Polk State College

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Polk State College
Polk State College.jpg
Former names
Polk Community College
MottoWe Are Polk.
Type Public college
Established1964;60 years ago (1964)
Parent institution
Florida College System
Endowment $1.35 million
President Angela Garcia Falconetti
Provost Martha Santiago (interim)
Academic staff
1,249
Students20,000 [1]
Undergraduates 12,342
Location, ,
United States
Campus Suburban
Nickname Eagles
Website www.polk.edu

Polk State College, formerly Polk Community College, is a public college in Winter Haven, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. [2] The college changed its name from Polk Community College in 2009 to reflect its first Bachelor's degree program. [3] Originally named Polk Junior College, it began classes in 1964. The main campus is located in Winter Haven, a second campus is located in nearby Lakeland. Smaller centers exist in Bartow, Lake Wales, Winter Haven, and two in Lakeland.

Contents

History

In 1982 Maryly Van Leer Peck became the first woman community college president in Florida. [4]

Academics

Total enrollment is about 10,000 credit students and 8,700 non-credit students, served by a staff of about 1200 faculty members. Of the total credit students over 5,400 attend classes in Lakeland, 4,000 attend in Winter Haven, and over 500 attend in Lake Wales. [5] In 2004, the Collegiate High School was opened on the Lakeland campus, and a second CHS, Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School, opened in Winter Haven in Fall 2006. The Board of Trustees approved a name change at the March 23, 2009 meeting and the college became Polk State College on July 1, 2009. The Polk State College Libraries serve students of Collegiate High School, Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School, Florida community college and university students with a growing collection of traditional and virtual resources including art prints, sculpture, and audio/video formats.

Athletics

Polk State competes in the Suncoast Conference of division I of the NJCAA Region 8 within the Florida State College Activities Association (FSCAA) and offers athletic programs in men's basketball and baseball, and women's cheerleading, soccer, softball and volleyball [6] [7] As of 2013, men's basketball has won 12 Suncoast Conference championships, three NJCAA region 8 championships.

PSC Collegiate High School

Polk State College's Lakeland and Winter Haven campuses host the 'PSC Collegiate High School Program' where students can earn their Associates of Arts (AA) degree while completing their normal high school requirements. Student can also enroll in programs such as Information technology (IT) or take the route of finishing general education prerequisites for their field of choice. Juniors and seniors in high school who meet a certain GPA requirement are currently the only ones eligible for the program. Taking the standardized PERT test is also an entry requirement; passing scores include: Reading 104-150, English 99-150, Math 113-150.

Notable people

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Joseph A. Arnold is an American former college and professional baseball coach. During his twenty-four seasons as a head coach, Arnold led the college baseball teams at Florida Southern College, the University of Florida, and Polk State College, and also served as the manager of two Class A minor league teams within the New York Yankees organization. Arnold was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in Lubbock, Texas in March 2015.

Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School is located at 999 Avenue H NE in Winter Haven, Florida, United States. A charter school, it is affiliated and colocated with Polk State College. Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School acts as a way for students to receive high school credits as well as college credits simultaneously. Once accepted into said program you would spend the next two years completing both your high school diploma as well as your Associate of Arts degree. Polk State College Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School is a public charter school that provides highly motivated 11th and 12th-grade students from throughout Polk County with a distinctive experience, blending traditional high school with collegiate coursework.

References

  1. "Polk State College Fact Sheet" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2010.
  2. "Contact Lists". data.fldoe.org. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  3. "Article 404 - News Chief - Winter Haven, FL". News Chief. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Toothman, Mary (October 19, 1982). "Graham says state projects could improve unemployment". Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida. p. 60. Retrieved March 27, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Profile: Polk State College - Inside Higher Ed". Archived from the original on September 7, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  6. "Polk State College | NJCAA". Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  7. "Polk State College". polkeagles.com. Retrieved April 12, 2018.

27°59′26″N81°53′24″W / 27.9906672°N 81.8900359°W / 27.9906672; -81.8900359