Columbia 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 se ...

Sonora, California Sonora is the county seat of Tuolumne County, California. Founded during the California Gold Rush by Mexican miners from Sonora (after which the city is named), the city population was 5,226 during the 2020 Census, an increase of 221 from the ...

. Established in September 1968 as Columbia Junior College, the college dropped "Junior" from its name in 1978. It is accredited by the

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges The Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) is an accrediting organization in the United States. It accredits private and public colleges that provide students two-year education programs and confer the associate deg ...

. This college is a part of the Yosemite Community College District. The architectural style of the college is that of California during the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, New ...

era. The college has a fire department on campus that is staffed by an on duty crew of at least two personnel daily.

History

In 1954, the district electorate decided to expand the former Modesto Junior College District into a larger area stretching out to the Yosemite Community College District. This is one of the largest districts in the state, geographically. It covers more than 100 miles of the San Joaquin Valley on the west to the Sierra Nevada on the east. Its area of almost 4,000 square miles includes Tuolumne, Stanislaus County, and areas from San Joaquin, Merced, Calaveras, and

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County together f ...

. Student enrollment was increasing and the need for more schools in these mountainous areas increased. The long-distance travel required for students to attend

Modesto Junior College Modesto Junior College (MJC) is a public community college in Modesto, California. It is part of Yosemite Community College District along with Columbia College. MJC, and Columbia College, belong to the California Community College system al ...

was very difficult. The high demand caused the Community College District Board of Trustees to authorize the formation of Columbia Junior College and its opening in 1968. In 1978, the school removed the word 'Junior' from its name.

References

California Community Colleges Sonora, California Universities and colleges in Tuolumne County, California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Educational institutions established in 1968 1968 establishments in California {{California-university-stub