Riverside City College (RCC) is a

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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

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 s ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire an ...

. The college is part of the

Riverside Community College District The Riverside Community College District, or RCCD, is the community college district serving Riverside, California, United States, and neighboring cities. It is part of the California Community Colleges System. The California Community College ...

, as well as the larger

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 secti ...

History

RCC first opened in 1916 at the same site as the

Riverside Polytechnic High School Riverside Polytechnic High School is a four-year public high school in Riverside, California, United States, and part of the Riverside Unified School District. The current facility, located on Victoria Avenue, was opened in September 1965; the ...

(Riverside Poly). Originally known as Riverside Junior College and later as Riverside City College,
University of California, Riverside, Science Library
/ref> the school changed its name to Riverside Community College in the mid-1980s. In 2008, the board of trustees renamed the institution back to ''Riverside City College''. The junior college expanded from the Riverside Poly campus and in 1924 constructed the first two buildings of the campus quadrangle in 1924. When Riverside Poly re-located to its own campus on Victoria Avenue in 1965 the college assumed total control of the Magnolia property. Today, Riverside City College is part of the greater Riverside Community College District which enrolls about 21,000 students each semester. Students may earn an

associate degree 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. Th ...

, transfer to a four-year college or

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

, or earn a career certificate. In addition to the campus located in downtown Riverside, there are campuses in

Moreno Valley Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's p ...

and Norco. Separate education centers include the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, the Center for Teaching Excellence at Stokoe, and the Rubidoux Annex in Rubidoux. RCC is also home to Gateway to College, a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

that serves those returning to high school seeking diplomas as adults. RCC maintains programs in

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as La ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

, and

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...

and

vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an i ...

. The school band is the

RCC Marching Tigers The RCC Marching Tigers or "Hollywood's Band" is the marching band of Riverside City College. The band has appeared in parades such as the Tournament of Roses Parade, Fiesta Bowl Parade, the Hollywood Christmas Parade, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day P ...

, which includes the Fantasia Winter Guard, which has won several Winter Guard International awards, a Fall Marching Band, a Winter Drum Line, and a Spring Pep Band. The

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also rep ...

is ''Viewpoints''. The college is home to the School for Nursing. In 2016, RCC opened the Henry W. Coil Sr. and Alice Edna Coil School for the Arts on University Avenue and Market Street, adjacent to the historic White Park. The school is the home of the college's music program, including the internationally renowned RCC Chamber Singers, and the RCC Jazz Ensemble. The school combining classrooms, studios, and

digital media Digital media is any communication media that operate in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital media can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, and preserved on a digital electronics device. ...

labs, built around a state of the art concert hall designed with adjustable acoustics. The new school serves around 1,000 students preparing for careers in vocal or instrumental performance,

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origin ...

, and careers in the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

. The college's marching band performed at the

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2010, and at Bandfest at

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a public community college in Pasadena, California. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four-year junior college, combining the l ...

Athletics

The Riverside City College Tigers compete in the

Orange Empire Conference Orange Empire Conference (OEC) is a community college athletic conference in Orange County, California. Member institutions and the OEC are governed by the California Community College Athletic Association. Commissioner *John Keever Member Insti ...

(OEC) and Southern California Football Association, which operates within 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 ...

. The college currently fields nine men's teams and nine women's teams. The athletic facilities include Fran Bushman Tennis Courts, Riverside Aquatics Complex, Samuel C. Evans Complex, Wheelock Gymnasium and Wheelock Stadium.

Notable alumni

Jeff Bajenaru Jeffrey Michael Bajenaru ( ro, Băjenaru; born March 21, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach for the Hillsboro Hops, the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played in Major League bas ...

– Major League Baseball *

Chester Carlson Chester Floyd Carlson (February 8, 1906 – September 19, 1968) was an American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney born in Seattle, Washington. Carlson invented electrophotography, the process used by millions of photocopiers worldwide. C ...

