When Central Florida Junior College opened its doors in 1957, it welcomed 286 students.

Since then, it has merged with Hampton Junior, changed its name to Central Florida Community College, sprouted campuses in Citrus, Marion and Levy counties.

This fall, CFCC welcomed 8,350 students to its campuses, and it started the process to offer four-year degrees in four areas.

All that progress means it's time for a name change, CFCC President Charles Dassance said. And he's looking to the community the college serves for some suggestions with a survey at the school's web site.

Dr. Dassance, who spoke to the Chiefland Rotary Club on Sept. 23, said the school has grown 40 percent since  2000. The Levy County campus, located in Chiefland, has grown by 30 percent, and donations to build the Jack Wilkinson campus north of Chiefland are still coming. 

The declining economy has also boosted enrollment. “When the economy goes down, enrollment goes up as workers look to retrain and learn new skills,” he said.

“The last thing we wanted to do with students and displaced workers was turn anybody away because they did not have the money,” he said. Dassance said some colleges and universities have limited enrollment because of tight money, but not CFCC.

“We're going to try to enroll every student we can,” he said. It's part of the school's bond with the community it serves.

But, it may be time for the school to shed the “community college” name that was so popular just 30 years ago.

One reason for the change is the state no longer has a community college system, replacing it with the State College System. And the two-year schools have been busy changing their names: Of the state's 28 community colleges, seven are now a “state college” and six are already “college.”

“I would not be surprised if they're not all state colleges,” Dassance said.

“But one thing I want to stress is we're not changing who we are,” he said.

When the state changed the governing system for the colleges, it also opened the door to four-year degrees and a process for renaming the schools.

He said the board is pursuing offering a “workforce baccalaureate” in law enforcement, corrections and public safety. Other four-year degrees would be in information technology, agriculture — especially in equine training, and health management.

This week, the school announced a survey will be available at the CFCC web site, www.CF.edu, until Oct. 31.

Once the survey has been completed, a task force will review the submissions. Several options will be presented to the board as early as December. The name change will not take effect until July 1.

While also giving the update on changes at the school, Dassance also told the Rotary Club that the Levy Center is still on track, although construction has been delayed.

He said the school has met the goal set by the Legislature to raise $1.5 million toward the construction of the new campus, and has exceeded it. With the gift by the late Jack Wilkinson, a retired math teacher at Chiefland High School, and others, the school has raised close to $4 million for the $12 to $14 million project.

“But that all got pushed back,” Dassance said. The 2009 legislative session saw “the bottom fall out on PECO funds,” he added. PECO or Public Education Capital Outlay money from the state has dried up.

“Not $1 for any new construction for state schools,” he said. “So we have changed our plans.”

The CFCC president said, “I can't tell you when we're going to build this project. But every cent will stay in Levy County . . . we're just going to put it in some pretty conservative investments.

“If the economy comes back, it will be the next big thing we do.”