Barstow Community College

Barstow Community College
Barstow College
Latin: Collegium Barstowea
Motto	Jewel of the Desert
Established	1959
Type	State Community College
Endowment	Barstow College Foundation
President	Dr. Thom Armstrong
Academic staff	97 instructors
Admin. staff	150
Students	5000
Undergraduates	5000
Postgraduates	none
Location	Barstow, California, USA
Campus	Main Campus - Barstow and Ft. Irwin
Colors	Maize and Blue
Sports	Baseball, Basketball, Softball and Track
Nickname	Vikings
Mascot	Viking Warrior
Website	http://www.barstow.edu / http://www.bcconline.com

Barstow Community College is a community college in Barstow (CA). Enabling students to transfer onward to a four-year college or university is a priority for the school.

Accreditation

Barstow Community College (BCC) is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Commission on Recognition of Postsecondary Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. Barstow Community College offers the following degrees:

• Associate of Arts in Humanities
• Associate of Arts in Social Sciences
• Associate of Science in Natural Sciences/Math
• Associate of Science in a variety of occupational majors

History

The Barstow Community College district was established in September 1959 by the citizens of the upper High Desert region of Southern California. Evening classes began the next year at Barstow High School, followed by the first day of classes in fall 1962 at Barstow First Methodist Church. The campus was constructed in 1964 at its current location on Barstow Road and first classes began in February 1965. Presently, the campus of BCC represents the standards of any college campus in the U.S. and includes: instructional halls, gym, athletic fields, tennis courts, cafeteria, student center, state of the art library, amphitheatre, fine arts center, and numerous administrative and technical buildings.

Description

An open-admission, public institution, the college serves more than 4,300 students in degree and certificate programs with approximately 120 faculty. It provides the first two years of college or university study as part of the California State Community College System of Higher Education. The college's educational program includes lower-division course work, general education offerings, and vocational courses for transfer to baccalaureate degree institutions. The college offers a number of occupational programs designed to prepare students for entry into the workforce. Service learning and self-enrichment classes are also offered to the community.

Barstow Community College is in the process of expanding its vocational programs in order to meet the needs of the community and is constructing new facilities to house those programs. The vocational programs that have been added include: Fire Technology, Logistics and Warehousing, Electrical programs, Rough Carpentry, Cosmetology and more. The college is in the midst of a construction program with a state-of-the-art student services center completed in 2009. To support its growing and successful theatre arts department, the college started construction of a 750-seat performing arts center in October 2010. A two-story Wellness Center addition with an indoor track to the gymnasium will start construction in the 2011.^{[citation needed]}

A 2007 study found that the College was below average compared to similar institutions on five out of six measures of student success. However, it leads its peers in a sixth indicator, student progress and achievement rate, which measures how well the college prepares students to earn degrees and transfer on to other schools. Then President Cliff Brock said that the board and administration are dissatisfied with the study’s results and are working on improving student success, but it will take time.

Location

BCC is located on Highway 247 in the Mojave Desert region of San Bernardino County, CA., approximately 120 miles from both Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The college district covers the area from the Nevada state line, bounded by Kern and Inyo counties and the San Bernardino mountains. BCC serves the communities of Barstow , Lenwood, Newberry Springs, Daggett, Yermo, Hinkley, Ludlow, and Baker. Barstow Community College also provides on-site instruction to the USMC and U.S. Army National Training Center at Ft. Irwin, as well as the on-line instruction to the long distance students.^{[citation needed]}

Admission

BCC is an open admission public institution serving more than 3,200 students in degree and certificate programs with approximately 120 full time employees and a $14 million budget (2007). It provides the first two years of college or university study as part of the California State Community College System of Higher Education. BCC provides students with both: comprehensive and vocational tracks of study for either the AA, certificate or life learning credit or transfer credit valid towards four year degrees at California State University system.

Barstow College Online

The college operates the largest online program among California Community Colleges in the state. Students who enroll in the online program are able to complete their degree requirements without having to leave home. This program has proven popular for Military and long distance students who live abroad.

Alumni and Barstow Famous

• Congressman Joe Baca, former BCC baseball player,
• Justine Leone; played for the Seattle Mariners,
• Danny Norman; played for the Mets and Expos,
• Greg Martinez; MLB player for Milwaukee Brewers, graduate of BCC,
• Nidal Malik Hasan; 2009 Fort Hood Shooter, attended BCC,

International Cooperation

Barstow College is currently evaluating its future exchange programs of students and the faculty between colleges in China and Poland through initiative of BCC Management prof. Tomasz Stanek.