Former SPC leader honored with program naming

Pinellas County resident Dr. Thomas Furlong is deeply passionate about higher education. 

Between 2001 and 2019, he served in three key leadership roles at St. Petersburg College: senior vice president of baccalaureate programs and university partnerships, interim president and interim vice president for academic affairs. 

Earlier this month, SPC named its Bachelor of Science in Educational Studies and Community Leadership program in Furlong’s honor. 

“It was a nice surprise,” he told the Catalyst. “It meant a lot that people were thinking about me when I’m actually retired now.” 

One of Furlong’s most notable achievements at SPC was helping to launch the institution’s first bachelor programs in education, nursing and technology management. 

Previously, only universities were allowed to offer bachelor degrees. In the early 2000s, State of Florida leaders saw an opportunity to make workforce education more accessible. Certain industries were in high need of employees. 

Furlong was serving as the State Board of Community Colleges deputy executive director at the time. He helped develop the legislation that allowed SPC to become the pilot college for workforce bachelor programs. Once the law took effect, the institution’s Board of Trustees asked Furlong to help implement it. 

“Most of the other community colleges weren’t too excited about doing this,” he explained. “So, we were really on the spot.” 

By 2009, SPC had over 4,000 baccalaureate students, 2,000 baccalaureate graduates and over 20 majors, according to an organization blog post. 

“There was a big shortage of nurses and there was also a shortage of teachers,” Furlong added. “The three local school superintendents asked us to get involved in this and helped us lobby the legislature to allow us to be the pilot college.” 

Now, all of the public community institutions in Florida offer at least two or three workforce bachelors programs, he said. 

“The state wanted to make sure that we weren’t going to be doing things that were on purpose competitive with universities,” Furlong explained. “We made commitments on that.” 

After receiving his bachelor’s degree in psychology from La Salle University in Philadelphia, Furlong would earn a master’s degree in counselor education from Florida State University. 

However, he eventually decided to pursue a postsecondary education management doctorate degree from Florida State. This focus on academia led to Furlong’s state policy career in Tallahassee. 

He has held various positions including Florida Postsecondary Education Planning Commission executive director and Florida Association of Colleges and Universities executive director. Furlong also served twice as the chief academic officer of the Florida College System. 

Before joining SPC, he was the vice president for educational services at Tallahassee Community College, from 1987 to 1995. 

“Dr. Tom Furlong’s impact on St. Petersburg College is woven into the very fabric of who we are today,” said SPC president Dr. Tonjua Williams in a statement to the Catalyst.

“His vision and leadership helped make SPC the first community college in Florida authorized to offer bachelor’s degrees, creating opportunities for thousands of students to earn workforce-focused degrees and transform their lives. Naming this program in his honor recognizes not only his contributions to SPC, but his lasting influence on higher education throughout Florida.”