Pikes Peak State College
Pikes Peak State College is a public community college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It is the largest institution of higher education in the Pikes Peak region. PPSC offers more than 150 programs in liberal arts and sciences transfer and career technical education. The college's 60+60 Bachelor's Degree Transfer Program guarantees transfer of the PPSC Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees to any public institution of higher education in Colorado. Students take two years of study at PPSC, then transfer as a junior to the four-year college or university of their choice.
Former name | El Paso Community College (1968–1978) Pikes Peak Community College (1978–2022) |
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Type | Public community college |
Established | 1968 |
Academic affiliation | Space-grant |
President | Dr. Lance Bolton |
Location | , , United States 38.764491°N 104.786739°W |
Colors | Green, Blue |
Nickname | Aardvarks |
Mascot | Arnie the Aardvark |
Website | www.pikespeak.edu |
In 2018, the college had an enrollment of 13,204, making it the largest institution in the Colorado Community College System.[1]
History
Pikes Peak State College was originally founded as El Paso Community College in 1968 without an official college campus. In 1978 a new campus was constructed on surplus land on the northern edge of Fort Carson; at the same time the college name was changed to Pikes Peak Community College.[2]
During the 2022 Colorado legislative session, college administrators, along with state elected officials, introduced legislation to change the name of the college.[3] The purpose of the bill was to change the perceived value of community colleges and to better reflect the broad range of degrees available.[4] The bill was signed by Colorado Governor Jared Polis which officially changed Pikes Peak Community College to Pikes Peak State College.[5]
Campuses
Pikes Peak State College has three full-service campuses, three military satellite locations, and an extensive distance education program. The largest campus, the Centennial Campus, is located in southern Colorado Springs near the Fort Carson Army post. The Downtown Studio Campus is located in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs, the Rampart Range Campus is located at the north end of the city.
While students may study General Education (CORE) courses at all four campuses, certain programs are site specific. Centennial Campus is the largest, and offers all academic disciplines as well as several career and technical programs including an emergency medical services (EMS) training program with a state-of-the-art EMS simulation (SIM) Lab. Rampart Range Campus hosts some of the college's Health Sciences programs, including the Nursing Program, which includes a state-of-the-art Nursing SIM Lab. The Downtown Studio Campus is a hub for the fine arts programs. In 2008 the Falcon Campus was opened, but is no longer in service to the college.[6] Three satellite education centers offer a variety of courses and programs at local Military bases. Courses for military education are held at various dates and times which are different from the traditional semester.
Notable alumni
- Max Aaron, 2013 U.S. national champion figure skater
- Dartanyon Crockett, 2014 judo World Champion
- Alexa Scimeca, 2013 U.S. National silver medalist figure skater
- Leslie Smith, professional mixed martial arts fighter competing in the bantamweight division, formerly with the UFC[7]
- Ron Stallworth, police officer and author whose novel, Black Klansman, was turned into a film by Spike Lee
References
- https://www.usnews.com/education/community-colleges/pikes-peak-community-college-CC06884
- "About". Pikes Peak State College. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
- "Pikes Peak Community College Name Change". Archived from the original on April 23, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- O'Dell, Isaac. "Pikes Peak Community College seeks to change name". The Gazette. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- Heagle, Frank (April 23, 2022). "Pikes Peak Community College gets a name change". Fox 21. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- https://m.gazette.com/ppcc-to-move-falcon-campus-closer-to-d-49-high-schools-in-effort-to-increase-enrollment/article/1549518
- "Leslie Smith UFC Bio". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
External links
- Official website
- Media related to Pikes Peak State College at Wikimedia Commons