History of Florida SouthWestern State College Accreditation

With the first students admitted to then Edison Junior College in the fall of 1962, the college continues to provide students with the opportunity to fulfill their professional goals. On July 1, 2014, the college was renamed Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW). The college offers Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, and Baccalaureate degrees, as well as various certificate programs. Please visit our academics page to learn more about our programs.

Lee County Campus, renamed the Thomas Edison Campus in 2014, has 24 permanent structures, including the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.

The Collier County Campus opened in March of 1992. The beautiful campus, which includes four, state-of-the-art, energy- and environmentally-efficient buildings, is located on an 80-acre site near State Road 951 and Rattlesnake Hammock Road, in south Naples within Lely Resort. The Charlotte County Campus opened in 1997. Located on a wooded site on Airport Road in Punta Gorda, the campus features an observatory. FSW also provides services to students in Hendry and Glades counties on its Hendry/Glades Center located in LaBelle.

Florida SouthWestern State College is governed by its District Board of Trustees composed of nine representatives from Charlotte, Collier, Hendry, Glades and Lee counties. The members are appointed to four-year terms by the Governor of Florida.