James L. Wattenbarger Endowed Fellowship

Since 1999, faculty and friends have been funding this fellowship in honor of James L. Wattenbarger, a Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Education at UF. Dr. Wattenbarger is a true pioneer of education and the mastermind behind Florida’s community college system. In 1957, largely due to his research and book, A State Plan for Public Junior Colleges, Florida announced its plan to build 28 community colleges within commuting distance of 99 percent of the state’s population. The Florida system now enrolls more than 800,000 students and has been used as a model for other systems not only in the United States, but all over the world. Both historians and students alike recognize the Florida Community College System as being the best in the nation. In 2004, Wattenbarger was honored for his efforts at his namesake Wattenbarger Building on the Santa Fe Community College Northwest Campu