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Daytona State College

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Coordinates: 29°12′06″N 81°03′05″W / 29.2016°N 81.0513°W / 29.2016; -81.0513
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Daytona State College
Former names
Daytona Beach Junior College (1957–1971)
Daytona Beach Community College (1971–2008)
MottoScientia potentia est (Latin)
Motto in English
"Knowledge is power"
TypePublic college
Established1957; 68 years ago (1957)
Parent institution
Florida College System
AccreditationSACS
Endowment$17 million (2024)[1]
Budget$102.6 million (2024)[2]
PresidentThomas LoBasso
Academic staff
223 (full-time)[3]
575 (part-time)[3]
Undergraduates11,584 (fall 2022)[3]
Location
Daytona Beach
,
Florida
,
United States

29°12′06″N 81°03′05″W / 29.2016°N 81.0513°W / 29.2016; -81.0513
CampusSmall city[3]
ColorsBlue, dark blue, and silver
     
NicknameFalcons
Sporting affiliations
NJCAA Region 8 – Mid-Florida Conference
MascotFreddie the Falcon
Websitewww.daytonastate.edu
Map

Daytona State College (DSC) is a public college in Daytona Beach, Florida, United States. It is part of the Florida College System.

History

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Established by the Florida Legislature in 1957 as Daytona Beach Junior College, the college initially operated as a division of Volusia County Schools. It was one of Florida's first comprehensive colleges.[4] In 1968, the college's administrative structure was reformed into an independent District Board of Trustees. Renamed Daytona Beach Community College in 1971, it became a four-year institution in 2006 and was renamed "Daytona State College" in 2008 to reflect its expanded degree offerings.[4]

Campuses

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Daytona State College operates multiple campuses in Volusia and Flagler counties, each offering a range of programs and facilities tailored to their respective communities.

Daytona Beach Campus

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The Daytona Beach Campus is the original and largest campus of Daytona State College. It opened in 1957 following authorization by the Florida Legislature to establish Daytona Beach Junior College as one of the state’s first comprehensive community colleges. In 1965, Volusia County Community College – one of Florida’s 12 black community colleges and a separate institution under the school system – was merged into DBJC. The college was renamed Daytona Beach Community College in 1971 and became Daytona State College in 2008, reflecting its transition to a four-year institution offering bachelor's degrees.

Located on 115 acres in Daytona Beach near the Daytona International Speedway, the campus serves more than 18,000 students annually. It offers bachelor’s degrees, Associate of Arts (university transfer) and Associate of Science degrees, adult education, and workforce certificate programs. The campus supports select degree programs in partnership with the University of Central Florida.

The campus houses the college's primary administrative offices and several major facilities, including the Southeast Museum of Photography, the Mori Hosseini College of Hospitality and Culinary Management, Falcon Athletics (NJCAA Division I), a fitness center and indoor pool, the student-run television station WDSC-TV 15, the L. Gale Lemerand Student Center, and a 256-bed student residence hall.[5]

DeLand Campus

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The DeLand Campus opened in 1987 in a converted supermarket and moved to its current 103-acre location in 1981. Serving approximately 2,100 students, the campus offers academic and workforce programs. The campus is also the home of the college's Law Enforcement Academy firearms and vehicle operations training.[6]

Deltona Campus

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The Deltona Campus opened in 2004 on a 100-acre site in West Volusia County. Serving approximately 1,600 students, the campus offers academic and workforce programs. In 2024, the campus expanded with the opening of a new 30,000 square foot classroom, laboratory, and advanced manufacturing building. The facility supports an expanded Nursing program and the Diagnostic Medical Sonography and CNC Machining programs.[7]

Flagler/Palm Coast Campus

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The Flagler/Palm Coast Campus opened in 1979 as the Flagler County Center in the Palm Harbor Shopping Center before transitioning to its current home on a 100-acre site in Palm Coast in Flagler County. Serving approximately 1,400 students, the campus offers academic and workforce programs. Students can complete prerequisites for the Associate of Science degree Business Administration on campus with core requirements available online. The campus is also home to a Paramedic Certificate program.[8]

