{"id":4889,"date":"2022-04-14T20:56:36","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T20:56:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/president\/?p=4889"},"modified":"2023-12-01T14:16:39","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T14:16:39","slug":"president-williams-gives-state-of-the-college-addresses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.spcollege.edu\/president\/2022\/04\/14\/president-williams-gives-state-of-the-college-addresses\/","title":{"rendered":"President Williams Gives State of the College Addresses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

St. Petersburg College hosted the first of two State of the College events, in which SPC President Dr. Tonjua Williams<\/a> invited local citizens and partners to come out to hear about the ways SPC is working for students and the community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a welcome from Jesse Turtle, SPC Foundation Executive Director, and Tashika Griffith, Clearwater Campus Provost, Williams took the stage at the Arts Auditorium, She discussed how SPC supports its student population, which numbers around 42,000 each year, who collectively boast a 78 percent success rate. Williams noted that SPC\u2019s students are non-traditional, with and average age of 27, and a majority working while in school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not our mission to be Harvard or Yale,\u201d Williams said. \u201cWe have a totally different student demographic, and we\u2019re set up to help anyone with a high school diploma or a GED and warm blood in their veins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams went on to outline services that support students in their journeys, including free tutoring, food pantries, clothing closets, free mental health care, bus passes and programs that target certain types of students, like Women on the Way<\/a> and Brother to Brother. She also thanked the SPC Foundation for the $2.2 million in scholarships for students last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur average student is trying to figure out if they should feed their family or their mind. We have to focus on the folks who are struggling,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s what St. Petersburg College was built for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams then turned the conversation to SPC\u2019s social and economic impact on the community, noting that SPC supports 17,547 jobs in Pinellas County, adding 1.2 million in income. She also noted that added income from student spending is $50.2 million dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is a big deal,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re here to serve.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also discussed SPC\u2019s three-year strategic plan, as well as the college\u2019s dedication to filling local jobs and its ability to adapt quickly to the rapidly changing workforce needs in the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEverything changes overnight,\u201d she said. \u201cAs we\u2019re speaking, Amazon, Google and other business are coming up with new programs, jobs, and tactics. We\u2019re hustling trying to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams presented next steps for the college, which include enhancing communication with local businesses and organizations, community building that decreases generational poverty, removing barriers to education and obtaining resources and tools for the economic success of the community. She concluded with a request to the community: Help SPC remove the barriers to education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are hundreds of thousands of people who are unemployed and uneducated,\u201d she said. \u201cHelp us remove those barriers so that we can get them into careers where they can change the trajectory of their generation. Help us break those barriers to help people who have been told no for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Williams held a second and final 2022 State of the College on April 14 at the Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg. Watch this event on YouTube.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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