At the State College of Florida, graduation marks a significant milestone for every student. As the graduates walked across the stage at our winter commencement ceremony Dec. 13, I recognized and appreciated the commitment they made to overcome the challenges that may have stood in the way of their academic success.

As the largest higher education institution in our two-county region, SCF’s student body reflects the population of Manatee and Sarasota Counties. We have students from all backgrounds and the reality for some is that life gets in the way of their higher education plans. The challenges they face extend beyond the classroom and can take precedence over education. Some will persevere to earn their diploma while others will start, stop and hopefully return to complete their degree at another time.       

At SCF, we understand the individual challenges our students face and we create the programs and opportunities that can assist them to complete their degree on time or return and finish later.

Guided degree pathways help students from the beginning to stay on track to graduate. These pathways give students a roadmap to their four-year degree by first attending SCF and then a university. We are proud to offer our students guided pathways to one of Florida’s preeminent state universities and three of the state’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The FUSE program allows students to be accepted at both SCF and the University of South Florida and pursue their degree with a detailed schedule of the courses for each institution. We recently signed agreements with Florida A&M University, Edward Waters College and Bethune Cookman University that feature a wide range of degree programs at each institution to give students a clear pathway to a bachelor’s degree.

We are always seeking partners to develop comprehensive or program-specific pathway agreements that will assist our students in meeting their goals. We plan to announce new opportunities for students soon.

SCF also has articulation agreements to leverage our local workforce synergy with Manatee and Suncoast Technical Colleges. These agreements allow students to add a college degree to their technical skills. Graphic design and fire science are two of the most popular and we have a goal to expand to more areas.

Guided pathways can create success for our current and future students, but we know that there are former students in our region who could not finish their degree. A new program introduced by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis offers hope and opportunity to these individuals.

The Last Mile College Completion Program for Florida was created by the Gov. DeSantis following his election in 2018 and in 2019 SCF joined with the other members of the Florida College System to pledge support for the program. The Last Mile program allows students who attended SCF in the last eight years but left before graduation to return and finish their degree tuition free. To participate in Last Mile, students must have left SCF on good academic standing with less than 10 percent of the credit hours remaining their first associates degree. Last Mile is a great chance for students to return and finish their degree to advance in their workplace and pursue new goals.

SCF has been the pathway to the American dream for the residents of Manatee and Sarasota Counties for 62 years. We will continue to develop the innovative programs and pathways that provide our students the necessary steps to take to achieve success and thrive in our region.

Dr. Carol Probstfeld is president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota.