Tom Dowling
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Dr. Maryly Peck: President from 1982 to 1997

Page Last Updated:  01/25/2007

Dr. Maryly VanLeer Peck is a woman of firsts:

·         The first woman to receive a Bachelor’s degree (BChE) in chemical engineering from Vanderbilt University;

·        The first woman to receive a Masters and then a PhD in engineering from the University of Florida;

·         The first woman to be named president of a community college in Florida (in fact, she was the first woman to be named president of a public institution of higher education in Florida);

·    The first woman to be admitted to the membership of the Downtown Rotary Club of Winter Haven and the first woman to be elected president of the club. 

Dr. Peck was born in Washington, D.C. and raised in southeastern cities where engineering colleges are located. Coming from a family of engineers, she enrolled in Vanderbilt in the 50s and began working on the first of her three degrees in engineering. 

She earned her master’s degree in engineering in 1955 from the University of Florida. She later returned to UF, where she became a National Science Foundation fellow and in 1963 earned her Ph.D. in chemical engineering. In 1992, she received UF's Distinguished Alumnus Award and in 1997 was one of the 50 women graduates honored on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary of admission of women.  

In 1982, Dr. Peck achieved another first when she was chosen from a field of 200 to become President of Polk Community College. During her 14 year tenure at PCC, she oversaw tremendous growth and implemented improvements to the academic quality at the college.  

During difficult financial times, she was instrumental in raising money for the PCC Foundation and seeking state and federal grants. PCC’s first successful capital campaign was completed under her direction and the number of PCC scholarships grew tremendous opening the doors to educational opportunities at PCC. Over the years, she has personally established several scholarships at PCC.   

Under her leadership, PCC established a campus in Lakeland with two academic buildings opening in rapid succession on that campus shared with the University of South Florida. The first year (1989) enrollment on the Lakeland campus surpasses expectations with nearly 1,500 students attending classes exclusively on the Lakeland campus with another 450 students taking classes on both campuses.  

Many new programs were begun during her tenure, including: Health Information Management, Physical Therapist Assistant and Occupational Therapy Assistant.  

Dr. Peck oversaw the implementation of technological changes throughout PCC, which included the establishment of an administrative computer network, the creation of computer classrooms and labs, regular training faculty sessions where professors learn how to use new technology as teaching tools. During her tenure, a massive computer and learning lab known as the Teaching/ Learning/Computing Center was established on PCC’s Winter Haven campus providing students with easy access to PCs, software and the Internet. The TLCC was replicated on the Lakeland campus when the second building opened in 1991.

She retired from PCC in 1997.

In 2007, she was selected by Gov. Charlie Crist to be a member of the Florida Women's Hall of Fame.