Columbia Basin College (CBC) 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 undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

Pasco, Washington Pasco ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Franklin County, Washington, United States. The population was 77,108 at the 2020 census, and estimated at 80,038 in 2023. Pasco is one of three cities (the others being Kennewick and Richland) t ...

. It is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

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 college offers English as a second language and

General Educational Development The General Educational Development (GED) tests are a group of four academic subject tests in the United States and its territories certifying academic knowledge equivalent to a high school diploma. This certification is an alternative to the U ...

(GED) prep classes, the Running Start program, many associate degree (transfer, associate of applied science, associate of arts) programs, and the Bachelor of Applied Science degree.

History

Columbia Basin College has served Benton and Franklin counties for nearly 60 years. The first classes at CBC were authorized by the State Board of Education in May 1955. Classes began in September, 1955 in temporary quarters at the former Pasco Naval Airbase. The Pasco School District received title to more than of land for the present campus site in Pasco. CBC's first permanent building was completed in 1957 and was the V building which was replaced in 2011 by the Center for Career and Technical Education (CTE). The Community College Act of 1967 separated the college from the Pasco School District and CBC became the 19th community college district in the state of Washington. CBC continually expands and renovates programs which now includes Bachelor of Applied Science degrees. The enrollment of the college has grown from 299 students in 1955 to more than 8,000 students per quarter today. The faculty includes 140 full-time instructors and 300 part-time instructors.

Campus

The Pasco campus has seen substantial growth in the past decade, adding new facilities to accommodate the large demand for higher education from a growing community. Standout facilities include the Arts Center (P building), Lee R. Thornton Center for Science, Technology, and Diversity; Bechtel National Planetarium; Robert & Elisabeth Moore Observatory; the Center for Career and Technical Education (CTE); and a research farm. Recent infrastructure improvements include substantial remodels to the Hawk Union Building (HUB), Business building, the Library, the Science building, the Administration building, the Fitness Center, the athletic fields, and the I-Complex. The CBC Health Science Center is located in Richland, Washington, approximately 10 miles from the main campus. The four-story building was built in 2006 to house CBC's Health Sciences programs. The Wortman Medical Science Building on the Richland Campus and a new Social Sciences and World Language building opened on the Pasco campus in 2017.

Athletics

CBC is a member 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 along with the Canadian province ...

(NWAC) and the mascot is the

Hawk Hawks are birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except Antarctica. The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks, and others. This ...

. CBC sports include: *

Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...

*Men's and Women's

Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

*Men's and Women's

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

*Men's and Women's

Golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

Student life

Activities and events that are hosted by CBC, the Associated Students of CBC, and various student clubs. The Theatre Arts Department produces multiple stage productions each year, the Music Department has multiple concerts each quarter, and the CBC Esvelt Gallery hosts multiple student and guest artist exhibits year-round.

Notable alumni

* Byron Beck, professional basketball player * Steve Buratto, professional football coach * Darrell Ceciliani, professional baseball player * Clint Didier, professional football player * Ron East, professional football player * Doc Hastings, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives * Mark Kafentzis, professional football player * Dave McKay, professional baseball player * Travis Nelson (politician), member of the

Oregon House of Representatives The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly, the upper house being the Oregon State Senate. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of ...

* Chad Orvella, professional baseball player * Leon Rice, college basketball coach * Nikki Torres, member of the

Washington State Senate The Washington State Senate is the upper house of the Washington State Legislature. The body consists of 49 members, each representing a district with a population of nearly 160,000. The State Senate meets at the Washington State Capitol, Legis ...

Ray Washburn Ray Clark Washburn (born May 31, 1938) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1961 to 1969 and the Cincinnati Reds in 1970. Baseball career Washburn was b ...

, professional baseball player

References

External links

* {{authority control Community colleges in Washington (state) Tri-Cities, Washington Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Pasco, Washington Two-year colleges in the United States Education in Franklin County, Washington 1955 establishments in Washington (state) Universities and colleges established in 1955