 5 acres, and the Medical Technology and Simulation Center opened in 2010.
In March 2009, the State Board of Education approved the College’s proposal to deliver a complete Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree. In July 2009, the College changed its name to State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota to reflect the institution’s new status as a four-year degree-granting state college.
State College of Florida Collegiate School (SCFCS) opened in fall 2010. The school includes sixth through twelfth grades. The first class will graduate in spring 2014. SCF’s tuition-free public charter school provides students with the opportunity to graduate simultaneously with a high school diploma and associate college degree.
On July 1, 2024, Tommy Gregory, J.D., became the seventh President of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.
SCF serves 10,000 college credit students annually. Another 11,000 participants attend professional development and personal enrichment classes each year. The College has graduated more than 61,500 students. SCF consistently provides high-quality instruction as demonstrated by SCF graduates’ proven success in careers and performance at the university level. As the College looks forward, SCF remains committed to being flexible and responsible to the needs of our community.
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 Parrish is east of I-75 and north of the Manatee River at 11680 Erie Road. The campus is currently being developed and projected to open in Fall 2027.
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. We have a tradition of delivering our promises responsibly and transparently.
- Collaboration. SCF is boldly engaging our partners to achieve the dynamic future we envision.
- Innovation. We define best practices and create opportunity with forethought.
- Inclusivity. SCF is an open access institution where all are welcomed and supported as part of the SCF college community.
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 (LLWD) provides quality learning and training opportunities for people of all ages. LLWD 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.
LLWD administrative offices are in the Center for Innovation and Technology (CIT) at SCF Lakewood Ranch. The Traffic Safety Institute (TSI) has offices at SCF Bradenton, SCF Venice, and downtown Sarasota. The Advanced Technology Center and Entrepreneurship Academy are located in 26 West Center at SCF Bradenton.
Schedules are updated regularly and are available on the College’s website at SCF.edu/Training.
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
- DUI Victim Program
- Ignition Interlock Device Program
- Special Supervision Services Program
- 4-hour Basic Driver Improvement course (in-person or online)
- 8-hour Intermediate Driver Improvement course (in-person only)
- 12-hour Advanced Driver Improvement course (online only)
- Mature Driver course (online only)
- Florida First-time Driver (TLSAE) course
Workforce Training
SCF.edu/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
SCF.edu/Training
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 include a broad range of topics: Youth Enrichment, Performing Arts (Music and Theatre), Retirement Planning, Culinary, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training, and courses in the English Language Institute.
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