Eastern Florida State College

In the fall of 1960, the Brevard County School Board founded Brevard Junior College with 768 students in the former Cocoa High School (built in 1925) on Forrest Avenue in Cocoa. Dr. J. Bruce Wilson was president. There were 31 faculty members. Four associate degrees were offered. The School Colors were Red-White-Blue and the School Mascot was a "Spartan".

At the time, it was racially segregated, and a separate Carver Junior College for African-American students was opened the same year.{{cite web |title=College History |url=http://www.brevardcc.edu/discover-bcc/our-history-and-mission/ |access-date=2013-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502190505/http://www.brevardcc.edu/discover-bcc/our-history-and-mission/ |archive-date=2013-05-02 |url-status=dead}} To accomplish desegregation in compliance with the law, Brevard Junior College merged with the all-black Carver Junior College {{Cite web |url=http://www2.westminster-mo.edu/wc_users/homepages/staff/brownr/FloridaCC.htm |title=Florida Colleges that have Closed, Merged, Changed Names |access-date=2013-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130920144150/http://www2.westminster-mo.edu/wc_users/homepages/staff/brownr/FloridaCC.htm |archive-date=2013-09-20 |url-status=dead}} in 1963 and moved to the present location of the Cocoa Campus at 1519 Clearlake Rd in Cocoa. The college was renamed Brevard Community College in 1970 when the state of Florida created a system of two-year colleges. The college would then offer aeronautics specialities as it would be a foundation school for many NASA-tied universities such as Florida Institute of Technology and University of Central Florida. In 1966, the enrollment reached 4,335.{{Cite news |title=Hard work fueled a new 'Today' |url=http://www.floridatoday.com/50th/ |newspaper=Florida Today |location=Melbourne, Florida |pages=7 |date=March 20, 2016 |access-date=March 20, 2016}}

The college experienced a 51% increase in enrollment for online classes from 2007 to 2010.{{Cite news |first=Michelle |last=Spitzer |title=BCC preps for role in reshaping work force |url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100603/NEWS02/6030317/1006/BCC+preps+for+role+in+reshaping+work+force |publisher=Florida Today |location=Melbourne, Florida |pages=1A |date=June 3, 2010}}

On July 1, 2013, it was officially named Eastern Florida State College.{{cite news |title=BCC Name Change |url=http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2012/12/17/board_of_trustees_vo.html |newspaper=Newschannel 13 |access-date=2013-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130514073540/http://www.cfnews13.com/content/news/cfnews13/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2012/12/17/board_of_trustees_vo.html |archive-date=2013-05-14 |url-status=dead}} It now offers four year degrees in health care management and general business management.USAtoday, Aug22,2013, page 5A "Community colleges graduate to 4 ears"

File:Eastern Florida State College (Cocoa Campus).jpg

The college offers nearly 100 degree and certificate programs, including career and technical programs.{{cite web |title=Degrees and Certifications |url=http://www.brevardcc.edu/academics/degrees-certifications/ |access-date=2013-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130603090125/http://www.brevardcc.edu/academics/degrees-certifications/ |archive-date=2013-06-03 |url-status=dead}} In 2009, there were 19.7 students per class on average.{{cite news |first=Michelle |last=Spitzer |title=BCC tight, but welcomes more |publisher=Florida Today |location=Melbourne, Florida |pages=1A |date=April 2, 2009}} Most of EFSC's students take part in its Associate in Arts transfer program. In 2007, EFSC was listed 21st in the nation in the number of AA degrees awarded.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fldoe.org/CC/OSAS/FastFacts/FF82.pdf |title=Florida Department of Education statistics |access-date=2013-06-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218063540/http://www.fldoe.org/CC/OSAS/FastFacts/FF82.pdf |archive-date=2012-02-18 |url-status=dead}}

Transfer and articulation partnerships between EFSC and the University of Central Florida, a joint initiative called "DirectConnect," and with the Florida Institute of Technology, whose TechTrack program guarantees the admission of EFSC graduates who wish to transfer to Florida Tech, make possible the seamless transfer of credits to other four-year institutions.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}} The EFSC-UCF partnership also involves the sharing of facilities and services with UCF on EFSC's campuses, including the EFSC/UCF Joint-Use Library.

