FCCJ to Become a State College, Change Name
Florida Community College at Jacksonville will undergo a name change and become a state college this spring, offering four-year degrees in seven areas.
FCCJ already offers four-year degrees in four areas: critical care nursing, management, fire sciences management and networks and telecommunications.
The new state college designation is the result of legislation passed last year creating another tier in public higher education, between the community college and university levels. Five of the state’s 28 community colleges have already made the switch.
The move will allow FCCJ to expand its four-year offerings and offer new programs in early childhood education, public safety management and information technology management. The school plans to add three new programs a year to the curriculum.
School officials expect an enthusiastic response to the new programs, based in part on the reaction last summer when three new programs were added.
“We were overwhelmed with the response,” said FCCJ President Steven Wallace. “We filled them virtually overnight.”
The change will include the division of FCCJ into four different entities. In addition to the state college, there will be a nondegree technical college, a general equivalency diploma academy and the 3-year-old Pathways charter school.
Because the technical college will focus on industry licensing and certification rather than degrees, Wallace said, it will be able to respond quickly to the needs of employers in the area.
“It will be very agile and aggressive,” he said. “It will be designed to move with business.”
FCCJ officials will unveil the new name at a press conference March 3. The candidates for the new name include Florida Coast State College, Northeast Florida State College and Florida Northeast State College.
The school has almost 80,000 students on five campuses, with two more campuses on the way.
Source: Jacksonville Business Journal
FCCJ already offers four-year degrees in four areas: critical care nursing, management, fire sciences management and networks and telecommunications.
The new state college designation is the result of legislation passed last year creating another tier in public higher education, between the community college and university levels. Five of the state’s 28 community colleges have already made the switch.
The move will allow FCCJ to expand its four-year offerings and offer new programs in early childhood education, public safety management and information technology management. The school plans to add three new programs a year to the curriculum.
School officials expect an enthusiastic response to the new programs, based in part on the reaction last summer when three new programs were added.
“We were overwhelmed with the response,” said FCCJ President Steven Wallace. “We filled them virtually overnight.”
The change will include the division of FCCJ into four different entities. In addition to the state college, there will be a nondegree technical college, a general equivalency diploma academy and the 3-year-old Pathways charter school.
Because the technical college will focus on industry licensing and certification rather than degrees, Wallace said, it will be able to respond quickly to the needs of employers in the area.
“It will be very agile and aggressive,” he said. “It will be designed to move with business.”
FCCJ officials will unveil the new name at a press conference March 3. The candidates for the new name include Florida Coast State College, Northeast Florida State College and Florida Northeast State College.
The school has almost 80,000 students on five campuses, with two more campuses on the way.
Source: Jacksonville Business Journal
posted by Will @ 9:29 AM
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