Pierce College (Washington)

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Pierce College
Pierce College Puyallup sign.jpg
Entrance sign at Pierce College Puyallup
Type Community college
Established1967
Chancellor Michele Johnson, Ph.D.
President Julie White, Ph.D. (Fort Steilacoom)
Darrell L. Cain Ph.D. (Puyallup, Washington)
Students17,707 [1]
Location
Lakewood (Fort Steilacoom); Puyallup
,
Washington
,
United States
CampusSuburban
MascotRaider
Website www.pierce.ctc.edu
Pierce College Logo.jpg

Pierce College is a public community college in Pierce County, Washington. The college consists of two main campuses, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood and Pierce College Puyallup in Puyallup, and auxiliary campuses at Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, and in South Hill. The college has an 13,500 enrolled students. [2]

Contents

History

Fort Steilacoom campus, 2006 Pierce College Fort Steilacoom, March 2006.jpg
Fort Steilacoom campus, 2006

Fort Steilacoom Campus

In 1967, Clover Park Community College opened its administrative offices and library in an abandoned grocery store on Bridgeport Way Southwest, now the site of QFC. It was nicknamed Albertsons' U. Classes were held, however, at various Pierce County locations such as high schools, military bases, and hospitals.

Later that year, on March 24, the Washington State Legislature passed the Community College Act. This law shifted the control of community colleges from the school districts to the state. On April 3, Governor Dan Evans signed the bill into law.

Consequently, the site of the new campus was chosen on a 140-acre (0.57 km2) site in Fort Steilacoom. By 1970, the college changed its name to Fort Steilacoom Community College. Until the opening of the main building in 1974, classes were taught in portables.

In the 1980s, the college opened the Fort Steilacoom Community College Eastern Extension at the corner of 94th Avenue and 112th Street/39th Avenue in Puyallup, Washington. This building has since become the home of Gateway Realty. [3]

As a result of increasing enrollment over the years, the college sought a name that encompasses the students who live throughout Pierce County. The name was changed once more in 1986 to Pierce College.

Puyallup Campus

In 1989, a new campus was built in Puyallup, just east of South Hill Mall. The school later opened in the fall of 1990 with only one building, the Gaspard Education Center. The campus expanded in 1996 with the opening of the Brouillet Library Science Center, and the college was officially recognized by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges as Washington's 34th community college in 1999. The campus expanded again in 2004 with the College Center building, in 2008 with the Health Education Center Puyallup, and in 2010 with the Arts and Allied Health Building. [4] [ better source needed ]

Academics

Pierce College offers three bachelor of applied science degrees and many associate degrees, mainly in the arts and sciences and leadership programs such as Multicultural Leaders Institution and Emerging Leaders Academy. There are also certificate programs in early childhood education, social services, dental hygienist, and others. Classes are held on the quarter system and the college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. [5]

Pierce College also partners with local school districts to offer Running Start credits for high school juniors and seniors. Successful students will earn dual-credit for both their high school degree requirements and those requirements for an associate degree.

The college also has several programs for members of the military and their families; it was voted the best two-year college for veterans by the Military Times in 2021. [6] [ better source needed ]

Athletics

The Pierce College Raiders Athletics Department competes in the Western Region of the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC). The Raiders currently field twelve teams and compete in men's and women's soccer, women's volleyball, men's and women's basketball, baseball, women's cross country, and fastpitch. Pierce Athletics also supports the cheerleading team.

Campus publications

The Puyallup Post

The student newspaper of Pierce College Puyallup is The Puyallup Post, commonly referred to as The Post. It is published 12 times each school year during fall, winter, and spring quarters. The Post was founded in 1994 and was originally called The Puyallup Campus Post when it was an insert in Fort Steilacoom's The Pioneer. It is staffed by Pierce College Puyallup students, an adviser, and a publication and graphics manager. The Post features news, campus life, sports, features, commentary, reviews, and multimedia components. [7] [ better source needed ]

SLAM

SLAM is the student creative writing journal of Pierce College [8] . It is published annually and features undergraduate writing in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.

The Pioneer

The Pioneer is the student newspaper of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. The Pioneer published a print newspaper during fall, winter, and spring quarters and also publishes to its website.

