January 11, 2022 – Tuesday afternoon, Santa Fe College’s Fine Arts Hall hosted the Alachua County Legislative delegation, consisting of state legislators including Senator Jennifer Bradley (FL-6), and Representatives Chuck Brannan III (FL-10), Yvonne Hinson (FL-21) and Chuck Clemons (FL-22). The meeting gave citizens and community organizations the opportunity to make requests of the areas delegation in advance of the regular legislative session.
SF President Paul Broadie II, Ph.D. thanked the delegation for their work in the last session, and said that the success of the college is due, in part, to the support from the state. In the last year, SF was named the top college in the state for veterans, and the college maintained its status as one of the top student success rates in the Florida College System. The president also congratulated the members of the delegation for each winning their reelection bids in November.
The president then presented the college’s requests, which included asking for additional operational funding to recruit and retain faculty and staff; capital funding for multiple projects to expand capacity and train a quality workforce; and for the legislature to continue to fund deferred maintenance projects at the college.
The capital funding request would cover projects including phase two of the renovation of Building G, which this August is scheduled to open as the Santa Fe College Academy of Science and Technology, a high school that will give students the opportunity to earn their high school diploma, an Associate in Science degree in tracks in either health sciences or information technology, and two industry credentials. Funding would also go toward the Ralph W. Cellon Jr. Institute, which is in the final stages of design and planning. That facility would double the space in the college’s HVAC and Welding programs and enable to college to introduce programs in Advanced Manufacturing and Applied Engineering. The college is also seeking funding for a state-of-the-art automotive facility. Currently, students in SF’s Automotive programs are being trained in the oldest building on the Northwest Campus. The new facility would be able to accommodate more students, and offer the training needed as technology in the automotive industry continues to expand.
The legislative session will begin Tuesday, March 7, and is expected to wrap up Friday, May 5.