Seminole State at 60

by Chip Colandreo

In the summer of 1965, the Florida legislature handed Dr. Earl S. Weldon the deed to some old Seminole County orange groves and an appropriation of $30,000. His task was as simple as it was daunting: Build thee a college.

In today’s money, the equivalent $286,500 is enough to buy a modest Seminole County home but hardly an endowment worthy of a world-class college, yet that is exactly what Seminole State has become. In fact, it was recently named one of the top 10 state/community colleges in America (more on that later).

“I don’t think Dr. Weldon could have imagined how big Seminole State College would eventually be,” says Dr. E. Ann McGee, the Seminole State president who succeeded Dr. Weldon in 1996 and the second of only three presidents in the college’s 60-year history.

When Dr. McGee arrived, in the middle of Seminole County’s mid-’90s population boom, it became clear that to serve the many eager learners in the area, Seminole State would need to come to them. Dr. McGee’s tenure saw significant growth – both at the main Sanford/Lake Mary campus and also with the construction of campuses in all corners of Seminole County. The Lee campus at Oviedo, perfectly integrated into the area’s lush landscape, is now home to much of Seminole State’s cutting-edge engineering and robotics programs. The towering Altamonte campus is where Seminole State produces many of the best new nurses in Florida, and the modern Heathrow campus is home to the college’s renowned interior design program and its Foundation and Alumni Association.

Dr. Georgia Lorenz became Seminole State’s current president in 2018, and she has deftly led the college through significant turmoil and to unprecedented success.

“COVID was a dramatic experience for everyone and especially for us here at Seminole State,” says Dr. Lorenz, noting how the pandemic fundamentally changed the way education is delivered at all levels. “But it’s a testament to six decades of steady, continuous improvement to see what we’ve achieved today.”

That achievement was recently recognized when Seminole State was named a top-10 finalist for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, solidifying it as one of America’s very best state/community colleges. What began with 800 students in portable classrooms 60 years ago is now a thriving system of campuses with nearly 22,000 enrolled students and more than 1,200 faculty and staff.

“Every employee is key to our students’ success,” says Dr. Lorenz. “It’s real, and the achievement of our students means the world to us.”

“Sixty years from now, I hope that fundamental principle of Seminole State remains, and I expect it will,” adds    

Dr. McGee. “There’s no telling what education will look like that far in the future, but I believe Seminole State will still be a place where students can meet each other and their professors face-to-face, and learn and grow together.”

Remembering Gerry Weldon, the First Lady of Seminole State College

They were known as The Three Musketeers – Dr. E. Ann McGee, Dr. Georgia Lorenz, and Gerry Weldon, the wife of Dr. Earl S. Weldon. A native of Sanford, Gerry was, and will always be, Seminole State’s First Lady. She passed away in May at age 94.

“Gerry was there on the first day of classes at Seminole State helping students park their cars and directing them around the brand-new campus of portable classrooms,” says Dr. McGee.

“Fifty years later, she was part of the panel that interviewed me for this job,” says Dr. Lorenz. “I was so nervous because she was giving me quite a hard stare during the entire interview. She took her role as First Lady very seriously. After the panel, she came over and gave me a hearty handshake, and I breathed a big sigh of relief.”

Gerry and the two college presidents who followed in her husband’s footsteps became the best of friends.

“What other college is fortunate enough to have its founding First Lady involved for 60 years?” asks Dr. McGee. “We were so fortunate to have her and know her.”

Adds Dr. Lorenz, “She was a remarkable woman and a dear friend.”

Six Biggest Milestones in 60 years

1965- The Florida legislature signs the charter for Seminole Junior College

2001- The Oviedo campus opens, today known as the Robert and Jane Lee Campus at Oviedo

2006- Seminole State and UCF partner to launch the DirectConnect program

2008- The Altamonte campus opens

2011- Seminole State awards its first four-year bachelor’s degrees

2025- Seminole State is a top-10 finalist for the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence