Report to the Community Fall 2026
60th Anniversary
Celebration of Growth
PAGE 4
New Training Center
Automotive Technology Nursing Expansion
Bradford Partnership PAGE 9
PAGE 6
Student Spotlight
Lucilida Hodge PAGE 10
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From the President In 1966, the newly established Santa Fe Junior College welcomed 889 students. They chose from 52 courses taught in temporary facilities, becoming the first students to benefit from a bold community vision: accessible, high-quality education that would create opportunity and strengthen our region. Sixty years later, Santa Fe College serves more than 22,000 individuals each year across seven locations and online. Our students prepare to transfer to leading universities, enter high-demand careers, develop new skills and discover what is possible. The stories in this Report to the Community show how that founding vision continues to guide us. This summer, we broke ground on an Automotive Technology Training Center that will prepare students for well-paying careers and help meet a critical workforce need. We began construction of the Hitchcock Family Clubhouse, a long-awaited investment in our student-athletes. In Bradford County, a new partnership is creating a pathway for local students to become registered nurses without leaving their community. You will also read about a record-setting year for grants, exceptional faculty, distinguished alumni and students such as Lucilida Hodge, Santa Fe College’s fourth Jack Kent Cooke Scholar. Santa Fe College has changed considerably since 1966. The promise at the heart of our work has not. We remain the community’s college, committed to providing life-changing education and creating opportunity for every student we serve.
Paul Broadie II 3
SANTA FE COLLEGE
60 years of discovering wh In fall of 1966, 889 students found their way to their first college classrooms, temporarily located in the former Buchholz Junior/Senior High near what is now SF Blount Center. Likely none could have imagined what Santa Fe Junior College would become 60 years later. Building on the hopes of a community eager for accessible and high-quality education, Santa Fe College has never stopped growing to meet student and workforce demand. From construction of the Northwest Campus on NW 83rd Street in Gainesville, SF has expanded its presence across Alachua and Bradford counties. Even today, construction is under way on two new facilities, a new program has opened in Starke, and soon rural areas will be served by a high-tech mobile classroom.
See more about our history. 4
Santa Fe College has matured from a small community college into a leading institution offering a rich and wide variety of educational opportunities to more than 22,000 individuals each year on seven campus sites and online while creating a $413 million annual economic impact on the region. It has become the educational and cultural focus for each community it serves, and it is recognized across Florida and the nation for quality programs and graduate success. In 2015, Santa Fe College was named the number one community college in the nation by winning the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. The college has been in the top 10 of U.S. community colleges since 2012.
hat’s possible
Six decades of building community and changing lives
It was recognized in 2025 by Carnegie Classifications as a “Opportunity College,” for its high rates of student success and the higher wages earned by SF graduates. Also, in 2025, the Association for Community College Trustees honored SF with the inaugural Impact and Success Award for the Southern Region. Santa Fe College also ranks at the top among Florida College System graduation rates, and boasts high rates of admission for transfers to four-year institutions, including the most transfers to the state’s flagship institution, the University of Florida, and top-percentile job placement among graduates in vocational/trades, Nursing and several disciplines in Allied Health.
The breezeway of Building P on Northwest Campus when it was initially the location of the library.
In 1969, SFJC officially opens the doors to a new child care facility known as “The Little School.”
Students sit outside of Santa Fe Junior
College in downtown Gainesville, Florida.
In 1991, employees gather at the Oak Grove to celebrate the 25th Anniversary.
