Wenatchee Valley College

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wenatchee Valley College
Established: 1939
Type: Community college
President: Jim Richardson
Students: 3,353
Location: Wenatchee, WA, United States
Campus: Rural
Colors: Black and White
Mascot: Knights
Affiliations: NWAACC
Website: http://www.wvc.edu/

Wenatchee Valley College, or WVC, is a two-year Community College located in Wenatchee, Washington. The college provides students with adult education classes, certifications, and 2-year Associates Degree. WVC's primary service district is one of the largest in the state, serving an area larger than the state of Massachusetts, at more than 10,000 miles. The school consists of three campuses, the main campus located in central Wenatchee, a Downtown Learning Center in downtown Wenatchee, and a separate campus in Omak, Washington. Because of the close proximity to area high schools, WVC maintains a sizable Running Start student population, with students attending college during the Junior and Senior years in High School.[1]

Contents

[edit] History

Wenatchee Valley College originally opened as a private college in 1939, from donations from 51 area citizens. In 1941, Wenatchee Valley College was adopted into the state public education system. Originally, classes were held on the third floor of the original Wenatchee High School situated at King and Idaho streets.

In 1949, the college moved to the home of A.Z. Wells home on 5 acres of land along Fifth Street. The home was hand-built, consisting of stones from the Columbia River, and was modeled with castle style turrets. Wells House held all classrooms and offices, until additional buildings could be constructed allowing the Wells House to become a dormitory.

WVC was able to purchase land from neighboring land owners, expanding the campus to its current 56 acres. Wells House still stands on the WVC Main Campus, although the building is owned by the Wells House Committee, which currently maintains the mansion.

Community College District #15 was formed in 1967, expanding WVC's service area to include Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties. A satellite campus was set up in Omak in a former hospital building, until the Omak campus was built in the mid-1970s near downtown Omak.[2]

[edit] Recent Expansion

A large section of the WVC Main Campus in Wenatchee has undergone expansion. The college added parking to accommodate additional students. A new Central Washington University extension building was constructed west of Batjer Hall and north of Sexton Hall. The Fraternal Order of the Eagles building across the street was remodeled into the Music and Arts Center. Anderson Hall has been demolished to make way for a new 82,000 square foot Allied Health and Safety building Wenatchi Hall, which opened in September of 2007. The new building replaces an aging Anderson Hall, provides expanded room for Allied Health and Safety programs, science and other courses.

[edit] Accreditation

Wenatchee Valley College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Nursing Program and other Clinical programs are accredited through either the National League for Nursing or the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Sciences.[1]

[edit] Campuses

Campus Location City
Main 1300 Fifth Street Wenatchee
Downtown Learning Center Wenatchee
Omak 116 West Apple Ave. Omak
Grady and Lillie Auvil Teaching and Demonstration Orchard North Wenatchee/Sunnyslope Wenatchee

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b http://wvc.edu/about/default.asp about Wenatchee Valley College
  2. ^ http://wvc.edu/about/history.asp WVC History

[edit] See also