Type | Public Junior College |
---|---|
Established | 1910 |
Chancellor | Paul Parnell |
President | Carole Goldsmith |
Students | 20,452 |
Address | 1101 E. University Ave. Fresno, CA 93741, Fresno, California, USA |
Campus | Urban |
Colors | Red and White |
Mascot | Rams |
Website | Fresno City College |
Reference no. | 803 |
Fresno City College (FCC or "Fresno City") is a community college in Fresno, California. Fresno City College is a part of the State Center Community College District (SCCCD), within the California Community Colleges system, and fully accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The school offers Associate's Degrees, and students can earn a Certificate of Completion, or transfer to a 4-year university of their choice.
Fresno City operates on a semester schedule. The school's sister colleges are Reedley College, located in Reedley, California, and Clovis Community College (formerly known as the Willow International Center) in northeastern Fresno. Additional campuses in the district include the Oakhurst Center (serving the foothill communities) and the Madera Center (across the San Joaquin River, in the town of Madera).
Fresno City College was established by Charles L. McLane, then-superintendent of Fresno Schools. It was McLane’s vision to bring higher education to the Central Valley. After a failed attempt to start a normal school, he turned his attention to establishing the state’s first junior college. McLane utilized the 1907 Upward Extension Law that gave local high schools permission to provide the first two years of university instruction. The new junior college became an extension of Fresno High School, which at the time was located at Stanislaus and O streets in downtown Fresno.
In the spring of 1910, McLane sent a circular to the community to find out what kind of interest existed in establishing a junior college. He surveyed patrons of Fresno High School and local principals. He received over 200 responses which were all favorable. He didn’t receive even one objection. With these results in hand, he then reported to the Board of Education the need to have a junior college in Fresno to serve the Central Valley.