Riverside City College

Last updated
Riverside City College
Riverside City College seal.svg
Type Public community college
Established1916
Chancellor Wolde-Ab Isaac
President Eric Bishop [1] [2]
Students20,604 [3]
Location
Riverside
,
California
,
United States

33°58′19″N117°22′52″W / 33.97194°N 117.38111°W / 33.97194; -117.38111
Campus Urban
Colors    Orange and Black
MascotTiger
Website www.rcc.edu
Riverside City College logo.svg
Riverside City College

Riverside City College (RCC) is a public community college in Riverside, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System.

Contents

History

RCC first opened in 1916 at the same site as the Riverside Polytechnic High School (Riverside Poly). [4] Originally known as Riverside Junior College and later as Riverside City College, [5] : 206  the school changed its name to Riverside Community College in the mid-1980s. In 2008, the board of trustees renamed the institution back to Riverside City College.

With the opening of school next fall, Riverside's Junior College will be at the disposal of those who see fit to take advantage of the newest educational facility. The school board realized that the benefits of such a school would be great and according to their March meeting voted to establish such a college. – Anonymous, 1919 [6]

The junior college expanded from the Riverside Poly campus and in 1924 constructed the first two buildings of the campus quadrangle in 1924. [7] When Riverside Poly re-located to its own campus on Victoria Avenue in 1965 the college assumed total control of the Magnolia property.

Today, Riverside City College is part of the greater Riverside Community College District which enrolls about 21,000 students each semester. Students may earn an associate degree, transfer to a four-year college or university, or earn a career certificate.

In addition to the campus located in downtown Riverside, there are campuses in Moreno Valley and Norco. Separate education centers include the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, the Center for Teaching Excellence at Stokoe, and the Rubidoux Annex in Rubidoux. RCC is also home to Gateway to College, a charter school that serves those returning to high school seeking diplomas as adults.

RCC maintains programs in liberal arts and science, athletics, and performing arts and vocational education. The school band is the RCC Marching Tigers, which includes the Fantasia Winter Guard, which has won several Winter Guard International awards, a Fall Marching Band, a Winter Drum Line, and a Spring Pep Band. The student newspaper is Viewpoints. The college is home to the School for Nursing.

In 2016, RCC opened the Henry W. Coil Sr. and Alice Edna Coil School for the Arts on University Avenue and Market Street, adjacent to the historic White Park. The school is the home of the college's music program, including the internationally renowned RCC Chamber Singers, and the RCC Jazz Ensemble. The school combining classrooms, studios, and digital media labs, built around a state of the art concert hall designed with adjustable acoustics. The new school serves around 1,000 students preparing for careers in vocal or instrumental performance, music education, and careers in the music industry.

The college's marching band performed at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2010, and at Bandfest at Pasadena City College. [8]

1966 murder

On October 30, 1966, Cheri Jo Bates, an 18-year-old student, was murdered on the college premises. She had been repeatedly kicked in the head, stabbed twice in the chest, and slashed to such an extent that she had nearly been decapitated. [9] The murder has been described by many as having "stripped Riverside of its innocence". [10] The culprit was never identified, but is believed by some to have been the Zodiac Killer, a notorious, unidentified serial killer active in the San Francisco Bay Area from 1968 to 1969. The Zodiac himself seemingly admitted to the crime in a 1971 letter, [11] but this theory has been dismissed by the Riverside Police Department. [12]

Athletics

The Riverside City College Tigers compete in the Orange Empire Conference (OEC) and Southern California Football Association, which operates within the California Community College Athletic Association. [13] The college currently fields nine men's teams and nine women's teams.

The athletic facilities include Fran Bushman Tennis Courts, Riverside Aquatics Complex, Samuel C. Evans Complex, Wheelock Gymnasium and Wheelock Stadium. [14]

Notable alumni

Notable former faculty and coaches

References

  1. ↑ Tozser, Louis (August 23, 2025). "Board of trustees meet for bi-weekly recap". RCC Viewpoints. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  2. ↑ Pope, Ryan (August 19, 2025). "Riverside Community College District Board of Trustees confirms Riverside City College president". RCC Viewpoints. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  3. ↑ "California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office – Data Mart". Datamart.cccco.edu. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  4. ↑ "Riverside City College: History". Rcc.edu. Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  5. 1 2 Ryckman, Raymond E.; Zackrison, James L. (1998). Son of the Living Desert – Edmund C. Jaeger, 1887–1983: Ecologist, Educator, Environmentalist, Biologist, and Philanthropist. Loma Linda, California: R.E. Ryckman. p. 466. ISBN   978-0-9663563-0-4. OCLC   39497413. LCC   QH31.J33 R97 1998 University of California, Riverside, Science Library
  6. ↑ Excerpt from the high school yearbook called The Stag in the year 1919 on page 57, author unknown, Riverside Polytechnic High School
  7. ↑ "RCCD Faculty Net. "A Brief History of Riverside Community College"". Rccdfaculty.net. Archived from the original on 2013-03-09. Retrieved 2013-04-13.
  8. ↑ Rose Parade Participants Archived October 14, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  9. ↑ Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of America's Most Elusive Serial Killer ISBN   978-1-845-76531-6 p. 165
  10. ↑ "Co-ed's 1966 Slaying Still a Mystery". Press Enterprise. November 30, 2013. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
  11. ↑ Rogers, Kate. The Zodiac Killer: Terror in California. Greenhaven Publishing LLC, 2017. 40.
  12. ↑ Anguiano, Dani (October 8, 2021). "Case of the Zodiac Killer Takes Another Twist, but Police Say it Isn't Solved". The Guardian . Retrieved June 17, 2022.
  13. ↑ "Riverside City College Athletics". rccathletics.com. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  14. ↑ "Athletic Facilities". rccathletics.com. Retrieved 2018-08-25.
  15. ↑ "Jesse Chavez Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  16. ↑ De Atley, Richard K. (June 19, 2009). "10 Decades of Life and Law : Former judge and Riverside CA community leader John G. Gabbert turns 100". Press-Enterprise. Archived from the original on 2 December 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  17. ↑ "Tommy Hanson Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  18. ↑ Finch, Samuel. "One standout to make a difference" . Retrieved 2021-02-14.
  19. ↑ Staff reports. "WVU Tech track gets three All-Americans at Nationals". Beckley Register-Herald. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
  20. ↑ Brien, Patrick (2016-01-08). "Artist Spotlight: Musician AJ Rafael". The Press-Enterprise . Archived from the original on 2021-01-31. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  21. ↑ "Brian Stokes Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
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