History of College

What started in 1966 as a few portable classrooms huddled in a former citrus grove is now Seminole Community College, one of the nation’s fastest-growing two-year colleges with six sites in Seminole County and more than 32,000 enrollments.

On July 1, 1965, the Florida State Legislature signed a charter creating Seminole Junior College as a full-service education provider. The school’s mission was to offer two-year college credit degrees (A.A. and A.S.); specialized career certificates; continuing professional education; customized workplace training; adult education; and community, leisure and youth programs.

Among the tasks facing Dr. Earl S. Weldon, appointed SCC’s first president in October 1965, was finding a suitable location for the school. After reviewing many possible sites, he and R.T. Milwee, superintendent of Seminole County Public Schools, chose a lot near U.S. 17-92 and Interstate 4.

When the college opened in 1966, 700 students filled the portables, eager to further their education. Construction of permanent buildings began in 1968, and the campus took shape during Dr. Weldon’s tenure. One after another, the library, faculty offices, student center and other buildings went up, transforming former citrus groves into a metropolitan college campus.

On July 1, 1975, Seminole Junior College became Seminole Community College. By the end of the College’s first decade, enrollment had increased to 14,161.

After 30 years of service, Dr. Weldon retired in 1995. In February 1996, Dr. E. Ann McGee, a community college graduate and administrator at Broward Community College, became the college’s second president. Her clear vision for SCC’s future has made McGee’s tenure a time of phenomenal growth.

Under her leadership, SCC has opened three more campuses and undertaken an $85 million renovation of its Sanford/Lake Mary Campus that includes construction of the SCC-UCF University Partnership Center, scheduled to open in early 2010. The four-story, 106,000-square-foot center will provide classroom space and a new research library for the region.

The Oviedo Campus opened in January 2001 to serve the educational and workforce development needs of eastern Seminole County. In August 2007 the College celebrated the opening of the Center for Economic Development at Heathrow. The Center partners Central Florida’s economic development leaders with the College to train the region’s work force in business/technology-related programs, attract and retain leading technology companies to Central Florida, and sustain the driving force behind the region’s economic engine.

The College’s Altamonte Springs Campus, which opened in January 2008, houses SCC’s healthcare programs, a diverse offering of A.A. degree courses and Adult Education.

Another chapter in SCC’s history will be written in 2010 when the College will begin offering its first four-year degree, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Interior Design.

For more than 40 years, SCC has thrived by adapting to and meeting the needs of an ever-changing community. By offering high-quality educational programs and services, the College continues to provide students and area residents with a multitude of resources. Now and in the years to come, opportunities for personal growth abound at SCC.

Did you know?

Seminole State's Heathrow Center has 1,900 sq. ft. of available meeting space.