A line forms as students wait to get their class schedules for the upcoming semester. 5
Groundbreakings
Construction under way for Automotive Technology Training Center In about a year’s time, Santa Fe College and its automotive technology industry partners will cut the ribbon on the high-tech training facility at the Blount Center in downtown Gainesville. It will mark a pivotal moment in the College’s ability to train students for high-paying, in-demand careers and it will further SF’s ability to serve the industry with a strong, well-trained workforce. At a ceremonial groundbreaking on June 2, Eric Duke, a longtime local auto dealer and Fixed Operations Director for Parks Ford of Gainesville, expressed the value of this program to his company and the community at-large. “For more than a decade, Parks Motorgroup has proudly supported the program because we understand the value of investing in the next generation of automobile professionals,” he said. 6
“It’s more than just filling jobs; it’s about creating opportunity, developing talent and strategically strengthening our community.” The Automotive Technology Training Center is being constructed on the former location of Mauldin’s Auto Glass, on the northeast side of the Blount Center campus. It will feature interactive classrooms with advanced diagnostic tools and simulators, specialty teaching bays, and it will accommodate up to 60 students each semester, supporting the College’s Automotive Service Technology certification program and the Automotive Service Management Technology A.A.S.
100% of students in the AAS program are hired upon graduation.
Hitchcock Family Clubhouse to be transformative Former SF Baseball Coach Harry Tholen built a pitcher’s mound in the middle of a cow pasture in 1981, signifying SF’s first NJCAA baseball team. It was a start to a program that has more than delivered on that humble promise. It also sparked a community to lean into what was happening at SF. On June 25, the College held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Hitchcock Family Clubhouse, a home base and locker room facility for the college’s Men’s Baseball and Women’s Softball Teams, fulfilling a longtime goal for Alan Hitchcock and the Hitchcock Family Foundation, whose generosity are making it possible. Surrounded by family, Alan Hitchcock talked about achieving this goal, referencing recently retired Hall of Fame baseball coach Johnny Wiggs as his inspiration to help the college improve facilities for athletes. “Well, Johnny left before we got it done,” he quipped. “But these student-athletes work
really hard and they deserve a nice facility to shower, get dressed, get cover from a lightning storm.” The 3,612 square-foot Clubhouse is expected to be a catalyst for other changes planned for the ballfields space, including batting cages and improved spectator experiences. “Santa Fe College will work with the community to invest in our athletics programs so our students can continue to take home national recognition, all-academic scholars, then go on to excel in D1 schools throughout the nation,” said College President Paul Broadie II. “To the Hitchcock Family, thank you so much.”
The athletes “work really hard and they deserve a nice facility.” - Alan Hitchcock
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Grants success advances renovations, programming From program expansion to campus upgrades, Santa Fe College is making changes, thanks to a record-setting year for grants. In the past year, SF was awarded more than $11 million in state, federal, local and private grants, helping to advance the mission and interests of the college. The largest, a $5 million federal Community Development Block Grant, is allowing SF to harden and upgrade the multiuse gymnasium on the Northwest Campus. While the gym plays a central role in College and community events, its proximity to Interstate 75 allows it to serve as a staging area for state emergency management agencies, such as the Florida National Guard. Damaged by Hurricane Idalia in 2023, the gym roof has continued to leak, despite multiple repairs, causing floor deterioration, ceiling damage and ongoing risk of mold, compromising safety and usability. “This investment will safeguard an important resource for the community while strengthening Florida’s broader emergency preparedness infrastructure,” said Dr. Paul Broadie II, Santa Fe College President. In January, SF will expand its Certified Production Technology program thanks to a $1.57 million award from the state’s Workforce Development Capitalization Incentive Grant Program. A new mobile engineering classroom will provide space for CPT instruction in rural areas of the College’s service district. SF also secured a fourth year of state of Florida LINE (Linking Industry to Nursing Education funding), which provides a 1:1 match for funds contributed by healthcare partners. SF’s largest partner is UF Health. The partnerships, along with matching state funding, added $1.29 million in support to SF’s nursing programs. 8
State funding allows M Building upgrades Through the support of its legislative delegation, including project sponsors, Rep. Chad Johnson and Sen. Stan McClain, SF received a $2.5 million state appropriation to upgrade M Building on the Northwest Campus, home to many of the college’s visual arts programs. M Building, constructed in 1976, serves about 2,500 students a year. Funding will allow SF to create modern, flexible, and collaborative teaching and training spaces that both meet current student needs and build capacity for future development. Read more.
