Santa Fe College

Campuses

Santa Fe College operates multiple campuses and centers throughout Alachua and Bradford counties:

• Northwest Campus: The main campus, located on 175 acres in northwest Gainesville, opened in 1972.
• Andrews Center: Located in Starke, opened in 1985 and has since expanded.
• Blount Center: Situated in downtown Gainesville, opened in 1990, with expansions in 1993 and 2006.
• Charles R. and Nancy V. Perry Center for Emerging Technologies: Located in Alachua and opened in 2009, this center focuses on clinical laboratory technology and biotechnology degrees.
• Davis Center: Located in Archer and opened in 2003.
• Kirkpatrick Center: Near Gainesville Regional Airport, opened in 1972 and is also known as the Institute of Public Safety, providing training for law enforcement, emergency medical services, and aviation sciences.
• Watson Center: Located in Keystone Heights, opened in 2005 and added a second building in 2006.

Academics

Santa Fe College offers over 50 accredited programs in technology and applied sciences, primarily leading to associate degrees. It provides programs in fields such as dental assisting, air conditioning repair, automotive technology, and more. The college’s zoo animal technology program is notable for its onsite training at the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo.

The college offers nine bachelor’s degrees in areas including accounting, clinical laboratory science, early childhood education, health services administration, industrial biotechnology, information systems technology, multimedia and video production technology, nursing, and organizational management.

Library

The Lawrence W. Tyree Library, located on the Northwest Campus, opened in January 2002. The $10 million facility includes study rooms, a coffee shop, computer stations, and a comprehensive online catalog. It is named in honor of Lawrence W. Tyree, a former president of the college.

Athletics

Main article: Santa Fe Saints

Santa Fe College is represented by the Santa Fe Saints, with varsity teams competing in Region 8 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).

Fight Song

In 2009, Santa Fe College adopted a fight song. "Saints Forever" was performed for the first time on Tuesday, April 21, 2009, between softball games in Gainesville. The song was a collaboration between Chris Sharp, the college's director of bands, and Ryan B. Leverone, a Santa Fe College student.

Awards and recognition

In 2012 and 2014, the Aspen Institute named Santa Fe College one of the ten best community colleges in the U.S. In 2015, the college received the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, recognizing it as the top community college in the country.

In 2015, the Lawrence W. Tyree Library received the Excellence in Academic Libraries Award from the Association of College & Research Libraries.

Notable alumni

• Debbie Boyd, politician
• Robin Campbell, U.S. Olympian (1980–1984)
• Craig Fugate, former FEMA Director
• Adam Kluger, advertising executive and founder of The Kluger Agency
• Connie Mack IV, former U.S. representative
• Marco Rubio, politician
• Jeremy Hunter, musician and composer known as Skatune Network
• Mallex Smith, professional baseball player
• Karen Thurman, former U.S. representative and chair of the Florida Democratic Party
• Clovis Watson Jr., politician and law enforcement officer

References

References

1. Laney, Glenn. (January 21, 1966). "Alachua's Junior College Receives Its Formal Name". [[The Tampa Tribune]].
2. (June 1, 1972). "Santa Fe Becomes Latest College To Switch Name". [[Orlando Sentinel]].
3. Marra, Andrew (February 12, 2024). [https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/news/education/2024/02/12/uf-um-have-floridas-largest-endowments-more-than-1-billion-each/72442053007/ "Two Florida universities have more than $1 billion in endowments to invest on campus"]. ''[[The Palm Beach Post]]''. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
4. [https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/19874/urlt/2425SantaFe.xlsx "The Florida College System - College Operating Budget - Annual Budget Summary - Fiscal Year 2024-25 (Santa Fe College)"]. [[Florida Department of Education]]. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
5. [https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=137096 Santa Fe College]. [[National Center for Education Statistics]] (College Navigator). Retrieved September 4, 2024.
6. Voyles, Karen. (July 1, 2008). "SFCC adopting new name". [[The Gainesville Sun]].
7. Travis, Scott. (July 7, 2008). "'State colleges' will offer 2- and 4-year degrees". [[Sun Sentinel.
8. "Celebrating 50 Years". Santa Fe College.
9. "Santa Fe College".
10. "Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo". Visit Florida.
11. "Programs by Type". Santa Fe College.
12. Mathis, Hayley. (22 April 2009). "SFC unveils school fight song". [[The Gainesville Sun]].
13. (September 4, 2014). "Two Florida community colleges named 'Top 10' in the nation". Florida Trend.
14. Bidwell, Allie. (March 19, 2015). "Structured Pathways Help Community Colleges Succeed". USA Today.
15. Jester, Erin. (31 March 2015). "SF College's library gets national award".