Running Head: COMMUNITY COLLEGE VISIT REPORT

Community College Visit Report

Felicia Shenbanjo
AET/555
April 20, 2015
Jennifer Churchill-Allen

COMMUNITY COLLEGE VISIT REPORT

History of Santa Fe College

Santa Fe College was established by the State Legislature in 1965 as a Community
College, to offer wide access to quality higher education for citizens of Alachua and Bradford
counties. Since the college was discovered, SFC has worked hard to follow the mission of
educational opportunity, responsiveness to the community economic development and
innovation in the public interest ("Santa Fe College", 2015). In 1972, the first SFC campus
opened in Gainesville, Florida. The Northwest campus is currently still standing strong; it is
located on 175 acres next to a major interstate known as I-75.
Santa Fe College Campus Layout
Santa Fe College has seven campuses located in North Central Florida. With the seven
locations present it makes it easier for students surrounding the Gainesville location to obtain
college education to those that prefer the traditional classroom settings. I was able to take a tour
around the main campus and have also had the pleasure of attending the campus in 2006. A lot
has changed on the campus since 2006. The layout of the campus is set up very well it makes it
very easy to get around the campus despite the institution being very huge. The campus provides
maps throughout the campus, so whenever feeling like you cant find your way, you can grab a
map. The employees and students that I came across while I was visiting were all very friendly
they help me find my way also. The buildings all have viewable letters and numbers on the front
of the building to identify which building is which with no problem.
The SFC campus is set up providing specific courses together that support specific
programs. Example, all courses that are related to nursing was in the similar building. In the
nursing building there was not any class that was related to Early Childhood Education. The only
class that was being held was medical classes that went hand in hand with the nursing program.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE VISIT REPORT

With the school grouping programs together in a building it makes it much easier for the students
and less frustrating.
Admissions and Registration. SFC offers a variety of ways to complete the admissions
and registration process. After having the chance to sit and talk with one of the SFC admissions
specialist she explained the online process first. She stated that the online process for enrollment
and registration for classes seems to be the most favorable method for students. There are six
easy steps for first time college students. The steps are as follows; [First, one must complete the
admissions process by submitting an applications, required supporting documents and establish
an eSantafe account. Second, the soon to be student must apply themselves for financial aid,
Third, schedule an appointment with an academic advisor, Fourth, Sign up for SFC student
orientation. The soon to be student may come to a campus for orientation, or log in to their
eSantafe account and complete orientation online. Fifth, registration process begins; the student
is ready to build his or her schedule. Students are able to see what classes are provided to them
that semester, what time the class is available, how many students have currently enrolled in the
class, how many sears are left, and who the instructor will be. Sixth, Students will then be
forwarded to a page online where student fees can be paid, students can obtain a copy of their
student ID, and last registration is complete] ("Santa Fe College", 2015). Now the student is
officially a Santa Fe Community College student and can now start school.
Some students still prefer to fill out a paper application by hand and submit to be
processes that way. The paper application is fine also but it takes a little longer then the online
application to process. Applications can be submitted at any seven locations, operated by the
school. Per the admission specialist she stated that it does not matter if the application is brought

COMMUNITY COLLEGE VISIT REPORT

in or submitted online, an admission specialist will reach out to you to confirm all information
and finalize the paperwork.
Student Population. Santa Fe College enrolls nearly 24,000 students seeing degrees per
school year in Florida, across the United States, and 54 Countries. More than 40 percent of these
students are from the outside of the two county districts. SFC also enrolls 9,000 students
annually in continuing education, enrichment, or workforce programs ("Santa Fe
College", 2015). The population is forever growing due to the convenient locations that SFC
provides throughout the region as well as the online courses that are available also. As long as
students continue to enroll in SFC, SFC will continue to provide a rice college experience for all
students that attend.
Student Services. At SFC there is a student support services program that provides a
selection of free services to students that qualify. The program is federally funded, some students
that may qualify may be; students whom parents have not received a bachelors degree, low
income, and students that are disabled. These free services that provide counseling and advising
to the students are delivered in determination that all students will have a prosperous
postsecondary experience. The forms for students to complete to see if they qualify for these
services can be found on the schools website or at any of the seven campuses.
Degrees and Certificates. SFC offers Associate of Art degrees (A.A), Associate of
Applied Science degrees (A.A.S), Associate of Science degrees (A.S), Vocational Certificates
(V.C), and Bachelors of Science (B.S) or Bachelors of Applied Science degrees (B.A.S). The
school offers over 90 different paths to students that lead to a retainable career. The program that
a student decided on depends on their personal desire. A student may just want to obtain a
certification for a promotion at work, or may be looking to complete a two year degree.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE VISIT REPORT

Whatever, the situation may be SFC has a bond with University of Florida and all degrees
obtained at SFC are guaranteed to land you a stop at the University if that is your goal.
Delivery Modalities. Santa Fe College works hard to make sure that each student comes
to be enrolled completes a college assessment test. The conducting of the test is to ensure that
students are being placed in the correct classes to succeed while attending college. SFC provides
a large range of approaches. SFC students are able to obtain education online, and traditional
classroom settings now offer days, evenings, nights, and weekend classes. With the different
approaches offered for the students the students can now choose on what best fits for them and
their personal life.
Community Relationships and Partnerships. Santa Fe College has a long-lasting
linkage with the University of Florida. The ties and close working relationship among the two
intuitions allow students to have an experience in a way no other college may be able to offer.
Each semester SFC has about 60% of their students transferring to UF to continue their
education. SFC also has a relationship/ partnership with state and federal programs. The
relationship among the state and federal allow students the right to apply for financial aid each
year. Santa Fe College has a wide spread of relation/ partnerships with surrounding businesses in
the city and the surrounding cities in Florida. The business relationships makes smooth
employment placing for students that graduate and for students that are looking for
intern/externship sites to receive hands on experience.
Overview of SFC. Santa Fe College is designed to offer a wide entree to quality higher
education. SFC continues to work hard to continue to work hard to follow the school mission.
The college has really benefited from having a very stable, reliable, strong leadership role in the
last 45 years. Since the school was established, the school has only had a total of 4 presidents.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE VISIT REPORT

The speaking of four presidents alone is amazing and speaks excellence. Excellence starts from
the top down. I really enjoyed my time touring this campus. I would recommend this college to
any individual looking to further their education.

COMMUNITY COLLEGE VISIT REPORT

References
Santa Fe College. (2015). Santa Fe College. Retrieved from http://www.sfcollege.edu/