Riverside City College (RCC) is a community college in Riverside, California, United States. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District, as well as the larger California Community Colleges System.
History
RCC first opened in 1916 at the same site as the Riverside Polytechnic High School (Riverside Poly). Originally known as Riverside City College or as Riverside Junior College, the school changed its name to Riverside Community College in the 1960s. 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. â€" Anonymous, 1919
The junior college expanded from the Riverside Poly campus and in 1924 constructed the first two buildings of the campus quadrangle in 1924. 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's 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.
RCC plans to open the Riverside School for the Arts on University Avenue and Market Street, adjacent to the historic White Park. The $57 million project will combine classrooms, studios, and digital media labs with space for public exhibitions and performances. The new school is expected to serve 1,600 students preparing for careers in the film industry and act as a feeder school for the film and visual culture BA program at the University of California, Riverside.
The Marching Band performed at the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2010, and at Bandfest at Pasadena City College.
Notable alumni
- Jeff Bajenaru â€" Major League Baseball
- Chester Carlson â€" American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney
- Jesse Chavez â€" Major League Baseball
- John Gabbert â€" California Court of Appeal judge, Superior Court judge.
- Tommy Hanson â€" Major League Baseball
- Jess Hill â€" Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1937, first person to both play for and coach Rose Bowl champions
- Sharon Jordan â€" American film and television actress. Recurred on the Disney series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.
- Bobby Kielty â€" Major League Baseball
- Paul Oglesby â€" American football player
- Miné Okubo â€" Artist and writer
- Richard S. Prather â€" American mystery novelist, pseudonyms David Knight and Douglas Ring
- Will Smith â€" Dallas Cowboys linebacker
- Jeff Soto â€" Professional Artist, painter
- Brian Stokes â€" Major League Baseball
- Susan Straight â€" Published writer and novelist, Professor at the University of California, Riverside
- Charles Tuaau â€" NFL Nose Tackle
Notable former faculty
- Kurt Barber â€" National Football League, Coach at RCC
- Bob Boyd (basketball) â€" William Robert "Bob" Boyd, Head coach at the University of Southern California (USC) and Mississippi State University, Head coach at RCC
- Edmund Jaeger â€" noted biologist (the Edmund C. Jaeger Desert Institute on the Moreno Valley College campus is named in his honor)
- Jess Mortensen â€" NCAA champion track athlete, USC track and field, Coach at RCC
- Jerry Tarkanian â€" NCAA Basketball coach, RCC coach
Past Winter Drumline Shows
References
External links
- Official website
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Riverside Community College