Edmonds College, formerly Edmonds Community College, 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 s ...
in
Lynnwood, Washington
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the f ...
. More than 17,000 students annually take courses for credit toward a certificate or degree at the college. The college employs more than 1,300 people, including 126 full-time and 283 part-time instructors and 267 students.
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. ...
. The Board of Trustees of Edmonds Community College was composed of five members appointed by the
governor of Washington
The governor of Washington is the head of government of Washington and commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.WA Const. art. III, § 2. The officeholder has a duty to enforce state laws,WA Const. art. III, § 5. the power to either a ...
, until July 1, 2013, when a sixth member representing students was appointed by the governor. Each member serves a five-year term, except the student representative, who serves a one-year term, and all must reside within the college's district boundaries. The board, on behalf of the citizens of College District No. 23, ensures the accountability of Edmonds College.
In 1967, the state legislature separated community colleges from the common schools and created 22 community college districts, including District 5 for Everett and Edmonds Community Colleges. Governor
Daniel J. Evans
Daniel Jackson Evans (born October 16, 1925) is an American politician who served as the 16th governor of Washington from 1965 to 1977, and as United States senator representing Washington State from 1983 to 1989.Everett Junior College and the new Edmonds Community College. In June 1967, the trustees established a district administrative structure with Dr. Paul McCurley, President of Everett CC, as the district president and district offices were located at
Paine Field
Paine Field , also known as Snohomish County Airport, is a commercial and general aviation airport serving the Seattle metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in unincorporated Snohomish County, Washington, between th ...
in 1968. On July 1, 2013, the governor appointed the college's first student trustee, John Jessop, to a one-year term.
Byron Norman was named acting president of the college on July 5, 1967. Other presidents of the college in succeeding years have been Dr. Carleton Opgaard (1968–69, 1995–96), Dr. James Warren, Thomas Nielsen, Dr. Jack Oharah (1996-2010), Dr. Jean Hernandez (2011-2017) and Dr. Amit B. Singh (June 2018-). The college's board of trustees removed Nielsen as president on May 23, 1995, after he was accused of accepting kickbacks and bribes; he accepted a $49,700 contract buyout on November 1, 1995, and later pleaded guilty to bribery and income-tax fraud, receiving a two-year prison sentence.
Formal dedication ceremonies were held September 7, 1967, with Senator
Henry M. Jackson
Henry Martin "Scoop" Jackson (May 31, 1912 – September 1, 1983) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. representative (1941–1953) and U.S. senator (1953–1983) from the state of Washington. A Cold War liberal and anti ...
as the featured speaker.
The college is located on in Lynnwood, the site of a former military installation, the Northwest Relay and Radio Receiving Station, U.S. Army. The property was declared surplus by the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and transferred to Edmonds Community College on December 6, 1967. Other parts of the originally site were transferred to the
Edmonds School District
Edmonds School District No. 15 is the public school district of Edmonds, Washington, United States. It serves the entire city as well as the cities of Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Woodway, and Brier along with parts of unincorporated Snohom ...
Snohomish County
Snohomish County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. With a population of 827,957 as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous county in Washington, after nearby King and Pierce counties, and the 75th-most populous ...
.
Classes began in the fall of 1967 in leased space at Woodway High School in Edmonds (now
Scriber Lake High School
Scriber Lake High School (SLHS), located in the city of Edmonds, Washington, is one of five high schools within the Edmonds School District
Edmonds School District No. 15 is the public school district of Edmonds, Washington, United States. It ...
), an explanation for why the college is named "Edmonds" despite its
Lynnwood
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the four ...
address). The college moved to its current Lynnwood campus in 1970. The campus consisted of Mountlake Terrace Hall and two duplex buildings built in 1941 as part of the old Army Relay Station (these were demolished in the late 2010s). A plaque at the northeast entrance to Alderwood Hall on the college campus commemorates the former site of the Globe Wireless Radio Station. It was dedicated by the Edmonds–South Snohomish County Historical Society. The radio station was built in 1930 and operated by the U.S. Army and the Alaska Communication System to provide service to Alaska during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
.
