Northwest Vista College
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| Type | Community College |
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| Established | June 20, 1995 |
| President | Ric Baser |
| Students | 14,000+ (fall 2015 Semester) |
| Location | San Antonio, Texas, USA |
| Campus | Urban, 137 acres (0.6 km²) |
| Colors | Purple |
| Mascot | Wildcat |
| Website | Northwest Vista College Home Page |
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Northwest Vista College is one of five public community colleges within the Alamo Colleges in San Antonio, Texas, USA. More than 14,000 students attend Northwest Vista College in each of the fall and spring semesters. Classes are offered from early morning until late in the evening. Students have the option to take 16-week (traditional college semester) courses, eight week courses known as Flex semester or Maymester. Northwest Vista College offers open admission. Approximately 97 percent of students surveyed say they would recommend Northwest Vista College to others. On average, classes have about 24 students. Students learn in a hands on environment where they are encouraged to take charge of their own learning, to work in groups and pairs and teach each other. Most instructors teach like a coach or facilitator rather than a lecturer.
The college was established after a land donation by the World Savings and Loan Association in 1994. The campus was established on June 20, 1995. Northwest Vista College officially opened in the fall of 1995 as one of the newest additions to the Alamo Community College District. Classes were offered at the Northside Independent School District and at partner corporation sites. Enrollment that first semester was 12 students. At the time, the Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology program, designed by the college and several corporate sponsors, was the lead program during the college's early years. (The program is no longer offered.) With over 800 students enrolled in classes being held at various businesses and schools in Westover Hills and the surrounding area during its early stages, the college started to expand.
The groundbreaking for the construction of the 137-acre (0.55 km2) Northwest Vista College campus was held in November 1996. On July 3, 1997, the Alamo Community College Board awarded the $19,300,000 contract for the new Northwest Vista College Campus in Westover Hills. Construction began later that month on Phase One of the college's campus development plan, which included construction of four buildings.
Northwest Vista College moved to its current location in northwest San Antonio on October 17, 1998, with Mountain Laurel Hall as the first building open, and celebrated its Grand Opening in October 1999 with the completion of Manzanillo Hall and Huisache Hall. Northwest Vista College boasted an impressive enrollment of 2,500 students during their first full year of operation.
The college achieved Candidacy status for accreditation in June 1999 and in August of that year, began a rigorous self-study. At the completion of the self-study, a 12-member accreditation team visited the college in October 2000 for four days—reviewing documentation and interviewing faculty, staff, students, district personnel, community members and trustees of the Alamo Community College District. The committee made ten recommendations, to which the college had to submit a written response to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) by mid-April. This report was reviewed by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which granted Northwest Vista College initial accreditation shortly afterwards.
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Wikipedia