Palm Beach Community College

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Located in Palm Beach County, Florida, Palm Beach Community College (PBCC) enrolls over 48,000 students in more than 100 programs of study including associate of arts and associate of science degree programs and short-term certificates.

[edit] Locations

Palm Beach Community College's main campus is located in Lake Worth, Florida. Additional campuses are located in Belle Glade, Boca Raton, and Palm Beach Gardens.

[edit] History

[edit] Founding

Palm Beach Community College was founded in 1933 as Palm Beach Junior College and was the first public junior college in the state of Florida. The college's first classes were held at Palm Beach High School in West Palm Beach. County school superintendent Joe Youngblood and Howell Watkins, principal of Palm Beach High School, who became the college's first dean, were instrumental in opening the college. The college's initial goal was to provide adidtional training to local high school graduates who were unable to find jobs during the Great Depression.

[edit] "The Little Orphan College" finds a home in Lake Worth

In 1948, Palm Beach Junior College moved to Morrison Field, a deactivated Army Air Force base, which is now Palm Beach International Airport. In 1951, the college relocated to the Lake Park Town Hall. Due to the limited availability of space at the town hall, the college had to lay off faculty and staff and cut enrollment to 200 students. During this period, Palm Beach Junior College was known as "the little orphan college." In 1955, the Palm Beach County Commission gave the college 114 acres in Lake Worth, and the state legislature passed a bill providing over $1,000,000 for construction at this site. The college moved to this location, which remains its main campus, in the fall of 1956.

[edit] A Period of Growth and Change

In 1958, Roosevelt Junior College was established under President Britton Sayles to serve African American students. Largely as a result of the Civil Rights Movement, Roosevelt merged into Palm Beach Junior College in 1965. In 1968, control over the college passed from the Palm Beach County school district to a board of trustees. In 1978, the college opened its Belle Glade campus. The Palm Beach Gardens campus opened in 1980. In 1983, the college opened a campus adjacent to Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. In 1988, the college's board of trustees changed the college's name to "Palm Beach Community College".

[edit] Notable alumni

• Mark Foley, former member of the United States House of Representatives
• Jesper Parnevik, professional golfer
• Ken Green, professional golfer
• James Garner, American Hero
• Judge Reinhold, television and movie actor
• Burt Reynolds, television and movie actor
• Monte Markham, television and movie actor
• Gareth Williams, television and movie actor
• Ken Jenne, Sheriff of Broward County
• Deidre Hall, television actress
• Yolanda Griffith, Olympic Gold Medalist and Professional Basketball Player
• Crystl Bustos, Olympic Gold Medalist in Softball
• James Wattenbarger, architect of the Florida Community College system
• William Calley, convicted war criminal (did not graduate)

[edit] See also

• Watson B. Duncan III
• List of colleges and universities in Florida
• List of community colleges

[edit] References

• PBCC website
• A timeline of the college's history