Grossmont 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 ...

El Cajon, California El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, meaning "the box") is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was in turn named for the box-like shape of the va ...

. Its name originated with the silent film actor and producer William J. Gross, who was enticed by

Ed Fletcher "Colonel" Ed Fletcher (December 31, 1872 – October 15, 1955) was a real estate developer and U.S. Republican and Democratic politician from San Diego, California. Fletcher was born 1872 in Littleton, Massachusetts, son of Charles Kimball ...

to invest the purchase of land, part of which was called Grossmont. The campus sits in the Fletcher Hills community of El Cajon and is bordered by the cities of San Diego and Santee. Grossmont College along with

Cuyamaca College Cuyamaca College is a public community college in Rancho San Diego, California. It is part of the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District and the California Community Colleges System. Along with Grossmont College, it serves the eastern su ...

make up what is the Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District. Grossmont is part of the

California Community College 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 ...

. Grossmont College is also home to

Grossmont Middle College High School Grossmont Middle College High School (GMCHS) is a high school in San Diego County, California. Founded in 2001, GMCHS is located on the Grossmont College campus and is run entirely by two teachers, a secretary and a counselor. GMCHS is a WASC- ...

, where selected high school students can receive both high school and college credit for taking courses on campus. The newspaper for Grossmont College is ''The Summit.'' Its radio station is Griffin Radio.

Facilities

The facilities of Grossmont College are situated across 135 acres. At its inception, the campus was planned to accommodate an enrollment of 2,500 daytime students. The first incarnation of the completed campus was expected to hold 4,800 students. On October 18, 1965, a bond for $3.5 million was approved by area voters. This made it possible to complete the college's initial master plan. By September 25, 1967, the new facilities were completed. Since that time, student enrollment increased dramatically and created the need for new and remodeled campus facilities. In recent years, the college has undergone major improvements of its facilities including:

Academics

Grossmont College offers more than 150 degree and certificate programs. Each year, about 1,500 students earn

Associate in 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 ...

degrees,

Associate in 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, and/or advanced/basic certificates. In addition, the students are offered

general education General Education is a 2012 comedy film, directed by Tom Morris, starring Chris Sheffield, Maiara Walsh, Elaine Hendrix, Bobby Campo, Janeane Garofalo and Larry Miller and produced by Pelican House Productions. The film was shot in Chico and Gr ...

and

transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

programs.

Athletics

Grossmont College offers several men's and women's intercollegiate sports:

Notable alumni

* Sergio Bailey II - NFL and XFL football player *

Lester Bangs Leslie Conway "Lester" Bangs (December 14, 1948 – April 30, 1982) was an American music journalist, critic, author, and musician. He wrote for ''Creem'' and ''Rolling Stone'' magazines, and was known for his leading influence in rock music c ...

- Music journalist *

Doug Benson Douglas Steven Benson (born July 2, 1962) is an American comedian, marijuana rights advocate, television host and actor, best known for hosting the podcasts and TV series ''Doug Loves Movies'' (2006-present), ''The Benson Interruption'' (2010-20 ...

- Comedian *

Brad Daluiso Bradley William Daluiso (born December 31, 1967) is a former American football placekicker in the National Football League. He played twelve seasons, the majority of them with the New York Giants. In addition, he played for the Atlanta Falcons, ...

- American football player *

Quintin Berry Quintin Lonell Berry (born November 21, 1984) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, and Milwaukee Brewers. Early c ...

- MLB Player, Boston Red Sox *

Rachel Bilson Rachel Sarah Bilson (born August 25, 1981) is an American actress. Born to a Californian show-business family, Bilson made her television debut in 2003, and then landed the role of Summer Roberts on the prime-time drama series ''The O.C.'' Bils ...

- American actress *

Chad DeGrenier Chad DeGrenier (born January 13, 1973) is a former American football quarterback who played three seasons in the Arena Football League (AFL) with the Arizona Rattlers and Carolina Cobras. He first enrolled at Grossmont College before transferring ...

