Sierra College 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 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 ...

Rocklin, California Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California, about from Sacramento, and about northeast of Roseville in the Sacramento metropolitan area. Besides Roseville, it shares borders with Granite Bay, Loomis and Lincoln. As of the 2010 census, Ro ...

. It is part of the Sierra Joint Community College District, a district that covers over , serves Placer,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

and parts of El Dorado and

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

counties.

History

The college was officially founded in 1936 and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This is the date that the school uses as the official establishment, even though it had been operating under various names and places before this. It was established as "Placer Junior College". In 1954 the college was named "College of the Sierras" with a

wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

as the mascot. There were other junior colleges named after regions. These included: College of the Redwoods, College of the Sequoias & College of the Siskiyous The main campus in Rocklin was chosen by 1960, out of 35 possible sites. The planned construction of

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one o ...

was a consideration in the decision making. In 1961, the new campus opened. In 1996, another campus in Nevada County opened, in between

Grass Valley A grass valley (also vega and valle) is a meadow located within a forested and relatively small drainage basin such as a headwater. Grass valleys are common in North America, where they are created and maintained principally by the work of b ...

and Nevada City. During 2000–2005, outreach campuses in Roseville and near Truckee were opened. It is governed by a board of seven trustees who are elected district-wide and a student trustee. Only five individuals have held the post of president in the last 50 years.

Academics

Approximately 125 degree and certificate programs are offered in a wide variety of configurations taught by 216 full and 650 part-time faculty members. Faculty typically has the minimum of a master's degree in their fields and enhance their teaching with research, authorship and industry expertise. Classes are offered both in traditional "on-ground" classrooms and, increasingly, in an online format.

Athletics

The Sierra College mascot is the Wolverine. Sierra College participates in the

Big 8 Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

, and is a member of 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 ...

. Athletic events
The 2002

USA Cross Country Championships The USA Cross Country Championships is the annual national championships for cross country running in the United States. The championships is generally held in mid-February and it serves as a way of designating the country's national champion, a ...

were held on the Sierra College cross country course.

Student body association

A California nonprofit public benefit corporation named "Associated Students of Sierra College" (ASSC) has been operating at Sierra College since 1959. The board of trustees of the Sierra Joint Community College District has authorized ASSC to operate at Sierra College as a "student body association". In addition, ASSC "is recognized as the official voice for the students in District consultation processes".Sierra Joint Community College District
Board Policy 5400.
Retrieved 2020-04-23.

Notable people

Buffy Wicks Buffy Jo Christina Wicks (born August 10, 1977) is an United States of America, American politician who serves in the California State Assembly. A Democratic Party (United States), Democrat, she represents the California's 15th State Assembly di ...

, California State Assembly member, District 15 *

Ryan Guzman Ryan Anthony Guzman (born September 21, 1987) is an American actor and former model, known for his lead roles as Sean Asa in ''Step Up Revolution'' and '' Step Up: All In'', part of the ''Step Up'' film series, as Noah Sandborn in the erotic p ...

, actor and model *

Alex Obert Alexander "Alex" Obert (born 18 December 1991) is an American water polo player. He was a part of Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the team finished in tenth place. Obert plays Center and is also currently listed as the captain of Team ...

, current captain of the United States water polo team, competed in the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

. *

Hans Ostrom Hans Ansgar Ostrom (born January 29, 1954) is an American professor, writer, editor, and scholar. Ostrom is a professor of African American Studies and English the University of Puget Sound (1983–present), where he teaches courses on African-A ...

, writer and professor *

John Romero John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, game designer *

Heather Rene Smith Heather may refer to: Plants *The heather family, or Ericaceae, particularly: **Common heather or ling, ''Calluna'' **Various species of the genus ''Cassiope'' **Various species of the genus ''Erica'' Name * Heather (given name) * Heather (su ...

, ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month (February 2007) *

James LeVoy Sorenson James LeVoy Sorenson (July 30, 1921 – January 20, 2008) was an American businessman, the founder of Sorenson Companies, a parent company of 32 corporations. A noted philanthropist, he was the richest man in Utah with an estimated net wort ...

, inventor and entrepreneur *

Fenuki Tupou Fenuki Aisea Tupou (born May 2, 1985) is a former American football guard. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon. Early years Tupou was raised in Antelope, Califo ...

, offensive guard for the Philadelphia Eagles *

Brandon Aiyuk Brandon Aiyuk (; born March 17, 1998) is an American football wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Sierra College and Arizona State and was drafted by the 49ers in the f ...

, NFL wide receiver for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

Joseph James DeAngelo Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. (born November 8, 1945) is an American serial killer, sex offender, burglar, and former police officer who committed at least 13 murders, 51 rapes, and 120 burglaries across California between 1974 an ...

Golden State Killer Joseph James DeAngelo Jr. (born November 8, 1945) is an American serial killer, sex offender, burglar, and former police officer who committed at least 13 murders, 51 rapes, and 120 burglaries across California between 1974 a ...

Alexis Alford Alexis Rose Alford (born April 10, 1998), also known as Lexie Limitless, is an American adventure traveller who is notable for traveling to 196 countries before reaching the age of twenty-one. Alford was awarded two Guinness World Records; being t ...

, youngest person to travel to every country

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Universities and colleges in Placer County, California Educational institutions established in 1936 1936 establishments in California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges California Community Colleges