Florida State College at Jacksonville

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Former names	Florida Junior College (1965–1986) [1] Florida Community College at Jacksonville (1986–2009) [1]
Motto	Libertas (Latin)
Motto in English	"Freedom"
Type	Public college
Established	1965;60 years ago (1965)
Parent institution	Florida College System
Accreditation	SACS
Endowment	$28.5 million (2024) [2]
Budget	$148.1 million (2024) [3]
President	John Avendano
Academic staff	327 (full-time) [4] 540 (part-time) [4]
Undergraduates	20,363 (fall 2022) [4]
Location	Jacksonville , Florida , United States 30°20′05.0″N81°39′35″W / 30.334722°N 81.65972°W / 30.334722; -81.65972
Campus	Large city [4]
Colors	Cyan and black
Nickname	Manta Rays
Sporting affiliations	NJCAA Region 8 – Mid-Florida Conference
Mascot	Razor Ray the Manta ray
Website	www.fscj.edu

Florida State College at Jacksonville (FSCJ) is a public college in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is a member institution of the Florida College System, and offers a range of associate and baccalaureate degree programs. FSCJ is also known for its dual enrollment and early college programs.

History

Established in 1965 as Florida Junior College, the institution was renamed Florida Community College at Jacksonville (FCCJ) in 1986. In 2009, in response to a shortage of four-year colleges, the Florida Legislature created the Florida College System, allowing some community colleges to become "state colleges" and offer bachelor degree programs. FCCJ transitioned to its current name, "Florida State College at Jacksonville," in 2009.

Campuses

FSCJ has several campuses around Jacksonville:

• Downtown Campus: The main campus, offering associate and bachelor degree programs, continuing education, and vocational training, including construction, auto mechanics, and ESL. It also houses the Advanced Technology Center and the Urban Resource Center for online and military programs.
• North Campus: Located on the Northside, it features health programs like nursing and dental hygiene, the Culinary Institute of the South, and a cosmetology program, along with sports facilities for baseball, softball, and soccer.
• Kent Campus: On Roosevelt Boulevard, known for its all-brick design, and provides a variety of academic programs.
• South Campus: Situated on Beach Boulevard, it focuses on technical and liberal arts degrees and includes the Nathan H. Wilson Center for the Arts, fire rescue training, and a sports center for basketball, volleyball, and tennis. Many dual enrollment students use this campus.
• Betty P. Cook Nassau Center: In Yulee, it serves Nassau County with various courses and features the Outdoor Education Center and the Nassau County Yulee Library Branch.
• Cecil Center: This includes Cecil Center North for traditional courses and Cecil Center – Aviation Programs for aviation training.
• Deerwood Center: Located in Baymeadows, it offers a range of courses and is home to FSCJ’s information technology department.

Kent Campus

Athletics

FSCJ's athletic program includes men's and women's cross-country, volleyball, softball, basketball, and baseball. The college competes in the Mid-Florida Conference of the Florida State College Activities Association (FSCAA), governed by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Notable alumni

• Janet H. Adkins, member of the Florida House of Representatives
• Audrey Gibson, member of the Florida House of Representatives
• Alvin Heggs, professional basketball player
• Sam Jones, mayor of Mobile, Alabama
• Tim McGraw, country music artist and actor (attended for one semester)
• Michael D. Reynolds, astronomer
• Kevin O'Sullivan, head baseball coach for the Florida Gators
• Kelly Kelly, former WWE professional wrestler

References

1. Reese Cravey, Beth (October 18, 2023). "From Blue Herons to the Tritons, How you can help decide on FSCJ's new mascot". The Florida Times-Union . Retrieved September 9, 2024.
2. Marra, Andrew (February 12, 2024). "Two Florida universities have more than $1 billion in endowments to invest on campus". The Palm Beach Post . Retrieved September 9, 2024.
3. "Annual Budget Summary - Fiscal Year 2024-25 (Florida State College at Jacksonville)". Florida Department of Education. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
4. Florida State College at Jacksonville. National Center for Education Statistics (College Navigator). Retrieved September 9, 2024.

External links

• Official website

• Florida portal