Notable alumni

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierce County, Washington</span> County in Washington, United States

Pierce County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 921,130, up from 795,225 in 2010, making it the second-most populous county in Washington, behind King County, and the 60th-most populous in the United States. The county seat and largest city is Tacoma. Formed out of Thurston County on December 22, 1852, by the legislature of Oregon Territory, it was named for U.S. President Franklin Pierce. Pierce County is in the Seattle metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DuPont, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

DuPont is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 10,151 at the 2020 census. Originally a company town, the city is named after the DuPont chemical company which operated an explosives manufacturing plant in the area from 1909 to 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakewood, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 63,612 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puyallup, Washington</span> City in Washington, United States

Puyallup is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States, located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Tacoma and 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle. It had a population of 42,973 at the 2020 census. The city's name comes from the Puyallup Tribe of Native Americans and means "the generous people." Puyallup is home to the Washington State Fair, the state's largest fair. The name of the city is notably used in mailing addresses for adjacent unincorporated areas, such as the larger-populated South Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steilacoom, Washington</span> Town in Washington, United States

Steilacoom is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 6,727 at the 2020 census. Steilacoom incorporated in 1854 and became the first incorporated town in what is now the state of Washington. It has also become a bedroom community for service members stationed at Joint Base Lewis–McChord, aka McChord AFB and Fort Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian River State College</span> Public college in Fort Pierce, Florida, US

Indian River State College (IRSC) is a public college with a main campus in Fort Pierce, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System and serves the counties of Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie on the Treasure Coast region of Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clover Park Technical College</span> Community college in Lakewood, Washington

Clover Park Technical College (CPTC) is a public community college in Lakewood, Washington. There is also a smaller campus located at Thun Field in Puyallup, Washington, for aviation training.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anderson Island (Washington)</span> Island and census-designated place in Washington, US

Anderson Island is the southernmost island in Puget Sound and a census-designated place of Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is accessible by boat or a 20-minute ferry ride from Steilacoom. Anderson Island is just south of McNeil Island. To the northwest, Key Peninsula is across Drayton Passage. The south basin of Puget Sound separates the island from the mainland to the southeast, while to the southwest the Nisqually Reach of Puget Sound separates the island from the mainland.

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Central Texas College (CTC) is a public community college in Killeen, Texas. Founded in 1965, it has branch campuses in Europe and on military installations across the U.S.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Puyallup High School</span> Public secondary school in Puyallup, Washington, United States

Puyallup High School is a high school in the Puyallup School District in Pierce County, Washington, commonly referred to as PHS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmonds College</span> Community college in Lynnwood, Washington

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Puget Sound Community College</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Highline College</span> Community college in Des Moines, Washington, US

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chief Leschi Schools</span> Native American school in Washington (state)

Chief Leschi Schools is a Native American tribal school located in the Puyallup Valley near Mount Rainier in Washington. It is a 200,000-square-foot (19,000 m2) facility which is intended to be a model for Native American education. The current building opened in 1996 serving Native American students from 92 different bands which comprise the Puyallup tribe of Indians. It is the largest Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-affiliated school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Columbia College</span> Community college in Longview, Washington, U.S.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatcom Community College</span>

Whatcom Community College is a public community college in Bellingham, Washington, in Whatcom County. Established in 1967, Whatcom has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since 1976.

Steilacoom Historical School District No. 1 is a public school district in Steilacoom, Washington, United States. It serves the city of Steilacoom, the communities of DuPont and Anderson Island, and portions of Lakewood and unincorporated Pierce County.

References

  1. ↑ "Home - Facts and Stats of Pierce College - Pierce College District 11". Pierce College. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Pierce College Facts and Statistics". Pierce College District. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  3. ↑ Duke, Lizzie (January 28, 2016). "Ruth Schindler reminisces on how Pierce has changed over the years".
  4. ↑ "Then and Now: Employees remember when the college was new". The Puyallup Post. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  5. ↑ "NWCCU Institutions of Washington". Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Archived from the original on March 2, 2011. Retrieved January 28, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Pierce College ranked No. 1 community college in the nation for veterans – and top college overall in the Northwest! | Pierce College District". www.pierce.ctc.edu. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  7. ↑ "About". The Puyallup Post. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Student Literary and Arts Magazine (SLAM) | Pierce College District". www.pierce.ctc.edu. Retrieved March 12, 2024.
  9. ↑ "2006 Distinguished Alumni Honorees". Pierce College Foundation. Pierce College District 11. Archived from the original on June 13, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  10. ↑ "1981-2000 Distinguished Alumni Honorees". Pierce College Foundation. Pierce College District 11. Archived from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Demetrious Johnson | UFC". www.ufc.com. September 14, 2018.

47°10′19″N122°34′16″W / 47.172°N 122.571°W / 47.172; -122.571

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