Paradise Valley Community College (PVCC) 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 se ...

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1,608,139 residents as of 2020. It is the fifth-most populous city in the United States, and the on ...

. A branch campus, PVCC at Black Mountain, opened in August 2009 in the far northern section of

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

to serve this rapidly growing area. It provides greater access for the communities of Cave Creek and Carefree. The college

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

is the puma and the colors are royal blue and white.

History

PVCC was founded by the Maricopa County Community College District as the Northeast Valley Education Center in 1985 with classes temporarily held at

Paradise Valley High School Paradise Valley High School (PVHS) is a high school located in Phoenix, Arizona and was the first of five high schools built in the Paradise Valley Unified School District. Paradise Valley High School opened in 1957. The school's athletic teams a ...

. The district gave the college its present name and began campus construction in 1986. The campus was designed by

Lescher & Mahoney Lescher & Mahoney was an American architectural firm from Phoenix, Arizona. History The firm was established in 1910 by Royal W. Lescher (1882–1957). Lescher practiced alone until 1912, when he took John R. Kibbey (1883–1963) as ...

. The permanent site was inaugurated on May 2, 1987. Since then, PVCC has expanded in both campus size and enrollment along with the development of the Phoenix area. In 1989 PVCC began offering Chemistry courses. The college operated as an extension of

Scottsdale Community College Scottsdale Community College is a public community college in Scottsdale, Arizona. It is on the eastern boundary of the city on 160 acres (650,000 m2) of land belonging to the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. The lease was taken out i ...

and gained independent accreditation in 1990. The first graduation official ceremony was held on May 10, 1991. In 1997 ground was broken for construction of the M-Building. The campus also has a Learning Resource Center building which houses the library, computer labs, and tutoring center. Several art collections, such as the over 600 Western-themed pieces donated by faculty-emeritus member Dr. Warren Buxton in 1990, are on display near the college's library. The PVCC Center for the Performing Arts, containing stage facilities for drama and music performances, opened in 2005. In 2007 the L-Building was built to house classes for Nursing, Fire Science and EMT. The building was built using a modular construction system. In 2007 PVCC acquired the adjacent George L. Campbell Branch Library. The building underwent a major renovation and opened in 2011 as the Q-Building which is home of the Mathematics Department. A new building for the study of life sciences (anatomy, physiology, general biology, biotechnology, microbiology, marine biology and environmental biology programs) opened at the main campus in August 2009. It includes seven classrooms, six biology labs and two anatomy/physiology labs, one of which is a cadaver lab, plus lab support spaces and administrative offices. In 2009 the Black Mountain satellite campus opened, which serves residents of near by Cave Creak and Carefree. In 2011 The PVCC Library was renamed The Jo and Warren Buxton Library. In 2012 a Heath Sciences building was added to the main campus. The Kranitz Student Center re-opened in 2013 after a major renovation and expansion of the building.

Athletics

Athletics at PVCC is affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). PVCC offers 12 intercollegiate athletics programs; men's & women's soccer, men's & women's cross country, baseball, softball, men's & women's indoor/outdoor track and field, men's & women's golf, and men's & women's tennis. PVCC athletics mascot is the Pumas. The Pumas boast 12 NJCAA National Championships. Women's soccer - 2016, 2012, 2010 Men's cross country - 2022, 2011, 2008, 2004 Women's cross county - 2004, 2003, 2002, 1998, 1997 The Pumas are also extremely strong in the classroom. PVCC has been home to multiple NJCAA Academic Team of the Year awards and dozens of NJCAA Academic Award individuals. Athletic facilities include: baseball and softball fields, track facility, soccer game field and soccer practice field, tennis courts, athletics training room and athletics offices. All athletics facilities are located toward the south side of campus.

Transportation

The college is a short distance west of State Route 51 and south of the

Loop 101 Arizona State Route 101 (SR 101) or Loop 101 is a semi-beltway looping around the Phoenix Metropolitan Area in central Arizona. It connects several suburbs of Phoenix, including Tolleson, Glendale, Peoria, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, and C ...

interchange.

Valley Metro The Valley Metro Regional Public Transportation Authority, more popularly known as Valley Metro, is the unified public brand of the regional transit system for the Phoenix metropolitan area. Within the system, it is divided between Valley Metro ...

buses from routes 16 and 186 serve the campus. For many years, the campus was served by express route 500, but in 2003, this service was canceled and replaced with the RAPID service that departs from Bell Road and State Route 51 Park-and-Ride.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Community colleges in Arizona Maricopa County Community College District Universities and colleges in Phoenix, Arizona Educational institutions established in 1985 1985 establishments in Arizona