Evidence of Excellence and National Rankings

Evidence of Excellence

• Florida State College is an internationally recognized educational technology leader. It is one of four Cisco Academy Training Centers in Network Security training. It is also one of six centers designated by Cisco Systems as Cisco Academy Training Centers.
• The Aviation Center of Excellence opened in January 2002 at the Cecil Commerce Center. Florida State College at Jacksonville was authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to become one of 23 air traffic control training centers in the nation. This authority comes to the College as part of the FAA Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI), a program established to allow colleges and universities to conduct basic air traffic control. The College initiated the program at their Cecil Center South — Aviation Center of Excellence in Fall Term 2008, producing its first graduates to participate in the College Commencement May 8, 2010. The ACE offers state-of-the-art facilities and the same high-fidelity simulation used by the FAA.
• Florida State College at Jacksonville has been named one of only 72 community colleges in the country to be awarded a $2 million President's Community-based Job Training Grant out of a total $125 million nationwide.
• Statewide, Florida State College at Jacksonville has the largest workforce development program, the largest IT curriculum and the largest distance learning program.
• Pathways Academy, an innovative response to the serious high-school dropout problem, opened in August 2006 at Florida State College at Jacksonville's Downtown Campus. Seventy-eight students received their high-school diplomas through Pathways Academy in June 2012.
• Students completing the GED® test and Adult High School graduates at Florida State College totaled more
  than 1,400 for 2009-2010.
• Nationally recognized educators, doctors and publishers witnessed a unique presentation at the 2012 Regional
  Conference of the Human Anatomy and Physiology Society (HAPS). Three students from Florida State
  College, representing the Biomed Pre-Professional Society — students enrolled in the College's Biomed
  bachelor's degree program attained the distinction of being the first students to ever present at the HAPS
  regional conference. Shaqurria Henry, Amy Robinson and Jay Velez, and their mentors, Dr. Lourdes
  Norman, Dr. Patricia Cipriano and Dr. Kimberly Conner, compiled and analyzed the results, prepared a video
  sample of student interviews and put together an hour-long presentation for the conference held March 2-3,
  2012, at the College's Deerwood Center. They followed this presentation with the first student presentation at
  the 23rd International Conference on College Teaching and Learning.
• Florida State College student Garrett McLain was astounded to have received a once-in-a-lifetime offer from
  the University of Oxford. McLain aced the grueling admissions process for the three-year Bachelor of Arts
  program of Philosophy and Theology at one of the world's most recognized schools, but that was the easy
  part. The whole three-year program will require a total of $150,000, and McLain's offer is conditional on
  proof that he can fund the entire amount. If McLain's dream of an Oxford education becomes reality, McLain
  will pursue a bachelor's degree in unity ministry interfaith and secular faith philosophy, followed by a
  master's in divinity, to be ordained at a church and possibly a master's in business administration for
  nonprofit businesses. For now, McLain is focused on raising funds to make his Oxford dream possible and
  inspiring Florida State College students to pursue their own dreams and know that nothing is out of reach.
• Need someone to talk to you after dinner? Look up Ben Beutjer. He's the state champion. Want some
  communication analysis and expert criticism? Hit up Garrett McLain. He's the state champion in both (and
  he's been accepted at Oxford University). In their final state tournament for 2011-2012, Florida State
  College's Forensics Team traveled to University of West Florida in Pensacola, for the Florida Intercollegiate
  Forensics Association State Championship, Feb. 24-26, 2012. The tournament was open to all two- and fouryear
  schools in the state. The College's team was competing against students from University of Florida and
  Florida State University, among others. Professor Chad Kuyper, director of forensics, takes his team to
  national competition in late April 2012.
• The Florida Board of Education has approved the Bachelor of Applied Science in Digital Media for Florida
  State College at Jacksonville. Dr. Denis Wright, South Campus president, led the writing team for the
  proposal development. The proposal was supported by the College's regional educational partners and the
  Division of Florida Colleges. The B.A.S. in Digital Media will be launched in the fall of 2012. This program
  development effort joins an additional seven bachelor's degree programs currently in planning and
  development phases, including Converged Communications, Human Services, Financial Services, Logistics,
  Medical Laboratory Technology, Healthcare Administration and Interior Design.
• With over 108 entries, 23 semi-finalists and close to 110,000 viewer votes, it all came down to one grand
  prize winning dance ensemble, five finalist groups and one Viewer's Choice in Ovation's "ONE DANCEONE
  CHANCE" grant-giving competition. Florida State College's DanceWORKS won a $1,000 grant as one
  of five finalists in the competition. A video of the dance, Study in Frames, choreographed by Assistant
  Professor of Dance Talani Torres, can be viewed at www.ovationtv.com/dancecontest, along with the grand
  prize winner, the Julliard Dance Ensemble and the four other finalists. Not bad company to be in!
  

Florida State College students and graduates shine in many fields.

National Rankings

Florida State College at Jacksonville ranked among the top 10 associate degree producers in the nation in five categories — this, according to a June 11, 2012 report published in Community College Week, a national weekly specializing in issues related to the community colleges.

• FSCJ ranked third nationally in the number of associate degrees granted in Liberal Arts and Sciences, with 4,110 for the 2010-2011 academic year. This was a 37 percent increase from the prior year total of 3,005.
• The College granted a total of 5,409 associate degrees for the year, giving it a rank of fourth in "grand total" and a rank of fifth in "all disciplines." The 5,409 figure was a 29 percent increase over the previous year (4,209).
• A consistent producer of registered nurses, FSCJ ranked sixth in the nation, with 390 Associate Degrees in Nursing awarded.
• The College ranked eighth nationally in the number of associate degrees granted to African-American students, with 1,015 granted in 2010-2011; up 24 percent from the previous year with 818.
• It ranked second in the number of associate degrees granted to non-minority students, with 3,357, an increase of 25 percent from the prior year (2,689). It ranked eleventh in associate degrees in health professions and related clinical services.

The annual list is based on the Community College Week's analysis of U.S. Department of Education data for 2010-2011. The data are collected by the National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES, through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data Set, or IPEDS, completions survey. Note: Community College Week rankings do not include bachelor degrees.

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