15
Biggest Cheerleader
Dr. Carol Probstfeld, President
of State College of Florida,
Manatee-Sarasota, may have
been working with the college since
2003 - but she still walks onto campus
with the same level of enthusiasm as her
very first day. “They say that when you
love what you do then you’ll never work
a day in your life,” she enthuses. “Well, it
will sound corny, but I love what I do and
am fulfilled when I see that we’re meeting
the needs of students and creating a
community of opportunity.”
Dr. Probstfeld started at SCF in 2003
as vice president of business and
administrative services. In this role, she
oversaw the budgets and administrative
operations for the college, a $100
million enterprise that creates a $432
million annual economic impact on
the region.
Established in 1957, SCF is the area’s
oldest and largest public college
with more than 50,000 graduates.
With campuses in Bradenton, Venice
and Lakewood Ranch and an online
presence, SCF serves 11,000 credit
students annually and another 14,000
noncredit participants.
The college prepares students for
university transfer with its Associate in
Arts degree or for immediate employment
with 29 workforce Associate in Science
degrees, six Baccalaureate degrees and
28 certificate programs.
Passionate President
Dr. Probstfeld was named SCF president
in January 2013. Five years later, she
continues to savor every single moment
of her important position. “The interaction
with our faculty, students and staff is what
I enjoy most as president,” she explains.
“Each day I am inspired and energized
as we discuss new program ideas, the
dreams of our youth and see the results
of some of the best and brightest students
in our region.”
“I am this institution’s biggest fan,” she
adds. And she’s certainly no fair-weather
fan, according to her staff. They say Dr.
Probstfeld attends as many SCF events
as possible and brags frequently about
the college.
Of course, Dr. Probstfeld admits that her
position is not immune to challenges. “The
biggest challenge is seeing unfulfilled
potential in a resource-constrained
environment,” she points out. “However,
challenge accepted!” she enthuses.
“Talk about inspiration for being creative
and innovative – you’ll find it when you’re
receiving 350 applicants for a nursing
program in which you can only enroll 160
students and there’s a statewide shortage
of nurses.”
Originally from Whittier, California, Dr.
Probstfeld received her doctorate in
Organizational Leadership from Argosy
University, an MBA from John Carroll
University, and Bachelor’s degrees in
Accounting and Marketing from California
State Polytechnic University.
“I was attracted to SCF as a community
college,” she recalls. “As a student, I’ve
experienced large public and small
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WORDS: Amy Bell
PICTURES: Whitney Patton