Florida Gateway College Begins 75th Anniversary Celebration

Florida Gateway College in Lake City, FL is beginning a yearlong celebration of its founding 1947 as the Forest Ranger School. Visit the 75th anniversary web page for planned activities.

The institution initially utilized structures that remained from a World War II-era naval air station. In 1961, the state of Florida created Lake City Junior College on the campus of the old forestry school. It became Lake City Community College in 1970 and Florida Gateway College on July 1, 2010.

You can visit the FGC Our History page to read more about the institution's history.

The 75th Anniversary Celebration Edition Magazine also offers information on FGC history and current programs.

Pasco-Hernando State College Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Pasco-Hernando State College is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The institution was founded as Pasco-Hernando Community College and the name was changed to Pasco–Hernando State College on January 21, 2014.

The institution serves Pasco and Hernando counties and is part of the Florida College System. It operates additional campuses in Brooksville, Dade City, New Port Richey, Spring Hill, and Wesley Chapel. 

The University of North Florida Celebrates 50th Anniversary

 

The University of North Florida in Jacksonville, FL is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its first classes held in 1972.

Campus officials recently opened a time capsule and you can read an interesting article by Julia Croston, Managing Editor of UNF's Spinnaker, "UNF opened 25 year old time capsule."

You can also visit 50th anniversary pages created by the staff of the Thomas G. Carpenter Library that provide links to an institutional timeline and an extensive array of digital exhibits.

Saint Leo University and Marymount California Announce Merger

Update:  Scott Jaschik reports in "Saint Leo and Marymount California Won’t Merge," posted April 22, 2022 by Inside Higher Ed.

*****

Inside Higher Ed posted "Saint Leo University to Merge With Marymount California" on July 30, 2021 with reporting by Emma Whitford. 

You can read more in "Saint Leo University Announces Merger With Marymount California University" posted on Saint Leo's website July 29, 2021 or "Marymount California University to Merge with Saint Leo University" posted on Marymount California's website.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers, and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Education Corporation of America Closes over 75 Campuses

The Education Corporation of America headquarter in Birmingham, AL announced today that it will close more than 75 sites that enroll roughly 20,000 students.  The company began the process of notifying students and employees.  The sites include those operating as Brightwood College, Brightwood Career Institute, Ecotech Institute, Golf Academy of America and Virginia College.

You can read more at Inside Higher Ed in an article that was posted earlier today, "Large For-Profit Chain to Close."  WSFA-TV in Montgomery, AL posted a short video with an article, "Virginia College closing in Montgomery, nationwide."

KCRA-TV in Sacramento, CA posted "Brightwood College closing Modesto, Sacramento campuses" on its website.

Thirty-two sites are listed for Brightwood College in eight states on the IPEDS College Navigator site and twenty-seven sites in eleven states are listed for Virginia Colleges.

	Brightwood College Sites	Virginia College Sites
Alabama		4
California	10
Florida		3
Georgia		4
Indiana	2
Louisiana		2
Maryland	3
Mississippi		2
Nevada	1
North Carolina	1	1
Ohio	1
Oklahoma		1
South Carolina		5
Tennessee	1	2
Texas	13	2
Virginia		1
Totals	32	27
# states	8	11

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, mergers,and acquisitions access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page. There are separate tabs for non-profit closures, for-profit closures, and one for mergers and acquisitions. Each tab includes basic information for the institutions, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Florida Institute of Technology Celebrating 60th Anniversary

Florida Today posted an article on November 21, 2018, "Florida Tech marks 60th anniversary from humble beginnings -- and a legendary 37¢ donation," by Rick Neale. 

 Florida Institute of Technology or Florida Tech was founded as Brevard Engineering College in 1958. Initial classes held in wooden barracks at what was the Melbourne Naval Air Station. The institution later acquired buildings and property of University of Melbourne when it closed and in 1966, was renamed Florida Institute of Technology.

The institution's 60th anniversary web pages include a timeline and schedule of activities scheduled for the academic year commemorating the founding.

Johnson University Celebrating 125 Years

Monica Kast of the Knoxville News Sentinel provides an extensive overview of events in "Johnson University celebrates 125 years with three days of events," on October 24, 2018.

