PCC’s President Ready to Lead Toward New Campuses, Name
Friday, March 6, 2009
WINTER HAVEN | Polk Community College President Eileen Holden, 53, has accomplished a great deal in three years.
When hired in December 2005, she said her goal was to make PCC a “world-class college and Florida’s leader in workforce development.”
She’s made the college’s presence felt since then. Working with the director of the PCC Foundation, she persuaded developer Stan Phelps to donate $12 million and land for a Bartow campus and is now leading the way for other changes.
The Ledger recently asked Holden to answer Five Questions:
Q. Why does PCC want additional campuses and how can you afford them?
A. Access to quality, affordable education has been the hallmark of PCC since we opened our doors in 1964 to 1,107 students in rented quarters at the Bartow Air Base. The Winter Haven campus (established in 1965) and the Lakeland campus (established in 1982) have rapidly expanded to meet the educational needs of the local communities we serve. As these two main campuses were growing, it became increasingly clear to the PCC administration and board of trustees that there were still underserved areas of Polk County where residents did not have easy access to PCC. It was the philosophy of PCC’s first president, Dr. Fred T. Lenfesty, that rather than expand an existing campus beyond its normal capacity, it would be better to locate satellite centers in populated areas to increase access to higher education.
In 2005, the district board of trustees commissioned a 20-year Facilities Master Plan to serve as a roadmap to help PCC determine where its future educational centers should be located within the 2,010 square miles of Polk County. The trustees hired a consultant, Straughn Trout Architects, who conducted extensive research and analysis to identify urban growth patterns, population growth rates, educational attainment of our population, economic development trends, workforce needs and other demographic trends that impact Polk County and, therefore, PCC’s vision and role in the community.
In 2008, PCC received a $12-million donation from Clear Springs to establish a permanent home for the Corporate College on State Road 60 in the city of Bartow. The funds are eligible to be matched dollar for dollar through the Florida Community College Facility Enhancement Challenge Grant Program. Also in 2008, the Polk County Commission approved a $2-million donation to PCC (that will be matched) to assist with the infrastructure for the Clear Springs site.
Q. What will be different about the Bartow campus, in terms of what programs are available there, compared to existing campuses and Haines City?
A. The main focus for the PCC Bartow site will be the $24 million Advanced Technology Center, which will serve as the permanent home for the Corporate College. The Corporate College currently offers programs and services in the following areas: advanced manufacturing, safety and homeland security, performance process improvement, design and construction technologies, supply chain management, IT/Computer technologies, real estate and child care.
The development of our Haines City location is in its infancy, but we envision offering credit courses for our associate degrees as well as our proposed baccalaureate degrees. The proximity of the Northeast location to Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center offers an exciting opportunity for our health-related programs.
Q. PCC is preparing to add its first four-year degree. What will be in it?
A. PCC will offer baccalaureate degrees designed to meet local employment and workforce needs. In January 2010, assuming all final approvals are granted and initial funding is met, PCC will launch a bachelor of applied science degree in supervision and management with three tracks of related career fields: public safety management, public administration and business administration.
Q. By doing this, will PCC be competing with existing four-year private and public colleges such as Florida Southern College and the University of South Florida Polytechnic?
A. Many PCC students transfer to USF Polytechnic as well as Florida Southern College. In fact, we have strong matriculation agreements with many local colleges and universities to ensure that PCC graduates experience a seamless transition.
Q. Why are PCC trustees changing the college’s name?
A. Over the past several years, community colleges that have begun to offer baccalaureate degrees have opted to change their names to reflect this new degree-granting status. I see it as part of the natural evolution of our college system in Florida.
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For more information, please contact:
Robin Williams Adams
robin.adams@theledger.com
