Mission Statement
The mission of St. Petersburg College is to empower our students and community to achieve success and economic mobility through academic excellence and engagement.
Vision Statement
A premier college enriching and strengthening lives through a community of care.
College Visionary Commitments
Academic Excellence
We will provide a high-quality education for our students by creating an innovative and engaging learning environment within a supportive, collegial culture.
Economic Mobility
We will provide opportunities for our students to be prepared for high-wage, high-need careers and professional growth, which will contribute to their economic success and improve the quality of life within our community as well as assist in ending generational cycles of poverty.
Community Engagement
We will invest in the well-being and growth of our community by serving as a leader, a convener, and a catalyst for positive change. We will maintain this commitment by creating strong partnerships, participating in civic learning and community engagement, and cultivating a community of care.
Value Statements
Student Success
We believe students are the heart of SPC, and we align resources, decisions, and efforts to empower them to succeed.
Integrity
We cultivate trust, transparency, and equity through personal and institutional ethics, empathy, and compassion.
Community Focus
We foster and model the principles of inclusion, service, partnership, and social responsibility through community engagement to build strong relationships locally and abroad.
Growth and Empowerment
We provide our students and employees clear pathways for personal and professional growth resulting in ongoing opportunities for leadership, engagement, and advancement.
Communication
We build open and honest relationships to ensure inclusive dialogue with stakeholders to make informed and transparent decisions.
Belonging
We are committed to ensuring that all stakeholders receive what they need to be successful through experiences, policies, practices, and behaviors that are just, fair, and inclusive for individuals to reach their full potential.
Strategic Plan
Our 2024-2027 Strategic Plan is focused on our pillars of Delivering Excellence in Teaching and Learning, Driving Economic Advancement and Strengthening our Community, and has been developed through a community of care.
St. Petersburg College Statement on Academic Excellence, Student Success, and Public Accountability
For nearly a century, St. Petersburg College has served Pinellas County and the state of Florida by expanding access to high-quality education and preparing students to contribute meaningfully to their communities and the workforce. Today, SPC reaffirms that responsibility through its commitment to academic excellence, transparency, accountability, student achievement, and education that drives Florida’s workforce and economic growth.
In response to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon’s National Call to Action, SPC joins Florida’s public colleges and universities in affirming the principles that strengthen public higher education and the trust placed in it by students, families, employers, and taxpayers. Florida’s joint response calls for high expectations, transparent measurement of results, institutional accountability, and continuous improvement.
Academic Rigor and Excellence
SPC is committed to maintaining high academic standards and ensuring that the credentials students earn represent meaningful knowledge, skills, and achievement. Florida’s public colleges operate within statewide standards designed to promote academic excellence. These standards include comprehensive review of general education courses and public access to course syllabi that identify curriculum, learning objectives, student expectations, instructional materials, and methods of evaluating student performance.
As artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies transform education and the workplace, SPC will continue to uphold academic integrity while preparing students to use new & innovative technologies responsibly. Florida is developing requirements for Florida College System institutions that address the use of AI within academic integrity policies, assignments, and grading. The requirements include restrictions on using AI for graded work unless expressly permitted by the instructor.
Transparency and Accountability
Public trust requires openness about what students can expect from their education and accountability for the results institutions deliver. SPC is committed to providing students with clear information that helps them make informed choices about their academic and career pathways and to fulfilling the accountability expectations established for Florida’s public colleges.
Florida’s higher education accountability framework emphasizes establishing high expectations, measuring results transparently, holding institutions accountable, and continuously improving. Florida College System workforce programs are also subject to the state’s Career and Technical Education Audit, which evaluates program quality and labor-market demand using benchmarks addressing student success, continuing education or employment and alignment with in-demand occupations.
Student Success and Outcomes
SPC’s commitment to students extends beyond access. The College is focused on helping students complete meaningful credentials and move forward with the education, skills, and experiences necessary to pursue their goals.
As part of the Florida College System, SPC advances a statewide mission to provide high-quality, affordable education and training, combine high standards with access, respond to community educational needs, and contribute to Florida’s economic development.
SPC will continue to evaluate meaningful student outcomes and use those results to strengthen programs and pathways. This approach reflects Florida’s broader commitment to measuring the value of higher education not simply by enrollment, but by achievement, completion, employment, continuing education, and economic opportunity.
Meeting Florida’s Workforce Needs
Preparing students for Florida’s changing economy is central to SPC’s mission. The College continues to develop and strengthen programs connected to high-demand fields and the needs of regional employers.
SPC workforce programs that align with the state and region’s major industries include training in artificial intelligence and data science, cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductors, health care, education, and financial technology. The College is also committed to short-term training to help students quickly gain skills and enter the workforce, with recent emphasis on robotics, semiconductors, automation, and electronic board assembly.
This commitment is reinforced by SPC’s ongoing work to align eligible short-term programs with Florida’s Workforce Pell framework. The state process considers program structure, credential alignment, workforce demand, and outcome data, while requiring institutions to document areas such as program length, articulation pathways, and program outcomes.
Through strong connections with employers, industry, and community partners, SPC will continue to respond to evolving talent needs and provide pathways that connect education with meaningful employment and economic mobility.
A Commitment to Florida and Our Students
St. Petersburg College believes the strength of public higher education is measured by the opportunities it creates and the results it delivers.
We remain committed to rigorous teaching and learning, transparent and responsible stewardship of public resources, meaningful accountability for student outcomes, open inquiry, and the preparation of graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.
As Florida and the nation look to higher education to prepare the workforce of tomorrow, SPC will continue to put students first, maintain high standards and strengthen the connection between education, employment, and economic prosperity.