History
Indian River State College was authorized by the Florida Legislature in 1959 and has grown from a one-building structure to the dominant educational and cultural center in the community. The College moved to its present campus on Virginia Avenue in 1963 after the City of Fort Pierce donated 87 acres of land to IRSC.
In 1965, with the advent of integration, Indian River Junior College and Lincoln Junior College merged, creating one college to serve students in Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties. As the College continued to grow in scope and role, the Board of Trustees felt a name representative of the College’s comprehensive service was appropriate and, in 1970, changed its name to Indian River Community College.
In 2007, IRSC was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to offer Bachelor's Degree programs in areas of regional need. In July 2008, Governor Crist signed into law a legislative bill that included Indian River in the State College Pilot Project, providing the newly named Indian River State College the opportunity to expand its Baccalaureate programs to meet both regional and statewide employment needs.
In 2013, IRSC created the Virtual Campus (now known as IRSC Global) to provide students with affordable, flexible and quality online learning opportunities that would fit into their lives. Since its inception, IRSC Global has grown to include 15 web-based degrees and hundreds of individual web-based courses.
The past decades have been ones of notable growth at IRSC. IRSC has a reputation for quality that inspires nearly 30,000 students to enroll in classes each year. IRSC stands out as an institution of higher learning dedicated to serving the educational, career training and cultural needs of its surrounding area. Although students from nearly every state and many foreign countries attend the College, it maintains its primary commitment to providing academic, occupational, technical, cultural and service programs that meet the needs of its four-county community. At IRSC, our priority is educational excellence.
In April 2019, the Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, D.C., awarded its highest honor, the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, to Indian River State College. The award is the nation’s signature recognition of high achievement and performance among America’s community colleges. IRSC was selected from more than 1,000 state and community colleges following a rigorous review of data, strategies and outcomes related to student learning, degree and certificate completion, high rates of graduate employment, earnings for graduates, and exceptional access and success for minority and low-income students.
Governed by a District Board of Trustees representative of the four-county area, IRSC maintains an open, innovative administration; a dedicated staff; and concerned, well-qualified faculty. College faculty and staff members contribute to their community through involvement in many local organizations.