- American football player and coach * Stephanie Nicole Garcia-Colace - Professional wrestler, actress, known as Nikki Bella *

Mark Goffeney Mark Goffeney (May 22, 1969 – March 2, 2021) was an American musician from San Diego, California, known as "Big Toe" because, being born without arms, he played guitar with his feet. He was bassist and vocalist for the 'Big Toe' band and play ...

(1969-2021) - Armless guitar player, child celebrity, disability advocate * Arthur Hobbs - Defensive back for the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

* Barry Jantz - Former La Mesa City Councilman/CEO of Grossmont Healthcare District *

Brian Jones Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones (28 February 1942 – 3 July 1969) was an English multi-instrumentalist and singer best known as the founder, rhythm/lead guitarist, and original leader of the Rolling Stones. Initially a guitarist, he went on to prov ...

(born 1968) - politician serving in the

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

David Leisure David Russell Leisure (born November 16, 1950) is an American actor. He played Charley Dietz in the sitcom ''Empty Nest'' from 1988 to 1995 and fictional automotive "pitch man" Joe Isuzu in a series of North American television commercials for ...

- Actor * Kevin McCadam - NFL defensive back, Atlanta Falcons *

Dan Melville Daniel Lee Melville (born March 4, 1956) is a former American football punter who played one season with the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He first enrolled at Grossmont College before transferring to the University o ...

- American football player *

Dat Phan Dat Phan (born January 25, 1975) is a Vietnamese American stand-up comedian. He first rose to fame in 2003 after defeating runner-up Ralphie May to win Season 1 of Last Comic Standing. In Fall 2004, he returned for the third season dubbed "Battl ...

- Vietnamese American stand-up comedian *

Joe Roth Joseph Emanuel Roth is an American film executive, producer and director. He co-founded Morgan Creek Productions in 1988 and was chairman of 20th Century Fox (1989–1993), Caravan Pictures (1993–1994), and Walt Disney Studios (1994–200 ...

- College football quarterback * Sean O'Sullivan - MLB Player,

Boston Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ...

Cathy Scott Cathleen "Cathy" Scott (born c. 1950) is a ''Los Angeles Times'' bestselling American true crime writer and investigative journalist who penned the biographies and true crime books ''The Killing of Tupac Shakur'' and ''The Murder of Biggie Small ...

- True crime author and journalist *

Bernard Seigal Bernard R. "Buddy Blue" Seigal (December 30, 1957 – April 2, 2006) was an American musician, music critic and writer, who performed and often wrote under his stage name Buddy Blue. He was a founding member of The Beat Farmers, a Southern Calif ...

- Musician,

Beat Farmers Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

' original member, music journalist, editor college newspaper ''The Summit'' *

Scott Sherman Scott Sherman is a U.S. writer and podcaster. His first novel, ''First You Fall'', won the 2009 Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Mystery. His writing has also appeared in many periodicals. His podcasts include The Gay Parenting Show, Digita ...

- former

San Diego City Council The San Diego City Council is the legislative branch of government for the city of San Diego, California. The city council was first established in San Diego in 1850. The council uses a strong mayor system with a separately elected mayor who acts ...

member *

Brian Sipe Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word meani ...

- NFL quarterback, Cleveland Browns *

Akili Smith Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith (born August 21, 1975) is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round (3rd overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft, the third quarterback in the first three choices, behin ...

- NFL quarterback, Cincinnati Bengals *

Casey Tiumalu Casey James Tiumalu (born June 19, 1961) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a running back for the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football League (NFL). He played one season for the Rams in 1987 Lo ...

- NFL running back, Los Angeles Rams *

Todd Watkins Todd Watkins (born June 22, 1983) is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football for Brigham Young University. He has also been a member ...

- NFL wide receiver

References

External links

*
Griffin Radio
{{authority control California Community Colleges Education in El Cajon, California Universities and colleges in San Diego County, California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges 1961 establishments in California Educational institutions established in 1961 Two-year colleges in the United States