Delaware County Community College (DCCC) is a two-year community college in the Philadelphia area that serves Delaware and Chester Counties with locations in the Pennsylvania suburbs of Marple Township, Sharon Hill, Upper Darby, Downingtown, Exton, Phoenixville and West Grove.
History
Delaware County established the Council for Higher Education in 1964. Surveys of county residents and businesses conducted by the Council confirmed the need and the support for a community college. A citizens' group, Action for the Community College, was formed in 1966 and worked diligently to obtain approval for such a college. The group had achieved its goal in 1967. Twenty-one school districts in Delaware County, which were later consolidated into eleven larger districts, agreed to become local sponsors of the college.
Delaware County Community College was officially established on March 1, 1967. The directors of Delaware County school districts elected the Board of Trustees, which then elected Mr. Donald P. Jones as their chairman. On May 23, 1967, the Board of Trustees selected Dr. Douglas F. Libby to be the first President of the college then Richard DeCosmo, and now Jerry Parker.
Sponsoring School Districts
Partial funding of Delaware County Community College is provided by the school districts of Delaware County, through tax programs maintained by each respective district.
- Chester Upland School District
- Garnet Valley School District (Bethel residents only)
- Haverford Township School District
- Interboro School District
- Radnor Township School District
- Ridley School District
- Rose Tree Media School District
- Southeast Delco School District
- Springfield School District
- Upper Darby School District
- Wallingford-Swarthmore School District (Swarthmore and Rutledge residents only)
- William Penn School District
School district sponsorship allows students and residents of each sponsoring school district to access DCCC's courses and degree programs for a reduced tuition rate. Students from non-sponsoring districts pay additional tuition, while out-of-state students pay a third, even higher rate per credit.
Dual Admission
Delaware County Community College has dual admissions agreements with several four-year schools in the Philadelphia area, allowing students to automatically transfer after completing an associate degree. The colleges and universities that offer Dual Admissions programs at the College are:
- Drexel University
- Albright College
- Alvernia University
- Arcadia University
- Cabrini College
- Chestnut Hill College
- Eastern University
- Immaculata University
- La Salle University
- Neumann University
- Peirce College
- Rosemont College
- Saint Joseph's University
- Temple University
- Widener University
Additional admission agreements
In addition to Dual Admissions programs, the College has partnerships with other universities. Villanova University offers a Guaranteed Admissions program; West Chester University and Temple University offer a Letter of Intent Program.
Athletics
Delaware County Community College is home to the Phantoms of the National Junior College Athletic Association's Division 20. The Phantoms belong to the Pennsylvania Collegiate Athletic Association and compete in the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference.
Athletic facilities
All students and student-athletes are granted access to the on-campus fitness center and gymnasium at the school's Marple campus. Men's and women's basketball home games are played at the Schwartz Athletic Center, located on the campus of nearby Widener University.
Championships
Delaware County Community College's men's basketball team captured the Eastern Pennsylvania Collegiate Conference championship in 2012.
Notable alumni
- Callahan Bright, American football defensive lineman
- Dean Demopoulos, collegiate and professional basketball coach
- Mel Lindauer, Forbes Columnist and author of two investing books (The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing and The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning)
- Ken Cage, Airplane Repo
- Audra McLaughlin, The Voice Season 6 finalist
References
External links
- Delaware County Community College website