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Public college in Orlando, Florida, U.S. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Valencia College is a public college in Orlando, Florida. The college is part of the Florida College System. The college was founded in 1967 as Valencia Junior College and changed its name in 2010 because the academic scope of the school had expanded to include bachelor's degrees.[5] Valencia has several campus locations in Orlando with additional campus locations in Winter Park and Kissimmee.
![]() | This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (February 2024) |
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Former names | Valencia Junior College (1968 - 1970) Valencia Community College (1971 - 2011) |
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Motto | We Say You Can. |
Type | Public college |
Established | 1967 |
Parent institution | Florida College System |
Accreditation | SACSCOC |
Endowment | $92,1 million(2022)[1] |
President | Kathleen Plinske |
Academic staff | 607 Full-time and 1,468 Part-time (Spring 2022)[2] |
Administrative staff | 2,557 |
Students | 43,370 (all undergraduate)[3] |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Urban |
Colors | Valencia College Red Valencia College Gold [4] |
Mascot | Puma |
Website | www |
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The official seal of the college includes the coat of arms of Valencia, Spain, in the middle and the entire diamond design stems from it. However, the college is not named for the city in Spain, but rather for the Valencia oranges which used to be prevalent in Central Florida.
College-wide headcount was 68,351 for 2015.[6]
Pct. | Certificate |
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51.6% | AA |
48.6% | AS/AAS |
Race/ethnicity diversity enrollment:[7]
Pct. | Ethnicity |
---|---|
17.9% | African American |
4.9% | Asian/Pacific Islander |
32.5% | Caucasian |
32.5% | Hispanic |
0.3% | Native American |
11.5% | Other |
Valencia College operates a total of eight campuses and three sites in its service area, which encompasses Orange County and Osceola County. Its district office is in Orlando.
A longstanding partnership between Valencia College and the University of Central Florida has contributed to Valencia's transfer rate, considered to be the highest in the country. The DirectConnect to UCF program guarantees Valencia graduates acceptance and streamlined admission to the University of Central Florida. Since the program's inception in 2006, approximately 45,000 students have indicated that they are DirectConnect students.[9]
The Valencia College School of Public Safety houses three major program areas: Criminal Justice, Fire Rescue and Safety and Security. Valencia College will train the next generation of public safety professionals using state-of-the-art technology and the latest in simulation training. Programs for firefighters, law enforcement, corrections, security officers and homeland security elevate and unify training standards across all divisions of public safety. This interdisciplinary approach promotes cross-sector training and collaboration between public safety agencies that help make our communities safer—both in times of crisis and in maintaining the peace.[10]
Valencia Continuing Education and Professional Training is located at West Campus. Valencia's continuing education, training and professional development division of Valencia College serves businesses, government agencies, individuals and organizations of all sizes, across every industry throughout the Central Florida community.
Valencia International and Continuing Education is located alongside the continuing education and professional training division at West Campus. Valencia's International and Continuing Education division offers conversational English and Spanish courses, cultural diversity workshops, American sign language and corporate training programs to prepare students for entry into a college degree program.
Although Valencia is not a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Intramural sports are available. The Valencia College Brain Bowl team participates as a member of the Florida State College Activities Association and has won ten national community college championships at NAQT[16] and six state championships.