Fullerton College (FC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

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 ...

Fullerton, California Fullerton ( ) is a city located in northern Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 143,617. Fullerton was founded in 1887. It secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Sa ...

. The college is part of the

California Community Colleges System The California Community Colleges is a postsecondary education system in the U.S. state of California.California Education CodSection 70900(added to the Education Code by Chapter 973 of the California Statutes of 1988Assembly Bill No. 1725 secti ...

and the North Orange County Community College District. Established in 1913, it is the oldest community college in continuous operation in California.

History

In April 1913, the governing board of

Fullerton Union High School Fullerton Union High School is a public high school located in the Orange County, California city of Fullerton, operated by the Fullerton Joint Union High School District. History In 1893 a special election was held to create Fullerton Union H ...

approved a motion to establish a two-year postgraduate course of study at the high school. At this time, Fullerton was primarily an agricultural community, which specialized in the production of citrus produce. Delbert Brunton, who was the Fullerton High principal, established the new Fullerton Junior College to provide such postgraduate study. Twenty-six freshman students enrolled in the first year, and the school had a curriculum of 10 courses. "In 1922 the college was reorganized as an independent junior college district. After holding classes on the Fullerton Union High School campus for its first 23 years, the college began moving to its own fourteen-acre campus next door in 1936." In 2002, North Orange County voters passed a $239 million facilities bond measure, of which nearly $135 million was allotted to Fullerton College. It was used for renovation of current campus facilities and also to construct new facilities. On June 13, 2005, the new library inside of the LLRC was opened, and a formal dedication occurred on October 28, 2005. A bond measure that passed in 2014 will award the North Orange County Community College District (NOCCCD) $574 million to fund construction and renovation projects for the next 25 years.

Campus

The college is located in the city of

, in northern Orange County. The campus is within walking distance of the downtown section. The Fullerton College library first opened in 1913, in a small section of the Fullerton High School Library. It moved into the high school gymnasium in 1929 and to a small space in the new science building in 1938. A specialized facility was constructed in 1957 and named the William T. Boyce Library in 1962 in honor of William T. Boyce, who served as dean and president from 1918 to 1951. A new library was constructed and opened on June 13, 2005, and formally dedicated on October 28, 2005.

Artist-in-residence program

The Fullerton College Art Department hosts a yearly

artist-in-residence Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...

(AIR) program which was started in 1972 with a visit from painter

Wayne Thiebaud Morton Wayne Thiebaud ( ; November 15, 1920 – December 25, 2021) was an American painter known for his colorful works depicting commonplace objects—pies, lipsticks, paint cans, ice cream cones, pastries, and hot dogs—as well as for his la ...

. August 2013 marked the 100th fall semester of the AIR program. It was celebrated with the first exhibit of the entire AIR art collection at the Fullerton College Art Gallery.

Student life

The students of Fullerton College have established a student body association named Associated Students of Fullerton College. The association is required by law to "encourage students to participate in the governance of the college". Associated Students of Fullerton College is a voting member of a statewide community college student organization named

Student Senate for California Community Colleges Student Senate for the California Community Colleges (SSCCC) was a task force established in 1988 by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. SSCCC was originally known as the "Council of Student Body Governments" and then la ...

. The statewide Student Senate is authorized by law "to advocate before the Legislature and other state and local governmental entities".

Notable alumni

Actors and artists

Bill Blackbeard William Elsworth Blackbeard (April 28, 1926 – March 10, 2011), better known as Bill Blackbeard, was a writer-editor and the founder-director of the San Francisco Academy of Comic Art, a comprehensive collection of comic strips and cartoon art fr ...

— WriterFox, Margalit. "Bill Blackbeard, Comic Strip Champion, Dies at 84". ''The New York Times'', April 29, 2011.
/ref> *

James Cameron James Francis Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker. A major figure in the post- New Hollywood era, he is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly pushing the boundaries of cinematic capability ...

— Academy Award Winning movie director and screenwriter, and an explorer of the seas. Attended Fullerton College from 1973 to 1974. *

William Conrad William Conrad (born John William Cann Jr., September 27, 1920 – February 11, 1994) was an American actor, producer, and director whose entertainment career spanned five decades in radio, film, and television, peaking in popularity when he s ...

— Actor, producer and director whose career spanned five decades in radio (''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central chara ...

''), film (''

The Killers The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After going through a number of short-term bass players and drummers in t ...

'') and television (''

Cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

''). *

Jerome Ranft Jerome Ranft is an American character sculptor and voice actor for Pixar Animation Studios. He is the younger brother of the late Pixar story artist Joe Ranft. Career Ranft attended Fullerton College and the California College of the Arts. He g ...

— Sculptor *

Cress Williams Cress Williams (born July 26, 1970) is an American actor, known for his roles in ''Prison Break'' and '' Close to Home''. His most recent roles include Mayor Lavon Hayes on The CW series ''Hart of Dixie'' and the title character on The CW's ''Bla ...

