Motto | "A commitment to quality and success." [1] |
---|---|
Type | Public community college |
Established | 1959 |
President | Kimberly Dale |
Academic staff | 183 [1] |
Administrative staff | 111 [1] |
Students | 2,391 (Fall 2022) [2] |
Location | , , United States |
Campus | Small city |
Colors | Red, white, black |
Nickname | Mustangs |
Affiliations | NJCAA Division I Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference |
Website | www |
Western Wyoming Community College (Western) is a public community college in Rock Springs, Wyoming. [3] Western offers certificates, associate degrees, and a bachelor's degree. [4] The college students are known as the Mustangs. [5]
Since the local area is home to many dinosaur fossil finds, there are reproductions of various dinosaur skeletons in public areas of the college.
Western Wyoming Community College, the fifth of seven community colleges in Wyoming, [6] was established in the fall of 1959. [3] Through the efforts of a citizens’ committee, a campaign was begun, an election was held, and Western and the original district were created. In September, 1959, forty students enrolled for college credit courses with five full-time faculty teaching during the evening. Western celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2019.
From 1960 to 1961, Western moved to Reliance, 5 miles (8 km) from Rock Springs, to occupy the former Reliance High School and daytime classes began. In September, 1964, the original district was expanded to include all communities within Sweetwater County, a new board of trustees was elected, and the official name of the college became Western Wyoming Community College.
Consistent growth of the college led to the inauguration of a $1,822,000 building program on October 4, 1966. On November 11, 1967, ground-breaking ceremonies marked the beginning of construction on a new campus, and completion in June, 1969. Growth continued. In March, 1973, voters approved a $1,780,000 bond issue to provide additional instructional facilities. The new vocational-technical education building was ready for occupancy in fall, 1974, and the college center building was completed. In 1976, three residence halls were constructed to provide on-campus housing, made possible by a loan from the State Farm Loan Board. Western was granted accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools in April 1976.
Again, in 1981, the citizens of Sweetwater County demonstrated their support for Western by authorizing a building project that cost in excess of $63,000,000. This major expansion created one of the most modern and beautiful community college campuses in the West. The Rock Springs Daily Rocket-Miner advocated the expanded campus through the work of its late publisher, Charles E. Richardson. Students who enrolled in 1985 were the first to use new student housing, the Green River Center and the Technology and Industry shops. Between the fall of 1987 and fall of 1988, a new student commons area, classrooms and labs, offices, Children's Center, studios, and theatre were occupied. A new chemistry laboratory was completed for the fall of 1993. Construction of a fifth residence hall was approved in December, 1994, and completed in August, 1997. In 2022 Western received funds from the State of Wyoming and other entities to move forward with building a Health Sciences Building.
Student numbers have increased from 40 in 1959 to serving over 7,000 people per year as of 2019. These figures include all students – varying ages and interests, enrolled in the credit, non-credit and extension programs. Western has progressed from one graduate in 1962 to over 400 in 2018–2019. The commencement ceremony is held each year in May and includes Summer, Fall and Spring graduates. Over the years Western has awarded more than 9,200 associate degrees and certificates since tracking.
Western Wyoming Community College is located in Rock Springs and has an extended campus center in Green River, Wyoming, along with other outreach centers across southwest Wyoming. [3] The boundaries of the college district, with those of the county, enclose 10,473 square miles (27,120 km2) in the southwestern part of the state. Western serves Carbon, Lincoln, Sublette, Sweetwater, and Uinta counties, covering just over 29,000 square miles. The average elevation of the main campus is over 6,500 feet above sea level. Green River, which is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of the main campus site, together with Rock Springs, comprises the fourth largest population center in the State of Wyoming. [7] The recreation areas of Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area, [8] The Grand Teton National Park/Jackson Hole country, and Yellowstone National Park are all easily accessible from Western. The campus, consisting of 435 acres (1.8 km2), with modern facilities and equipment, can be easily reached by Greyhound Bus Lines and various airlines as well as by car on Interstate 80 and U.S. 191.
There is a Western Wyoming Community College Foundation. Former State Senator Robert H. Johnson was one of its members. [9]
Western offers transfer degrees for students who plan to pursue a baccalaureate, occupational degrees, and occupational certificates for students who plan to directly enter the workforce or who want to learn new skills or brush up on others. Many of the certificates are embedded within the corresponding occupational degrees. [10]
Western Wyoming sponsors teams in two men's and three women's NJCAA sanctioned sports:
Men's sports | Women's sports |
---|---|
Basketball | Basketball |
Wrestling | Soccer |
Volleyball | |
The Mustangs compete in the Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference which is in the NJCAA Region 9.
The college features a free museum, an art gallery, and many displays that are open to visitors. [11] The Weidner Wildlife Museum features mounted wildlife of 125 species collected worldwide. [12] There are other natural history displays around the campus, including fossils and rock slabs from the Green River Formation, and five life sized dinosaur displays. The Western Art Gallery, located inside the front entrance, hosts changing displays of regional, national and student art, and there are sculptures around the campus, including replica Moai statues from Easter Island. [13]
The Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) is a public community college with campuses throughout Philadelphia. The college was founded in 1965 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. It offers over 100 associate degree and certificate programs through its four locations.
