East Los Angeles College

East Los Angeles College
Established	1945
Type	Community college
President	Farley Herzek (Interim)
Students	34,697 [2012]
Location	Monterey Park, California, United States
District	LACCD
Colors	Green & white
Mascot	The Husky
Website	www.elac.edu

East Los Angeles College (ELAC) is a community college of the Los Angeles Community College District in the Los Angeles suburb of Monterey Park. Fourteen communities comprise its primary service area. With an enrollment of 34,697 students, ELAC is the largest campus in the Los Angeles Community College District. It was located in northeastern East Los Angeles before that part of unincorporated East Los Angeles was annexed by Monterey Park in the early 1970s. ELAC is in the southern area of Monterey Park, which is primarily populated by second-generation Mexicans and other Hispanics.

ELAC is a two-year college, offering associate degree programs in over 25 fields as well as both occupational programs and also academic transfer courses to prepare students for admission to the University of California and California State University system.

ELAC is considered by many^{[citation needed]} to be the primary accessible higher education stepping stone for East Los Angeles and its surrounding areas. ELAC offers high school students who did not acquire the GPA or missed the college & university deadlines an opportunity to acquire or further develop the necessary math, English, study, and discipline skills; explore majors and career fields; and be able to research four-year colleges and universities.

Theatre and arts

ELAC is the home to the Vincent and Mary Price Gallery and the Vincent Price Art Museum, the repository of the art collection of Vincent Price.

Clubs and Organizations

All clubs in East Los Angeles College are operated and chartered with the ELAC Associate Student Union. There are many notable clubs and organizations on campus, one of which is the East Side Spirit and Pride Club (ESSP), founded by Dennis Sanchez, professor of English.

Recent developments

The new Performing and Fine Arts Complex (designed by Arquitectonica) houses the Vincent Price Art Museum, The Fine and visual Arts Building, and the Performing Arts Building.

• The Vincent Price Art Museum is three stories high, with the basement including an 8,000-ft vault for storage. The museum's permanent collection includes the art pieces donated from actor Vincent Price. It featured in the "'Round the Clock: Chinese American Artists Working in Los Angeles" exhibit from January 21 to May 25, 2012. The exhibit showed paintings by Tyrus Wong. Some of Wong's kites were hung in the lobby.
• The Fine and Visual Arts Building is the largest of the three structures. It houses the Art, Music, and Dance departments.
• The Performing Arts Building contains two separate performing theaters.

Activity with area high school

Weingart Stadium

ELAC's football field is the site of graduation ceremonies for local high schools such as Garfield High School in East Los Angeles.

Notable alumni

• Antonio Villaraigosa - Mayor of Los Angeles
• Leroy D. Baca- Sheriff of Los Angeles
• Gloria Molina - Los Angeles County Supervisor
• Art Torres - California Democratic Party Chairman
• Bob Pacheco - Former 60th District Assemblyman
• Edward James Olmos - Hispanic actor
• Kent Twitchell - muralist
• Dennis Sanchez - Professor of English, acclaimed author, founder of East Side Spirit and Pride

See also

• Howard E. Dorsey, Los Angeles City Council member, 1937, supported establishing new college in East Los Angeles

External links

• East Los Angeles College official website
• The Vincent Price Art Museum at ELAC
• East Los Angeles College Library