 The institution was founded in 1893 as the School of Evangelists. It was later renamed to Johnson Bible College in 1909 and became Johnson University in 2011.

You can visit university web pages devoted to the institution's 125 years of history for more information, presidential profiles, and a number of images of the campus.

Johnson University enrollment in Knoxville is roughly 1,153 students with just over 800 enrolled in undergraduate programs.  There is also an additional site in Kissimmee, FL, operating since 1975 and incorporating the former Florida Christian College, with 200 students.

Flagler College will host Open House as part of 50th Anniversary Celebration

On Saturday, November 3rd, Flagler College will open its doors to the public for a campus-wide open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  The open house event will feature several key buildings: former Hotel Ponce de Leon, Solarium, Pollard Hall, Hanke Hall, Markland House, WFCF Radio Station, and Alumni House. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a National Historic Landmark opened in 1888 by railroad pioneer and Standard Oil co-founder Henry M. Flagler.

The college was founded in 1968 and the open house is one of several events marking Flagler's 50th anniversary.

Previous College History Garden posts featuring Flagler College may also be of interest:

• Tuesday, July 3, 2018, "Flagler 50: Exhibition Marks 50th Anniversary of Flagler College."
• Thursday, May 26, 2016, "Flagler College Faculty Member Recognized for Work with Historic Preservation."
• Tuesday, February 17, 2015, "Massive Renovation Project at Flagler College."

Video History of Mills Library at Rollins College

I love this wonderful 3:00 minute video history of Mills Library at Rollins College in Winter Park, FL.  The video provides a brief overview for the changing role of a library on campus and includes an audio segment with President Eisenhower congratulating the college after the library opened.

Feel free to post links to similar videos for colleges with which you are familiar in the comment section below!

The Baptist College of Florida Celebrates 75th Anniversary

The Baptist College of Florida, located in Graceville, FL, is preparing to celebrate the 75th anniversary of its founding.  

The institution began in 1943 as Florida Baptist Institute and was initially located in Lakeland, FL. The name changed to Baptist Bible Institute in 1949 and it moved to Graceville. Control was assumed by the Florida Baptist State Convention in 1957. The name changed to Florida Baptist Theological College in 1988 and to The Baptist College of Florida in 2000.

You can read more about the history of The Baptist College of Florida by visiting, "From BBI to BCF: The History of BCF."

Flagler 50: Exhibition Marks 50th Anniversary of Flagler College

An exhibition "Flagler 50: Celebrating a College and a Preservation Legacy, 1968-2018” will open July 6, 2018 as part of the upcoming repertoire of 50th-anniversary celebrations at Flagler College.  The exhibit will be available through May 30, 2019,

The opening of the exhibition was purposefully scheduled to coincide with the 100th birthday of college founder, Lawrence Lewis, Jr., the grandnephew of Henry Flagler.  Lewis was instrumental in fostering the restoration of many buildings in St. Augustine, not just the Hotel Ponce de Leon, that is now used by Flagler College.

You can visit the Flagler College website for a list of anniversary events.

Previous College History Garden posts featuring Flagler College may also be of interest:

• Thursday, May 26, 2016, "Flagler College Faculty Member Recognized for Work with Historic Preservation."
• Tuesday, February 17, 2015, "Massive Renovation Project at Flagler College."

Founded as Florida Presbyterian College, Eckerd College Turns 60 Years Old

Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida was founded sixty years ago and Green Bench Monthly, the St. Petersburg magazine, published a short historical sketch, "From Florida Presbyterian to Eckerd College," written by Christina Juska.  Founded as Florida Presbyterian College, the name of the institution was changed to Eckerd College in 1972.  Juska article outlines institutional changes since the founding and includes a number of interesting photographs.

You can also visit the Eckerd College website for more information on institutional history and traditions.

Collection of Historical Photographs for Florida Memorial University

A Florida Memorial University photographic collection is available through the University of Miami Libraries Collaborative Archive from the Africa Diaspora.  The web site offers approximately 25 historical photographs from the larger collection described in several finding aids.

