Well-known Manatee-Sarasota area college president announces retirement

The president of a local college has announced her retirement. 

Carol Probstfeld, the president of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota, based in Bradenton, will officially retire at the end of the current academic year on July 1, 2024, according to a statement. Probstfeld became the sixth SCF president when she was named to the role in 2012. She’s served 27 years of administrative leadership in higher education, according to the release. 

“Doing the right thing for students has been my motivating factor, and knowing that I am where I can make a positive impact on students’ lives is what I love most about my job,” Probstfeld says in the release. She made the official announcement during the Sept. 26 SCF district board of trustees meeting. 

The process for selecting the next president to lead the college, which had 6,031 students enrolled in the 2022-23 school year, will be discussed during a future meeting and has not been decided on yet.

“We are grateful for Dr. Probstfeld's humble and bold leadership,” SCF Trustee Chair Rod Thomson says in the release. “Under her leadership, SCF has grown its academic programs, expanded its student services and gained the confidence of the community and our constituents as the first choice for quality higher education and to meet the needs of our local workforce, now and in the future.”