Feb 12, 2025  
2012-2013 Catalog 
    
2012-2013 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

The College



History of the College

Florida Gateway College (FGC) formerly Lake City Community College has established a strong tradition of providing high quality, postsecondary educational opportunities to the citizens of North Central Florida. What began as a school of Forestry in 1947, has now grown to become a comprehensive, public state college serving over 7,000 students a year.

The College traces its growth from the Forest Ranger School, which utilized structures that remained from a World War II era air base. In 1961, when the state of Florida created Lake City Junior College on the campus of the old forestry school, the College became one of 28 two-year institutions envisioned in the state’s master plan. In those early days, Lake City Junior College had fewer than 400 students.

The inclusion in 1970 of “community” in the College’s title emphasizes the broad spectrum of transfer and occupational programs offered in addition to continuing education and community service courses.The college officially changed its name to Florida Gateway College on July 1, 2010. Florida Gateway College began offering its first baccalaureate degree in 2012, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, with additional four-year degrees expected in the coming years.

Today the campus of FGC is an attractive site, nestled in one hundred acres of southern pines, with 25 modern buildings surrounded by crepe myrtle and azalea shrubbery.

The College offers outstanding programs in liberal arts and sciences. A significant number of students who begin their college career in these programs earn associate degrees and then successfully transfer to senior institutions where they maintain superior records when compared to their university counterparts.

The College also offers outstanding opportunities in diverse occupational programs such as business administration, computer programming, golf course operations, water/wastewater, landscape technology, and cosmetology. The College provides comprehensive training in allied health fields such as registered nursing, practical nursing, emergency medical services, physical therapist assistant, patient care technician, and others. Each year the College maintains the search for excellence by offering new programs which meet the needs of its district.

The College’s district encompasses five North Central Florida counties: Baker, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, and Union. This 2,683 square mile district is an area twice the size of Rhode Island.

The region around the College is commonly referred to as Florida’s Crown and the Gateway to Florida.The College district is situated midway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The geographic area around the College would generally be considered rural. The moderate climate, hospitality of the community, and beauty of the adjacent recreational areas draw visitors and newcomers from around the world. The main campus is located approximately six miles east on Highway 90 from downtown Lake City, Florida, by the airport with sites in Baker (Olustee), Dixie and Gilchrist counties.

Philosophy

Florida Gateway College is committed to providing the highest quality education and training to the citizens of its unique, rural service area. We believe that each group, every community, and every nation derives all of its value and all of its power directly from the individuals who constitute those bodies. In a democratic society, individuals, each and every one, need to be appreciated for their unique, irreplaceable, and intrinsic value. Further, this value needs to be enhanced and amplified with fitting educational experience to fully consummate societal potential.

To implement this philosophy, we nourish in each individual the view that learning is a continuous, lifelong process. We support each individual in developing to the fullest potential by providing opportunities to acquire the knowledge, skills, habits, understanding, and values necessary for securing economic stability and contentment, carrying out social and civic responsibilities with interest and enthusiasm, and obtaining a full measure of personal success and fulfillment.

The College, the students, and the communities it serves, are partners. We engage in an educational and cultural enrichment adventure designed to achieve the lofty but elusive goals of excellence, truth, scholarly achievement, and human understanding.

Mission Statement

The mission of Florida Gateway College is to provide superior instruction, nurture individual development, and enrich the community through quality higher education programs and lifelong learning opportunities.

Long Term Goals

To achieve the Mission and perform the functions set forth in the Institutional Mission Statement, the College will pursue goals to:

1. Create a student centered campus through the improvement of support services to enhance student engagement in the classroom and on campus, thereby establishing Florida Gateway College as the region’s top choice for higher education.

2. Establish and support an expanded curriculum to include programs at both the associate and baccalaureate levels.

3. Work with state and federal legislators to increase program and capital outlay funding.

4. Foster a cohesive and supportive environment which encourages teamwork, and professional growth and development to recruit and retain quality, diverse faculty and staff.

