Polk State College history

In 1966, ground was broken for Polk State’s first permanent campus, Polk State Winter Haven, located on the shores of Lake Elbert.

In 1968, with what was then Polk Junior College, the Winter Haven campus was developed on a 100-acre site on the shores of Lake Elbert near downtown.

The college acquired a 130-acre citrus grove adjacent to Traviss Technical Center in 1978 to serve the growing population in the Lakeland and Bartow area.

In 1982 Maryly Van Leer Peck became the first woman community college president in Florida.

By 1988, Polk State’s footprint in the county had grown to include a second campus, Polk State Lakeland, located on a former orange grove along United States 98 South between Lakeland and Bartow.

In 2006, the modern Lakeland Technology Building (LTB) was opened as the largest building on a Polk State Campus.

To reflect its new status as a baccalaureate institution, in 2009 the College changed its name to Polk State; previously it had been known as Polk Community College and, earlier in its history, Polk Junior College.

In 2011, the College underwent a rebranding, adopting the Eagle as its mascot — chosen based on Polk County’s large eagle population — and a red, black and white color scheme.

In 2014, the Polk State Clear Springs Advanced Technology Center opened off State Road 60 in Bartow.

In 2016, the Polk State Center for Public Safety opened in Winter Haven.

5.21.21 Polk State Chain of Lakes Collegiate High School students plant tree in honor of 2021 class