CRESTVIEW — There will be celebrations in Twin Hills Park next week, and not just to observe Northwest Florida State College’s more than 20-year presence in Crestview.
The Sikes Education Center provides more than convenient academics for more than 1,200 North Okaloosa County students a year, administrators say. It also offers programs and services that residents can use without venturing to the school’s main Niceville campus.
Coursework isn’t entirely for full-time students, either. “We’re very proud to offer GED classes and also ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes,” center Director Patrice Williams-Shuford said.
“In-house, we offer general education courses for those students attending NWFSC. They can do a great deal of their class work without leaving Crestview.”
Students can also find administrative services for the entire NWFSC system at the Sikes Center, Williams-Shuford said.
“They don’t have to go down to Niceville for basic registrar or admission services,” she said. “We can do those things here by scanning documents or couriering them down.”
The former Okaloosa-Walton Community College started offering local courses in 1982 at what was built in 1976 as Crestview’s public library. In 1994, the college bought the building from the city, which built the present library on Commerce Drive. In November 1995, the Sikes Center was dedicated as a branch of the college.
“We like to think of it as a mini-college,” Williams-Shuford said. “We’re very proud that we have this facility that can service our outlying communities like Laurel Hill, Holt and Baker.”
WANT TO GO?
What: Northwest Florida State College Crestview Campus 20th Anniversary Celebration including presentations, student performances, tours and refreshments
When: Oct. 20; 2 p.m. open house; 3 p.m. reception, program and tours
Where: Northwest Florida State College Sikes Center, Twin Hills Park, Crestview
Cost: Free
WANT TO GO?
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: NWF State College celebrates 20 years in Crestview