When Paul Broadie II started his new job Monday as the Santa Fe College president, he said he felt like he was home when he was greeted by the university community.
He is the college’s first black president and only the fifth to lead the college since 1966. He succeeded the now-retired Jackson Sasser.
Broadie said he plans to spend the first 100 days listening, learning and leading. He said he will work with faculty to look at enrollment strategies and see if there is any additional programming that can be brought to the college that could further meet its needs.
“Santa Fe College is an amazing place, and I’m honored to be there,” Broadie said. “I look forward to working with our faculty, our staff and our students to take the college to even greater heights.”
His first major focus will be on the college’s new Blount campus, he said. Located downtown, Broadie said it will offer full services such as academic advising and counseling, which will have a profound impact on east Gainesville.
Broadie has been in higher education for more than 30 years, where he gained experience in academic affairs, student affairs and professional education, he said. Before becoming Santa Fe’s president, he was among the first in Connecticut to oversee two independently accredited colleges, Housatonic Community College in 2015 and then Gateway Community College in 2017.
Broadie earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Mercy College, a master’s degree in business administration from Long Island University and a doctoral degree in educational leadership and human resource studies from Colorado State University.
Broadie said he learned of Santa Fe when it won the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence in 2015 with national recognition. He said the college fits his beliefs with its unwavering commitment to student success and the community.
Tom Mallini, a Santa Fe College board trustee, said that Broadie immediately stood out in the selection process for the college’s next president. He said Broadie’s career was unique, referencing how he had been elevated to president at two community colleges simultaneously.
Broadie already presented himself presidentially by addressing economic inequality in Alachua County through supporting the educational outreach efforts of the East Gainesville Initative Program, Mallini said.
Mallini said Broadie will thrive working with officials and the state legislature in Tallahassee, as well as within the college itself.
“He will do an excellent job representing Santa Fe College,” he said. “The way he presents himself is very eloquent [and] well-spoken.”
Paul Broadie II
