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Orange Coast College

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Orange Coast College (OCC) is a public community college in Costa Mesa in Orange County, California. It was founded in 1947, with its first classes opening in the fall of 1948. It provides Associate of Art and Associate of Science degrees, certificates of achievement, and lower-division classes transferable to other colleges and universities. The college enrolls approximately 24,000 undergraduate students. In terms of population size, Orange Coast College is the third-largest college in Orange County.

Orange Coast College (OCC)
MottoWe'll help you get there.
TypePublic community college
Established1947
Parent institution
Coast Community College District
Endowment$10 million[1]
PresidentAngelica Suarez
Students25,000 (Fall 2016)[2]
Location
Costa Mesa
,
California
,
United States

33°40′14″N 117°54′43″W / 33.67056°N 117.91194°W / 33.67056; -117.91194
CampusSuburban, 164 acres
Colors    Orange and Blue
NicknamePirates
MascotPete the Pirate
Websitewww.orangecoastcollege.edu
OCC's lawn surrounding the Art Building
Orange Coast College Sailing Base

History

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Orange Coast College was formed after local voters passed a measure in the January 1947 election to establish a new junior college on a 243-acre (0.98 km2) site, secured from the War Assets Administration in Washington, D.C, and part of the 1,300-acre (5.3 km2) deactivated Santa Ana Army Air Base.[3]

The first official District board of trustees hired the college's founding president and district superintendent, Basil Hyrum Peterson, on July 28, 1947. Construction of campus classrooms and facilities began when Peterson hired Fran Albers as the college's carpenter in February 1948. Albers' crew of 35 workers (mostly Coast football players paid 60 cents an hour) turned an Army movie theatre into an auditorium and concert hall; a service club into a 500-seat gymnasium; an Army chapel into a facility for theatre productions and student/staff weddings; a military storage building into a library; an Army PX into a student center; a battalion headquarters building into an administration building; and several cadet barracks into student dormitories and married student and faculty housing.[4]

The first campus building phase occurred in the early 1950s when renowned architect Richard Neutra was brought in to re-design the campus. Leaving many of the original buildings intact, Neutra added several modernist structures including the strikingly minimalist Campus Theater and two large lecture halls. These were laid out on a 45-degree angle to the city street grid, in much the same manner as The Parkinsons' layout of USC. The second and largest building phase occurred in the 1970s when local architect William Blurock was hired to replace many of the original Army buildings with structures more suitable for educational purposes.

In December 2002, Rabbit Island,[5][6] a 38-acre (150,000 m2) island located in the North Gulf Islands of the Georgia Strait 50 miles (80 km) west of the city of Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada, was donated to the Orange Coast College Foundation. Since then the OCC Foundation, using funds designated for the Orange Coast College School of Sailing & Seamanship, has refurbished the facilities on the island, made significant capital improvements, and has helped fund the use of the island as a field station to teach summer classes in Island Ecology, Biological Diversity, Vertebrate Biology, Intertidal Ecology, kayaking, and photography. It is now referred to as "Wheeler Station" at Rabbit Island (in honor of the donor, Henry Wheeler). OCC marine science and biology instructors have used the island to conduct research on species diversity, standing stock, species distribution, and oceanography. Plans were underway to find separate funding for the island outside of OCC. Possible funding sources included the National Science Foundation, rental of the island facilities to Canadians, funding from the Associated Students of OCC (ASOCC), and through other foundation grants and private donations. In March 2007, the Orange Coast College Foundation Board of Directors voted to sell the island after determining that keeping and maintaining it was unfeasible. As of July 2007, the island was in talks to be sold to a private party for $2.41 million.[7] However, the sale did not materialize and the island was sold in March 2008 to a privately held Canadian corporation for $2.19 million.[8]

In 2015, a plan is in effect to remove the early Neutra buildings in the center of the campus and open up a large central park around which both the outlying 1970s buildings and several newer buildings will be clustered.[9]

2016 recording controversy

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In November 2016, an OCC student recorded a lecture by a professor of human sexuality, violating the school's Student Code of Conduct. In the lecture, the professor criticized President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, calling their election "an act of terrorism" against members of the LGBTQ community. The student shared the recording with a student club on campus, which then posted it on their public Facebook page. The video promptly went viral, sparking backlash and death threats against the professor.[10]

After an investigation, the student was suspended for one semester, and required to write an essay and apologize to the professor. After public outcry, the punishment was overturned in a special meeting of the Coast Community College District Board of Trustees, in the interest of bringing "closure to a chain of events that has led to the distress for many, most especially, an OCC teacher and student."