File:Brevard Community College Melbourne Campus 2.jpg

The president's office is on the Melbourne campus. The Registrar's Office is on the Cocoa Campus with a main college mailing address for Eastern Florida State College of 1519 Clearlake Rd, Cocoa, FL, 32922. There are admissions and advising offices on each of the four campuses.{{cite web |title=College policy and website |url=http://www.easternflorida.edu/admissions/registrars-office/contact-us.cfm}}

The college is directed by a five-member Board of Trustees appointed by the Governor. The current chair is Alan H. Landman, a Melbourne attorney.{{cite web |title=Board of Trustees |url=http://www.easternflorida.edu/administration-departments/board-of-trustees/}} James H. Richey is president of the college, named to that position in January 2012 after serving as interim president since October 2011.{{cite news |title=Richey Named BCC President |url=http://www.spacecoastbusiness.com/dr-jim-richey-named-new-brevard-community-college-president/ |newspaper=Spacecoast Business}} Richey also previously served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel.

In the first year (1960–61), the school offered the men's sports of basketball and baseball as "club" teams. Over the next few years, they added wrestling, cross country, track and field, golf, tennis, archery, fencing, judo, and rifle. The school was a member of the Florida Athletic Conference and the NJCAA participating in the Southern Conference. The first basketball coach was Albert Green and the first baseball coach was George King. EFSC's athletic teams are nicknamed the Titans and participate in softball, baseball, women's basketball, men's basketball, men's golf, men's soccer, women's soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis, and women's volleyball. They participate in the Southern Conference of the Florida State College Activities Association (FSCAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association Region 8.{{cite web |title=Sports Affiliations |url=http://www.brevardcc.edu/student-life/athletics/affiliations.cfm |access-date=2013-05-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530044206/http://www.brevardcc.edu/student-life/athletics/affiliations.cfm |archive-date=2013-05-30 |url-status=dead}} The men's golf program has won seven National Junior College Championships since 1969.[http://www.brevard.cc.fl.us/athletics/content/golf/golf_hall_of_fame.pdf GolfProg_Nov07.indd]{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

The college include the Law Enforcement Academy which trains people for employment in local law enforcement positions. There are about 25–30 students.{{Cite news |first=Sara |last=Camodeca |title=69 graduate from police academy |url=http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100108/NEWS01/1080318/1006/69+graduate+from+BCC+s+police+academy |publisher=Florida Today |location=Melbourne, Florida |pages=1B |date=January 8, 2010}}

EFSC is a direct connect satellite campus program to The University of Central Florida (UCF) in Orlando, Florida.

From 2018 to 2023, the Melbourne Police Department has sponsored over 60 recruits to attend the Eastern Florida State College police academy program. They plan to continue to sponsor recruits for this program.[https://www.melbourneflorida.org/Home/Components/News/News/10013/90]

File:Brevard Community College Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts.JPG

File:BCC-Planetarium-and-Observatory.jpg

The 2,000-seat Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts, on the Melbourne campus, offers performances and cultural art events. The Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, on the Cocoa campus, features one of the largest public-access

telescopes in Florida{{cite web |title=Our History and Mission |url=http://www.easternflorida.edu/discover-efsc/our-history-and-mission/ |publisher=Eastern Florida State College |quote=A leader in science and technology, the College is home to the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium and Observatory, which features one of the largest public-access telescopes in Florida, as well as large-format movies, laser light shows and other educational planetarium presentations.}} as well as large-format movies, laser light shows, and other presentations.

The Titusville campus contains the John Henry Jones Gymnatorium, used for performing arts as well as athletic events.

The Digital Media Bobcats have run the Independent Digital Features Festival since 2011, showcasing the talent of the Digital Media students.

WEFS TV is a non-commercial educational television station operated by EFSC. WEFS TV broadcasts educational, cultural, and informational materials and telecourses of special interest.

The Harry T. and Harriette Moore Multicultural Center commemorates the lives and work of the Moores, African-American community leaders who lived and worked in Brevard County, martyr-pioneers of the civil rights era.

{{Main|List of Eastern Florida State College people}}

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Category:Universities and colleges established in 1960

Category:Florida College System

Category:Education in Brevard County, Florida

Category:1960 establishments in Florida

Category:Two-year colleges in the United States