Congratulations to Evas new home, Santa Fe College, one of the top ten community colleges in the nation! Heres what the Gainesville Sun has to say: Editorial: Top 10 institution Published: Friday, September 12, 2014 at 6:01 a.m. Last Modified: Wednesday, September 10, 2014 at 8:41 p.m. As the University of Florida seeks to become a top 10 institution of higher learning, another local institution has beaten them there. Santa Fe College has been recognized for the second consecutive time as one of the top 10 community colleges in the nation. It is also a finalist for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and the $1 million prize that comes with it. In an era when rising student debt is a major concern, Florida students can expect to pay about $3,600 per 30-credit academic year at Santa Fe. Given that the college has one of the state’s highest graduation rates among public colleges and a 70 percent acceptance rate for UF transfers, students have confidence that their money won’t be wasted. Santa Fe’s relationship with UF is one of its strengths, as it sends more transfers to UF than any other college. The college has programs providing a pathway into UF degrees, like engineering, and a center with advisors to help UF transfers. But it is unfair to mention Santa Fe only in the context of UF. The college stands alone in filling local workforce-training gaps and bringing educational programs to under-served parts of the community. The college’s programs include a number of two-year degrees as well as bachelor’s degrees in areas like early-childhood education and nursing. It received state funding this year to expand its Kirkpatrick Center near the Gainesville airport, home to the college’s aviation program, and its Institute of Public Safety that trains firefighters, law-enforcement officers and paramedics. The center is one of the college’s three Gainesville campuses in addition to campuses in Alachua, Archer, Keystone Heights and Starke. That commitment to bringing educational programs to all parts of the community, including economically struggling parts of eastern Alachua County, can also be seen with recent offerings in Hawthorne. The college this year took over the East Gainesville business incubator now known as the Gainesville Technology Entrepreneurship Center. Combined with its Center for Innovation and Economic Development in downtown Gainesville, these are important parts of efforts to expand the local innovation economy. This is all not to say everything is perfect at Santa Fe. The college is part of a troubling national trend of heavily relying on adjunct instructors, although Santa Fe President Jackson Sasser did announce raises for adjuncts and other college employees this year. Since starting in 2001, Sasser has strengthened the college’s local ties and has established a national reputation for excellence. While a $1 million prize would be nice, area residents don’t need an award to know that Santa Fe is one of the top institutions of its kind.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 17:19:18 +0000
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