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 sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...
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 ...
in
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporat ...
. From 2006, when it lost its
regional accreditation
Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member ins ...
, to 2017, when it regained that accreditation, it operated as a part of
four-year junior college
A four-year junior college was a type of educational institution in the United States in the 20th century that provided education from the 11th to the 14th grades, corresponding to the last two years of high school and the first two years of colleg ...
, incorporating the last two years of high school as well as the first two years of college.
The campus was devastated by the
1933 Long Beach earthquake
The 1933 Long Beach earthquake took place on March 10 at south of downtown Los Angeles. The epicenter was offshore, southeast of Long Beach, California, on the Newport–Inglewood Fault. The earthquake had a magnitude estimated at 6.4 , and a m ...
, leaving two buildings standing. Nobody on campus was killed.
In the 1940s, several thousand Compton College students entered the armed forces, and during
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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the campus housed a military unit and a defense plant.
In 1950, voters approved a bond issue separating the college from the high school district. The new college campus was then constructed at the college's present site, 1111 East Artesia Boulevard. Classes began on the new campus in the fall of 1953.
In the 1960s, the composition of the student body changed dramatically from predominantly Caucasian to overwhelmingly African-American. As a result, it has sometimes been called "California’s
historically black college
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 with the intention of primarily serving the African-American community. Mo ...
."
In 1970, the Board of Trustees appointed the institution's first African-American President/Superintendent, Abel B. Sykes Jr. Highlights of his 14-year administration included the construction of the first two new campus buildings since 1952: the Jane Astredo Allied Health Building and the Abel B. Sykes Jr. Child Development Center (named after him in 1995).
The 1980s was a period of reduced funding and partial retrenchment for the institution, but by the early 1990s the college had once again stabilized. The second major demographic shift occurred in the 1990s, making the campus population 46% African-American and 46% Hispanic (3% White, Non-Hispanic; 3% APISA; 2% other).
In 1996 the Board appointed Ulis C. Williams as Interim President/Superintendent and in January 1997 made this appointment permanent.
Loss of accreditation
In 2004 the college began experiencing significant turmoil caused by a "corrupt board and financial insolvency". In May 2004, the state installed Arthur Tyler Jr. as Special Trustee to help the Compton Community College District achieve fiscal stability and integrity. In August, the State Chancellor issued another executive order (2004-02) authorizing the continuing authority of the Special Trustee to manage the college, and to suspend for up to a year the powers of the governing board of the college, or of any members of that board, and to exercise any powers or responsibilities or to take any official action with respect to the management of the college. Interim President/Superintendent Rita Cepeda was hired in February 2005 to assist with the recovery of the college.
The next year, the executive director of 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 ...
(ACCJC), Barbara Beno, informed the college of the commission's decision to terminate the college's
accreditation
Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...
. In July 2005, the State Chancellor assigned Jamillah Moore, Senior Vice Chancellor of the
California Community Colleges system
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 sectio ...
as the interim President/Superintendent and Charles Ratliff as the Special Trustee with the impending departure of both Cepeda and Tyler. The college began its appeal to the commission regarding the termination decision.
On March 1, 2006, a third Special Trustee, Thomas Henry, was assigned to the college district to continue the implementation of AB 61 and the development of AB 318 to keep the doors open for students. On June 30, 2006, Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
signed AB 318 (D-Dymally) into law, giving the college district a $30 million loan for recovery and the opportunity to partner with a college of good standing to offer accredited courses. The bill also gave the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) the responsibilities to conduct a comprehensive assessment and to develop a recovery plan for the college to regain its accreditation.
Five months later, the Special Trustee approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with El Camino College District to solidify the partnerships between the two districts. Under this MOU, the campus became a center of El Camino College. The Office of the President/Superintendent was replaced by the Office of Provost/
Chief Executive Officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...
(CEO). The center is officially established as the Compton Community Educational Center. At midnight, Compton Community College lost its accreditation. Shortly thereafter, the Compton Community Educational Center officially became part of El Camino College with Doris P. Givens serving as the Provost/CEO. Lawrence M. Cox became Provost/CEO from 2008 to 2010.
Accreditation regained
On June 7, 2017, Compton College was restored to full accreditation. This followed years of rebuilding under President Keith Curry, who was provost of the campus while it was partnered with El Camino College.
Campus
The library on campus opened in 2014. Its opening was originally scheduled for 2007. At that time it had a cost of $25 million. The opening was delayed by almost seven years and with an additional $4 million spent due to violations in the building code. It was extensively renovated.
