ST. PETERSBURG COLLEGE'S HISTORY

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 December 2009, after more than 43 years of dedicated service to St. Petersburg College - 31 as president - President Carl M. Kuttler Jr. retired from the college. Dr. Kuttler was one of the longest-serving college or university presidents in Florida.

During his tenure, the college expanded from two campuses to 10 learning sites, and now has one of the most highly acclaimed distance learning programs in the nation. In June 2001, SPJC dropped the junior from its name, becoming St. Petersburg College, the first among Florida's 28 public community colleges to transition to a four-year institution. In August 2002, SPC began offering fully accredited baccalaureate programs leading to bachelor's degrees. 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.

Thanks to Kuttler's leadership, SPC now offers 24 bachelor's degrees, most in areas that have traditionally been underserved by the State University System. These include Banking, Biology, Business Administration, Dental Hygiene, Education (8 teaching degrees), Educational Studies (non-teaching degree), Health Services Administration, International Business, Management and Organizational Leadership, Nursing (RN to BSN), Orthotics and Prosthetics, Paralegal Studies, Public Policy and Administration, Public Safety Administration, Sustainability Management, Technology Management and Veterinary Technology.

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, and Corporate Training is at the EpiCenter in Largo.  Classes convene 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 college's administrative offices moved in March 2005 - specifically to 13805 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 provides 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.

As the college grew, especially the services provided through the EpiCenter, the college's administrative offices had to find a new home. In 2006 the college's administrative offices moved about a mile from the EpiCenter. The District Office, as it is known, is at 6021 142nd St. N.

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

• 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 16 universities and colleges are made available to students without having to leave Pinellas County.

Established at SPC in 2004 was the Honors College, headquartered at the Clearwater 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.

SPC's Early College Program, in existence since fall 2007 on the Clearwater Campus, has been so successful that it has tripled in size and is now on the Seminole and Tarpon Springs campuses. The program serves 375 students at three locations. The Early College Program is a partnership between SPC and Pinellas County Schools. It offers academically talented 11th and 12th graders the opportunity to earn high school and college credits at the same time.

St. Petersburg College stands astride an 82-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 who spent four months on the International Space Station in 2009, the first woman aquanaut, war heroes, film stars, Major League Baseball 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.

St. Petersburg College's fall 2009 enrollment spiked sharply upward in both two-year and four-year programs. Overall, fall enrollments increased 13.1%. That figure includes a 12% increase in two-year programs and a very healthy 24.7% hike in four-year programs. The most impressive enrollment gains were noted in online classes in both two-year and four-year programs. In two-year programs, traditional enrollments rose 4.7% while online enrollment went up 22.9%; in the four-year programs, traditional classroom enrollment increased just .7%, while online enrollment was up an impressive 39.9%. Nearly all programs and campus locations recorded increases.

Opening unduplicated headcount enrollment in credit classes for Session I of 2009-2010 was 9,840 full-time students and 19,720 part-time students for a total of 29,560. Unduplicated headcount enrollment by lower division students was 26,007 and enrollment by upper division students was 3,553. Enrollment for all of 2008-2009 numbered 37,273 in credit classes and 24,141 in non-credit. Total: 61,414.