Serving the Panhandle since 1957, Gulf Coast
State College was the first public two-year
institution to open after the 1957 Florida Legislature
established a statewide network of community colleges.
Located in Panama City on Florida's Emerald Coast, Gulf
Coast is one of 28 public community colleges in the state,
all located within commuting distance of 96 percent of the
population.
From September 1957 through the spring of 1960, the
college operated in temporary facilities at the Wainwright
Shipyard (located across the street from the present
location at 5230 West Highway 98). The City of Panama
City provided 40 acres for the permanent campus
overlooking St. Andrew Bay; the college purchased the
remaining 40 acres. Construction of new buildings on the
campus began in 1959, with the actual move to the new
campus completed the next year.
Buildings comprising the current campus and other college
sites and their dates of first occupancy are the:
Natural
Sciences Building, including the Ken Sherman Science
Center (1960; renovated 1978, 1993, 2003, and 2006)
Administration Building (1960; renovated 1978 and 1989)
Admissions and Records Building (1960; renovated 1970
and 1995)
James R. Asbell Business Building (1960;
renovated in 1978 and named for Mr. Asbel in 1979)
Russell C. Holley and Herbert P. Holley Language and
Literature Building (1962; former Library; renovated and
renamed Language Arts Building in 1977, renovated and
renamed in 2004, renamed in 2006)
Billy Harrison Health
Building (1965; demolished in 2003)
Professional
Development Center (1965; former Maintenance Building;
renovated and renamed Wellness Center in 1995; renovated
and renamed in 2003)
Rosenwald Junior College
Classroom Building (1965; originally the Student Center;
renovated in 1978 and 1992 and renamed in 1994)
Amelia
G. Tapper Center for the Arts (1967; renovated and
renamed for Mrs. Tapper in 1994)
Social Sciences
Building (1967; renovated in 2001)
Technology Building
(1969; renovated in 1985)
Library (1976; originally named
the Learning Resource Center)
WKGC-AM/FM Studios
(1981; renovated in 2005)
George G. Tapper Health
Sciences Building (1983)
North Bay Center (1990;
originally the Criminal Justice Training Academy; renamed
the Charles H. Abbott Criminal Justice Training Academy
and expanded to include the Abbott Classroom Building in
2000)
Student Union, East and West Wings (1991; west
wing expanded to included two additional floors in 2004)
Natatorium (1991)
Facilities Management Building
(1995)
Gulf/Franklin Center (1998)
Wellness Complex
(2003; includes new gym named Billy Harrison Field
House)
Workforce Development Building (2004; formerly the Florida Highway Patrol building)
Public Safety
Complex/Emergency Operations Center (2010)
For its first
nine years, the college served primarily the residents of
Bay County. In the summer of 1966, Gulf County became
part of the college's service district, and Franklin County
was added in 1984. Each semester, the college enrolls over
7,000 students in credit courses, with many thousands more
registering in lifelong learning or continuing education
programs.
Throughout its history, the college has been committed to
providing a first-class education. This commitment is
evidenced by the excellent performance of GCSC
graduates who transfer to a state university as well as by
the high job placement rates of students in occupational
programs.
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