Barstow Community College is a public

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 sec ...

Barstow, California Barstow is a city in San Bernardino County, California, in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. Located in the Inland Empire region of California, the population was 25,415 at the 2020 census. Barstow is an important crossroads for the I ...

. It is an open-admission college serving more than 3,700 students in degree and certificate programs with approximately 120 faculty. It provides the first two years of college or university study as part of the California State Community College System of Higher Education. The college's educational program includes lower-division course work, general education offerings, and vocational courses for transfer to baccalaureate degree institutions. The college offers a number of occupational programs designed to prepare students for entry into the workforce. Service learning and self-enrichment classes are also offered to the community.

History

The Barstow Community College district was established in September 1959 by the citizens of the upper High Desert region of Southern California. Evening classes began the next year at Barstow High School, followed by the first day of classes in fall 1962 at Barstow First Methodist Church. The campus was constructed in 1964 at its current location on Barstow Road and first classes began in February 1965. Presently, the campus of Barstow Community College represents the standards of any college campus in the U.S. and includes: instructional halls, gym, athletic fields, tennis courts, cafeteria, student center, state of the art library, amphitheater, fine arts center, and numerous administrative and technical buildings. Barstow Community College's vocational program was revamped in 2006 to meet the needs of the community and workforce. In 2010, a partnership between a local business leader and a charter school emerged and the Center for Workforce and Economic Development (a partnership between Barstow Community College and Excelsior Charter School) was formed. 90 percent of the college's Career Technical Education (CTE) programs are centrally located in one facility and include Solar Technology, Logistics and Warehousing, Electrical, Building Construction Trades Technology, HVAC, Automotive and Diesel Technology, Photography and Welding. The college completed the renovation of its student services center (Norman Smith Student Services Center) in 2009 and began construction of a 700-seat Performing Arts Center in October 2010 and opened Fall of 2014. A two-story Wellness Center (located behind the current James R. Parks gymnasium), complete with an indoor track broke ground in late 2011.

Academics

Barstow Community College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges of the

Western Association of Schools and Colleges The Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) was an organization providing School accreditation, accreditation of public and private universities, colleges, secondary school, secondary and elementary schools in California and Hawaii, ...

(WASC). Barstow Community College offers the

Associate of Arts An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

and

Associate of Science An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The f ...

degrees.

Location

BCC is located on State Route 247 in the

Mojave Desert The Mojave Desert ( ; mov, Hayikwiir Mat'aar; es, Desierto de Mojave) is a desert in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the Southwestern United States. It is named for the indigenous Mojave people. It is located primarily in ...

region of San Bernardino County, CA., approximately 120 miles from both Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The college district covers the area from the Nevada state line, bounded by Kern and Inyo counties and the San Bernardino mountains. BCC serves the communities of Barstow, Lenwood, Newberry Springs, Daggett, Yermo, Hinkley, Ludlow, and Baker. Barstow Community College also provides on-site instruction to the U.S. Army National Training Center at Ft. Irwin and offers online classes through Distance Education. Barstow Community College District is bordered by

Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is located in northern Los Angeles County, California, and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated between the Tehachapi, Sierra Pelona, and the ...

at the west, Ridgecrest to the distant northwest,

Victorville Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. History In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cro ...

to the south, and to the distant southeast by

Joshua Tree ''Yucca brevifolia'' is a plant species belonging to the genus ''Yucca''. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names: Joshua tree, yucca palm, tree yucca, and palm tree yucca. This monocotyledonous tree is native to the ar ...

. It is the northernmost Community College District in San Bernardino County and the last college on I-15 before the Nevada Stateline.

Athletics

The college's athletic teams are known as the Vikings. The college currently sponsors four varsity teams, baseball, men's and women's basketball, and softball. Barstow 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).

Notable alumni

* Congressman

Joe Baca Joseph Natalio Baca Sr. (born January 23, 1947) is an American Democratic politician who served as the U.S. representative for southwestern San Bernardino County (including Fontana, Rialto, Ontario and parts of the city of San Bernardino) from ...

, former Barstow Community College baseball player, *

Justin Leone Justin Paul Leone (born March 9, 1977) is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He is an alumnus of St. Martin's University. Drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 13th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball Draft, Leone made ...

; played for the Seattle Mariners, *

Dan Norman Daniel Edmund Norman (born January 11, 1955) is an American former professional baseball right fielder, who played for the New York Mets and Montreal Expos of Major League Baseball (MLB). His professional career started in the Cincinnati Reds ...

; played for the Mets and Expos, *

Greg Martinez Gregory Alfred Martinez (born January 27, 1972) is a former professional outfielder. Martinez was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the twenty-fourth round of the 1993 Major League Baseball Draft. He played with the team at the Major League Bas ...

; MLB player for Milwaukee Brewers, graduate of BCC,

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Barstow, California California Community Colleges Universities and colleges in San Bernardino County, California Educational institutions established in 1959 Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges 1959 establishments in California