Darton State College was a public college in Albany, Georgia. It was part of the University System of Georgia and had its higher enrollment, 6,097 students, in 2011. Prior to its merger with Albany State University in 2016, the college offered 84 two-year transfer and career associate degrees, 4 four-year baccalaureate degrees, and 49 certificate programs.
Columbia–Greene Community College is a public community college in Hudson, New York. Founded in 1966, it is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and is locally sponsored by two rural counties, Columbia and Greene, which have a combined population of about 112,000. The college was originally in Athens, New York until its permanent relocation to the City of Hudson in 1974. It currently offers 32 associate degree programs and five undergraduate certificate programs. C-GCC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and enrolls approximately 1,578 students as of Fall 2018.
Monroe College is a private for-profit college in New York City. It was founded in 1933 and has campuses in the Bronx, New Rochelle and Saint Lucia, with degree programs also available through Monroe Online. The college is named after James Monroe, the fifth president of the United States. It is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.
Northern Virginia Community College is a public community college with six campuses and four centers in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Northern Virginia Community College is the third-largest multi-campus community college in the United States, and it is the largest educational institution in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Glendale Community College (GCC) is a public community college in Glendale, Arizona. GCC opened in 1965. Programs include associate degrees, certificate programs, industry-specific training, and university transfer. GCC is a part of the Maricopa County Community College District, one of the largest community college districts in the United States. The main campus is a 147-acre (0.59 km2) site located at 59th and Olive Avenue in Glendale.
Jefferson College is a public community college in Jefferson County, Missouri, in the city of Hillsboro. As of Fall 2019, Jefferson College enrollment included 4,179 full and part-time college credit students.
The College of Southern Nevada (CSN) is a public community college in Clark County, Nevada. The college has more than 2,500 teaching and non-teaching staff and is the largest public college or university in Nevada. It is part of the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Rock Valley College (RVC) is a public community college in Rockford, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System. RVC's district comprises Winnebago County, Boone County, and parts of Stephenson County, Ogle County, McHenry County, and DeKalb County. Since opening for classes in 1965, RVC has grown to an institution of 140 faculty members, 500 part-time lecturers, and more than 7700 students.
Washtenaw Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan. Founded in 1965, WCC enrolls more than 20,000 students from over 100 countries to study each year and grants certificates and degrees to over 2,600 students annually.
Allegany College of Maryland is a public community college in Cumberland, Maryland. It was previously known as Allegany Community College. The college was founded in 1961 and is accredited by the Middle State Commission on Higher Education. The college offers 31 two-year degree programs, 30 certificate programs, and 10 letters of recognitions. The college also has campuses and extension sites in Cumberland, Maryland; Everett, Pennsylvania; Oakland, Maryland; Somerset, Pennsylvania; and LaVale, Maryland.
Minneapolis College is a public community college in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It has one of the most diverse student populations in the state and enrolls nearly 11,100 credit students annually. Minneapolis College is part of Minnesota State, which offers two-year associate degrees, certificates, and diplomas.
Laramie County Community College (LCCC) is a public community college in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in Laramie County, Wyoming, with an additional outreach campus in Laramie, in Albany County. The college also houses an outreach center in Pine Bluffs. In fall 2022, it enrolled 5,389 students, including 1,373 full-time students.
The College of Central Florida (CF) is a public college with campuses in Marion, Citrus, and Levy counties. It is part of the Florida College System. Founded in 1957 as Central Florida Junior College, CF has grown to span three counties and include the Appleton Museum of Art and Vintage Farm.
Northeast Texas Community College (NTCC) is a public community college near Mount Pleasant, Texas.
Oakland Community College (OCC) is a public community college with five campuses in Oakland County, Michigan. Established in 1964, OCC is the largest community college in Michigan, with the state's third-largest undergraduate enrollment. Enrollment at the college for the Spring 2022 semester was 14,511. Oakland Community College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1971. The college offers 57 Associate degrees and 41 different programs.
Midland College (MC) is a public community college in Midland, Texas. It was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a 704,752-square-foot (65,473.6 m2) main campus on 224 acres (0.91 km2) in Midland. It also has numerous locations in other parts of Midland and in Fort Stockton, the Pecos County seat.
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.
Wyoming Catholic College (WCC) is a private Catholic college in Lander, Wyoming. WCC is the only Catholic college or university in the state.
Gillette College is a two-year community college in Gillette, Wyoming. The college is the eighth and newest community college in the state of Wyoming, separating from the Northern Wyoming Community College District in August of 2021. The newly formed independent community college is led by Chairman Josh McGrath and President Dr. Janell Oberlander. The college offers Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees, as well as certificate and applied science programs that prepare students for skilled trades such as welding and industrial electricity.