A Message from the President

On behalf of our faculty, sta , administration, and District Board of Trustees, I extend to you my best wishes and warmest congratulations. We are enormously proud of the learning and achievement that brought you to this commencement day.

Graduation is a symbol and monument. Your diploma symbolizes hard work, love of learning and the best of personal ambition and achievement. e knowledge and skill embodied in your degree are a solid monument inside you that cannot be lost or taken away.

Santa Fe College is universally recognized as one of the nation’s best colleges, in many ways for our teaching and service, but primarily because of you. Our greatest impact is the success of our students and alumni. Your success de nes our success. It is because of your pursuit to be the best, to persist and to excel academically that we are one of the nation’s best colleges.

Your diploma is testament to your intellect, determination, perseverance, and hard work. It informs the world that you embraced new ideas, acquired valuable skills, and are well positioned to have a successful impact within your chosen profession.

As you walk across the stage, remember the lasting friendships, the connections with faculty and sta , and the imprint you have le on the college. No matter what your professional or career path, or where you live and go, I am con dent that our world is in good hands. What you learned and experienced at our college will serve you well in the years ahead.

Santa Fe College is honored to be part of this milestone in your life. Taking this journey with you has been special for us and we appreciate your intellectual, social, and overall contributions to our academic community. Our students stand at the center of everything we do, and your success embodies the core of our beliefs. Today we celebrate your success, today we smile because we know your future will be bright, and as you join our thousands of alumni, today we celebrate you.

We want to continue to follow you in your journey and as you enter society as an alum of Santa Fe College, cherish the memories, and remember that you will always be a member of the Santa Fe College family.

Dr. Paul Broadie II President

History of the College

Santa Fe College was established by the state government in 1965 to o er wide access to quality higher education. Since then, SF has established programs and services that enable the college to carry out its mission of educational opportunity, responsiveness to the community, economic development and innovation in the public interest. e philosophy of the college has been, and continues to be, one of student centeredness.

Over the years, the college has grown rapidly, from fewer than 1,000 students in the fall of 1966 when the college opened in the former Buchholz Junior/Senior High School, to more than 18,000 students taking classes last year. In addition to the Northwest Campus, students can take classes at the Guy Andrews Center in Starke, Charles L. Blount Center in downtown Gainesville, Ron and Norita Davis Center in Archer, George G. Kirkpatrick Jr. Center in Gainesville, Charles R. and Nancy V. Perry Center for Emerging Technologies in Alachua, Alfred B. Sr. and Agnes W. Watson Center in Keystone Heights and online.

Formerly named Santa Fe Community College, SF was authorized by the state of Florida in 2009 to o er bachelor’s degrees that meet the demand for speci c skills needed in the economy. At that time, the college changed its name.

SF has bene tted from strong and stable leadership and has had only ve presidents. Dr. Joseph W. Fordyce was president from 1965 until 1971 when he was succeeded by Alan J. Robertson, who served until 1990. Dr. Larry W. Tyree was named president in 1990 and served the college until Dr. Jackson N. Sasser began his tenure in 2002. SF’s h president, Dr. Paul Broadie II started February 1, 2020.

Mission and Values

Mission

In keeping with our values and goals, Santa Fe College, a comprehensive public institution of higher education serving North Central Florida and beyond, adds value to the lives of our students and enriches our community through excellence in teaching and learning, innovative educational programs and student services, and community leadership and service.

Values

Santa Fe College is a dynamic, innovative learning community committed to:

• Draw on our culture of diversity, inclusion, and equity to innovate and excel.

• Be a student-ready college providing a continuum of lifelong learning opportunities.

• Advance student success through assessment and continuous improvement of programs, services, and operations.

• Prepare active and responsible contributors to local and global society.

• Cultivate honesty, integrity, and respectful discourse.

• Employ professional development to enable faculty and sta to contribute fully to achievement of mission.

• Embrace academic freedom as the means of creating distinctive and engaging learning experiences.

• Collaborate with our community to enrich individual lives and regional vitality through education.

• Use our environmental, social, and economic resources ethically and sustainably.

Ceremonial Mace

e origin of the mace in higher education was the power represented by its capability to break armor in medieval warfare. From these violent beginnings, the mace today symbolizes the authority vested in the Santa Fe College president by the college board of trustees and the students and communities it represents.

e great seal of the college is the centerpiece of the mace. e seal depicts the ame of knowledge, quill of scholarship, laurels of attainment and globe of universal understanding. e sta of the mace is heart of pine from native wood used to build the Bradford County Courthouse, now the Santa Fe College Guy Andrews Center. More than a century old, the wood symbolizes an enduring attachment to our shared heritage and ongoing commitment to all who seek higher education and the bene ts and responsibilities it bestows.

Caps and Gowns

In the medieval city, clothing not unlike that worn by the participants in this commencement was common. e modern academic regalia evolved from the dress of the medieval guilds and the early religious orders.

Today, everyone with a college or university degree may wear the black academic gown. Santa Fe College faculty members wear the colors of their Alma Mater.

e velvet edging on the academic hood is the color that represents the degree held by the wearer. Agriculture and Forestry share maize edging; Architecture and Building Construction are blueviolet; Business Administration and Accounting are drab; Dentistry is lilac; Education is light blue; Engineering degrees are represented by orange edging; Fine Arts degrees have brown edging; Journalism is garnet; Law is purple; Liberal Arts is white and Liberal Sciences is gold-yellow; Music is pink; and Philosophy is royal blue.

Santa Fe College has o ered bachelor’s degrees since 2009. While nurses wear white gowns, other students earning these degrees wear black gowns with gold tassels and are delineated by the color of their hoods based on the academic disciplines listed below:

• Accounting – Drab

• Clinical Lab Science – Gold

• Early Childhood Education – Light Blue

• Health Services Administration – Kelly Green

• Industrial Biotechnology – Gold

Santa Fe College District Board of Trustees

Santa Fe College is governed by a citizen board appointed by the Governor. e Trustees represent Santa Fe College’s Alachua and Bradford counties service district and ensure that the education and services provided by the college meet the needs of the two-county region.

• Information Systems Technology – Gold

• Multimedia & Video Production Technology – Brown

• Nursing – Apricot

• Organizational Management – Drab e doctoral regalia also has velvet on the rest of the gown, including crossbars on the sleeves. e trim may be either black or may match the color of the velvet hood edging.

Distinction between sleeves indicates the type of degree held by the wearer. A long, pointed sleeve indicates a bachelor’s degree, while a long, closed sleeve with a split near the upper part of the arm designates a master’s degree. A round, open sleeve identi es a doctoral degree.

Please remain at your seats until all graduates have exited the gymnasium. No personal photos in professional photographer’s area. All graduation ceremonies will be streamed online at sfcollege.edu/graduation and electronic copies of the commencement program may be downloaded from that site.