Los Medanos College

Type	Public community college
Established	1974;51 years ago (1974)
Parent institution	Contra Costa Community College District
President	Pamela Ralston
Students	6,845 [1]
Location	Pittsburg , California , United States 38°00′22″N121°51′36″W / 38.006°N 121.86°W / 38.006; -121.86
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Cardinal and gold
Mascot	Mustangs
Website	www.losmedanos.edu

Pittsburg

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Location in the United States

Pittsburg

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Location in California

Los Medanos College (LMC) is a public community college in Pittsburg, California, United States. It was established in 1974 and is part of the Contra Costa Community College District. LMC also has had an extension in Brentwood since 1998 called the "Brentwood Center".

History

The college's name comes from a misspelling of the former Rancho Los Méganos, a 13,316-acre (53.89 km²) Mexican land grant in the southwestern Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region of present-day Contra Costa County, California. It was given in 1835 by Governor José Castro to José Noriega. ^[2] "Méganos" means "sand dunes" in Spanish.

Rancho Los Méganos extended eastward from present-day Antioch along the San Joaquin River to the Old River. The rancho lands included present-day Oakley, Knightsen, and Brentwood. ^[3] The name, meaning "inland sand dunes" in Spanish, refers to the sand dunes that characterize its location in eastern Contra Costa County along the Sacramento River and in the foothills of Mt. Diablo. ^[4]

Opened in 1974, the college is part of Contra Costa Community College District, along with Contra Costa College and Diablo Valley College. Enrollment was 6,845 students in spring 2023. ^[5]

Academics

There were 25 associate degrees and 30 certificates of achievement available in the 2022–2023 academic year. ^[5]

Facilities

Several notable programs include:

• Fire Academy (approved by the California State Fire Marshal) ^[6]
• Honors Transfer Program ^[7]
• Puente: improving college success and accessibility for Latino students ^[8]
• MESA (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement Program): facilitating transfer to four-year institutions with majors and bachelor's degrees in science, engineering, computer science and other math-based fields. ^[9]
• Umoja Scholars: focuses on enriching, fostering, and nurturing the educational experience of African American students. ^[10]
• AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination): prepares students to transfer to a four-year school. ^[11]
• PTEC (Process Technology): aids and prepares students for a career in chemical processing and oil refinery work. ^[12]

Notable alumni

• Ty Carter, United States Army Staff Sergeant and Medal of Honor recipient ^[13]
• Lester Conner (born 1959), professional basketball player and coach ^[14]
• Anthony C. Ferrante, film director, producer and writer ^[15]
• Octavio Guzman, professional soccer player ^[16]
• Jack Larscheid, professional football player^{[ citation needed ]}
• Sterling Moore, professional football player ^[17]
• Dave Tollefson, professional football player ^[18]
• Rich Waltz, television sportscaster ^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "About Los Medanos College". www.losmedanos.edu. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
2. Ogden Hoffman, 1862, Reports of Land Cases Determined in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Numa Hubert, San Francisco
3. "[Diseño del Rancho Los Meganos : Calif.]". Calisphere.
4. CCCApply - About the Colleges - Key Facts - Los Medanos College Archived 2005-11-23 at the Wayback Machine . Accessed on 2008-01-12.
5. "About Los Medanos College". Los Medanos College. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
6. "Los Medanos College - Fire Technology". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
7. "Los Medanos College - Transfer Academy". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
8. "Los Medanos College - Puente". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
9. "Los Medanos College - Math, Engineering & Science Achievement (MESA) Program". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
10. "Los Medanos College - Umoja". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
11. "Los Medanos College - Advancement Via Individual Determination AVID". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
12. "Los Medanos College - Process Technology Program". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
13. "From Antioch to Afghanistan: Ty Carter's journey of heroism". Mercurynews.com. August 24, 2013. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
14. "Conner's NBA story a charmer". Eastbaytimes.com. January 9, 2007. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
15. "Anthony C. Ferrante, Sharknado director, got his start at LMC". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
16. Gustafson, Lars. "Wildcat alumnus kicks into high gear as pro soccer player". Theorion.com. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
17. "Football journey: Sterling Moore". Espn.com. November 19, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
18. "Alumni Dave Tollefson". Losmedanos.edu. Retrieved November 15, 2017.

External links

• San Francisco Bay Area portal

• Official website