Rogue Community College (RCC) 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 ...

with campuses in both Jackson County and Josephine County, falling roughly in the geographic region known as the

Rogue Valley The Rogue Valley is a valley region in southwestern Oregon in the United States. Located along the middle Rogue River (Oregon), Rogue River and its tributaries in Josephine County, Oregon, Josephine and Jackson County, Oregon, Jackson counties, t ...

Southern Oregon Southern Oregon is a region of the U.S. state of Oregon south of Lane County and generally west of the Cascade Range, excluding the southern Oregon Coast. Counties include Douglas, Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional charac ...

History

RCC was established in November 1970 by vote of the electorate of Josephine County. On May 21, 1996, voters in Jackson and Josephine counties approved expansion of Rogue's boundaries to include all of Jackson County, for the purpose of providing a wider range of educational programs, job-training opportunities, and greater college access for students throughout the Rogue Valley. The campus originally was constructed in the late 1960s as a federal training facility known as the Fort Vannoy Job Corps Training Center. The campus of wood-framed buildings was remodeled in 1989, along with several more recently constructed buildings providing additional classrooms and modern laboratory space. Dr. Cathy Kemper-Pelle became the institution's sixth president on July 1, 2016.

Academics

RCC offers the Associate of Science degree and certificates. Additionally, RCC has several cooperative programs with nearby

Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University (SOU) is a public university in Ashland, Oregon. It was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has been in its current location since 1926, and was known by nine other names before assuming its current name in 1997.Kre ...

, located in

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 ...

. The college is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Department of Education since 1952 as an institutional accreditor for colleges and universities. ...

. Courses and programs are approved by the Oregon Department of Education. Professional associations have accredited those professional-technical programs which require approval. RCC is approved as a veterans training institution by the Veterans Administration. The college is a member of the

American Association of Community Colleges The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), headquartered in the National Center for Higher Education building in Washington, D.C., is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level and works closely wit ...

, the

Association of Community College Trustees The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern more than 1,200 community colleges in the United States. ACCT provides members wi ...

, and the Oregon Community College Association.

Campuses

RCC has campuses in the cities of Grants Pass, Oregon,

Medford, Oregon Medford is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Oregon, in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census on April 1, 2020, the city had a total population of 85,824 and a metropolitan area population of 223,259, making the M ...

, and

White City, Oregon White City is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. The population was 7,975 at the 2010 census, up from 5,466 at the 2000 census. White City is about north of the center of Med ...

. The campus located in Grants Pass is known as the Redwood Campus, the campus located in Medford is known as the Riverside Campus, and the campus located in White City is known as the Table Rock Campus. The Redwood Campus is located west of the city of Grants Pass on an wooded site just off the Redwood Highway. The Riverside Campus is located in downtown Medford, at ninth, Bartlett, and Riverside streets. The three-building complex houses classrooms, labs, Student and Community Services and library services. There are two additional facilities nearby: The Fir Street Learning Center at 30 S. First Street, and the D Building, located at 313 E. Eighth Street. The Table Rock Campus opened to students Fall term 2005. It is located at 7800 Pacific Avenue, White City. Classes that had formerly been offered at the VA Domiciliary in White City are now available at the Table Rock Campus. An additional facility adjacent to the Table Rock Campus, the High Technology Center, which opened in September 2018, houses the Welding, Manufacturing and Mechatronics programs. As a public institution, RCC collects funds from property taxes, the state of Oregon, any relevant grants or levies, as well as tuition.

Athletics

RCC started its athletic programs in 2013 with men's and women's soccer. The team name is called the "Ospreys". They were not a member of the

Northwest Athletic Conference The Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), formerly the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC), is a sports association for community colleges in the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington and Idaho, along with the Canadian prov ...

. However, in November 2014, the RCC board of trustees officially approved intercollegiate athletics at the institution (joining NWAC) starting initially with men's and women's soccer and cross country. It discontinued its cross country and long-distance track programs in 2017 and added a women's volleyball team in 2019.

References

External links