![AVC Yoshida Applied Arts Building](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/AVC_Yoshida_Applied_Arts_Building.jpg)
Antelope Valley College (AVC) is a
public
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...
in
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 173,516, making Lancaster the 153rd largest city in the United ...
. It is part of the
California Community College
The California Community Colleges is a postsecondary education system in the U.S. state of California.California Education CodSection 70900(added to the Education Code by Chapter 973 of the California Statutes of 1988Assembly Bill No. 1725 secti ...
system. It is operated by the
Antelope Valley Community College District
Antelope Valley College (AVC) is a Public college, public Community colleges in the United States, community college in Lancaster, California. It is part of the California Community College system. It is operated by the Antelope Valley Communi ...
, with a primary service area of covering portions of Los Angeles and Kern counties. Instruction is offered at several sites, including Palmdale and Lancaster, and through online and instructional television courses.
The college offers Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees in 71 fields as well as certificate programs in 59 vocational areas.
The main campus in Lancaster hosts the satellite location of
California State University, Bakersfield-Antelope Valley (CSUB-AV), where students can obtain bachelor's and master's degrees in select subjects.
History
![AVC garden, CA](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/AVC_garden%2C_CA.jpg)
The institution began classes on September 10, 1929, as a department of
Antelope Valley High School in Lancaster. It was established as Antelope Valley Junior College, providing the first two years of a college education for those living in what was then a remote, rural area. The name was later modified to Antelope Valley College to reflect it comprehensive nature. The average daily attendance at the college was 13 during the 1929–30 school year.
There was little growth in enrollment at the college during the depression years that followed. Alfalfa farmers in Antelope Valley were hard hit during the 1930s, and the smallest junior college in California suffered serious financial difficulties. Teachers took a 20 percent cut in salaries, which ranged from a state-mandated minimum of $1,350 a year to a $1,595 maximum.
Average daily attendance (ADA) at the college reached 100 by 1939, but with
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, attendance plummeted. Attendance reached a low of 13 during the war, the same ADA as the year the school was founded.
There were pressures to close the junior college, but trustees and staff held out until veterans returned from the war. Enrollment grew steadily during the postwar years, partly because of the GI Bill of Rights and partly because Antelope Valley began developing an aircraft industry.
In 1959, groundbreaking was held for a new college campus on at Avenue K and 30th Street West, designed by the architect
Henry L. Gogerty (1894-1990).
The college campus has expanded to approximately through land purchases.
Academics
![Antelope Valley College (3118577040)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Antelope_Valley_College_%283118577040%29.jpg)
Antelope Valley College has grown to a student population of approximately 16,000. It is accredited by the
Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) is an accrediting organization in the United States. It accredits private and public colleges that provide students two-year education programs and confer the associate deg ...
.
Among the many programs offered through the college are an associate degree program in registered nursing approved by the Board of Registered Nursing, an airframe and powerplant technician program certified by the
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...
, and a lower division engineering program that co-ordinates with an engineering degree program offered locally through California State University, Long Beach. Other programs include aircraft fabrication and assembly (including composite materials), computer graphics, respiratory therapy, Firefighter I Academy and wildland fire technology.
In conjunction with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Lancaster campus hosts the Sheriff's Training Academy, which meets the requirements of the Peace Officer Standards and Training for training members of the sheriff's department and other law enforcement agencies.
The community college district is governed by a locally elected Board of Trustees consisting of five members serving four-year terms, plus a student trustee elected annually by members of the student body.
Palmdale campus
The college maintains a temporary leased site in the City of
Palmdale
Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. The city lies in the Antelope Valley region of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south.
On Aug ...
, which serves nearly 2,000 students. Plans call for creation of a full campus on of land in southern Palmdale on 25th Street East, south of Avenue S. College officials are working toward a sustainable enrollment of 1,000 full-time equivalent students to qualify Palmdale for center status—a key step in developing a permanent campus. Officials in April 2009 expressed their intent to submit an initial project proposal for a campus to the state in June 2010.
Athletics
The college's athletic teams are known as the Marauders. The college currently fields eight men's and eight women's varsity teams. It competes as a member of the
California Community College Athletic Association
The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in 1929 as the Calif ...
(CCCAA) in the
Western State Conference
The Western State Conference (WSC) is a college athletic conference that is affiliated with the California Community College Athletic Association. The conference was established in 1950, making it the oldest community college conference in Califo ...
(WSC) for all sports except football, which competes in Southern California Football Association (SCFA).
Notable alumni
*
Kevin Appier
Robert Kevin Appier (; born December 6, 1967) is an Americans, American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and Anaheim An ...
, former MLB pitcher
*
Jim Bruske
James Scott Bruske (born October 7, 1964) is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers from 1995 to 2000. He is currently a real estate agent in Scott ...
, former MLB pitcher
*
Brodus Clay
George Murdoch (born February 21, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and cable news personality known by his ring/stage name Tyrus. As a wrestler, he is signed to the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), where he is the reigning NWA World ...
, former
WWE
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and vario ...
wrestler
*
DeAndra Cobb, former running back
*
Dave Cox
David E. Cox (February 20, 1938 – July 13, 2010) was an American politician from Holdenville, Oklahoma. A Republican, he served as a California State Senator, representing the 1st district from December 2004 until his death in July 2010, and ...
, California State Senator, 1st District
*
Kevin Curtis
Kevin Devon Curtis (born July 17, 1978) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah State and was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. ...
, founder and chief technology officer, InPhase Technologies
*
Dewayne Dedmon
Dewayne Jamal Dedmon (born August 12, 1989) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "The Mechanic", he played college basketball for Antelope Valley College and USC. ...
, professional basketball player
*
Greg Floyd Jr.
Gregory Floyd Jr. (born May 10, 1999) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Ballers of the Junior Basketball Association (JBA). He played for three different schools at the high school level, emerging ...
, professional basketball player
*
Steve Knight, U.S. Congressman, California 25th District
*
Tony Reed
Tony Reed (born March 30, 1955) is an American former college and professional football player. A star at Colorado, he played five professional seasons as a running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in grid ...
, former running back
*
James Richards, former
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
offensive guard
*
Isaiah Rider
Isaiah Rider Jr., nicknamed J.R. (born March 12, 1971), is an American former professional basketball player who played 9 seasons in the NBA.
Rider was born in Oakland, California, and was raised in nearby Alameda. He starred in both baseball and ...
, former professional basketball player
*
Kay Ryan
Kay Ryan (born September 21, 1945) is an American poet and educator. She has published seven volumes of poetry and an anthology of selected and new poems. From 2008 to 2010 she was the sixteenth United States Poet Laureate. In 2011 she was named ...
, Poet Laureate, Library of Congress, July 2008 – 2010
*
Jim Slaton
James Michael Slaton (born June 19, 1950) is a former pitcher with a 16-year career from 1971-1986. He played in the American League with the Milwaukee Brewers from 1971–1977 and 1979–1983, the Detroit Tigers in 1978 and 1986, and the Cal ...
, former
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are an American professional baseball team based in Milwaukee. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division. The Brewers are named for t ...
pitcher
References
External links
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California Community Colleges
Education in Palmdale, California
Two-year colleges in the United States
Educational institutions established in 1929
Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
College
A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering ...
Buildings and structures in Lancaster, California
Education in Lancaster, California
1929 establishments in California