Gulf Coast State College

Gulf Coast State College

Type	Public college
Established	1957;68 years ago (1957)
Parent institution	Florida College System
Endowment	$30 million (2016)[ citation needed ]
President	Glen McDonald
Students	c. 7,000
Location	Panama City , Florida , U.S.
Colors	Blue & gold
Sporting affiliations	NJCAA Region 8, Panhandle Conference
Mascot	Commodores
Website	www.gulfcoast.edu

Gulf/Franklin Campus in Port St. Joe, Florida

Gulf Coast State College is a public college in Panama City, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System. It offers the Associate of Arts degree, Associate of Science degree, certificates, and as of 2011, bachelor's degrees.

History

The institution was founded in 1957 by the Florida Legislature. ^[1] On January 13, 2011, the college was renamed Gulf Coast State College. The school had previously been named Gulf Coast Community College as well as Gulf Coast Junior College. ^[2]

In 1966, Rosenwald Junior College was merged with Gulf Coast Junior College.

Campus

The main college campus is in Panama City, Florida, with other campuses in Southport, in Port St. Joe, and at Tyndall Air Force Base.

Organization and administration

The college is a member institution of the Florida College System. Its president is John Holdnak, Ed.D. President Holdnak is its sixth, having assumed that position in June 2014. A district board of trustees oversees the administration of the college.

Academics

Gulf Coast State College offers associate and bachelor's degrees.

Student life

Athletics

Gulf Coast State College Athletic teams are nicknamed the Commodores and participate in men's basketball, men's baseball, women's basketball, women's softball, and women's volleyball. The school's athletic teams compete in the Panhandle Conference of the Florida State College Activities Association, a body of the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8.

Notable people

For a more comprehensive list, see Category:Gulf Coast State College alumni.

Will Smith

• Daniel Davidson - former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Tony Dawson - former NBA player
• Matt Foster - current MLB player for the Chicago White Sox
• Terrance Gore - MLB player who won three World Series rings: the 2015 World Series with the Kansas City Royals, the 2020 World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the 2021 World Series with the Atlanta Braves
• Vontrell Jamison - former NFL player
• Smoke Laval - college baseball coach of Louisiana–Monroe, LSU, and North Florida
• Frank Menechino - former Major League Baseball infielder for the Oakland Athletics and the Toronto Blue Jays
• Michael Papajohn - actor, stuntman, and college baseball player
• Jimmy Patronis - chief financial officer of Florida, state fire marshal, and member of the Florida Cabinet
• Said Sharbini - politician ^[3]
• Will Smith - current Major League Baseball pitcher who won three consecutive World Series rings with the 2021 Atlanta Braves, 2022 Houston Astros, and 2023 Texas Rangers ^[4]
• Don Sutton - former Major League Baseball player and television sportscaster; holds the Los Angeles Dodgers all-time wins record (233); held the Dodgers strikeout record (2696) for 42 years

References

1. "History of the college". Archived from the original on 2010-12-31. Retrieved 2011-01-23.
2. About the name change ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
3. "Said Sharbini". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2023-11-09.
4. "Rangers reliever Will Smith makes history with third World Series win with third different team in three years". November 2, 2023.

External links

• Official website

30°11′13″N85°43′35″W / 30.1869327°N 85.7262785°W / 30.1869327; -85.7262785