The Colorado Community College System 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 ''Öffentlichk ...

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 ...

system in the U.S. state of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. Created by legislation in 1967, it has 13 member institutions and serves more than 163,000 students annually.

History

The 1937 Junior College Reorganization Act laid the foundation for Colorado's existing junior colleges to flourish and local districts to start new junior colleges by providing for local district funding of junior colleges under Colorado's public school districts. The Community College and Occupational Act of 1967 separated community colleges and vocational schools from sole local district control by establishing a State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE) to share control of a new statewide system with local boards. The act was signed on May 27, and control of the functions, powers, and funds from the state board of education to the SBCCOE took effect on July 1, 1967. Two Colorado state House Bills brought more change in the late 1980s. In 1985, House Bill 1187 established the SBCCOE as the system governing body, local boards change to advisory councils, oversight of the community college and vocational program merge and the Community College of Denver System was split into three separate community colleges. In 1986, House Bill 1237 abolished and recreated the SBCCOE into its current configuration and mandated that the SBCCOE and Colorado's four-year institutions develop a core academic program for community college students. In 1988, that curriculum was implemented and guaranteed transfer agreements were signed with all Colorado four-year public colleges and universities. The redevelopment of the former

Lowry Air Force Base Lowry Air Force Base (Lowry Field in 1938–1948) is a former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training base during World War II and a United States Air Force (USAF) training base during the Cold War, serving as the initial 1955–1958 si ...

brought additional land and building space to the SBCCOE. The Lowry Campus offers classroom space and the permanent headquarters of the Colorado Community College System.

Governance

The system is governed by the eleven-member State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE). The nine voting members of the board are appointed by the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and confirmed by the

State Senate A state legislature in the United States is the legislative body of any of the 50 U.S. states. The formal name varies from state to state. In 27 states, the legislature is simply called the ''Legislature'' or the ''State Legislature'', whil ...

for staggered four-year terms. These nine appointed members are geographically and politically distributed, with one from each of the state's federal congressional districts, plus two at-large members, with no more than five members from any single political party. The two non-voting members are one faculty member and one student member, each selected via the faculty's and students' governance structures respectively.

Colleges

State community colleges

There are 13 community colleges under direct governance of the SBCCOE, the System's chancellor, and the state system office. * Arapahoe Community College * Colorado Community Colleges Online (CCCOnline) *

Colorado Northwestern Community College Colorado Northwestern Community College is a public community college with campuses in Rangely and Craig, Colorado, plus online. The college participates in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association The National Intercollegiate Flying As ...

* Community College of Aurora *

Community College of Denver Community College of Denver (CCD) is a public community college in Denver, Colorado. The main campus is at Auraria Campus and it has two other locations in the Denver metropolitan area. CCD focuses on underserved, first-generation, and minority ...

Front Range Community College Front Range Community College (FRCC) is a public community college with multiple campuses in Colorado. It has campuses in Westminster, Longmont, and Fort Collins, as well as centers in Brighton and Loveland. It is the largest community college ...

* Lamar Community College *

Morgan Community College Morgan Community College (MCC) is a community college in Fort Morgan, Colorado Fort Morgan is the home rule municipality city that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Morgan County, Colorado, United States. The city po ...

* Northeastern Junior College *

Otero College Otero College is a public community college in La Junta, Colorado. History Otero College was established in 1941 and was named La Junta Junior College. Which was operated by the school district. In 1949, an election was held to consider proposa ...

* Pikes Peak State College * Pueblo Community College * Red Rocks Community College * Trinidad State College

Local district community colleges

There are two community colleges that are generally governed by local elected boards of trustees within the college's own special electoral district. These colleges are generally not considered a part of the "System" proper, though the SBCCOE has a role in governing the schools. * Aims Community College * Colorado Mountain College

Area technical colleges

The state's three area technical colleges are generally governed by local school district boards of education. As with the local district community colleges, these are generally not considered a part of the "System" proper, though the SBCCOE has a role in governing the schools. * Emily Griffith Technical College * Pickens Technical College * Technical College of the Rockies

University-affiliated community colleges

* Western Colorado Community College (part of Colorado Mesa University)

Notes

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Public education in Colorado C Educational institutions established in 1967 1967 establishments in Colorado