Fullerton College (FC) is a public community college in

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...

. The college is part 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 ...

and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the oldest community college in continuous operation in California.

History

In April 1913, the governing board of Fullerton Union High School approved a motion to establish a two-year postgraduate course of study at the high school. At this time, Fullerton was primarily an agricultural community, which specialized in the production of citrus produce. Delbert Brunton, who was the Fullerton High principal, established the new Fullerton Junior College to provide such postgraduate study. Twenty-six freshman students enrolled in the first year, and the school had a curriculum of 10 courses. "In 1922 the college was reorganized as an independent junior college district. After holding classes on the Fullerton Union High School campus for its first 23 years, the college began moving to its own fourteen-acre campus next door in 1936." In 2002, North Orange County voters passed a $239 million facilities bond measure, of which nearly $135 million was allotted to Fullerton College. It was used for renovation of current campus facilities and also to construct new facilities. On June 13, 2005, the new library inside of the LLRC was opened, and a formal dedication occurred on October 28, 2005. A bond measure that passed in 2014 will award the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) $574 million to fund construction and renovation projects for the next 25 years.

Campus

The college is located in the city of

, in northern Orange County. The campus is within walking distance of the downtown section. The Fullerton College library first opened in 1913, in a small section of the Fullerton High School Library. It moved into the high school gymnasium in 1929 and to a small space in the new science building in 1938. A specialized facility was constructed in 1957 and named the William T. Boyce Library in 1962 in honor of William T. Boyce, who served as dean and president from 1918 to 1951. A new library was constructed and opened on June 13, 2005, and formally dedicated on October 28, 2005.

Artist-in-residence program

The Fullerton College Art Department hosts a yearly

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

(AIR) program which was started in 1972 with a visit from painter Wayne Thiebaud. August 2013 marked the 100th fall semester of the AIR program. It was celebrated with the first exhibit of the entire AIR art collection at the Fullerton College Art Gallery.

Student life

The students of Fullerton College have established a student body association named Associated Students of Fullerton College. The association is required by law to "encourage students to participate in the governance of the college". Associated Students of Fullerton College is a voting member of a statewide community college student organization named Student Senate for California Community Colleges. The statewide Student Senate is authorized by law "to advocate before the Legislature and other state and local governmental entities".

Notable alumni

Actors and artists

* Bill Blackbeard — WriterFox, Margalit. "Bill Blackbeard, Comic Strip Champion, Dies at 84". ''The New York Times'', April 29, 2011.
/ref> *

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post-New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability w ...

— Academy Award Winning movie director and screenwriter, and an explorer of the seas. Attended Fullerton College from 1973 to 1974. *

William Conrad William Conrad (born John William Cann Jr., September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director whose entertainment career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television, peaking in popularity when he s ...

— Actor, producer and director whose career spanned five decades in radio (''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

''), film ('' The Killers'') and television ('' Cannon''). *

Jerome Ranft Jerome Ranft is an American character sculptor and voice actor for Pixar Animation Studios. He is the younger brother of the late Pixar story artist Joe Ranft. Career Ranft attended Fullerton College and the California College of the Arts. He g ...

— Sculptor *

Cress Williams Cress Williams (born July 26, 1970) is an American actor, known for his roles in ''Prison Break'' and '' Close to Home''. His most recent roles include Mayor Lavon Hayes on The CW series ''Hart of Dixie'' and the title character on The CW's ''Bla ...

— Actor, appeared in numerous TV shows including '' Beverly Hills, 90210'', ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble c ...

'', '' ER'', '' Becker'', ''

Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The seri ...

'', '' Providence'' *

Renee Griffin Renee Griffin (born May 30, 1968) is an American actress. Early life and education She was born in Long Beach, California and attended John F. Kennedy High School in La Palma, California. She studied drama at Fullerton College, where she app ...

— Actress * Steven Seagal — Actor and martial artist * Matthew Lillard — Actor * Eden Espinosa — Actress and singer * Mitch Pileggi — Actor * Jason Scott Lee — Actor *

Florence Arnold Florence Arnold was an American hard-edge abstract painter from North Orange County, California. She had become active in Fullerton's art community by establishing organizations and showcases to promote interest of art in youth. She has had works i ...

— Painter *

Ruby Berkley Goodwin Ruby Berkley Goodwin (October 17, 1903 – May 31, 1961) was an American writer and actress. Early life Ruby Berkley was born in Du Quoin, Illinois, the daughter of Braxton Berkley and Sophia Jane Holmes Berkley. Her father was a coal miner ...

— Actress * Nathan Baesel — Actor * Harry Anderson — Actor, comedian, and magician

Music

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...

— Lead singer of band No Doubt and fashion designer * Bobby Hatfield — Singer and member of The Righteous Brothers *

Scheila Gonzalez Scheila Gonzalez (born August 5, 1971 in Los Angeles, California) is an American, Grammy winning multi-instrumentalist and music educator. She is best known for playing the saxophone and other instruments in the all-female Sherrie Maricle, DIVA ...

— Grammy winning multi-instrumentalist * Jack Cooper — Composer, arranger, instrumentalist * Dan Radlauer — Composer * Leo Fender — Founder of the Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company *

Mark D. Sanders Mark Daniel Sanders (born September 7, 1950) is an American country music songwriter. He has written 15 No. 1 hits, 50 singles, and over 200 cuts, including the famous Lee Ann Womack single "I Hope You Dance", co-written with Tia Sillers. Earl ...

