Edmonds Community College

Edmonds Community College
Established	1967
Type	Community college
President	Jean Hernandez
Academic staff	132 full, 314 part-time
Students	13,000 average per quarter
Location	Lynnwood, Washington, USA
Campus	50 acres (200,000 m2)
International	1,300 students from 70 countries
Mascot	Triton, prince of the sea in Greek mythology, commands the ocean waves
Website	www.edcc.edu

Edmonds Community College is a college in the metropolitan area of Seattle. More than 21,000 students annually take courses for credit toward a certificate or degree at the college in Snohomish County, Washington.

History and governance

Established in 1967, and governed by the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, the college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Board of Trustees of Edmonds Community College is composed of five members appointed by the governor of Washington state. Each member serves a five-year term and must reside within the college's district boundaries. The board, on behalf of the citizens of College District #23, ensures the accountability of Edmonds Community College.

Edmonds Community College officially came into being on July 1, 1967. That year the state legislature separated community colleges from the common schools and created 22 community college districts, including District 5 for Everett and Edmonds Community Colleges. Governor Daniel J. Evans in May 1967 appointed a five member board of trustees for District 5 to administer the operations of the already existing Everett Junior College and the new Edmonds Community College. In June 1967 the trustees established a district administrative structure with Dr. Paul McCurley, President of Everett CC, as the district president and district offices were located at Paine Field in 1968.

Byron Norman was named acting president of the college on July 5, 1967. Other presidents of the college in succeeding years have been Dr. Carleton Opgaard (1968-69, 1995-96), James Ronald Warren, Thomas Nielsen, Dr.(in higher education and community college administration) Jack Oharah (1996-2010), and Dr. (in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies) Jean Hernandez (2011-). Formal dedication ceremonies were held September 7, 1967 with Senator Henry M. Jackson as the featured speaker.

The college is located on 50 acres (200,000 m²) in Lynnwood, the site of a former military installation, the Northwest Relay and Radio Receiving Station, U.S. Army. The property was declared surplus by the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and transferred to Edmonds Community College on December 6, 1967. Other parts of the originally 100-acre (0.40 km²) site were transferred to the Edmonds School District, the U.S. Post Office and Snohomish County.

Classes at the college began in the fall of 1967 in leased space at Woodway High School, now Edmonds Woodway High School and the college used portable buildings at the college property while permanent building were being constructed. Two duplex buildings, built in 1941, (which now house International Student Services) remain on campus as virtually the only part of the old Army Relay Station left today. A plaque at the northeast entrance to Alderwood Hall on the college campus commemorates the former site of the Globe Wireless Radio Station. It was dedicated by the Edmonds-South Snohomish County Historical Society. The radio station was built in 1930 and was operated by the U.S. Army and the Alaska Communication System to provide service to Alaska during World War II.

The college's first buildings, the duplexes, were called “A” and “B” until the college began a tradition of naming buildings after local areas. The college's student newspaper, The Triton Review, was originally called, The Quagmire, due to the muddy campus in the early days of the college. The first graduate of Edmonds Community College was Susan Blackborn, 19, the class of '68 (she was the only graduate that year). Don Wick was the first elected student body president at Edmonds Community College. He was named a Distinguished Alumni of the college by the Edmonds Community College Foundation in 2002 and became the Executive Director of the Economic Development Association of Skagit County.

Mountlake Terrace Hall was the first building constructed for the college campus in 1970. It was renovated in 2006. The college has partnered with Central Washington University to provide bachelor’s degrees locally since 1975. Accounting and business administration were the first programs offered at the Lynnwood Center. The opening of Snoqualmie Hall in 2002 gave Central a permanent presence on campus.

Edmonds Community College became a single district college July 1, 1981 when the legislature approved the new District 23 for Edmonds Community College (which shared boundaries with the Edmonds School District, an explanation for why the college is named "Edmonds," although it has a Lynnwood address).

