Facilities - Continued

The Okaloosa-Walton Community College and the University of West Florida Fort Walton Beach Campus is a fully combined joint campus which provides higher education opportunities ranging from Associate to Masters degree programs, as well as non-credit and adult basic education programs. In addition, the campus houses OWCC's various economic development programs including: the Economic Development Council of Okaloosa County, the Technology Coast Manufacturing & Engineering Network, the Gulf Coast Alliance for Technology Transfer, the Quality Institute, the Northwest Florida Manufacturing Technology Center and the Institute for Professional Development. The campus also houses the college's Distance Learning program.

The OWCC/UWF campus is located on a 156-acre wooded site on Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and includes the following permanent facilities:

Administration (S) (1): houses administrative offices and the business and registration offices of both institutions, a large community meeting room, and two conference rooms.

Student Services (T) (2): contains the campus College Store, student center, student government offices and counseling offices.

Classroom Building (U) (3): houses classrooms and the Assessment Center serving Okaloosa County.

Classroom Building (V) (4): comprised of faculty offices, classrooms, a reading improvement laboratory, and offices.

Utilities and Maintenance Building (W) (5): houses the air conditioning and heating equipment, central services, maintenance, and custodial/grounds functions for the campus.

Science Building (X) (6): contains science laboratory facilities for programs in earth science, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Technology Building (Y) (7): houses computer laboratories, classrooms, and OWCC's various Economic Development programs.

Library, Fitness Center, Auditorium (Z) (8): contains a 14,391 volume graduate level library, fitness center, dance studio, and a 230 seat lecture auditorium.

The OWCC Chautauqua Center (N): located on 90 wooded acres along Highway 90 West in DeFuniak Springs, offers a full range of college services and programs. Diversified college credit and noncredit programs; including 2-year degree programs, adult literacy, college preparatory, and professional development courses are offered in day and evening classes. The center also houses two computer labs as well as a Title XX Child Care Center. The Robert L.F. Sikes Education Center in Crestview is located on Highway 90 East. The full-service center offers college credit, adult basic education and other courses and provides placement testing, advising and program planning, registration, and financial aid services. The center houses a large computer lab, six classrooms, and administrative/student services space.

OWCC Eglin Air Force Base and OWCC Hurlburt Field Center: offer college credit and noncredit programs for military and civil service personnel and the general public. Both centers provide admissions/registration, financial aid information, placement testing and counseling services. Also offered are courses specifically geared toward the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) studies, English as a Second Language (ESL), General Education Development (GED), and other courses designed to meet the needs of individual military units, base contractors, and individuals who are retiring from the military.

OWCC Foundation

The Okaloosa-Walton Community College Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization which seeks tax deductible contributions to help OWCC promote academic excellence through scholarships, instructional improvements, and educational equipment acquisition. The OWCC Foundation was established in 1988 to give individuals, organizations and businesses the opportunity to directly invest in the educational mission of OWCC. As an IRS 501 (c)(3) organization, donations to the OWCC Foundation are tax deductible and may be eligible for matching funds. The Florida Academic Improvement Trust Fund matches private contributions to community colleges for endowments on a $4 to $6 ratio. The OWCC Foundation has a 23 member Board of Directors comprised of business and community leaders in Okaloosa and Walton counties.

The OWCC Foundation is vitally important to the quality and diversity of higher education in our community. The foundation operates under the philosophy of building principal and using the interest to support various college endeavors. To further the mission of the college, no donations to the OWCC Foundation are used for the foundation's operating expenses. Annual pledges of $50 to the Foundation President's Club help underwrite these operational expenses. For information, contact the OWCC Foundation office at (850) 729-5357.