Florida Memorial University traces its roots to the founding of Florida Baptist Institute in Live Oak, FL in 1879.  Racial tensions led to a move to Jacksonville, FL in 1892 and the founding of Florida Baptist Academy. It later moved to Saint Augustine in 1918 and in 1963 became Florida Memorial College. The institution moved to a new campus located in Miami in 1968 and adopted the name of Florida Memorial University in 2006.

Lynn University Announces New College of Communication and Design with acquisition of Digital Media Arts College

Rick Selzer reports for Inside Higher Ed that Lynn University of Boca Raton, FL will purchase nearby for-profit Digital Media Arts College.  DMAC facilities and programs will be integrated with Lynn to form a new College of Communication and Design.

DMAC was founded in 2002 and offered bachelor of fine arts degrees in Computer Animation and Graphic Design, associate of science degrees in Graphic Design and Multimedia Design, a master of fine arts degree in Graphic and Web Design, and a master of science degree in Web Design & Technology.

Lynn University was founded in 1962 as Marymount College and was affiliated with the Catholic Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary.  The name was changed to the College of Boca Raton in 1973 and to Lynn University in 1990.

Jones College in Jacksonville, FL announces it will be Closing

Tessa Duvall reports for The Florida Times-Union that "Jones College closing after 99 years in Jacksonville."  Duvall indicates that the institution has submitted a teachout plan for existing students.

The institution was founded in 1918 as Mrs. Jones School.  It was known as Jones Business College in the 1940s.  The name was changed to Jones College after 1963. Jones operated schools in Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, St. Petersburg and Fort Lauderdale as well as Atlanta, Memphis and Charlotte, N.C. by the late 1970s as the Jones College System. However, by 2005 the primary campuses were located in Jacksonville and Miami.

Jones was a proprietary institution initially but operated as a non-profit after 1947 when it received a state charter as a degree granting institution.

Duvall's article includes a timeline of key dates in the Jones College history.

If you are interested in recent trends for closures, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  There are separate tabs for non-profit and for-profit closures.  Each tab includes basic information for each institution, i.e., Carnegie Classification, sector, accrediting agency, and the IPEDS unitid.

Heritage College is Closing with Sites in Ten States

KWCH-TV in Wichita, KS, KMBC-TV in Kansas City, MO and a number of other news outlets reported today on the closure of Heritage College.  Heritage was a private for-profit and offered certificates and associates degrees in a variety of health care fields.

 If you are interested in recent trends for closures, access College Closures since 2009 in the index at the right of any College History Garden page.  The institution operated sites in ten cities and all appear to have closed.

Flagler College Faculty Member Recognized for Work with Historic Preservation

Flagler College announced this week that Dr. Leslee Keys is a recipient of the William L. Proctor Award from the Historic St. Augustine Research Institute for her book "Hotel Ponce de Leon: The Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of Flagler's Gilded Age Palace."  Keys' book covers the history of the building from construction in 1888 through the opening of Flagler College in 1966 and the major renovation work coinciding with the 400th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine.  

The release also notes that Keys was recently recognized with the Roy E. Graham Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation Education from the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation.  Keys serves Flagler as assistant professor of history and director of historic preservation for the college.

A review of the book accompanied by a Q&A section with Keys was published by The St. Augustine Record in January 2016.

American Health Institute Closes

WFLA in Tampa reported that the American Health Institute in Port Richey, Florida closed.  The institution enrolled roughly 50 students at the time of the closure.  It was accredited by Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools until resigned in late April 2016.

Mattia College in West Kendall, FL faces Closure

Michael Vasquez and Lance Dixon report in the Miami Herald on February 23, 2016 that for-profit Mattia College is considering closing.  The institution has suspended all classes for 700 students and suspended employees.  Mattia College is located in West Kendall, FL and was founded in 1994.

Edward Waters College Begins 150th Anniversary Celebration

HBCU Reports published an article January 23, 2016, "Edward Water College Celebrates its 150th Anniversary."

Edward Waters College was initially founded in 1866 in Live Oak, FL as Brown Theological Institute.  It was affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME).  The name was changed to Brown University in 1874 and to Edward Waters College in 1892.  The institution moved the following year to Jacksonville, FL.