Campus setting

Mukilteo Hall with classrooms and a theater opened in 2008

The college has a 50-acre (200,000 m²) campus in Lynnwood, 13 miles (21 km) north of Seattle, and beside Edmonds, Washington.

The campus has 28 computer labs, nine science labs, three eateries, two greenhouses, a digital recording studio, an art gallery, a theater, a childcare center, a gym, Triton Field, a transit center, Rainier Place – an on-campus residence hall, and a university satellite center for Central Washington University.

University partners

Snoqualmie Hall, a shared building with Central Washington University, 2007

After two years of study at Edmonds Community College, students may complete a bachelor's degree online at Washington State University online and evenings at the University of Washington or on campus at Central Washington University.

Academics

The college offers the following associate's degree programs, which correspond to the first two years of study at a four-year college or university: Associate of Arts Degree, Associate of Science Degree, Associate in Elementary Education Degree, Associate in Pre-Nursing Degree and the Associate in Applied Science-T (transfer) Degree.

The college has unique Materials Science Technology and Restoration Horticulture degree programs.

Service-Learning

Established in 2003, the college's service-learning program serves more than 1,600 students and provides 30,000 hours of service in the community to 69 community partners each year. Programs include part-time AmeriCorps Program Students in Service, the Veterans Conservation Corps, and the AmeriCorps Retention Project (which works with TRiO Student Support Services, the Learn and Serve Environmental Anthropology Field (LEAF) School, and Adult Basic Education ESL programs at the college). The Center for Service-Learning has been recognized nationally with a Howard R. Swearer Student Humanitarian Award from Campus Compact and a Service-Learning Collaboration Award from the Community College National Center for Community Engagement.

Grants and Research

From 1999 to 2011, the college received 18 National Science Foundation grants the first of which provided scholarships to low-income students studying computer science, engineering, and math. A subsequent NSF grant established a National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education to study ways to increase the recruitment of women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematic STEM fields. In 1998, when the college hired its first grant writer (a temporary position initially funded by the Edmonds Community College Foundation), the college generated revenues of $9.5 million in grants and contracts. That number grew to $22.3 million in 2009. Today, the college’s grants and contracts program makes up 22 percent of its operating budget, a larger proportion than at any other community college in the state.

Athletics

The college fields seven athletic teams as part of the Northern Region of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC) with volleyball, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball and baseball teams. The college's baseball team has won six NWAACC championships.

The college also has intramural and recreational athletics. There is also a full sized golf course owned by the City of Lynnwood adjacent to the campus. Faimous Harrison, the current Athletics Director, joined the college in 2004. Phil Zevenbergen, (former NBA player) went to Edmonds Community College.

Campus Housing

Student housing provides students a place to live while they learn at Edmonds Community College. The Homestay Program allows international students the cultural experience of living with a U.S. family. The program is designed to give international students the opportunity to learn, adapt, and experience U.S. culture first hand.

Residence Life at the college has been around since 1995. The college leases Sophie Court (across from north campus) and opened Rainier Place, an on campus residence hall in 2009. Rainier Place provides housing for 180 students attending both Edmonds Community College and Central Washington University - Lynnwood. With a total of 56 units in a mixture of 4-bedroom, 2-bedroom, double studio and single studio units, Rainier Place also has study lounges, a laundry facility as well as a community room for events and entertainment. Rainier Place is owned by ECCO Properties and managed by Lorig Associates (www.lorig.com). Edmonds Community College runs a student life program.

Campus Life

Edmonds Community College provides its students with various outlets for out of class socializing and learning. The Office of Student Life provides students with events and programs to assist in mentoring their social learning as well as academics. OSL also provides a lecture series that brings in public figures to share on various current topics.

In 2009, the college opened the Triton Student Center and a new bookstore. The 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m²), two-story addition to Brier Hall is a $13.4 million project funded by student services and activities fees. It created space for student programs and clubs and features a study lounge with a fireplace.

External links

• About Edmonds Community College
• Edmonds Community College Catalog
• Edmonds Community College Foundation
• The Triton Review, student newspaper
• Edmonds Community College Lecture Series