5. Invite the community to use the new Wilson S. Rivers Library and Media Center as a community center and regional library for Eastern Columbia County, Western Baker County and Union County.

6. Expand enrollments in the Logistics, Supply Chain, and Water Resource programs through focused marketing and recruiting efforts. These programs are being studied for future expansion to baccalaureate degrees.

7. Support the regional development of an inland port facility through collaborative planning, Logistics & Distribution Center expertise and the development of related workforce training programs.

8. Continue to update classrooms with sympodiums to enhance student and faculty access to current materials through the Internet and other technology devices.

9. Continue to support the college’s Title III and Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) initiatives and retention strategies, the Department of Labor grant, and additional new opportunities that may evolve to better serve our students and service area.

10. Recruit and retain excellent and progressive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) instructors to design and develop courses and programs to prepare and educate students in the STEM areas.

 

Accreditation and Affiliation

Florida Gateway College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the baccalaureate and associate degrees. Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097, or call 404-679-4500 for questions about the accreditation of Florida Gateway College. The Commission is to be contacted only if there is evidence that appears to support an institution’s significant non-compliance with a requirement or standard.

Accreditation means that the College has presented satisfactory evidence of maintaining the standards of the accrediting agency with respect to qualification of faculty, scope and requirements of academic curriculum, and administrative operation of the College.

Florida Gateway College is a public college supported by the state of Florida. The College also awards educational certificates through association with the Florida Department of Education.

Academic Freedom

Academic freedom is encouraged and faculty, staff, and students are expected to uphold the following principles:

  • The right of each student to pursue and acquire knowledge in an atmosphere of free inquiry;
  • The right of each faculty member to pursue, acquire, and disseminate knowledge in the faculty member’s academic area (or related academic areas) in an atmosphere of free inquiry;
  • The right of members of the academic community to pursue learning free from disruption, with due process for all concerned.

Academic freedom carries with it responsibilities and duties correlative with rights, such as accuracy, appropriate restraint, and respect for the opinion of others. Academic freedom must be exercised within the framework of responsibility and the ethical commitment to which the College subscribes.

Academic Programs

The College offers a variety of programs leading to the Associate in Arts or Associate in Science degrees as well as certificates in several occupational/technical areas. Some certificates may be earned in as little time as one year, whereas associate degrees normally require a minimum of two years to complete.

The College also offers an array of credit and noncredit courses on the main campus and at area centers throughout the district. The Continuing Education program also offers courses throughout the year for career advancement and continuing education credits. These courses are usually advertised throughout the community in which they are being offered and through college publications.

FGC’s Off-Campus Centers

Florida Gateway College maintains centers in Dixie and Gilchrist counties and a site in Baker County at Olustee. The Dixie Center is located at 64 N.E. 121st Street, Cross City. The Gilchrist Center is located at 2821 E. Bell Avenue, Bell, Florida.

The Olustee Public Service Training Center is located at 25030 US Highway 90, Olustee, Florida. Office hours for the centers are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday, during the fall and spring semesters, with evening classes offered at all three sites. During summer months the office hours are 7:30 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday.

Phone numbers are as follows:

Dixie Center - (352) 498-0190 ext. 4493 from Dixie
754-4493 from Lake City
Gilchrist Center - (352) 463-0073 ext. 4254 from Gilchrist
754-4254 from Lake City
Olustee Public Service Training Center - (386) 754-4347, Corrections
  (386) 754-4383, Law Enforcement
  (386) 754-4448, Emergency Medical Services 
  (386) 754-4492, Global Logistics 
  (386) 754-4442, Engineering Process Technology 
  (386) 754-4207, for Water Resources 

College Rules and Regulations

All students are expected to be knowledgeable about the rules, regulations, and information provided through this catalog, the Student Handbook, and any other printed college references.

The catalog and the Student Handbook are written to provide students with a general overview of their rights and responsibilities, academic policies and procedures, and common institutional guidelines, which directly affect them.

