JUNE 2025
President's Updates
SUMMER 2025 Update
President Joe Pickens, the Honorable John Thrasher, the Honorable Jim Horne
This month, we lost a friend of St. Johns River State College and one of the greats of Clay County and the State of Florida. John Thrasher truly was a statesman and gentleman.
His remarkable 30-year career of public service and devotion to the State of Florida began with the Clay County School Board, continued in the House and Senate, and ended at his beloved alma mater, Florida State University.
As Speaker of the House, he worked closely with former Gov. Jeb Bush to reform the state’s education system, significantly improving education in Florida and raising Florida’s standing in the nation.
During this period, John Thrasher was an avid supporter of St. Johns River Community College. He and former Senator Jim Horne worked tirelessly to achieve Dr. McLendon’s dream of a performing arts and conference center on SJR State’s Orange Park Campus.
In 2014, he was named president of his beloved alma mater, Florida State University. He served FSU until 2021 and retired president emeritus.
Although no words can adequately describe John Thrasher, those who knew him try: “remarkable ability to bring people together,” “one of the greatest men I’ve ever known,” “shining example of what a man of integrity, courage and conviction can be in this often challenging world,” “gentleman, lawmaker, leader, mentor, friend,” “a legend.” I add to this list, statesman of the highest order.
Because much of his service benefitted Northeast Florida, it was important for us, his Clay County family, to do a homecoming for him in the Thrasher-Horne Center. Thank you, Thrasher family, for allowing us this honor.
Indeed, Florida, FSU, Clay County and St. Johns River State College are far better because of John Thrasher. Farewell my friend!
Spring 2025 Update
SJR State President Joe Pickens, Viktor, First Lady Carol Pickens
We’re so happy to have you at SJR State for the spring semester! I imagine by this time you are settled in your classes, and the weather is going back to normal.
We are still seeing growth in our Viking family as enrollment increased for the sixth consecutive semester. Many of you are on campus and enjoying the activities and comradery; others are taking advantage of the convenience of online classes. We are happy to serve all students. I’d love to hear from you about your SJR State experience!
Speaking of service, SJR State is pleased to welcome three new trustees to our District Board of Trustees: Nick Primrose, of St. Johns County, is the Chief of Regulatory Compliance of the Jacksonville Port Authority. Chereese Stewart, of Clay County, is the Assistant County Manager for the Clay County Board of County Commissioners, and Cyrus Zomorodian, of St. Johns County, is an Assistant State Attorney in the Fourth Circuit State Attorney’s Office. Current Trustee Jud Sapp, of Clay County, was reappointed to serve another term. The commitment of our trustees empowers SJR State to serve our community and create an environment where students thrive.
There are several days in our school year that make me especially proud to be your president, and Vikings Days of Service are two of those days. In January, 189 Vikings sprang into service completing 521 hours of community service throughout Clay, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties during our Vikings Days of Service.
In March, we are opening our campuses to prospective students and the community. The first open house is March 1 at Florida School of the Arts. The Orange Park Campus open house is March 3, and St. Augustine follows on March 6; the Palatka Campus will hold its open house on March 11. Please spread the word to family and friends who may be interested in becoming a Viking. They can learn more and sign up to attend here.
As you begin enrollment for spring and fall, keep in mind we are adding five new bachelor’s programs this fall: Biological Science, Human Services, Exceptional Student Education (ESE), Entertainment Technology and Visual Media with specializations in animation and digital design, pending final approvals. We heard from you that you love SJR State and would like to complete your education here. We can’t wait to offer you these options!
For those of you close to completing your programs, graduation is just around the corner. On May 2, 2025, at 10 a.m., we’ll hold spring commencement. I hope to see you there.
Have a great spring semester!
Fall 2024 Update
2024 Vikings Fall into Service Day
Campuses opened this fall with more students than we’ve seen in a few years, with enrollment up over 10 percent. I love seeing our parking lots and Viking Centers full, so full in fact, I had trouble finding a parking spot.
Our students were happy to start the school year and were excitedly talking about classes, meeting with friends, playing pool and eating walking tacos. The energy on campus was palpable.
We successfully opened five new programs, bachelor’s Information Systems Technology and Applied Intelligence Studies, and associate degrees in Computer Programming, Paralegal and Sonography, to full cohorts. We’re currently working on five more to open next fall.
To better serve students, we have several construction projects going on at the Palatka Campus. We broke ground on our $20M student housing facility in July, expected to open fall 2025. In addition, we began renovation of the library and will soon begin renovation and construction at Florida School of the Arts. The transformation of the Palatka Campus is well underway.
You may have seen some Vikings in your community on September 13, for the 2024 Vikings Fall into Service Day. Our faculty, staff and students served 12 organizations collecting 250 pounds of roadside trash, providing 27 blood donors, pressure washing, organizing, and stocking shelves, pulling weeds, painting, and caring for shelter animals. See us in action on our college Flickr channel.
If you like theatre, I invite you to the Thrasher- Horne Center at our Orange Park campus as they partner with our Florida School of the Arts students from the Palatka Campus to perform Eurydice. In October, our students will perform The Rocky Horror Show in Palatka.
Next month, we will celebrate 20 years of the Thrasher-Horne Center and its namesake, John Thrasher, at our annual President’s Gala. If you are interested in attending, you can find out more below.
As you can see, we have much more to look forward to this fall. I will keep you informed about the exciting things happening at SJR State in the coming months. Look for your next Viking Vision in February!
Summer 2024 Update
Vikings celebrate first-ever NJCAA Softball World Series title.
Usually, it is Independence Day that begins our summer with a bang, but our celebrations began early this year as our Viking Softball and Baseball teams both won regional tournaments and headed to their respective world series competitions.
