This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2016) |
Type | Public community college |
---|---|
Established | 1967 |
Chancellor | Julie A Manley [1] |
President | Julie White (Fort Steilacoom) Darrell L. Cain (Puyallup, Washington) |
Students | 17,707 [2] |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Suburban |
Mascot | Raider |
Website | www |
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 13,500 students. [3]
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. [4]
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.
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. [5] [ better source needed ]
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. [6]
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. [7] [ better source needed ]
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.
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. [8] [ better source needed ]
SLAM is the student creative writing journal of Pierce College. [9] It is published annually and features undergraduate writing in fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.
The Pioneer is the student newspaper of Pierce College Fort Steilacoom. It published a print newspaper during fall, winter, and spring quarters and also publishes to its website.
Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Life (ASL). Within ASL are four colleges: the College of Arts and Humanities, the College of Business, the College of Education and Professional Studies, and College of the Sciences. CWU is considered an emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution and 15 percent of its students are Hispanic.
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 59th-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.
Lakewood is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 63,612 at the 2020 census.
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.
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.
Clark College is a public community college in Vancouver, Washington. With 11,500 students, Clark College is the largest institution of higher education in southwest Washington. Founded in 1933 as a private two-year junior college, Clark College received its first accreditation in 1937 and has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since 1948. It was incorporated into the statewide community college system in 1967.
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.
Eastern Oregon University (EOU) is a public university in La Grande, Oregon. It was formerly part of the since dissolved Oregon University System. EOU was founded in 1929 as a teacher’s college. The university offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The school's athletic teams, the Mountaineers, are members of the Cascade and Frontier conferences of the NAIA.
Pima Community College (PCC) is a public community college in Pima County, Arizona. It serves the Tucson metropolitan area with a community college district consisting of five campuses, four education centers, and several adult education learning centers. It provides traditional and online instruction for over 144 programs. The college also offers workforce training, non-credit personal interest classes and post-baccalaureate certificates. PCC is one of the largest multi-campus community colleges in the United States, with relative ranking varying between fourth and tenth largest. PCC is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
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.
Puyallup High School is a high school in the Puyallup School District in Pierce County, Washington, commonly referred to as PHS.
Edmonds College, formerly Edmonds Community College, is a public community college in Lynnwood, Washington. More than 17,000 students annually take courses for credit toward a certificate or degree at the college. The college employs more than 1,300 people, including 126 full-time and 283 part-time instructors and 267 students.
South Puget Sound Community College is a public community college in southwest Olympia, Washington. The college contains 125 acres (0.51 km2) and is serving about 5,300 full and part-time students as of the fall 2020 quarter.
Highline College is a public community college in Des Moines, Washington. Highline was founded in 1961 as the first community college in King County, Washington. The main campus covers 80 acres (320,000 m2). As of 2015, there were approximately 17,000 students and 350,000 alumni of the college.
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.
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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.
The Steilacoompeople are Lushootseed-speaking Southern Coast Salish people, indigenous to the southern Puget Sound region of Washington state.