This catalog is not intended to be considered an irrevocable contract with students enrolled at the College. Rather, it is designed to be a statement of the College’s position on issues such as academics, student services, and business affairs, at the time of printing.

It is the College’s right to make program or course changes, amendments to guidelines regarding students, or adjustments to costs and fees, as determined by the College to be in the best interest of the College.

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information contained in this catalog, but the College does disclaim any liability for any unintended errors. 

Diversity Statement

We at Florida Gateway College, are a multicultural community of diverse racial, ethnic and class backgrounds, national origins, religious and political beliefs, physical abilities, ages, genders, and sexual orientation. Our educational activities and everyday interactions are enriched by our acceptance of one another, and, as members of the community, we strive to learn from each other in an atmosphere of positive engagement and mutual respect.

In order to maintain this atmosphere, bigotry will not go unchallenged within this community. We shall strive to educate each other on the existence and effects of racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, religious intolerance, and other forms of individual prejudices especially when such prejudice results in physical or psychological abuse, harassment, intimidation, or violence against persons or property. We will not tolerate such behavior nor will we accept jest, ignorance, or substance abuse as an excuse, reason, or rationale for it.

All who work, study, and teach at Florida Gateway College should be committed to these principles which are an integral part of FGC’s focus, goals, and mission.

Graduation and Transfer

It is the student’s responsibility to coordinate his or her program at Florida Gateway College with that of the senior university to which he or she plans to transfer.

The transfer requirements of each of the public universities in Florida may vary. The student should plan his or her college program with transfer to a specific institution in mind. Students may receive assistance with applicable transfer provisions by seeing an advisor in the Office of Advising & Student Development.

The student should also be aware that admission to an upper division public university does not automatically assure access into a specific college of that university. Admission requirements for a specific college, such as language requirements, may be different from admission requirements into the general university.

A Decade of Partnership with SLU

For the past decade, Saint Leo University and Florida Gateway College have enjoyed a successful partnership offering students the ability to obtain both associate and bachelor degrees on the campus of Florida Gateway College.

Students attend Florida Gateway College and earn an associate degree and then make a seamless transition to Saint Leo University into its baccalaureate programs.

Saint Leo University Lake City Center offers bachelor degrees in Elementary Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services Administration, Middle Grades Education, Psychology, Business Administration – Management, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration – Accounting, and Computer Information Systems, Business Administration – Logistics, and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership. SLU’s B.A.S. in Business Administration provides a seamless track for Golf Course, Landscape, Early Childhood, Nursing, and Physical Therapy A.S. programs.

Statement of Equal Access/Equal Opportunity

Florida Gateway College affirms its Equal Access/Equal Opportunity Policy in accordance with all applicable state and federal laws, regulations, and rules.

The College reaffirms its commitment to provide equal access and equal opportunity for all programs, services, and activities offered by the College, without discrimination.

Discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, disability, age, marital status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status against a student, employee, or applicant is prohibited.

The Equity Officer for the College is Sharon Best, executive director of human resources, Building 001, Room 116, 149 SE College Place, Lake City, FL 32025. If you have any questions or desire any information, call (386) 754-4313.

Federal Drug Free Workplace Act of 1988

The College is committed to providing a drug-free environment for all students and employees. Therefore, students and employees are prohibited from engaging in the unlawful manufacture, distribution, dispensing, possession, sale, or use of controlled substances in the workplace.

Employees who violate the provisions of this act are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including termination. Students who violate this act are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including suspension from the College.

The College, through its policies and programs, is dedicated to providing an atmosphere that promotes wellness:

  1. Through reinforcement of the positive, drug-free elements in life.
  2. By respect for laws and rules pertaining to illegal drugs.
  3. With an understanding of the effects of drugs, including alcohol, on personal health and safety.

Campus Crime and Security Statistics

Florida Gateway College annually prepares Campus Crime and Security statistics, disclosing institutional security policies and crime statistics for the preceding three years. The information is included in the Student Handbook which can be obtained from the Office of the Vice President for Student Services. A copy of the handbook will be provided to prospective students and employees upon request.