— Actor, appeared in numerous TV shows including ''

Beverly Hills, 90210 ''Beverly Hills, 90210'' (often referred to by its short title, ''90210'') is an American teen drama television series created by Darren Star and produced by Aaron Spelling under his production company Spelling Television. The series ran for ...

'', ''

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' (abbreviated as ''DS9'') is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller. The fourth series in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise, it originally aired in syndication from ...

'', ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensembl ...

'', '' ER'', '' Becker'', ''

Nash Bridges ''Nash Bridges'' is an American police procedural television series created by Carlton Cuse. The show stars Don Johnson and Cheech Marin as two Inspectors with the San Francisco Police Department's Special Investigations Unit (SIU). The s ...

'', ''

Providence Providence often refers to: * Providentia, the divine personification of foresight in ancient Roman religion * Divine providence, divinely ordained events and outcomes in Christianity * Providence, Rhode Island, the capital of Rhode Island in the ...

'' * Renee Griffin — Actress *

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal (; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, screenwriter and martial artist. A 7th-dan black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instructor in Japan and eventually ended up running his father-in-l ...

— Actor and martial artist * Matthew Lillard — Actor *

Eden Espinosa Eden Erica Espinosa (born February 2, 1978) is an American actress and singer who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles, and San Francisco productions of the musical '' Wicked''. In 2022, she was nominated fo ...

— Actress and singer *

Mitch Pileggi Mitch Pileggi (born April 5, 1952) is an American actor. He played Horace Pinker in '' Shocker'', Walter Skinner on ''The X-Files'', Colonel Steven Caldwell on ''Stargate Atlantis'', Ernest Darby in ''Sons of Anarchy'', and Harris Ryland in the ...

— Actor *

Jason Scott Lee Jason Scott Lee (; born November 19, 1966) is an American actor and martial artist. He played Mowgli in Disney's 1994 live-action adaptation of ''The Jungle Book'' and Bruce Lee in the 1993 martial arts film '' Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story''. He ...

— Actor * Florence Arnold — Painter * Ruby Berkley Goodwin — Actress *

Nathan Baesel Nathan Baesel (born April 7, 1974, in La Palma, California) is an American actor. Biography Baesel attended Buena Park High School. After high school he went to Fullerton College, before graduating from Juilliard School in 2002. He has appeare ...

— Actor *

Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson (October 14, 1952 – April 16, 2018) was an American actor, comedian and magician. He is best known for his role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984–1992 television series ''Night Court''. He later starred in the si ...

— Actor, comedian, and magician

Music

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include " Just a Girl", " Spiderweb ...

— Lead singer of band

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, ...

and fashion designer * Bobby Hatfield — Singer and member of

The Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Lo ...

Scheila Gonzalez Scheila Gonzalez (born August 5, 1971 in Los Angeles, California) is an American, Grammy winning multi-instrumentalist and music educator. She is best known for playing the saxophone and other instruments in the all-female DIVA Jazz Orchestra ...

— Grammy winning multi-instrumentalist * Jack Cooper — Composer, arranger, instrumentalist * Dan Radlauer — Composer *

Leo Fender Clarence Leonidas Fender (August 10, 1909 – March 21, 1991) was an American inventor known for designing the Fender Stratocaster. He also founded the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. In January 1965, he sold Fender to CBS, and later foun ...

— Founder of the

Fender Electric Instrument Manufacturing Company The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC, or simply Fender) is an American manufacturer of instruments and amplifiers. Fender produces acoustic guitars, bass amplifiers and public address equipment, however it is best known for its s ...

Mark D. Sanders Mark Daniel Sanders (born September 7, 1950) is an American country music songwriter. He has written 15 No. 1 hits, 50 singles, and over 200 cuts, including the famous Lee Ann Womack single "I Hope You Dance", co-written with Tia Sillers. Earl ...

— Songwriter *

Tim Buckley Timothy Charles Buckley III (February 14, 1947 – June 29, 1975) was an American musician. His music and style changed considerably through the years. Buckley began his career based in folk music, but his subsequent albums experimented with ...

— Singer-songwriter * Kye Palmer — Trumpet player,

The Tonight Show Band The Tonight Show Band is the house band that plays on the American television variety show '' The Tonight Show''. From 1962 until 1992, when the show was known as '' The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'', the band was a 17-piece big band, and ...

Politics

Pat Nixon Thelma Catherine "Pat" Nixon (''née'' Ryan; March 16, 1912 – June 22, 1993) was First Lady of the United States from 1969 to 1974 as the wife of President Richard Nixon. She also served as Second Lady of the United States from 1953 to 1961 w ...

— Wife of former President Richard M. Nixon and

First Lady of the United States The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...

from 1969 to 1974 * Cristian Terheș —

Member of the European Parliament A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament. When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...

for Romania * Mike Wilson — Member of the

Kentucky Senate The Kentucky Senate is the upper house of the Kentucky General Assembly. The Kentucky Senate is composed of 38 members elected from single-member districts throughout the Commonwealth. There are no term limits for Kentucky Senators. The Kentu ...