Carole and I traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina, to watch our Lady Vikings sweep the World Series with five straight wins to bring home the first-ever NJCAA Softball World Series title. I hope you will watch the exciting video below that shows our team win in the most spectacular fashion!
As soon as the softball world series concluded, we were off to Enid, Oklahoma, to cheer on our Vikings in the baseball world series. Like the Lady Vikings, the guys played with determination and heart to make it to the semi-final game losing in heartbreaking fashion in the bottom of the ninth inning to the eventual national champion. This marks the second year in a row that they have lost to the national champion in the semi-final game.
We’ve had an incredible year! In addition to the wins, these scholar athletes have a combined 3.4 GPA. Carole and I are so proud of the athletic talent, academic commitment, determination and spirit of these teams and their coaches: Joe Pound, Britney Purser, Ross Jones, Matt Kennedy, and Chase Malloy.
Prior to the athletics excitement, we made SJR State history with our most attended spring graduation ceremony. We continue to see our dual enrollment program and graduates grow. Of the 570 candidates for graduation, 150 were dual enrollment students from Clay, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties.
I’m excited to report our trend of increasing enrollment at SJR State continues for the fourth consecutive semester with summer enrollment up seven percent. It is wonderful to see more students both online and on our campuses.
To meet the needs of these students, we’re excited to report renovations and new facilities on the horizon at the Palatka Campus. This summer we are renovating the library and breaking ground on our student housing facility. I hope you will join us on July 18 at 9 a.m. for our groundbreaking ceremony at the Palatka Campus.
I’ll have lots to report this fall. Look for your next Viking Vision in September.
Spring 2024 Update
Nursing student Abigail Szabo and SJR State President Joe Pickens at Open House.
The beginning of 2024 and spring have been so busy it’s hard to believe it’s already March.
Our spring semester began with enrollment up for the third consecutive semester. We are enjoying more students on campus. SJR State was recognized as an Aspen Top 150 College and received the Military Friendly designation once again this year. These accolades indicate we are working hard to meet students’ needs and ensure their success. I’m so proud of the commitment our faculty and staff show to our students.
In January, 398 Vikings sprang into service completing 775 hours of community service throughout Clay, Putnam, and St. Johns Counties during our Vikings Days of Service. We also hosted three successful Open Houses, one at each of our campuses. In February at our Palatka Campus, 40 potential students made a personal connection with the campus, our programs, faculty, and staff resulting in 17 new Vikings applications and numerous FAFSA forms were completed.
In March at St. Augustine, we welcomed 102 potential students, not including family members, and 70 of those completed the program passport, indicating they visited at least six program tables. Florida School of the Arts registered three people for auditions, and 26 attendees applied for the summer/fall semesters! In Orange Park, 130 potential students attended the event and 60 applied to become Vikings. We love welcoming prospective students, family, and friends to our campuses.
I’m pleased to announce we are adding five new programs this fall: Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, Applied Intelligence Studies, Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Systems Technology, Associate in Science in Computer Programming and Analysis, Associate in Science in Diagnostic Medical Sonography, Associate in Science in Paralegal Studies. We added these programs based on student request and workforce need and are pleased to be the only college in our area offering sonography.
Graduation is just around the corner. May 3, 2024, at 10 a.m., we’ll hold spring commencement. I hope to see you there!
OCTOBER 2023
Fall 2023 Update
SJR State President Joe Pickens enjoys time with nursing students at a Popcorn with the President event to kick off the fall semester.
As you can see from this photo, we had a great start to the 2023-24 school year at SJR State! Our enrollment is up nine percent this fall compared to last year. The faculty, staff, and I love having more students on campus and attending events like Popcorn with the President.
Many of our students participate in dual enrollment and complete college courses while in high school. Some will graduate high school with an Associate in Arts degree this spring. We have seen a steady increase in dual enrollment and value our partnerships with the school districts in our service area. We’re enjoying welcoming counselors from our partner high schools to campus this fall to learn more about dual enrollment and other opportunities at SJR State.
Usually, summers are a bit slower and quieter around SJR State, but this summer was an exception. If you haven’t heard, our Viking baseball team earned a spot at the NJCAA Division II Junior College World Series for the first time in SJR State history. I had the opportunity to join the team and Coach Jones in Enid, Oklahoma, where our Vikings played their hearts out and made it to the final four. We’re so proud of their athletic accomplishments, but even more proud that they are also scholar athletes maintaining a cumulative team 3.28 GPA, with seven players making the Academic All-American Team.
Another first at SJR State is CDL and heavy equipment operator course offerings. This fall, we partnered with National Training, Inc. in Green Cove Springs to offer Class A and B CDL courses. This is one of many workforce opportunities we’re exploring under the leadership of Dr. Nate Southerland, Assistant Vice President for Workforce Development.
This fall, we are completing our portion of the reaffirmation process for SACSCOC accreditation. I’m pleased to announce the visiting SACSCOC committee had no recommendations for us and used words like “stellar” and “exemplary” to describe our work at SJR State. I must say, I beamed with pride as they talked about our staff and faculty. SJR State reaffirmation will be complete when the final report goes before the SACSCOC Board in June for approval.
You may have seen some Vikings in your community on September 15, for the 2023 Vikings Fall into Service Day. We are pleased to report 189 SJR State employees and students completed 521 hours of service, and we collected 2,557 food and personal care items for distribution to those in need. We’d love for you to see us in action on our college Flickr channel.
It’s clear our school year has begun with a bang, and we have much more to look forward to this fall. I will keep you informed about the great things happening at SJR State in the coming months. Look for your next Viking Vision in January!