In September 1927, Florida's first two-year institution of higher learning - St. Petersburg Junior College - opened in an unused wing of the then-new St. Petersburg High School. Enrollment: 102, taught by a faculty of 14.

Full accreditation followed in 1931. In 1948, the private college became public. In 1965, the African-American Gibbs Junior College was merged with this ever-expanding institution. By the 1990s, the college occupied a dozen sites throughout the county.

In June 2001, SPJC became St. Petersburg College, a four-year institution. Starting in August 2002, SPC began offering fully accredited baccalaureate programs leading to bachelor's degrees in Education, Nursing and Technology Management. However, the college's commitment to its two-year curriculum, which has earned it wide recognition and annually wins it high national ranking, remains as strong as ever.

Additional baccalaureate programs - in Dental Hygiene, Public Safety Administration and Veterinary Technology - have been added since 2002, and a bachelor’s degree in Orthotics and Prosthetics is in development.

SPC, which is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and governed by its local Board of Trustees, has four traditional campuses - in St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Tarpon Springs and Seminole.

In addition, allied health courses are taught at the Caruth Health Education Center in Pinellas Park, SPC’s Southeastern Public Safety Institute is at the Allstate Center in St. Petersburg, Corporate Training is at the ICOT Center in Largo. Classes con¬vene at two other sites in St. Petersburg as well: the Downtown Center at 244 2nd Ave. N, and in the Midtown Center at 1048 22nd Ave. S.

The District Office moved to the ICOT Center in March 2005 - specifically to 13085 58th St. N, one long block north of Ulmerton Road. There, in partnership with Pinellas County’s Economic Development division, it occupies 180,000 total square feet in a newly renovated building known as the EpiCenter. The EpiCenter includes a facility for the bay area’s business/industrial community that will provide resources for professional development, strategic planning and job training (including mastery of software), plus specialized seminars and conferences. The EpiCenter’s new support services building, two doors away, was occupied in fall 2004.

Besides the baccalaureate programs mentioned above, all of the following are available through SPC:

• An Associate in Arts (A.A.) degree, transferable to virtually any college or university worldwide.

• Associate in Science (A.S.) degrees, designed to prepare students dually--for workforce entry and for transfer to some baccalaureate programs.

• Applied Technology Diplomas in four fields.

• Certificates, with credit programs in 60-plus fields, which provide fast paths to professional credentials.

• Bachelor’s and graduate degrees obtainable via SPC’s University Partnership Center at the Seminole and Clearwater campuses. Through the UPC, degrees from 15 Florida universities and colleges and The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. are made avail able to students without having to leave Pinellas County.

Established at SPC in 2004 was the Honors College, head-quartered at the Tarpon Springs Campus, and the St. Petersburg Collegiate High School, located on the St. Petersburg/Gibbs Campus. The latter is a charter school for ambitious and motivated high school students (grades 10-12) aiming to receive a high school diploma and an associate’s degree at the same time.

St. Petersburg College stands astride a 77-year tradition of excellence wrought by dedicated faculty and visionary leadership. Affordable, accredited, comprehensive in its offerings, responsive to community needs and committed to student success, SPC has been a major player in Pinellas County's pursuit of progress.

Its alumni include a former astronaut, an astronaut in training, the first woman aquanaut, war heroes, film stars, major league ball players, judges, CEOs, a rock star, a Merrill Lynch senior vice president, a Davis Cup captain and a co-founder of the Peace Corps. But SPC’s proudest legacy is the difference it has made for hundreds of thousands of men and women who, through their studies, have acquired what they needed to better their lives and thereby embellish their communities.

Opening enrollment in credit classes for Session I of 2004-05 was 8152 full-time students and 16,105 part-time students for a total of 24,257. Enrollment by lower division students was 23,192; enrollment by upper division students was 1065. Enrollment for all of 2003-04 numbered 35,310 in credit classes and 32,283 in non-credit. Total: 67,593.