History

Indian River State College has grown in the past fifty-five years from a one building structure to the dominant educational and cultural center in the region. Authorized by the Florida Legislature in 1959, Indian River Junior 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 for all Treasure Coast students. 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 approved to offer Bachelor’s degrees to address the region's growing need and demand for upper-division programs. 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.

The past decades have been ones of notable growth at IRSC. Although students from nearly every state and many foreign countries attend the College, it maintains its commitment to providing academic, occupational, technical, cultural, and service programs that meet the needs of the surrounding four-county region.

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.