SF, Bradford Schools team up to launch nursing program
“We’re not just here to cut a ribbon and walk into a nice building,” Dr. Paul Broadie II, Santa Fe College president, told a group gathered at the North Florida Technical College in Starke on Wednesday, August 19, to officially open an education space for local students wanting to obtain an associate’s degree in nursing. “This is about making dreams come true — taking an individual with the dream of being a Registered Nurse and making it a reality.” Partnering with Bradford County School District, SF helped realize a longstanding plan to renovate a portion of NFTC to give local students access to an Associate of Science in Nursing degree that would follow their Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) certification. Broadie said he got excited at the proposal for this collaboration between Bradford County Schools and SF for three reasons: opportunity for partnership, student success, and community impact. “Santa Fe is Bradford County,” he said. The seed money for the collaboration — the first in Florida where a tech college partnered with a
“This is about making dreams come true — taking an individual with the dream of being a Registered Nurse and making it a reality.” - Dr. Paul Broadie state college — was provided by Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Commerce. The reimagined portion of the NFTC building features a student lounge, a traditional classroom equipped with media screens, and a clinical training area with several hospital beds that will provide the same high-level diagnostic and simulation tools found on SF’s Northwest Campus. “The need is here — and now we’ve made it happen,” said William Hartley, superintendent of Bradford County School District. “When I see the transformation and see everything that’s going to happen in here, the possibilities for future partnership between Bradford County and Santa Fe College are endless.” Read more. 9
SF GRADUATE
Lucilida Hodge earns Cooke Foundation Scholarship “Santa Fe College changed the trajectory of my life, and I am endlessly grateful to every professor, mentor, friend and community that believed in me along the way.” - Lucilda Hodge then enroll in law school, building on the strong foundation she has built in Gainesville. She said the scholarship “will provide me with academic financial stability and help me advance in my career by giving me opportunities to network with professionals in my desired field.” Two days before her birthday in May, Lucilida “Luci” Hodge got the phone call she had been hoping fervently to receive. She had been awarded a prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship - one of only 60 community college students across the U.S. to do so. “Learning that I had been selected instantly relieved all the anxiety and stress I had been carrying about the scholarship and my future financial decisions for college,” she said. It also capped a year where she was named to the SF Hall of Fame and graduated with her Associate in Arts degree with High Distinction. Hodge, who was accepted to multiple universities, plans to transfer to the University of Florida to complete her bachelor’s degree and 10
As an attorney, she plans to focus on public service “to give back to underprivileged communities while also focusing on supporting youth development.” This year’s selection process drew more than 1,300 applications. The 60 new Scholars were selected from a semifinalist pool of 485 students. Applicants were evaluated based on academic achievement, perseverance, and leadership. Hodge is Santa Fe College’s fourth Cooke Scholar and the second in a row. Previous awards were granted to Bryan Rowland, 2025, Charly Guitierrez-Jimenez, 2021, and Francisco Laurenco, 2018. Read more of Hodge’s story.
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
Jon Duff develops the next generation of first responders Jon Duff has an unbridled passion to help others. At 16, he began working as a lifeguard for the City of Gainesville, where he saw firsthand the value of being able to save a life. Throughout the years, Duff has transformed a program at Santa Fe College to prepare first responders, future doctors and numerous other professionals to save lives and make a genuine impact in their communities. An associate professor in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Programs at the Santa Fe Institute of Public Safety at the Kirkpatrick Center, Duff empowers students to own their curriculum and prepares them to respond when an emergency arises, even those whose career focus is not to be a first responder. “A former student shared with me that he was at a picnic six years ago and was immediately able to help a person who was choking,” Duff said. “Another former student was on a trip in Costa Rica when someone broke their leg. Instantly, the student made an improvised splint from the training in our class and was able to help before responders even arrived.” Duff’s instruction includes scenarios so that students get hands-on learning and feedback before they are even in the field. “I teach accountability and responsibility so these students are ready for what can happen in the field,” he said. “Jon is the lead professor for our EMT Program,” said Michael Anderson, associate director of
EMS Programs. “He is an extremely passionate EMS educator and has incorporated studentcentered teaching elements with superb results. His flipped classroom is a positive experience for his students.” Duff received an EMT Instructor of the Year award at state conference and is a member of the Florida Association of EMS Educators. Read more of Duff’s story. 11
Looking up and looking back The Kika Silva Pla Planetarium at Santa Fe College celebrates 20 years
Santa Fe College’s Kika Silva Pla Planetarium marks 20 years of providing immersive educational programming to students and the entire community.