In 2017, the professor was awarded the Faculty of the Year award by her peers, which she declined to accept and did not want to participate in related activities.[11]

Organization and admissions

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OCC Crew Base

The college is one of three in the Coast Community College District (CCCD) which also includes Golden West College in Huntington Beach, and Coastline Community College. CCCD is a regional organization providing administrative services and funding for post-secondary education. The district is chartered by the state of California to provide community college services.

The mission of OCC is to provide inexpensive education in the trades, licensed trades and skilled professions, as well as remedial and transferable lower-division courses for students who plan to transfer to either a California State University or University of California campus.

Academics

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OCC is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. It also has specialized accreditation by American Dental Association (Commission on Dental Accreditation), the American Dietetic Association (Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education), and the Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology.[12]

Athletics

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Orange Coast College sponsors 25 sports programs.[13] The 12 men's sports programs are baseball, basketball, crew, cross country, football, golf, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo. The 13 women's programs are cheerleading/dance, basketball, beach volleyball, crew, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo.

LeBard Stadium is located on the campus.

The Los Angeles Chargers have held training camp and regular season practices at the campus facilities.[14][15]

Coast Report

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Coast Report has been OCC's campus newspaper since 1948. Coast Report is now an entirely digital news outlet.

Planetarium

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1955 original Richard Neutra Planetarium

Orange Coast College's original design in the 1950s included a planetarium designed by Richard Neutra.[16] Built in 1955,[17] it featured a 24-foot dome and a Viewlex Apollo star projector, which was later donated to the Big Bear Planetarium Projector Museum.[18] The theatre could accommodate 35 visitors.[19] Because of the growth of the college and its astronomy program, the facility was unable to accommodate students.[20] In 2012, a bond measure was passed to fundraise for a modern planetarium more than twice the size of the Neutra planetarium with seating for 129.[18][19][21] Preservationists, led by Neutra's son Dion Neutra, fought to make the building and several others protected pieces of historical value.[20][22] In 2015, the district approved a $450 million expansion that included the new planetarium.[23] Construction commenced in 2016.[24] In 2017, former professor Mary McChesney donated $1 million for a Foucault pendulum in the lobby.[19] The lobby also has National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's display Science On a Sphere.[25] The planetarium is used by the school's astronomy students and provides educational field trips to the area's grade schools.[25]

The planetarium opened in 2019 and is open to the general public.[26] It was well received by the community. The facility hosts science, technology, engineering, and mathematics educational programs for kids and community telescope nights.[27] During the school year, there are monthly guest lectures from astrophysicists, aeronautical scholars, and other space science experts called the "Skylark Speaker Series".[28][29][30] Guests have included planetary scientist Konstantin Batygin, astrophysicist Sabrina Stierwalt, and aerospace engineer and Virgin Galactic Unity 25 crew member Christopher Huie.[31]

In 2021, they hosted a planetarium festival called "Dome Fest West", which used the domed theatre for immersive music experiences and laser shows.[32] During the Solar eclipse of April 8, 2024, the college hosted a community education and viewing event that more than 3,000 people in the attended.[33][34] The Orange County Register said it was one of the best planetariums they've ever seen.[35]

 
The Community Planetarium in 2019

Notable alumni

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Arts and literature

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Athletics

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Politics

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  • Carlos Bilbao, Member of the Idaho House of Representatives
  • Matthew Harper, American politician. California State Assemblyman, 74th District, and the 59th Mayor of Huntington Beach (2013–2014).[53]
  • Ross Johnson, politician
  • Jack Scott, Member of the California Senate