The campus is home to the Alan Smolen Amphitheatre, a cultural centerpiece that hosts community events throughout the year, including the annual Palm Coast Songwriters Festival.[9]

New Smyrna Beach/Edgewater Campus

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The New Smyrna Beach/Edgewater Campus opened in 1978 on a 93-acre site in New Smyrna Beach, serving approximately 1,000 students in southern Volusia County. The campus offers academic and workforce programs that can be completed entirely on site, including an Associate of Arts (university transfer) degree; Associate of Science degrees in Nursing and GED preparation. Students can also complete prerequisites for several Associate of Science degree programs on campus. Additionally, students can complete introductory courses for a certificate in CNC machining. In addition to other academic and student services, the campus is home to a Workforce Training Lab that includes classrooms, two science laboratories and a learning center.

Advanced Technology College

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The Advanced Technology College opened in 2001 and serves approximately 2,200 students on a 25-acre site. It is a hub for the college's engineering, computer science, and career and technical education programs. It houses the Mary Karl College of Workforce & Continuing Education's School of Workforce Training, the School of Computer Science, and the Angela & D.S. Patel School of Engineering Technology. It also houses the Charles M. Curb School of Emergency Services as it transitions to the DeLand Campus. This college is designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.

News-Journal Center

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The News-Journal Center was acquired by Daytona State College in 2009. It serves approximately 125 students and is home to the college's music production technology program and the Mike Curb College of Music, Entertainment & Art. The News-Journal Center hosts college and community performances and features two live performance theaters connected via fiber-optic network to a studio control room, enabling multi-track audio recording of live events. Additional facilities include rehearsal spaces, isolation rooms and two professional production studios.

Academics

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Daytona State College offers more than 100 academic programs, including certificate, associate and bachelor's degree options. In some instances, programs of study are formally linked to nationwide programs. For example, the college hosts the Florida Sunshine Chapter of the Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education, the first program of its kind in the state. This initiative, a partnership between Daytona State and local manufacturers, connects students in the Associate of Science in Engineering Technology program with paid, hands-on experience over the course of five semesters during which students split their time between the classroom and workforce.[10]

Student Life

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Daytona State College offers more than 50 student clubs and organizations, including those focused on the arts, media and performance, intramural athletics, gaming and academic honors. The Student Government Association (SGA) serves as a liaison between students, faculty and the administration, and plays an active role in the College’s policy-making process. SGA members participate in community service projects across Volusia and Flagler counties and engage in statewide initiatives through the Florida College System Student Government Association.

Students receive free or discounted admission to intercollegiate athletic events and college-sponsored performances at the News-Journal Center.

The College provides on-campus housing for 256 students in its Student Residence Hall which opened in 2022.[11]  Fundraising efforts underway to support development of a second residence hall on the Daytona Beach Campus.

Athletics

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Daytona State College fields four men’s teams – baseball, basketball, cross country and soccer; seven women’s teams – basketball, cross country, flag football, golf, soccer, softball and volleyball; and one co-ed program in esports.

The Falcons compete in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 8 and the Citrus Conference (formerly the Mid-Florida Conference) while the esports teams compete in NJCAA Esports (NJCAAE) competition. As of July 2025, the College has claimed 12 NJCAA national championships, including titles in women’s soccer[12] and women’s golf. The esports team has earned three NJCAAE national championships – one in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and two in Rocket League.

Freddie the Falcon is the College’s official mascot and teams compete under the nickname “The Falcons.”

The college has been selected multiple times to host NJCAA national championships in golf and soccer.[13]

Daytona State College athletes are regularly recognized for academic excellence. Since 2021, four Falcons have been named Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) Scholar-Athlete of the Year. DSC teams have earned FCSAA Academic Team of the Year honors 34 times since the 2006–07 academic year, along with 20 NJCAA Academic Team of the Year awards.

