Walla_Walla_Community_College Knowpia

Walla Walla Community College
Type	Public community college
Established	1967; 57 years ago
President	Chad Emerson Hickox
Students	2,662 (all undergraduate) (Fall 2022)
Location	Walla Walla, Washington, United States of America
Campus	Three campuses in Washington
Colors	Black and Gold
Website	www.wwcc.edu

Walla Walla Community College (WWCC), often referred to as just "CC" locally, is a multi-campus community college in southeastern Washington state.

History edit

Walla Walla Community College was founded in 1967 by Peter Dietrich when the region saw a need for a community college. It was first housed in the educational complex on Park St. previously occupied by Walla Walla High School before that school moved to its current facility south of town. When WWCC grew too big for this location, it purchased land to the east of town near the airport and built its current facilities there. Eventually a branch campus was established in Clarkston, WA, 100 miles to the east as well.

WWCC added one of its most important programs, the enological and viticulture program, in the late 1990s when the town of Walla Walla was facing economic uncertainty due to the decline of the agriculture industry locally. This program is responsible in part for the boom of the wine industry in Walla Walla in that it has graduated many of the winemakers of the over 175 wineries in the area today. From here WWCC has had several more non-traditional programs, in addition to more typical programs to meet the needs of the Walla Walla Valley such as the Commercial Truck Driver Program, John Deere Technology Program, and Water Technologies and Management Program.^[3]

Most recently, WWCC is in the process of completing the Southeast Area Tech Skills Center (SEA Tech Center) expansion. This includes a multimillion-dollar building at the main campus to house an array of new programs in cooperation with area high schools.^[4]

In 2013, Walla Walla Community College was awarded the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence.^[5]

Campus edit

The college is spread over three campuses in southeastern Washington state. The WWCC also maintains a facility at the Washington State Penitentiary.^[6]

Academics edit

The college has an average annual enrollment of about 9,000 students.^[7] It has numerous areas of study and certificates, as well as 45 different associate degree programs.^[8]

Athletics edit

Dietrich Center, often called "The Dome"

WWCC fields teams (stylized as the Walla Walla Warriors) in eleven sports. In the Fall, Warrior Field plays host to men's and women's soccer, while volleyball takes center stage in the Dietrich Center – often referred to as 'The Dome'. The winter quarter sees The Dome taken over by the men's and women's basketball, while the spring months offer baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, and rodeo. The Warriors play in the Northwest Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NWAC)^[9]

Notable people edit

Mark Klicker, businessman and politician
Tommy Lloyd, head men's basketball coach at University of Arizona, former assistant basketball coach at Gonzaga
Chuck Martin, college basketball coach
Kimo von Oelhoffen, NFL defensive tackle
Ricky Pierce, professional basketball player
Bryan Pittman, NFL long snapper
Mike Sellers, NFL fullback for the Washington Football Team

References edit

^ "WWCC Board of Trustees Names Chad Hickox President of the College" (Press release). May 20, 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
^ https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?q=Walla+Walla+Community+College&s=all&id=236887
^ "WWCC Programs". Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ Wentz, Ben. "Union-Bulletin, Southeast Area Tech Skills Center Progress". Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "The Aspen Institute Names Top 150 U.S. Community Colleges Eligible For 2019 Aspen Prize". PR Newswire. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2021.
^ "WWCC, More About". Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "Aspen Institute Profile of WWCC". Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "WWCC Degree List". Retrieved 6 January 2014.
^ "WWCC Athletic Dept., Recruit information". Retrieved 8 January 2014.