– American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney *

Jesse Chavez Jesse David Chavez (born August 21, 1983) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Atlanta Braves organization. He played college baseball at Riverside Community College, and was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 42nd round of the ...

– Major League Baseball *

John Gabbert John Gordon Gabbert (June 20, 1909 – December 9, 2013) was an associate justice of the California Courts of Appeal appointed by Governor Ronald Reagan in May 1970. Before that, he was a Superior Court judge for Riverside County, California ...

– California Court of Appeal judge, Superior Court judge. * Mike Garcia – Major League Baseball * Tommy Hanson – Major League Baseball * Jess Hill – Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1937, first person to both play for and coach Rose Bowl champions * J. C. Jackson – NFL Cornerback * Domaine Javier – Transgender actress, writer, reality TV personality, registered nurse, and activist *

Sharon Jordan Sharon Jordan (born March 11, 1960) is an American actress. One of her notable roles is Irene the Concierge in the Disney Channel sitcom ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody''. Jordan also appeared as Irene in ''That's So Suite Life of Hannah Montana' ...

– American film and television actress. Recurred on the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

series

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series aired on Disney Channel from March 18, 2005, to September 1, 2008. The series was nominated for an Emmy Award three times and was a ...

. *

Bobby Kielty Robert Michael Kielty (last name pronounced KELT-ee) (born August 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Boston Red Sox during a Major League B ...

– Major League Baseball * Noureddine Morceli – Olympic track champion *

Ryan Navarro Ryan Navarro (born July 5, 1994) is an American football long snapper for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). He also played for the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) and Los Angeles Wi ...

– American football player * Douglas Negrete – All-American Marathoner * Paul Oglesby – American football player * Miné Okubo – Artist and writer *

AJ Rafael Arthur Joseph Rafael (born March 12, 1989), known professionally as AJ Rafael, is a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, YouTuber, and TikToker. Born in Moreno Valley, California, he graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2010. Rafael st ...

– American singer-songwriter * Kathy Raymond – Model * Bob Rule – NBA All-Star center. *

Richard S. Prather Richard Scott Prather (September 9, 1921 – February 14, 2007) was an American mystery novelist, best known for creating the "Shell Scott" series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms David Knight and Douglas Ring. Biography Prather was born i ...

– American mystery novelist, pseudonyms David Knight and Douglas Ring *

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

– Dallas Cowboys linebacker * Chris Stewart – Major League Baseball * Jeff Soto – Professional Artist, painter *

Brian Stokes Brian Alexander Stokes (born September 7, 1979) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. Early life Stokes was born ...

– Major League Baseball * Susan Straight – Published writer and novelist, Professor at the University of California, Riverside * Charles Tuaau – NFL Nose Tackle

Notable former faculty

* Kurt Barber – National Football League, Coach at RCC *

Bob Boyd (basketball) William Robert Boyd (June 7, 1930 – January 14, 2015) was an American collegiate men's basketball coach who was head coach at Seattle University, the University of Southern California (USC) and Mississippi State University. Boyd had a long asso ...

– William Robert "Bob" Boyd, Head coach at the University of Southern California (USC) and Mississippi State University, Head coach at RCC * Edmund Jaeger – noted biologist (the Edmund C. Jaeger Desert Institute on the

Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley College (MVC) is a public community college in Moreno Valley, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District and the larger California Community Colleges System. History Founded in 1991, Moreno ...

campus is named in his honor) * Jess Mortensen – NCAA champion track athlete, USC track and field, Coach at RCC * Jerry Tarkanian – NCAA Basketball coach, RCC coach *

Bob Schermerhorn Robert Schermerhorn (1943 – April 23, 2018) was an American college basketball coach. Schermerhorn came from South Bend, Indiana and played for church leagues but did not make varsity at South Bend Central High School. After high school, he joi ...

– NCAA Basketball coach, RCC coach

References

External links

* * {{authority control California Community Colleges Educational institutions established in 1916 Sports venues in Riverside, California Education in Riverside, California Universities and colleges in Riverside County, California 1916 establishments in California