Merced College

Merced College is a public community college in Merced, California.

Merced College
Merced College Seal
Former names
Merced Community College
TypeCommunity college
EstablishedFebruary 27, 1962[1]
PresidentChris Vitelli [2]
Students14,775[3]
Location
Merced
,
California
,
United States

37°20′6″N 120°28′26.76″W
ColorsBlue and Gold   [4]
NicknameBlue Devils (men) and Lady Devils (sometimes She-Devils)
AffiliationsMerced Community College District, California Community Colleges
Websitewww.mccd.edu

History

In 1961, the Merced High and Le Grand High School Districts petitioned the State Board of Education for permission to set an election to approve the establishment of a junior college district in Merced County. The State Board of Education approved the proposal for the Merced County Junior College on November 10, 1961. The County Superintendent of Schools set February 27, 1962, as the date for the election. Before the election, Robert Clemo, Chief of the Bureau of School District Organization, along with Loren Wann, conducted a survey to determine if Merced County had a sufficient number of students at the time and in the future, if the tax base was high enough to support a community college, and whether a need for a separate junior college (separate from Modesto Junior College) existed. The answer to all three questions was yes.[5] The vote in the election was 3996 in favor and 1494 opposed.[6]

The initial governing board was elected and sworn into office in 1962. It was composed of the following individuals: Buddy Iwata, George Clark, Byron Cunningham, John Hann, and Donald Robinson. Buddy Iwata was the first board chairman, George Clark was the vice-chairman, and Byron Cunningham was the secretary. Merced Union High School District Superintendent Clair Hopkins acted as the interim junior college superintendent as well as continuing his duties as high school superintendent with the permission of the high school board.[5] One of the first orders of business for the new junior college board was to select a name for the college. While many potential names were considered, Merced Junior College was chosen by a unanimous vote of the college board.[7]

Campuses

The college's service district is composed of Merced County, the Chowchilla Union High School District in Madera County, and the Dos Palos Joint Union Elementary School District. A single-college district, the main campus is located in the City of Merced on 269 acres. The new Los Banos Campus, an educational center completed in 2007, is located on 120 acres in the City of Los Banos.[8] Merced College also has classes available at other locations outside of its two main locations for residents in Delhi, Dos Palos, and Mariposa. It has also offered classes for employees of the Valley State Prison for Women and the Central California Women's Facility.[9]

Notable alumni

See also
  • Merced Blue Devils Major League Baseball players

References
  1. "Institutional Self-Study in Support of Reaffirmation of Accreditation" (PDF). MC website. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 8, 2006. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  2. "Merced College - Merced College Board of Trustees Announces Selection of Chris Vitelli as Next Superintendent/President".
  3. "California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office - Data Mart". Retrieved December 14, 2016.
  4. "Merced College - Blue Devil Basketball Schedule (men's)". MC website. Archived from the original on January 21, 2010. Retrieved December 8, 2009.
  5. The Inferno Redux, Merced College 1962-2012 by Delores Cabezut-Ortiz
  6. Merced Sun Star, 3/1/1962
  7. Merced Sun Star, 7/28/1963
  8. Merced Community College District Institutional Self Study 2010
  9. "Off Campus Locations".
  10. "Biography - Assemblymember Adam Gray Representing the 21st California Assembly District". asmdc.org. Archived from the original on October 17, 2014.
  11. "Our Team – Great Valley Center". greatvalley.org. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  12. Merced College 35 Outstanding Alumni, Merced College Foundation, published 1998
  13. "Merced County, CA - Official Website". merced.ca.us. Archived from the original on April 14, 2015. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  14. "Lavar Johnson MMA Bio". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
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