Chipola Junior College – Past, Present, Future
Chipola Junior College opened its doors in 1947 and immediately faced the threat of closing one year later. A call to the citizens of Jackson County stayed the closing and today, the now Chipola College is one of the most prestigious colleges in Florida and throughout the United States.
Below is an article taken from All Florida Magazine, a publication that is no longer in existence, written by Dale M. Titler September 2, 1956. It gives vivid details of the beginning of what was then Chipola Junior College, the struggles and successes endured.
There is a small plateau in Jackson County in Northwest Florida called Weeden Island, although no one remembers how it got that name since it is not encircled by water. This much is known, however: Weeden Island was the council grounds for a small tribe of Indians – the Chipolas – who were killed during the Seminole Wars.
Today, another band of Indians meets on that island, but on their field of combat they compete with a basketball instead of a tomahawk. For this island is now the campus of Chipola Junior College. One of Florida’s newest and fastest growing educational institutions, the school is aptly named by its student body, “The Biggest Little College in the South.” Many a Jackson County sports fan takes pride in the Chipola Indians’ basketball team which has eared nationwide publicity as the highest scoring junior college team in the nation.
From its beginning in 1947 as a private co-educational school on an abandoned air base that accommodated a handful of students and instructors, Chipola has grown until it now has 422 students and 25 instructors. One year after it opened, the young college was faced with closing. Then, in July of 1949, Kenneth G. Skaggs, former dean of Georgia Military Academy, assumed administrative duties and brought it back to life. That same year, the college was established as a division of the educational system of Jackson County to provide low-cost two-year college opportunities for students of Jackson, Calhoun, and Washington counties.
Its service and welfare to the community as well as the state has been recognized, for in 1945 only seven percent of the high school graduates of these three counties attended college. Today over 40 percent seek higher education, chiefly at Chipola, where last year alone, student enrollment increased by 50 percent. Thirty percent of Jackson County’s teachers have received instruction there also. Last June, students from eight states as well as 14 Florida counties attended school there.
Chipola Junior College is growing in property. Five buildings are soon to be added, including a science building, a student center and auditorium, as administrative building and a new library. Dormitories on campus are planned, but for the present time 60 non-resident students live at Chipola Circle Apartments, six miles from the nearest town, Marianna, and served hourly by bus.
President Kenneth Staggs is highly respected among the nation’s junior college circles. In the dual role of president and dean, he has steered the college over a straight, but sometimes difficult course. In 1954, construction of the college’s $80,000 all-purpose building and gymnasium was halted due to lack of funding. The $23,000 already subscribed was gone and $15,000 was needed to complete the buildings. Through an open letter to the citizens of Jackson County, President Skaggs sparked a drive that soon raised the needed amount.
Policies of the college itself account largely for its success. The cost of training here is well below university rates; local students can attend on about $150 a year while it costs out-of-town dormitory students about $550. The college has a broad selection of basic two-year courses; pre-med, pre-science, pre-engineering, and liberal arts courses are the main subjects. Requirements for graduation is 64 credit hours for students who do not wish to continue beyond two years, Chipola offers business and vocational courses under its Terminal Education Division.
“Throughout all the training,” President Skaggs says, “a high academic standard is maintained with emphasis on the development of leadership and integrity. One important advantage here is that the student is not lost in a large class, but is offered the individual academic attention when and where he needs it.” He points out with pride, “Our graduates have done well in other schools. Students, who have gone on to such schools as Georgia Tech, Emery, Duke and other top schools, reflect their early training at Chipola.” He may well be proud also of his well-qualified faculty and a library of over 7,000 volumes and 118 periodicals.
Extra-curricular activities and social functions round out the program. Among them are dances, barbecues, and picnics at nearby Florida Caverns State Park and beautiful Blue Springs. Amoun the student organizations is the large and popular Glee Club, which recently completed its first tour of Florida. Math and Vets clubs, as well as a Christian Workers Fellowship and La Chipo, an organization only for girls. The Radio Club reports students activities over Station WTYS. The Chipola Papoose, a bi-weekly newspaper, and “Chijuco,” the yearbook offer excellent training for aspiring journalists.
Whatever the reasons for its rapid rise, Chipola Junior College near Marianna has the right combination of planning, know-how, and leadership that have moulded it into the top-notch educational institute it is. If spirit and pride are counted, Chipola certainly becomes the “Biggest Little College in the South.”
For the 2024-2025 academic year, Chipola had 2765 unduplicated students and 5,203 duplicated, credit and clock hour students enrolled. Included in this number are 551 Workforce students enrolled (clock hours). In addition to its expanded workforce programs, Chipola College offers bachelor’s degrees in numerous fields.