Learn more about the impact the planetarium has made to more than 140,000 local students over the past two decades and planetarium manager James C. Albury. Read more.
Since Sept. 8, 2006, the planetarium has shared the wonders of the night sky and encouraged attendees to keep looking up to the stars learning about the solar system and beyond. The only planetarium in North Central Florida, it offers 3D shows that give visitors a glimpse of black holes, exoplanets, moons, planets and much more. The shows are projected onto the roof of the domed planetarium and are narrated in detail. Shows also can feature a variety of music and animation for family-friendly experiences. The facility uses a Chronos GOTO Space Simulator to project the night sky from any date, past, present or future. Planetarium shows take place on Friday evenings as well as Saturday afternoons and evenings. The unique space can even be rented out for special events such as birthday parties or anniversaries. 12
James Albury, planetarium manager, stands
inside the 34’ diameter dome with the GOTO Chronos optical-mechanical projector.
College programs build 16th Habitat for Humanity home For the 16th time, students in the Construction and Technical and Apprenticeship programs combined their skills to build a home for an Alachua Habitat for Humanity participant. About 100 students worked on the house, each putting in up to 50 hours of work during the fall and spring semesters. Construction management students do the framing, roofing, windows, doors and siding. Electrical, air conditioning, and plumbing apprentices handle their respective areas. Read more.
Broadie joins national panel on apprenticeships Santa Fe College President Paul Broadie II participated in a round-table discussion on “Building Pathways to Degree-Connected Apprenticeships” in Washington, D.C. on April 30, 2026. The discussion was in connection to the celebration of National Apprenticeship week. Joining the discussion were members of the U.S. Department of Labor, U.S. Department of Education, industry partners and other higher education leaders, with the objective of reducing complexity and barriers, amplifying best practices, and building the awareness about the importance and value of apprenticeships. “Santa Fe College having a seat at the table for these discussions demonstrates the impact of our apprenticeship programs,” he said. Read more.
Academy welcomes 9-12th grade for the first time Santa Fe College’s charter high school, Academy of Science and Technology, welcomed it’s fourth freshmen class and now has all four grades, with a senior class preparing for Spring 2027 graduation. Launched in Fall 2023, the school has added a class each year.
Women’s softball impresses in World Series play Santa Fe College finished 2026 as one of the final six teams in the NCJAA D1 Softball World Series in May. The Saints, ranked No. 6 nationally during the regular season, set a program record for most wins in a season at 48 and were recognized by Congresswoman Kat Cammack in June.
Academy students have the opportunity earn a college credential along with their high school diploma. The school started the year as an A-rated school by the Florida Department of Education. Read more. 13
ALUMNI PROFILE: LEE GLADDEN (B.A.S. ‘25)
USA Boxing pugilist is still punching up
arcade; I was in the gym training. It developed character, work ethic and mindset.” When he joined the Marines, Gladden’s boxing talent got him pulled out of his unit in Japan to train stateside, where he won the All-Armed Forces title in the lightweight division, giving him a seat for the Olympic trials in preparation for the 1996 Games in Atlanta. In his final international qualifier for Team USA in Atlanta, Lee had to win 2-out-of-3, but came up one short. Santa Fe College alumni reinvesting their passions and life lessons back into their community is nothing new. But when Lee Gladden — mentor, community leader, business owner, Team USA Boxing coach and alternate for the 1996 Olympics — gets his hands on you, he wants to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget. If you’re fortunate. Owner of Gladden Boxing in Gainesville, Lee grew up in the boxing cradle of champions in Pleasantville, New Jersey, in the shadow of Atlantic City, where he spent most of his young life at the Pleasantville Recreation Center, rubbing shoulders with the immortals who trained there — George Foreman, Roberto Duran, Mike Tyson, Ray Mercer, Iran Barkley — emulating what made them great. “Discipline — that’s what made me who I am today,” said Gladden, who graduated from high school at 15. “I’d get up at 5 a.m. in the morning and go for an 8-mile run before school. My friends were going to parties or going to the 14
“It really taught me how to stay the course, regardless of how the situation looks or feels,” Gladden said. “It’s the same things I instill in my fighters now, not just in the gym but in general — show up early, do the little things when nobody’s watching.” Gladden trains Gainesville-area youth from neighborhoods not unlike those in his native New Jersey, some from troubled family situations. Knowing character-building sweat sessions could steer them onto a hopeful path, Gladden used the Veteran’s Scholarship program at Santa Fe College to earn his degree in Organizational Management to better manage his club and sustainably touch lives for years to come.
