Our History
Central Florida Junior College was established in 1957 when community leaders and citizens envisioned an educational resource that would help Marion, Citrus and Levy counties to grow and prosper. With foresight and determination those community leaders planted the seed that has become the educational hub of the tri-county area.
In 1958, Hampton Junior College opened as one of the first black, two-year colleges in the state, and in 1966 the colleges merged. The name was changed to Central Florida Community College in 1971 to reflect more accurately the character and purpose of the college serving a larger community.
The Ocala Campus was established on a 60-acre tract donated by Atlantic Realty and Investment Company and the city of Ocala and over time has grown to include 140 acres. The attractive campus is at a crossroads of the growing community, between downtown Ocala and Interstate 75 on State Road 200. The campus has been recognized by Marion County for its beautiful grounds.
In 1982, the Bronson Center opened on a 20-acre site east of Bronson. In 1993, the campus was relocated to the Levy Center in Chiefland, where services and enrollment continued to climb. In 2008, the college procured a site for a permanent center in Levy County. The Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus opened in August 2017, thanks to support from the Florida legislature, the Governor and private donors.
The college also offered classes in Citrus County for many years before partnering with the Citrus County School Board to establish an educational complex in Lecanto in 1984. To accommodate a growing need, a free-standing campus opened in 1996 on 88 acres in Lecanto. A new Learning and Conference Center opened at the Citrus Campus in October 2009. the Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus, CF’s second largest campus, is located on just under 100 acres on the Nature Coast, sitting directly off of U.S. 491 in Lecanto.
CF’s Hampton Center opened in 1996 on the site of the former Florida State Fire College in west Ocala. The facility was completely rebuilt and reopened in 2004. The Hampton Center is an important presence in the west Ocala area, offering Dental academic programs as well as a dental clinic.
The college maintained a partnership interest in the Appleton Museum of Art for more than a decade before accepting full responsibility for operations in 2004. The museum has become even more of a teaching and learning institution, offering classes and tours, and helping to serve the cultural needs of the community.
In 2016, the Vintage Farm was donated to the college by a longtime Marion County supporter of education and agriculture. The 103-acre farm includes a newly renovated farmhouse and large barn and its purpose is to provide an experiential agriculture education utilizing practical, hands-on training. CF’s Associate in Science programs in Equine Studies and Agribusiness and the Bachelor of Applied Science in Business and Organizational Management Agribusiness and Equine Studies specializations all offer classes at the Vintage Farm.
Over the years, academic programs have been added, revised and phased out as determined by community needs. What started as a two-year college offering certificates and associate degrees is now a four-year college offering baccalaureate degrees in select workforce programs. The college’s reach has also expanded as online academic programs have taken hold. And the college’s impact has grown immeasurably as our alumni have joined the workforce in our community, our state, the nation and the world.
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