Performing Arts Center and Visual Arts Gallery

Built in 1980, the Levy Performing Arts Center (PAC) functions as the cultural center for the College and for the five-county district the College serves. Each year the 500-seat facility draws approximately 35,000 visitors who attend the many events held in its auditorium and gallery area.

Florida Gateway College introduced the new FGC Entertainment series in 2011-2012, breaking all records for attendance for college-produced shows. Easton Corbin and Diamond Rio headlined the 10-show series. More information about upcoming seasons of the series can be found at www.fgcentertainment.com.

Throughout the year, the PAC provides facilities for seminars, training sessions, guest speakers, and other special events.

The Visual Arts Gallery exhibits the artwork of many local and regional artists, as well as national traveling art exhibits. Every fall and spring students display their works during the FGC Student Art Show.

The Foundation for Florida Gateway College

The purpose of The Foundation for Florida Gateway College is to provide funds to enhance the mission of the College in the form of scholarships, equipment, and resource materials, and other support, which helps the College maintain a high standard of excellence.

Gifts to the Foundation are tax deductible and may be designated for a particular program, use, or area of interest.

Various scholarships are offered by the Foundation. General scholarships require the applicant to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) through the financial aid office. Students already accepted into allied health, golf, or landscape program apply directly with their program department. Scholarship application deadlines vary by department.

For more information on how to contribute to the Foundation, please call (386) 754-4201.

Educational Talent Search

Educational Talent Search is a federally funded, personalized program for students grades nine-12 that provides students with career information and assists them in getting into college or occupational training programs that will lead to careers of their choices.

Educational Talent Search will give special consideration to students from low income families and students who are the first members of their families to achieve a college degree. Criteria for acceptance into the program requires that students must demonstrate academic potential and be motivated to succeed.

The Educational Talent Search office is located in room 116 of the Student Union Building (014).

Continuing Education Programs

Florida Gateway College supports regional economic development through a wide range of Continuing Education programs through the Academy of Teacher Preparation Programs, the Public Service Training Center (Olustee), the Criminal Justice Training Center, and the Academy of Allied Health Programs. Administered by the Division of Occupational Programs, Continuing Education programs reach large and diverse segments of the area population including childcare workers, teachers, health care workers, law enforcement and corrections officers, and employees of local business, industry, and government, as well as the general public.

The College continually seeks professional or regulatory certification for continuing education and pre-licensure courses. State agencies certifying specified continuing education courses include: Board of Nursing; Construction Industry Licensing Board; Bureau of Emergency Medical Services; and the Departments of Environmental Protection, Children and Families, Education, Law Enforcement, and Corrections. At the national level, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the American Heart Association have approved certain continuing education courses offered by the college.

In addition to regularly scheduled continuing education courses for the general public, Florida Gateway College provides customized, “on-demand” training programs to local employers as well as assistance in applying for Workforce Florida training grants.

Online workforce training is available in addition to traditional “live” instruction. The college created and provides the first state-approved online water and wastewater operator licensure courses. A variety of career development courses is available through affiliation with Ed2Go and OLT (OnLine Training Institute), national training vendors in online workforce training.

The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Design and Business provides state mandated childcare worker courses in preparation for Department of Children and Families Competency Exams. Continuing Education hours for daycare operators and professional development for K-12 teachers including reading and ESOL endorsement courses are provided as well as test preparation classes for Florida Teacher Certification Exams.

The Criminal Justice Training Center provides continuing education courses approved by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission for law enforcement and corrections officers.

The Allied Health Institute Programs and the Public Service Training Center provide American Heart Association courses to medical personnel, first responders, child care workers, and the general public. Specialty courses for professional health care workers are also provided on demand.

The Division of Occupational Programs provides certificate, degree and workforce training programs in cooperation with local employers. NCCER training and certification, as well as “Green” training in construction and related fields, are also offered throughout the year.