Santa Fe Community College

:"For the two-year college in Gainesville, Florida, see Santa Fe College"

Santa Fe Community College (SFCC) is a public two-year community college located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The college offers 59 degrees and certificate programs and caters to the academic, career and personal-enrichment needs of local residents, businesses, government and public service organization. The school enrolls more than 14,500 students per year. More than 274 full-time and 587 part-time employees work at SFCC.

In addition to programs for students intent on transferring to four-year institutions, SFCC also offers a variety of occupational specialties including culinary arts, criminal justice and gallery management. The college also provides a number of career-oriented programs in fields like nursing, emergency medical technician response and dental health.

SFCC also houses regionally recognized programs in fine woodworking, media arts, fine arts and film. Its culinary arts program recently entered into a collaboration with Trident Technical College of Charleston, South Carolina for student and teaching exchanges.

Campus

The Santa Fe Community College Campus sits on 366 acres of high desert land off Richards Avenue, south of Rodeo Road, about 12 miles southwest of Santa Fe's downtown. The SFCC District is identical to the Santa Fe Public School District and includes the outlying areas of Glorieta, Madrid, Cerrillos, Lamy, La Cienega, Galisteo and Tesuque. It covers most of Santa Fe County, which has a population of nearly 108,000 residents.

Academics and Careers

*Santa Fe Community College offers 59 degree and certificate programs:
** 12 Associate in Arts degrees
** 4 Associate in Science degrees
** 1 Associate in Applied Arts degree
** 14 Associate in Applied
** 25 Certificates and 10 Letter of Qualification

*SFCC offers Teacher Certification courses in five areas for students already possessing a Bachelor's Degree:
** Early Childhood Development
** Elementary Education
** Secondary Education
** Special Education
** Bilingual Education Endorsement

*SFCC partners with University of New Mexico and New Mexico Highlands University to offer bachelor's and master's degree programs on the SFCC campus. The programs include:
** Education
** Business
** Fine Arts
** Counseling
**Public Administration

* SFCC also offers a dual credit program, designed to enable area high school students to take college courses for credit at both schools.

Media

*The campus is home to the studios and offices of KSFR-FM, Santa Fe's public radio station and SFC TV public television.

* The college produces “Campus Connection,” a bi-weekly public affairs talk show on news and newsmakers from SFCC. The programs airs Sundays at 5:30 p.m., on Santa Fe public radio station KSFR 101.1 FM and Thursdays at 9 a.m. on KSWV 810 AM.The half-hour radio magazine offers up discussion on current and special events connecting the college with the Santa Fe community at large. The program is hosted and produced by Todd Eric Lovato, who brings 10 years of public radio (KUNM, Good Radio Shows, Inc.) and print journalism (Albuquerque Journal, Local iQ magazine) experience to Santa Fe airwaves. Lovato, 28, records the program from his office at Santa Fe Community College, where he currently works in public relations.

*SFCTV together with award winning business woman Bernadette T. Vadurro produces "America's Issues" a roundtable political show featuring interviews with guests. The one-hour program provides educational information on relevant political issues. Bernadette Vadurro host of the program is the author of America's "Conscience: Facing Threats to Democracy, the Middle Class and Our World". America's Conscience is the 2008 Freedom Fighter, Bronze winner awarded by IPBA. America's Issues airs four times weekly on local access.

Points of Interest

On average, 97% of SFCC nursing students who take the NCLEX (National Council Licensure EXamination) exam pass it, no less then 95% on the first try.

Approximately 97% of students sitting for the Teacher Assessment Exam passed over the past three years, exceeding state averages.

History

Established in 1983, Santa Fe Community College has grown rapidly, both in enrollment and campus expansion. Construction has been guided by a long-range campus development plan, first adopted in 1984. Phase I opened in August 1988; Phase II - the William C. Witter Fitness Education Center - opened in February 1993; a new classroom wing opened in fall 1994; new technical and occupational labs were completed in 1995; the Early Childhood Development Center opened in fall 1996; the Visual Arts Center held its first classes in fall 1999; and the Instructional Technology Center (ITC) opened in fall 2001.

In the financial year of 2006-2007, SFCC received over $8.3 million in grant dollars from fedeal, state, local and private sources to assist students with scholarships, loans and services including tutoring, advising, career services and counseling.

Picture Gallery

External links

* [http://www.sfccnm.edu Official Web site]
* [http://www.ksfr.org KSFR-FM]
* [http://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/stories/2005/12/05/daily10.html "Santa Fe Community College becomes lab for biomass heating"] , from the "New Mexico Business Weekly", December 6 2005