Education Matters: State College of Florida – Where Opportunity Abounds Near and Far

By Ryan G. Van Cleave

State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota is the region’s first and largest public college, with nearly 15,000 credit-seeking students attending classes there annually at the 100-acre SCF Bradenton or Venice campuses or the 10-acre Lakewood Ranch campus. As part of their commitment to student success and community prosperity, they began offering four-year degrees in 2009 in response to the region’s needs and the results have been strong from the start.

Their first four-year degree program was a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). The need then and today for well-trained nurses is dire and growing, with some estimates suggesting that we only have 50% of the nurses needed to meet our community’s future health care needs. Their program allows current registered nurses (RN) the chance to obtain the coveted BSN degree, which provides necessary coursework in areas such as leadership, community and public health, nursing theory, and research. 

While their nursing program is both popular and successful, it’s just one of the many ways they’re meeting the workforce needs of our region. SCF now also offers four-year Bachelor of Applied Science degrees in Early Childhood Education, Health Services Administration, Public Safety and Emergency Management, and Supervision and Management. From that list, it’s clear that the goal is for students to find ample opportunities for work in these fields whether that’s in our own community, in the Sunshine State, or throughout the U.S. 

Jamie Smith, SCF’s Director of Communications & Marketing, has worked with the college for five years now, and one of the things that’s surprised her is how much they offer to the community as an institution. “We have such a wide array of offerings, from two- and four-year degree programs to certificates and other types of job preparatory training,” she says, noting that the licensure pass rate for their physical therapy assistant, occupational therapy assistant, and dental hygiene students is 100%. “We help people find their way to a good career. As our president Dr. Carol Probstfeld, says, ‘to know us is to love us.’

Smith points out that some mistake SCF’s affordability for a lack of quality. “Nothing could be further from the truth,” she says. “Many of our professors are in the prime of their industries, conducting active research studies, staying on the cutting edge of their fields, and publishing in peer-reviewed journals. This means our students have great opportunities to participate as well.” 

For example, Associate Professor Eric Warrick helped students get involved with the Tiny Earth Symposium, a global network of students and instructors dedicated to discovering new antibiotics from the soil and creating engaging laboratory coursework. One of Warrick’s biotech major students, Magnolia Valdez, earned third prize at the 2019 Tiny Earth symposium in Madison, Wisconsin for her project “Going to the Beach for a Solution: The Isolation and Extraction of Compound(s) from the Exiguobacterium Species.”

SCF students who opt to move on to bigger state schools often find that they’re better prepared for success there than others, thanks to the programming, training and tools they’re offered at SCF. Smith adds that smaller class sizes and numerous online classes means that SCF students encounter more of a mentoring experience than big-room lecture education. This allows faculty to connect with them and offer tailor-made advice and recommendations to help each individual student grow and succeed. “They help students find their passion,” Smith explains. Whether it’s considering this internship, taking that class, or trying out this other area of study, they take the time to help. “That type of guidance is invaluable.”

SCF’s affordability also means most of their students graduate without student debt. At the December 2019 graduation ceremony, Smith recalls one student’s cap sporting the words “BA and Debt-free!” Considering that the national average student loan debt as of 2019 is more than $30,000, the idea of being debt-free while obtaining a quality college degree is quite appealing to students of any age. 

For evidence of what SCF’s been able to accomplish, consider the list of notable alumni, which includes prominent professionals such as Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight, Florida House of Representatives member Matt Hudson, U.S. Olympic figure skater Amanda Evora, singer-songwriter Matt Walden, and screenwriters Mike Le (“Patient Zero”) and Rob McKittrick (“Tag”). At the rate SCF is growing, that list is soon going to include a lot more people in a host of other fields who are all proud to say that they, too, got a quality degree debt-free and are working in a career they love.

FOR MORE INFORMATIONon the State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota,  please visit www.SCF.edu or call 941.752.5000.