The college's first buildings, the duplexes, were called "A" and "B" until the college began a tradition of naming buildings after local areas. What is now known as Mountlake Terrace Hall was the first building constructed for the college campus in 1970. The building was renovated in 2006. The college's student newspaper, ''The Triton Review,'' was originally called ''The Quagmire'' (due to the muddy campus during the early days of the college). The first graduate of Edmonds Community College was Susan Blackborn, 19, the class of 1968 (she was the only graduate that year). Don Wick was the first elected student-body president at Edmonds Community College. He was named a Distinguished Alumnus of the college by the Edmonds Community College Foundation in 2002 and became the Executive Director of the Economic Development Association of Skagit County.
Edmonds College has partnered with
Central Washington University
Central Washington University (CWU) is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington. Founded in 1891, the university consists of four divisions: the President's Division, Business and Financial Affairs, Operations, and Academic and Student Lif ...
to provide bachelor's degrees locally since 1975. Accounting and business administration were the first programs offered at the Lynnwood Center. CWU-Lynnwood now offers eight bachelor's degrees and one master's program. The opening of Snoqualmie Hall in 2002 provided Central a permanent presence on campus.
The college's name was shortened to Edmonds College in April 2020 to reflect the availability of four-year degree programs.
Campus
The college has a campus in
Lynnwood
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the four ...
, north of Seattle and adjacent to
Edmonds Edmonds may refer to:
* Edmonds (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the surname)
* Edmonds, Washington, a city in Washington, US
** Edmonds station (Washington), a passenger train station in Washington, US
* Edmonds station (SkyT ...
.
The campus includes 28 computer labs, nine science labs, three eateries, two greenhouses, a digital recording studio, an art gallery, a theater, a child care center, Seaview gym, Triton Field, a transit center, two on-campus residence halls and a university satellite center for Central Washington University.
Academics
The college offers two bachelor of applied science degrees, 63 associate degrees and 60 professional certificates in 25 programs of study.
Its highest enrolled programs are the Associate of Arts/Associate in Science degrees, Business, Pre-Nursing, Computer Science, Biology, and Materials Science and Engineering.
In 2017 the college was approved to offer a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Child, Youth and Family Studies, its first bachelor's degree program. In 2020 the college launched its Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Information Technology — Application Development.
The college has unique Materials Science Technology and Restoration Horticulture degree programs.
Service-learning
Established in 2003, the college's
service-learning
Service-learning is an educational approach that combines learning objectives with community service in order to provide a pragmatic, progressive learning experience while meeting societal needs.
Service-learning involves students in service proje ...
program serves more than 600 students and provides 11,500 hours of service in the community to 100 campus and community partners each year. Programs include the AmeriCorps Retention Project (which works with TRiO Student Support Services, the Learn and Serve Environmental Anthropology Field (LEAF) School and Adult Basic Education ESL programs at the college). The Center for Service-Learning has been recognized nationally with a Howard R. Swearer Student Humanitarian Award from
Campus Compact
Campus Compact is a coalition of college and university presidents, committed to fulfilling the public purposes of higher education. Nearly 1,100 educational institutions, more than a third of all higher education providers in the United State ...
and a Service-Learning Collaboration Award from the Community College National Center for Community Engagement.
Grants and research
From 1999 to 2012, the college received 20
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...
grants the first of which provided scholarships to low-income students studying computer science, engineering, and math. A subsequent NSF grant established a National Resource Center for Materials Technology Education to study ways to increase the recruitment of women and girls in science, technology, engineering, and mathematic
STEM fields
Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is an umbrella term used to group together the distinct but related technical disciplines of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The term is typically used in the context of ...
. In 1998, when the college hired its first grant writer, the college generated revenues of $9.5 million in grants and contracts. That number grew to $22.3 million in 2009. Today, the college's grants and contracts program makes up 24 percent of its operating budget, a larger proportion than at any other community college in the state.
Athletics
The college fields nine athletic teams as part of the Northern Region 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 ...
(NWAC) with volleyball, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's soccer, men's and women's basketball, softball, and baseball. Overall, Triton athletic programs have a rich and storied history, amassing 14 NWAC Championships and 56 North Region titles. The college's baseball team has won eight NWAC championships; 2014 is their most recent title. The four outdoor sports all practice and play their home games at Triton Field, which is an on-campus multi-sport field turf complex that was renovated in 2011 for over $2.5 million. The 4,860 square foot indoor hitting facility sits on the west edge of Triton Field and has two 70-foot cages, two 35-foot batting cages, and a player's lounge and lockers. Two indoor turf pitching mounds were built in 2013. The three indoor sports compete in Seaview Gymnasium (capacity 900), which is over 14,200 square feet and includes a weight room, aerobics room, instructional classroom, men's and women's locker rooms for students, men's and women's locker rooms for staff and faculty, and a small conference room.
