by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Since Florida Junior College opened in surplus quonset huts along Roosevelt Boulevard in 1965, higher education has undergone quite a few changes.
That’s also true of the local post-secondary learning institution that changed its name to Florida Community College at Jacksonville in 1986 and became Florida State College at Jacksonville in July 2009.
FSCJ President Steve Wallace was the guest speaker at the Rotary Club of Jacksonville’s meeting Monday at the Omni Hotel.
Wallace, president-elect of the club for the 2012-2013 Rotary year, gave his fellow club members an update on developments at the college and some of the institution’s educational and business philosophies.
Wallace said some of the biggest changes in education have been brought about by the global economy. He said competition in education has reached historic levels and the United States isn’t in the lead.
“China and India have more honors students than we have students,” said Wallace.
Closer to home, he said, “Northeast Florida has remarkable opportunities, but it’s going to take human capital.”
Wallace said the transition to a state college has allowed FSCJ to expand the courses and degree programs it can offer to its 87,000 enrolled students. The transition also has led to a new business model and organizational structure that Wallace said can ensure FSCJ’s future.
The future requires a different kind of education and philosophy based on “optimal responsiveness,” said Wallace.
“FCCJ was a battleship. It was big, powerful and impressive, but it wasn’t agile and maneuverable. What we needed was a battle group,” he said.
In addition to the four-year college that offers bachelor’s degrees and what Wallace called a “career-focused” education, the college also trains students in high-wage, high-demand technical careers.
“When your plumbing breaks, people in India won’t fix it over the Internet,” said Wallace.
Community education is also a focus at FSCJ. Wallace said more than 6,000 foreign nationals are learning to speak English and educational services are available for people with disabilities.
FSCJ also operates Pathways Academy, a charter high school, and offers another high school level program that can lead to a GED.
Wallace said FSCJ is the largest provider of educational services to the U.S. Navy, both online and through campuses on naval bases, including a recently opened campus at Naval Station San Diego.
The fastest-growing segment of students at FSCJ is enrolled in a hybrid program that allows students to take course classes on the Internet half the time and in the classroom the other half.
Wallace said that allows the college to double its facility capacity without having to build more classroom space.
“We’re obsessed with innovation and innovation is expensive,” said Wallace. The college maintains $1 million in what he called an “innovation fund” and suggestions are evaluated every day.
“No good idea dies for lack of capital and if it’s a really good idea, let’s do it now,” said
Wallace.
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