Athletic facilities

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Athletic facilities at the college include:

  • The Lemerand Athletic Center on the Daytona Beach Campus which includes a 1,000-seat gymnasium, fitness center, aquatic center and academic classrooms. Built in 1997, the center supports athletic events and health-related academic programs.
  • The baseball complex and Halifax Softball Station which was built in 1998 and 1995, respectively, on the Daytona Beach Campus. It includes dedicated fields for men's baseball and women's softball. The baseball field features stadium lighting for evening games, a press box, concession stand and chair-back seating and is one of only two lighted baseball facilities in the Mid-Florida Conference. The softball field is also fully lighted and bordered by palm trees along the outfield fence, creating a distinctive Florida atmosphere.
  • Daytona State Stadium which was opened in 2017 on the Daytona Beach campus. It is home to the college's men's and women's soccer teams as well as the women's flag football team. The 800-seat stadium also serves as a venue for local soccer clubs, school teams and community events, regularly hosting clinics and tournaments for youth and amateur players.
  • The Falcon Esports Center, opened in 2023, is located in the Lemerand Student Center on the Daytona Beach campus and houses 18 state-of-the-art gaming set-ups, shoutcasting, and live streaming capabilities for the esports program.

Notable alumni

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References

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  1. ^ Marra, Andrew (February 12, 2024). "Two Florida universities have more than $1 billion in endowments to invest on campus". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  2. ^ "Annual Budget Summary - Fiscal Year 2024-25 (Daytona State College)". Florida Department of Education. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Daytona State College. National Center for Education Statistics (College Navigator). Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b "History of Daytona State College" Archived 2011-10-05 at the Wayback Machine. Daytona State College Catalog. Daytona State College. Retrieved June 17, 2011.
  5. ^ Harper, Mark (May 5, 2022). "Daytona State College opens residence hall to raves from students; waiting list tops 800". The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Harper, Mark. "DSC plans $6M law enforcement academy with shooting range in DeLand". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  7. ^ Harper, Mark. "Daytona State College opens new Deltona building for sonography, nursing, CNC machining". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  8. ^ "Daytona State College adds paramedic certification at Flagler campus to address shortage". Central Florida Public Media. March 12, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  9. ^ Abbott, Jim. "Palm Coast Songwriters Festival marks reopening of Daytona State's Flagler amphitheater". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  10. ^ "FAME Signs Students to Marine Industry Training - Trade Only Today". tradeonlytoday.com. June 24, 2025. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  11. ^ Harper, Mark. "Daytona State College opens residence hall to raves from students; waiting list tops 800". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  12. ^ Vinel, Chris. "Inside Daytona State's wild run to first NJCAA women's soccer championship". Daytona Beach News-Journal Online. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  13. ^ "DSC Hosting 2 NJCAA Championships In 2021". WNDB - News Daytona Beach. April 22, 2019. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  14. ^ "'The greatest day in the history of Hong Kong golf' as sensation Tiffany Chan seals qualification for the Olympics | South China Morning Post". Scmp.com. July 12, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  15. ^ "Representative Joyce Cusack". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  16. ^ "Friday’s local briefs: Magic sign Daytona State product Solomon Jones", News-JournalOnline Archived 2021-07-09 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  17. ^ "Brian Kelley". Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  18. ^ "Justin Lawrence". Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  19. ^ "Patrica Meyers" Archived 2007-10-30 at the Wayback Machine. LPGA. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  20. ^ "Clay Pickering". Retrieved February 2, 2020.
  21. ^ "A Computer Whiz Kid Challenges the Big Boys", Florida Trend Aug 1987. Retrieved October 30, 2013.
  22. ^ "Representative Dwayne L. Taylor". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved June 10, 2011.
  23. ^ "One on One with Jamie Watson". Major League Soccer. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
  24. ^ [1]. Daytona State Falcons. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
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