Three individuals and one team have been inducted into the NWAC Hall of Fame to date: George Smith (former athletic director and longtime Vice President of Student Services), Keith Kingsbury (men's basketball coach), Janet Guenther (championship volleyball and softball coach), 1998 NWAC Championship baseball team (set NWAC records for home runs, 7 players off the team were selected in MLB draft).
Baseball
69 baseball players have been drafted from Edmonds College, including Don Long who is the current hitting coach for the Cincinnati Reds. The most recent player drafted was Zach Needham by the Seattle Mariners (2017) in the 40th round. The program has a reputation for moving players and coaches on to four-year colleges and universities as well. Former baseball coach Donnie Marbut later became head baseball coach at Washington State University from 2005 to 2015. Marbut's 2002 NWAC Championship team was inducted into the Triton Baseball Hall of Fame in 2016.
The college also has intramural athletics. There is also a full sized golf course owned by the City of
Lynnwood
Lynnwood is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The city is part of the Seattle metropolitan area and is located north of Seattle and south of Everett, near the junction of Interstate 5 and Interstate 405. It is the four ...
adjacent to the campus. Spencer Stark, the current athletics director, joined the college in 2012. Former NBA player
Phil Zevenbergen
Phil Zevenbergen (born April 13, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player.
A 6'10" (2.08 m) power forward (basketball), power forward born in Seattle, Washington, Zevenbergen college basketball, played collegiately at Seattle P ...
attended Edmonds College, as well as former Major League Baseball catcher
Tom Lampkin
Thomas Michael Lampkin (born March 4, 1964) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played in , –, and –.
Career
Lampkin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Mike and Shirley Lampkin and grew up in Clyde Hill, Washington. He was one of f ...
. Lampkin was inducted into the Triton Baseball Hall of Fame in 2014.
Campus housing
Student housing provides students a place to live while they learn at Edmonds College. The Homestay Program allows international students the cultural experience of living with a U.S. family. The program is designed to give international students the opportunity to learn, adapt, and experience U.S. culture first hand.
Edmonds College is one of the country's few community colleges to offer on-campus housing. The college opened its first on-campus residence hall, Rainier Place, in 2009. Rainier Place provides housing for 190 students attending both Edmonds College and Central Washington University - Lynnwood. With a total of 56 units in a mixture of 4-bedroom, 2-bedroom, double studio and single studio units, Rainier Place also has study lounges, a laundry facility as well as a community room for events and entertainment.
The college opened its second residence hall, Triton Court, in 2020. Triton Court provides housing for 220 students and is located directly across from the college's main entrance. The building has five floors and includes 24 studio units, 50 two-bedroom units, and 32 three-bedroom units. Each floor has a common study space and laundry facility, and the second floor has a residential lounge for social and community events. Apartments are fully furnished and feature private bedrooms, full kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, and wireless internet access.
Campus life
Edmonds College provides its students with various outlets for out-of-class socializing and learning. The Center for Student Engagement and Leadership (CSEL) provides students with events and programs to assist in mentoring their social learning as well as academics. CSEL also provides a lecture series that brings in public figures to share on various current topics.
In 2009, the college opened the Triton Student Center and a new bookstore. The , two-story addition to Brier Hall is a $13.4 million project funded by student services and activities fees. It created space for student programs and clubs and features a study lounge with a fireplace.
Notable alumni
*
Tom Lampkin
Thomas Michael Lampkin (born March 4, 1964) is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played in , –, and –.
Career
Lampkin was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Mike and Shirley Lampkin and grew up in Clyde Hill, Washington. He was one of f ...
Ryan Strieby
Ryan Kristoffer Strieby (born August 9, 1985) is an American former professional baseball first baseman.
Strieby played baseball and basketball at Mountlake Terrace High School in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. He attended Edmonds Community Colle ...
Ty Taubenheim
Ty Andrew Taubenheim (born November 17, 1982) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is 6'6", ., and throws and bats right-handed. Taubenheim features a sinking fastball, a slider, and a changeup.
Playing career
Taubenheim was drafted ...
Phil Zevenbergen
Phil Zevenbergen (born April 13, 1964) is a retired American professional basketball player.
A 6'10" (2.08 m) power forward (basketball), power forward born in Seattle, Washington, Zevenbergen college basketball, played collegiately at Seattle P ...