National Ranking Lists Santa Fe College Among Top Associate Degree Producers
June 26, 2009
Santa Fe College is the 6th ranked producer of associate's degrees in the nation among two-year institutions, according to Community College Week's 2009 listing of Associate Degree and Certificate Producers. Among all institutions awarding associate degrees, including four-year institutions, Santa Fe ranks 12th in the nation.
The rankings are based on a study of degrees and certificates awarded by two- and four-year colleges during the 2007-2008 academic year. Santa Fe College awarded 2,710 total associate degrees in all disciplines.
"The ultimate test of a college or university is student success and for Santa Fe to be ranked in the top 10 in graduates is a quality ranking for the faculty and staff," said SFC President Jackson Sasser.
Among Florida's four-year institutions as producers of associate degrees, Miami Dade College ranked second, Florida Community College at Jacksonville ranked seventh, and St. Petersburg College ranked 10th.
"All of the other schools in the top 10 have much larger student enrollments than Santa Fe," said Ed Bonahue, interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. "Most are metropolitan, urban community colleges, and some have 40 or 50 thousand students. Even the ones below us are much bigger. We're a fraction of their size, yet by this performance measure, we do an extraordinary job of encouraging student persistence and helping students complete their educational goals."
Santa Fe awarded more associate degrees than Palm Beach Community College (ranked 15 nationally), Tallahassee Community College (24), Hillsborough Community College (27) and Brevard Community College (31).
Among Santa Fe's associate degree graduates:
- 74 percent were white
- 10 percent were Hispanic American
- 7 percent were African American
- 4 percent were Asian American
About half of Santa Fe's students come from within the Alachua/Bradford service district with the remainder coming from across Florida, the nation, and 73 foreign countries.
Santa Fe begins offering four-year degrees this fall, with bachelor of applied science (BAS) degrees in clinical laboratory science and health services administration. It is currently registering students for fall semester, earlier than ever before. The health services administration BAS program is already 70 percent full for fall. It's an online degree designed to accommodate working professionals who are seeking to advance their careers with additional education.
Santa Fe opens its newest center, the Charles R. and Nancy V. Perry Center for Emerging Technologies, in Alachua in the fall. The $3.4 million, 17,367-square-foot center will promote the advancement of higher education in life sciences and health education as home to Santa Fe's biotechnology program and the new BAS in clinical laboratory science.
The college is also opening the Charles R. Perry Construction Institute this summer, a "green" building that boasts the first solar thin-film installation in Gainesville. Santa Fe is also the first educational institution in Gainesville to participate in the solar feed-in tariff promoted by Gainesville Regional Utilities.
Santa Fe will begin offering Energy Auditor training July 6 via its Banner Center for Construction and is developing additional green technology training programs.
For more information about what Santa Fe has to offer, call Stacey Ledvina in the Santa Fe admissions office at 395-5611 or go online to www.sfcollege.edu.
CONTACT:
- SFC President Jackson Sasser, (352) 395-5164
- Interim Provost Ed Bonahue, (352) 395-5843
- Julie Garrett, for help facilitating your story, (352) 395-5430 (office) or 870-2824 (cell)