Safety
The Compton College Police Department is responsible for law enforcement and safety at the college. Its police officers are California peace officers and are authorized to exercise peace officer powers pursuant to applicable state law under Penal Code §830.1. The department is also responsible for publishing an annual crime report covering the previous three years as required by the
Clery Act
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act, signed in 1990, is a federal statute codified at , with implementing regulations in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations at .
The Clery Act requir ...
. The Compton Fire Department provides fire protection.
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) N ...
Israeli Premier League
The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...
*
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...
, American actor
*
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a solo ...
, rapper
*
Iva Toguri D'Aquino
Iva Ikuko Toguri D'Aquino ( ja, 戸栗郁子 アイバ; July 4, 1916 – September 26, 2006) was a Japanese-American disc jockey and radio personality who participated in English-language radio broadcasts transmitted by Radio Tokyo to Allied t ...
(1934), wrongly identified as
Tokyo Rose
Tokyo Rose (alternative spelling Tokio Rose) was a name given by Allied troops in the South Pacific during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific ...
*
Louella Daetweiler
Louella M. Daetweiler (April 30, 1918 – August 22, 2004) was a catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Listed at 5' 3", 160 lb., she batted and threw right handed.
Biography
Born in Lynwood, California, D ...
(1918–2004),
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...
player
*
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
, rapper
*
Carl Earn
Carl Earn (March 7, 1921 – April 4, 2007) was an American tennis player who competed on the amateur and professional circuits in the 1940s and 1950s. He reached as high as world No. 7 in the professional ranks in 1946.
Biography
Earn grew up i ...
(1921–2007), tennis player
*
Jamaa Fanaka
Jamaa Fanaka (born Walter Gordon; September 6, 1942 – April 1, 2012) was an American filmmaker. He is best known for his 1979 film, ''Penitentiary'', and was one of the leading directors of the L.A. Rebellion film movement.
Early life and ...
Hanna-Barbera Productions
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ) was an American animation studio and production company which was active from 1957 to 2001. It was founded on July 7, 1957, by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera following the decision of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to c ...
(now known as Cartoon Network Studios)
*
Sim Iness
Simeon "Sim" Garland Iness (July 9, 1930 – May 23, 1996) was an American discus thrower who won a gold medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics, breaking the Olympic record several times in the process. Next year he set a new world record at 57.93 m. ...
, Olympic champion
* Cornelius Johnson, Olympic champion (1936, high jump)
* Don Klosterman, American professional football player and NFL executive
*
Yuri Kochiyama
was an American civil rights activist. Influenced by her Japanese-American family's experience in an American internment camp, her association with Malcolm X, and her Maoist beliefs, she advocated for many causes, including black separatism, t ...
, Japanese-American human rights activist
*
John LoVetere
John Manning LoVetere (May 31, 1936 – October 27, 2012) was an American football defensive tackle who played seven seasons in the National Football League for the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants. He played college football at Compton ...
, American football player
*
Wayne Maunder
Wayne Ernest Maunder (December 19, 1937 – November 11, 2018) was a Canadian-born American actor who starred in three American television series between 1967 and 1974.
Three television series
From September 6 to December 27, 1967, Maunder star ...
, actor
*
Hugh McElhenny
Hugh Edward McElhenny Jr. (December 31, 1928 – June 17, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a halfback in the National Football League (NFL) from 1952 to 1964 for the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, New York G ...
, professional football player and NFL Hall of Fame member
*
Billy G. Mills
Billy G. Mills (born 1929) is a retired Los Angeles Superior Court judge and a former Los Angeles City Council member, serving from 1963 to 1974. He was one of the first three African-Americans elected to the council.
Biography
Mills was born on ...
(born 1929), Los Angeles City Council member, 1963–74, Superior Court judge thereafter
*
Tino Nuñez
Agustin "Tino" Nuñez (born August 22, 1984) is an American soccer player who most recently played for Ontario Fury in the Major Arena Soccer League.
Playing career Youth and college
Nuñez was a four-year letter-winner at Millikan High S ...
, professional soccer player
* Ed Peasley, American football player and coach
* Joe Perry, professional football player and (NFL) Hall of Fame member
*
Carl Pohlad
Carl Ray Pohlad (August 23, 1915 – January 5, 2009) was an American financier from Minnesota. Pohlad is best known as the owner of the Minnesota Twins baseball franchise from 1984 (succeeding Calvin Griffith) until his death in 2009.
In 2 ...
, owner of the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
player for the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...