— Songwriter * Tim Buckley — Singer-songwriter * Kye Palmer — Trumpet player, The Tonight Show Band

Politics

* Pat Nixon — Wife of former President

Richard M. Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was t ...

and

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

from 1969 to 1974 * Cristian Terheș — Member of the European Parliament for Romania * Mike Wilson — Member of the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentu ...

Sharon Quirk-Silva Sharon Quirk-Silva (born September 17, 1962) is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the California State Assembly, representing the 65th Assembly District, which includes portions of northern Orange County, including La ...

— Member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

* Cruz Reynoso — Former associate justice of the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the highest and final court of appeals in the courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly holds sessions in Los Angeles and Sacra ...

from 1982–1987

Sports

Justin Carter Justin Anthony Carter (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Oradea in the Romanian League. He played college basketball for Creighton. Professional career After going undrafted in the 2010 NBA d ...

— Basketball player for

Maccabi Kiryat Gat Maccabi Kiryat Gat F.C. ( he, מכבי קריית גת) was an Israeli football team based in the southern city of Kiryat Gat. The club's best achievement has been promotion to the Premier League as Liga Leumit runners-up in 2001, after beating ...

of the Israeli Premier League *

Bobby Cramer Robert Thomas Cramer (born October 28, 1979) is a former professional baseball pitcher. Career Cramer signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as a non-drafted free agent in 2003. He did not pitch in 2005 or 2006. He signed a minor league deal with ...

— MLB pitcher * Jim Fassel — NFL and UFL coach, started as a quarterback at Fullerton and later returned to coach the Fullerton football team in 1973. *

Lynn Hill Carolynn Marie Hill (born January 3, 1961) is an American rock climber. Widely regarded as one of the leading competitive climbers, traditional climbers (and particularly big wall traditional climbers), sport climbers, and boulderers in the ...

— Climber * Kevin McLain — Former American football linebacker in the NFL, played for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

Monte Nitzkowski Kenneth Monfore "Monte" Nitzkowski (September 7, 1929 – July 28, 2016) was an American former competition swimmer and water polo coach. He represented the United States in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland ...

— Swimmer and water polo player. *

Steve DeBerg Steven Leroy DeBerg (born January 19, 1954) is an American retired professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 years. Early life DeBerg is an alumnus of Savanna High School in Anaheim, Califo ...

— Former NFL quarterback * Dave Wilson — Former NFL quarterback * Brian Noble — Former NFL linebacker * John Pease — Former NFL and college coach * Mike Horan — Former NFL kicker *

J. C. Pearson Jayice Pearson (born August 17, 1963) is an American retired National Football League defensive back. College career Pearson played for the University of Washington. Professional career Pearson played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Minne ...

— Former NFL player *

Floyd Rhea Floyd Mack Rhea (1920-2010) was a professional American football player who played offensive lineman for six seasons for the Chicago Cardinals, Brooklyn Tigers, Boston Yanks, and Detroit Lions. References

1920 births American football off ...

— Former NFL player * Brig Owens — Former NFL player * Howie Livingston — Former NFL player * Larry Mac Duff — Former NFL and college coach *

Bill Bathe William David Bathe (born October 14, 1960) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics in and for the San Francisco Giants from –. In his MLB career, Bathe had eight ...

— Former MLB catcher * John Young — Former MLB player * Steve Kiefer — Former MLB player *

Dan Stevens Daniel Jonathan Stevens (born 10 October 1982) is a British actor and writer. He first drew international attention for his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV acclaimed period drama series ''Downton Abbey'' (2010–2012). He also starred as D ...

— Former MLB player * Al Hrabosky — Former MLB pitcher * Steve Trachsel — Former MLB pitcher * Ron Johnson — Former MLB player and minor league manager * Robert Frojen — Water polo player, 1956 Olympic team * Marvin Burns — Water polo player, 1952 and 1960 Olympic teams * Bill Johnson — Olympic swimmer on the 1968 800m freestyle relay team * Bob Horn — Water polo goalie, 1956 and 1960 Olympic teams * Jerry Pimm — College basketball player and head coach *

Bobby Dye Robert Lloyd Dye (born May 16, 1937) is an American former basketball coach. Early life and college years Born in Los Angeles, Dye graduated from Downey High School in nearby Downey, California in 1956. Dye enrolled at Fullerton Junior College ...

— College basketball player and head coach *

Sharron Backus Sharron Backus (born February 12, 1946) is a former softball player and coach. She played as a shortstop and third baseman on seven Amateur Softball Association national championship teams from 1961 to 1975. She served as the head softball coach ...

— College softball player and head coach *

Rick Sloan Rick Sloan (born November 10, 1946) is an American athlete. He competed in the men's decathlon at the 1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympia ...

— Track & field Decathlete 1968 Olympics *

Doug Nordquist Douglas Nordquist (born December 20, 1958, in San Gabriel, California) is a retired male high jumper from the United States, who competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics where he ended up in fifth place with a jump of 2.29 metres. He was TAC high ...

— Track & field high jumper 1984 Olympics

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control California Community Colleges Education in Fullerton, California Educational institutions established in 1913 Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Universities and colleges in Orange County, California 1913 establishments in California Two-year colleges in the United States