test; and interaction between teacher and student can still be limited. Even new innovations and new educational technologies have proven usually to be “add-ons” to traditional classes. The concept of alternative teaching or instructional delivery systems has been more a symbolic concession to change rather than a substantial commitment to it. Indeed, in many respects Gifford was right; cultures in education are resistant to change. Valencia, however, historically had behaved quite differently. Why that is so is what has made the College extraordinary. Change had come to Valencia throughout its history, and it continuously arrived in “top-down” fashion. Going from 500 students in temporary makeshift quarters to one of the largest institutions in Central Florida and one of the best community colleges in Florida and in the Nation could only come about via change. But it was not the kind of change that only time or growth brings. It was also a matter of changing places, changing people, and changing ideas. From the beginning, Valencia coped well with all manner of change. Despite sharing a “top-down” heritage with other Florida community colleges, however, the circumstances of Valencia’s beginnings created a different original culture than most other educational institutions. Sometimes the difference between excellence and mediocrity is a matter of expectations. Valencia expected, from day one, to have to prove its worth to Central Florida. Had Valencia come into being with relative ease, meaning without the nearly concurrent birth of the University of Central Florida or without the controversy and perceived competition from Orlando Junior College, the challenge to prove its worth would have been significantly reduced. The historical traditions of measuring the ties that bind Valencia so strongly to its community begin there. In opening the Institution to all who came regardless of race, religion, gender, or economic condition, when measured against the prevailing Old South sentiments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Valencia had much to prove and to overcome. It did so by developing excellence. Not just as a goal, but excellence as a survival mechanism. It had to be excellent to survive the opposition and the competition from its birth. To accomplish that, the Institution’s early planners, leaders, faculty, and students established a shared commitment
to excellence in everything. And, of most crucial importance to understanding the history of Valencia, the cultural notion of excellence as chief institutional identifier has never been lost nor changed. Success in enrollment, success in student government, success in site acquisitions for campuses, success in classes, as well as success in innovative partnerships, programs, grants, fundraising, national rankings, and reputation all rest on the same cultural bedrock of excellence. And, underneath the massive changes to Valencia that time and growth wrought, its culture of excellence grew steadily and solidly. In 1993, the Reaffirmation Committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in reviewing Valencia’s request for reaffirming its accreditation noted the climate of change and positive culture that its traditions had grown. James Hudgins, Chair of the SACS Visiting Committee wrote: “People [at Valencia] seem to regard very highly the privilege of being a change agent in the lives of people. I have sensed a very positive culture here at this College, and that’s something that does not develop overnight. A positive culture that is committed to quality and success is an important one that you ought to value, and I hope you maintain it over time. I wish it was the kind of thing I could bottle.” To “maintain” its culture of excellence, Valencia understood that it was time to change as the new century approached. Three main dilemmas were at hand. All of higher education faced financial pressures, changing demographics, and a changing world. Despite the number of American institutions that believed they were addressing these problems well, and that they were prepared for new times, most were not. Change resistance was the obvious culprit. In 1995, the American Council on Education (ACE) announced that it had launched a new project, funded by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation, to help colleges and universities respond more effectively. The ACE/Kellogg Project was titled “Leadership and Institutional Transformation.” ACE intended to select approximately 30 institutions to implement comprehensive internal changes they thought were necessary to meet the external demands and challenges being placed on them. Although by this time, Valencia had already
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