Sharon Quirk-Silva Sharon Quirk-Silva (born September 17, 1962) is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the California State Assembly, representing the 65th Assembly District, which includes portions of northern Orange County, including La ...

— Member of the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The ...

Cruz Reynoso Cruz Reynoso (May 2, 1931 – May 7, 2021) was an American civil rights lawyer and jurist. Reynoso was the first Chicano Associate Justice of the California Supreme Court, serving from 1982 to 1987. He also served on the California Third ...

— Former associate justice of the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the judiciary of California, courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly h ...

from 1982–1987

Sports

* Justin Carter — Basketball player for Maccabi Kiryat Gat of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

* Bobby Cramer — MLB pitcher * Jim Fassel — NFL and UFL coach, started as a quarterback at Fullerton and later returned to coach the Fullerton football team in 1973. *

Lynn Hill Carolynn Marie Hill (born January 3, 1961) is an American rock climbing, rock climber. Widely regarded as one of the leading Climbing competition, competitive climbers, traditional climbing, traditional climbers (and particularly big wall climbi ...

— Climber * Kevin McLain — Former American football linebacker in the NFL, played for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC Wes ...

Monte Nitzkowski Kenneth Monfore "Monte" Nitzkowski (September 7, 1929 – July 28, 2016) was an American former competition swimmer and water polo coach. He represented the United States in the 200-meter butterfly at the 1952 Summer Olympics The 1952 Summer ...

— Swimmer and water polo player. *

Steve DeBerg Steven Leroy DeBerg (born January 19, 1954) is an American retired professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 years. Early life DeBerg is an alumnus of Savanna High School in Anaheim, Cali ...

— Former NFL quarterback * Dave Wilson — Former NFL quarterback * Brian Noble — Former NFL linebacker * John Pease — Former NFL and college coach *

Mike Horan Michael James Horan, AM (born 1 July 1944) is a former Australian politician who represented the seat of Toowoomba South in the Legislative Assembly of Queensland from 18 May 1991 to 24 March 2012. Originally he was a member of the National P ...

— Former NFL kicker *

J. C. Pearson Jayice Pearson (born August 17, 1963) is an American retired National Football League defensive back. College career Pearson played for the University of Washington. Professional career Pearson played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Minnesota ...

— Former NFL player * Floyd Rhea — Former NFL player * Brig Owens — Former NFL player * Howie Livingston — Former NFL player *

Larry Mac Duff Larry Mac Duff (born June 22, 1948) is an American football coach and former player. He played college football as a defensive end at Fullerton College (1966–1967) and Oklahoma (1968–1969). Mac Duff has eight years of NFL coaching experienc ...

— Former NFL and college coach *

Bill Bathe William David Bathe (born October 14, 1960) is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Oakland Athletics in and for the San Francisco Giants from –. In his MLB career, Bathe had eigh ...

— Former MLB catcher *

John Young John Young may refer to: Academics * John Young (professor of Greek) (died 1820), Scottish professor of Greek at the University of Glasgow * John C. Young (college president) (1803–1857), American educator, pastor, and president of Centre Coll ...

— Former MLB player * Steve Kiefer — Former MLB player *

Dan Stevens Daniel Jonathan Stevens (born 10 October 1982) is a British actor and writer. He first drew international attention for his role as Matthew Crawley in the ITV acclaimed period drama series '' Downton Abbey'' (2010–2012). He also starred as ...

— Former MLB player * Al Hrabosky — Former MLB pitcher * Steve Trachsel — Former MLB pitcher * Ron Johnson — Former MLB player and minor league manager * Robert Frojen — Water polo player, 1956 Olympic team *

Marvin Burns Marvin Duane "Ace" Burns (July 6, 1928 – June 24, 1990) was an American water polo player who competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics and in the 1960 Summer Olympics. He was born in Santa Ana, California. He played water polo for the University of S ...

— Water polo player, 1952 and 1960 Olympic teams * Bill Johnson — Olympic swimmer on the 1968 800m freestyle relay team * Bob Horn — Water polo goalie, 1956 and 1960 Olympic teams *

Jerry Pimm Jerry Pimm is an American former basketball coach. He served as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Utah from 1974 to 1983 and the University of California, Santa Barbara from 1983 to 1998, compiling career college basketball c ...

— College basketball player and head coach *

Bobby Dye Robert Lloyd Dye (born May 16, 1937) is an American former basketball coach. Early life and college years Born in Los Angeles, Dye graduated from Downey High School in nearby Downey, California in 1956. Dye enrolled at Fullerton Junior Colleg ...

— College basketball player and head coach *

Sharron Backus Sharron Backus (born February 12, 1946) is a former softball player and coach. She played as a shortstop and third baseman on seven Amateur Softball Association national championship teams from 1961 to 1975. She served as the head softball coa ...

— College softball player and head coach * Rick Sloan — Track & field Decathlete 1968 Olympics * Doug Nordquist — Track & field high jumper 1984 Olympics

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control California Community Colleges Education in Fullerton, California Educational institutions established in 1913 Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Universities and colleges in Orange County, California 1913 establishments in California Two-year colleges in the United States