History
www.pbsc.edu/history
From its humble beginnings in 1933 with 41 students in a building next to Palm Beach High School, Palm Beach State College (PBSC) has grown to become the largest institution of higher education in Palm Beach County. More than 40,000 students enroll annually in face-to-face, online, live online and hybrid classes at five campuses: Lake Worth, Boca Raton, Palm Beach Gardens, Belle Glade and Loxahatchee Groves.
Over time, the College's mission has become more comprehensive to serve the educational needs of Palm Beach County residents. Palm Beach State College now offers 160 programs of study, bachelor's and associate degrees, professional certificates, workforce development and lifelong learning preparing Palm Beach County’s workforce for the jobs of the future.
The College has transformed dramatically since its founding as Florida's first public two-year institution in the depths of the Great Depression in 1933. At the time, large government expenditures were out of the question. But civic organizations and local citizens successfully lobbied the County Board of Public Instruction to open a two-year public college for the area's high school graduates who were unable to find employment and could not afford to leave home to attend a university.
County School Superintendent Joe Youngblood and Howell Watkins, principal of Palm Beach High School, consulted with the University of Florida and the Florida State Women's College (Florida State University) and based Palm Beach Junior College’s curriculum on that of the two universities. Because of the Depression-era budget, teachers at Palm Beach High School volunteered to teach at the College for free.
John I. Leonard became the first president of Palm Beach Junior College (PBJC) in 1936. By 1948, the College had outgrown its original building and moved to Morrison Field, a retired Air Force base used in World War II. Just three years later, though, the Korean Conflict erupted, and Morrison Field was reactivated. The air base later became Palm Beach International Airport.
In 1951 Palm Beach Junior College moved yet again, to Lake Park Town Hall, where the quarters were so cramped students had to be turned away and enrollment dropped significantly to less than 200. Chemistry class was held in the jail. The local media dubbed it "the little orphan college," but the Lake Park location is remembered fondly by its alumni for the camaraderie that existed there. Master English and Speech Professor Watson B. Duncan taught classes in the nearby church and even in the hallway.
Almost five years later, the Board of Public Instruction of Palm Beach County donated 114 acres in Lake Worth to the College and the state gave PBJC $1 million for buildings. The College finally had a permanent home. Harold C. Manor, Ph.D., became president in 1958 and began directing extraordinary growth in enrollment, services and offerings, including many technical and vocational programs.
In 1965, the state legislature ordered that black and white two-year colleges be merged, and the mostly white Palm Beach Junior College and the all-black Roosevelt Junior College became one. Six professors and staff members from Roosevelt transferred to PBJC, and other faculty members transferred to the school district.
In the 1970s and 80s the College established satellite centers, then permanent locations in Belle Glade, Palm Beach Gardens and Boca Raton. Edward M. Eissey, Ph.D., president from 1978 to 1996, was the driving force behind the building boom and the name change to Palm Beach Community College in 1988.
Dennis P. Gallon, Ph.D., served as president for 18 years, beginning in 1997. Dr. Gallon expanded the College’s comprehensive mission with more workforce education programs and expanded business and industry partnerships. In 2008, the College received State Board of Education approval to offer its first baccalaureate degree, a Bachelor of Applied Science in Supervision and Management. Upper-level courses in this degree program began in 2009, and the College was renamed Palm Beach State College in 2010 to reflect its expanded educational offerings.
Ava L. Parker, J.D., became Palm Beach State College’s first female president in 2015. Under her strategic leadership, the College is focused on innovation and student success. Her emphasis on preparing a technologically capable workforce has resulted in PBSC emerging as a top institution for STEM education, with focus on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, engineering technology and the implementation of advanced technologies in PBSC classrooms. Parker’s commitment to raising students’ information technology IQ led to the introduction of new Associate in Science degrees and related college credit certificates in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence to meet growing industry demand.
Since Parker took the helm, PBSC opened its fifth campus, located in Loxahatchee Groves, and continues to gain significant funding support from both public and private sources. Most recently, such funding supported the creation of a $50 million Dental & Medical Services Technology Building on the Loxahatchee Groves campus which opened in early 2025. The four-story, 83,500-square-foot building includes a fully equipped dental clinic, a surgical technology suite, and science labs that incorporate cutting-edge equipment and technology for students pursuing careers as dental hygienists, dental assistants, surgical technologists and other health care occupations.
To ensure the College’s curriculum is aligned to workforce needs, Parker collaborates closely with PBSC’s 500 industry partners. One high-profile example is PBSC’s partnership with TMRW Sports, founded by professional golfers Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and TMRW Sports CEO Mike McCarley. TMRW Sports chose PBSC’s Palm Beach Gardens campus as the first and only location in the world for TGL, its new tech-infused indoor golf league. The venture brings PBSC onto the global stage as TGL golf matches are broadcast live to 113 countries across the world from the SoFi Center, a 1,500-seat interactive arena, housed on the Palm Beach Gardens campus.
Parker has launched many other initiatives, including the Dr. Barbara Carey-Shuler Student Success Center and PBSC Online. PBSC has been recognized for the third consecutive year as one of the best colleges in the nation for online learning in Newsweek’s prestigious list of “America’s Top Online Learning Schools 2025.”
Today, PBSC is a major contributor to the county’s strong economic growth in sectors including healthcare, information technology, engineering and biotechnology. A 2024 economic impact study from workforce analytics firm Lightcast found that PBSC, one of the top producers of associate degree graduates in the country, has a $1.4 billion impact on Palm Beach County’s economy, which is the equivalent of supporting more than 18,100 local jobs.
Recent PBSC accomplishments: The College has been named an Aspen Prize Top 150 Community College by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program seven times since the first biennial prize was awarded in 2011; is ranked among the Top Online Colleges by Newsweek and Statista; is recognized as one of the Top 100 Colleges for Hispanic Students by Hispanic Outlook magazine; has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security since 2023; has been chosen a “Top 10” or "Gold" Military Friendly® and Military Spouse Friendly School for the fifth consecutive year by VIQTORY, a highly regarded military publisher; and PBSC’s Ethical Hackers Club won second place for the second year in a row at the Florida Department of Education’s Second Annual Cybersecurity Competition. As an education partner for Amazon’s Career Choice program, PBSC provides the global company’s hourly employees with access to the College’s more than 160 degree and certificate programs. Through PBSC’s “AI Across the Curriculum” collaborative initiative with the University of Florida, PBSC faculty are incorporating artificial intelligence into existing courses so that within five years, every student will graduate with a working knowledge of AI, the ethics of AI and the uses of AI in their majors.
AI and other emerging technologies are rapidly changing every industry, especially health care. With the new Dental & Medical Services Technology Building, PBSC’s health sciences programs will be at the forefront of these technological advances. New simulated learning labs will be equipped with virtual reality learning technology. One example is the Anatomage table, a highly advanced 3D anatomy visualization and virtual dissection system for anatomy and physiology education brings the human body to life enabling students to dissect synthetic cadavers. Additionally, a fully equipped dental surgical operating suite provides hands-on learning for students. Such advancements are all part of PBSC’s commitment to providing its students with the technology and skills of the future today.