SF leads faculty training as part of AI-focused NASA grant Tapped as the best partner to deliver training on new AI-focused curriculum, Santa Fe College is implementing training for community college faculty as part of a national team operating under a grant from NASA. NASA’S prestigious University Leadership Initiative (ULI) was developed to help solve 21st century aviation challenges. In aviation, human operators will need a deep understanding of operational aspects of AI and autonomous software in order to trust, and effectively utilize this technology. That means students must begin to build skills and understanding in AI. Using a train-the-trainer model Santa Fe College is delivering AI-focused, hands-on education and training to faculty, who will be prepared to incorporate related curriculum into their classes. Students will then have access to material that they typically would not at a community college. SF’s faculty are first to be trained, followed by all 28 Florida College System institutions.
(Trustworthy Resilient Autonomous Agents for Safe City Transportation in the Evolving New Decade) was one of only three projects selected for the latest ULI project grants.
“We are empowering community college faculty across Florida to bring...AI learning concepts into the classroom.” - James Nichols. Through SF’s collaboration with FIT and UF, “we are empowering community college faculty across Florida to bring AI and machine learning concepts into the classrooms in meaningful, hands-on ways to promote good digital citizenship,” said Team member James Nichols, SF associate professor of Networking and Security Technologies. “This initiative is especially impactful because it connects emerging technologies with real-world safety and workforce applications.”
Florida Institute of Technology, University of Florida and SF are part of a team that also includes The Pennsylvania State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Stanford University, University of Alabama, and companies Collins Aerospace and ResilineX. The research partners are creating a framework for engineers and human operators to determine the trustworthiness of machinelearning-enabled autonomous aviation safety systems. Florida Tech’s TRANSCEND 15
Upcoming Events FINE ARTS PERFORMANCES Winds and Classics October 15, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. Lyceum Music Hall Young Dancers Showcase October 24, 2026 at 8 p.m. Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall
SF ATHLETICS Baseball, Basketball, Softball and Volleyball Full schedules and rosters SF TEACHING ZOO Boo at the Zoo More Info October 28, 2026 (New date!) 3-7 p.m.
Santa Fe Contemporary Pop Ensemble November 6, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall
GRADUATION Nursing Pinning December 10, 2026 at 3 p.m. Santa Fe College Gymnasium Songs of the Season November 13, 2026 at 7:30 p.m. Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall
Commencement December 11, 2026 at 3 p.m. Santa Fe College Gymnasium
Annual Faculty Arts Exhibition November 6, 2026 – February 12, 2027 Santa Fe College Gallery, M Building
COMMUNITY
Holiday at Santa Fe December 5, 2026 at 2 and 6 p.m. Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall
55th Annual Spring Arts Festival April 10 & 11, 2027 Northwest Campus See all about last year’s festival!
Ten-Minute Plays February 5, 2027 at 7:30 p.m. Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall Lobby Valentine’s Swing Dance February 5, 2027 at 7:30 p.m. Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall Full calendar and ticket information
sfcollege.edu 3000 NW 83rd Street • Gainesville, Florida 32606