References

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  1. ^ "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2009 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2008 to FY 2009" (PDF). 2009 NACUBO-Commonfund Study of Endowments. National Association of College and University Business Officers. June 30, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 14, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  2. ^ "California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office - Data Mart". Archived from the original on December 31, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  3. ^ Carnett, Jim (January 2, 2008). "Orange Coast College Secures Its Campus 60 Years Ago This Month". Orange Coast College. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  4. ^ Carnett, Jim. "OCC Names Two Campus Buildings In Honor Of Charter Staff Members". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2009.
  5. ^ Powers, Ashley (February 18, 2007). "Island-owning college may decide to sell". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
  6. ^ Rabbit Island Archived October 18, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Ryan, Carmela (September 12, 2007). "Island Sale Nearly Done". The Coast Report. Retrieved April 10, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Hosboyar, Lisa (March 5, 2008). "Rabbit Island is Sold". The Coast Report. Retrieved April 10, 2008.[permanent dead link]
  9. ^ Hodgins, Paul (July 12, 2015). "Design 'gems' on a cramped campus". The Orange County Register. pp. News 1, 7. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  10. ^ Recalde-Martinez, Joshua. "Orange Coast College Teacher Call Trump Supporters Terrorist". YouTube. Archived from the original on December 8, 2016. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  11. ^ Vega, Priscella (March 22, 2017). "OCC professor who made anti-Trump comments declines Faculty of the Year award". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2017.
  12. ^ "Institute of Education Sciences, US Department of Education web site". Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2008.
  13. ^ "OCC Pirates Athletics". occpirateathletics.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  14. ^ "Chargers to open training camp in Irvine on July 29, then Chargers train in Costa Mesa on July 30". June 22, 2017. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  15. ^ "Bengals Prep Begins". Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  16. ^ Zeiger, Mimi (December 15, 2015). "Orange Coast College expansion threatens designs by Neutra, Alexander, and Eckbo". The Architect’s Newspaper. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  17. ^ "Orange Coast College, Science Building". Neutra Institute for Survival Through Design. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "History | Planetarium". orangecoastcollege.edu. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  19. ^ a b c Money, Luke (July 11, 2017). "Retired professor donates $1 million for new planetarium at Orange Coast College". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Fry, Hannah (December 9, 2015). "Preservationists condemn OCC plan to demolish famed architect Neutra's buildings". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  21. ^ Fang, Jerome; Contopoulos, Nicholas (January 1, 2019). "Astronomy at Orange Coast College: Growth and Future Directions". American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #233, Id.262.06. 233: 262.06. Bibcode:2019AAS...23326206F.
  22. ^ Hodgins, Paul (July 12, 2015). "Richard Neutra-designed 'gems' on Orange Coast College's cramped campus are threatened". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  23. ^ Chan, Alex (November 4, 2015). "District approves OCC plans for a planetarium, student housing, parking and more". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  24. ^ Chan, Alex (June 9, 2016). "OCC prepares to launch planetarium construction". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  25. ^ a b Robinson, Alicia (March 13, 2019). "Tour the stars at new $23 million planetarium opening at Orange Coast College". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  26. ^ Robinson, Alicia (March 13, 2019). "Tour the stars at new $23 million planetarium opening at Orange Coast College". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  27. ^ McRae, Heather (March 21, 2022). "Orange Coast College's planetarium has visitors starstruck". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  28. ^ "Around Town: OCC Planetarium brings back Skylark lectures beginning Sept. 29". The Los Angeles Times. September 23, 2023. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  29. ^ Reporter, Jesenia Rosales (May 10, 2024). "Time To Space Out At OCC". Coast Report. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  30. ^ Khatchatryan, Astgik; Murray, Grace; Walker, Theresa; Wilcox, Kristen (February 15, 2024). "Free Lectures, Classes, Performances, and More Around O.C." Orange Coast Mag. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  31. ^ "| Planetarium". orangecoastcollege.edu. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  32. ^ Garcia, Kristina (September 29, 2021). "Immersive Fulldome Films Will Take Over OCC's Planetarium for a Weekend Festival". Voice of OC. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  33. ^ Bahnsen, Annika (April 8, 2024). "Orange County looks up to the sky to witness the solar eclipse". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  34. ^ Turner, Austin; Lyster, Lauren; Yost, Chip (April 8, 2024). "Southern Californians soak in the rays during partial solar eclipse". KTLA.
  35. ^ Schwartz, Penny E. (April 7, 2024). "Eclipse party or not, OCC planetarium is worth a visit". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
  36. ^ Billiter, Bill (April 7, 1985). "Costa Mesa : Best-Selling Author, Other OCC Alumni to Be Honored". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  37. ^ Villarreal, Yvonne (April 18, 2011). "Audrina Patridge gives reality another try in new VH1 series". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  38. ^ Shortall, Andrew (December 12, 2012). "Funding the dream". Daily Pilot. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  39. ^ Sheridan, Patricia (January 7, 2024). "A conversation with Patrick Warburton". Deseret News. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  40. ^ FADROSKI, KELLI (March 27, 2015). "A new beginning for Scott Weiland". Orange County Register. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  41. ^ "Tiki Ghosn UFC Bio". Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  42. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 29, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  43. ^ "Men's Volleyball Athlete Profile - Casey Jennings". www.byucougars.com. Brigham Young University. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  44. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 8, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  45. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on May 29, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  46. ^ "Francisco Rivera OCC Alumni". Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  47. ^ "Francisco Rivera UFC Profile". Archived from the original on September 25, 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
  48. ^ "Occidental". Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  49. ^ Kresal, Steve (September 18, 1990). "COMMUNITY COLLEGE NOTEBOOK : Outgrowing Baseball, OCC's Strouse Gets His Kicks Playing Soccer". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  50. ^ "It's Timmons' time". Daily Pilot. January 20, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  51. ^ Dwyre, Bill (October 21, 2011). "Cancer survivor John Vallely steps beyond recovery". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  52. ^ "PASSINGS: Greg Willard, Ronnie Ray Smith, Chuck Fairbanks". Los Angeles Times. April 3, 2013. Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  53. ^ "Matthew Harper's Biography". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on September 6, 2022. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
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