Celebrating the College's 97th year at SPC Day 2024

St. Petersburg College turned 97 this year and celebrated its anniversary at SPC Day on Sept. 12, 2024 at the Seminole Campus. The event filled the campus with a crowd of students, alumni, community members and more who came out to honor the College and its rich history.

The day kicked off with a greeting from Seminole Campus Provost Dr. Mark Strickland and Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Foundation Jesse Turtle. BayCare Health System and MIDFLORIDA Credit Union were sponsors for the event.

Chair of the SPC Board of Trustees Jason Butts thanked everyone involved in the execution of SPC Day at the Seminole Campus and expressed his gratitude and pride for SPC.

“I love the community here at Seminole, I love this College and am so honored to be a part of it,” he stated. “My father went to St. Petersburg Junior College 60 years ago, and I now have a daughter who is taking classes at St. Petersburg College as a junior in high school. SPC’s impact on the county and extending beyond for the past 97 years is amazing.”

Former and Founding Seminole Campus Provost Dr. Jim Olliver took the stage and told a rich history of the campus from buying the land in 1970 to the Board approving the campus in 1992, and the first class opening its doors in 1998. It has been an exciting 25 years for the Seminole Campus as it went from holding classes in the local high school to a mall and finally at the sprawling 100 acres where it continues to be a “community college campus in the best sense.”

City of Seminole Mayor Leslie Waters delivered a proclamation with gusto, making Sept. 12 officially SPC Day in Seminole, getting a standing ovation.

Waters said, “Whereas, SPC has made a lasting and continuing impact on the great city of Seminole. Therefore, I, Leslie Waters, by virtue, with the authority vested in me as the mayor of Seminole, do hereby proclaim Thursday, Sept. 12, 2024, as St. Petersburg College Day.”

SPC President Dr. Tonjua Williams ended the program with thanks to all who spoke. She recognized the partnership with the City of Seminole and their contributions to the greatness of SPC.

“I say the word partner very lightly. We’re friends, we’re family. We are all in this together to make our community stronger,” she stated. “For 97 years, SPC has been planted in this community and several communities in Pinellas to make sure people live a better life, and to get a better job to make the communities run smoothly. We have an opportunity to change the world and we’re doing it. Let’s go SPC, let’s go Titans!”

SPC Day marks the first day of classes that were at the College on Sept. 12, 1927. It highlights SPC’s ongoing work and achievements as it strives to impact students’ lives by providing opportunities for better jobs and better futures. SPC has awarded more than 201,000 credentials since 1927 and has a $1.2 billion annual impact on the Pinellas County economy.

The SPC Foundation’s annual Giving Campaign exceeded its goal with more than 500 donors and more than $95,000 raised for SPC programs and students. Find more ways to give on the Foundation's website.