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 sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
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 se ...
in
Compton, California
Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporate ...
. From 2006, when it lost its
regional accreditation
Higher education accreditation in the United States is a peer review process by which the validity of degrees and credits awarded by higher education institutions is assured. It is coordinated by accreditation commissions made up of member ins ...
, to 2017, when it regained that accreditation, it operated as a part of
1933 Long Beach earthquake
The 1933 Long Beach earthquake took place on March 10 at south of downtown Los Angeles. The epicenter was offshore, southeast of Long Beach, California, on the Newport–Inglewood Fault. The earthquake had a magnitude estimated at 6.4 , and a ...
, leaving two buildings standing. Nobody on campus was killed.
In the 1940s, several thousand Compton College students entered the armed forces, and 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 campus housed a military unit and a defense plant.
In 1950, voters approved a bond issue separating the college from the high school district. The new college campus was then constructed at the college's present site, 1111 East Artesia Boulevard. Classes began on the new campus in the fall of 1953.
In the 1960s, the composition of the student body changed dramatically from predominantly Caucasian to overwhelmingly African-American. As a result, it has sometimes been called "California’s historically black college."
In 1970, the Board of Trustees appointed the institution's first African-American President/Superintendent, Abel B. Sykes Jr. Highlights of his 14-year administration included the construction of the first two new campus buildings since 1952: the Jane Astredo Allied Health Building and the Abel B. Sykes Jr. Child Development Center (named after him in 1995).
The 1980s was a period of reduced funding and partial retrenchment for the institution, but by the early 1990s the college had once again stabilized. The second major demographic shift occurred in the 1990s, making the campus population 46% African-American and 46% Hispanic (3% White, Non-Hispanic; 3% APISA; 2% other).
In 1996 the Board appointed Ulis C. Williams as Interim President/Superintendent and in January 1997 made this appointment permanent.
Loss of accreditation
In 2004 the college began experiencing significant turmoil caused by a "corrupt board and financial insolvency". In May 2004, the state installed Arthur Tyler Jr. as Special Trustee to help the Compton Community College District achieve fiscal stability and integrity. In August, the State Chancellor issued another executive order (2004-02) authorizing the continuing authority of the Special Trustee to manage the college, and to suspend for up to a year the powers of the governing board of the college, or of any members of that board, and to exercise any powers or responsibilities or to take any official action with respect to the management of the college. Interim President/Superintendent Rita Cepeda was hired in February 2005 to assist with the recovery of the college.
The next year, the executive director of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), Barbara Beno, informed the college of the commission's decision to terminate the college's
accreditation
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 ...
. In July 2005, the State Chancellor assigned Jamillah Moore, Senior Vice Chancellor 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 sect ...
as the interim President/Superintendent and Charles Ratliff as the Special Trustee with the impending departure of both Cepeda and Tyler. The college began its appeal to the commission regarding the termination decision.
On March 1, 2006, a third Special Trustee, Thomas Henry, was assigned to the college district to continue the implementation of AB 61 and the development of AB 318 to keep the doors open for students. On June 30, 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed AB 318 (D-Dymally) into law, giving the college district a $30 million loan for recovery and the opportunity to partner with a college of good standing to offer accredited courses. The bill also gave the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team (FCMAT) the responsibilities to conduct a comprehensive assessment and to develop a recovery plan for the college to regain its accreditation.
Five months later, the Special Trustee approved the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with El Camino College District to solidify the partnerships between the two districts. Under this MOU, the campus became a center of El Camino College. The Office of the President/Superintendent was replaced by the Office of Provost/
Chief Executive Officer
A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...
(CEO). The center is officially established as the Compton Community Educational Center. At midnight, Compton Community College lost its accreditation. Shortly thereafter, the Compton Community Educational Center officially became part of El Camino College with Doris P. Givens serving as the Provost/CEO. Lawrence M. Cox became Provost/CEO from 2008 to 2010.
Accreditation regained
On June 7, 2017, Compton College was restored to full accreditation. This followed years of rebuilding under President Keith Curry, who was provost of the campus while it was partnered with El Camino College.
Campus
The library on campus opened in 2014. Its opening was originally scheduled for 2007. At that time it had a cost of $25 million. The opening was delayed by almost seven years and with an additional $4 million spent due to violations in the building code. It was extensively renovated.
Safety
The Compton College Police Department is responsible for law enforcement and safety at the college. Its police officers are California peace officers and are authorized to exercise peace officer powers pursuant to applicable state law under Penal Code §830.1. The department is also responsible for publishing an annual crime report covering the previous three years as required by the
Clery Act
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act, signed in 1990, is a federal statute codified at , with implementing regulations in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations at .
The Clery Act requi ...
. The Compton Fire Department provides fire protection.
Memo Arzate
Guillermo "Memo" Arzate (born November 22, 1981) is an American former professional soccer player.
Early life and education
Memo Arzate attended Artesia High School from 1995 to 1999. He was a member of the Pioneers' soccer team which won b ...
, retired professional soccer player
*
Don Bandy
Donald Stewart Bandy (born July 1, 1945) is a former American football offensive lineman in the National Football League. He played professionally for the Washington Redskins.
Early life
Bandy was born in South Gate, California and played prep f ...
, football player,
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...
*
Justin Carter
Justin Anthony Carter (born April 21, 1987) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Oradea in the Romanian League. He played college basketball for Creighton.
Professional career
After going undrafted in the 2010 NBA d ...
(born 1987), basketball player for
Maccabi Kiryat Gat
Maccabi Kiryat Gat F.C. ( he, מכבי קריית גת) was an Israeli football team based in the southern city of Kiryat Gat. The club's best achievement has been promotion to the Premier League as Liga Leumit runners-up in 2001, after beating ...
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 ...
*
James Coburn
James Harrison Coburn III (August 31, 1928 – November 18, 2002) was an American film and television actor who was featured in more than 70 films, largely action roles, and made 100 television appearances during a 45-year career.AllmoviBi ...
, American actor
*
Coolio
Artis Leon Ivey Jr. (August 1, 1963 – September 28, 2022), known professionally as Coolio, was an American rapper. First rising to fame as a member of the gangsta rap group WC and the Maad Circle, Coolio achieved mainstream success as a sol ...
All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL) was a professional women's baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. The AAGPBL is the forerunner of women's professional league sports in the Uni ...
player
*
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...
Ed Peasley
Ed Peasley (born c. 1935) is a former American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Northern Arizona University from 1971 to 1974.
High school
Peasley attended Mendota Township High School in Mendota, Illinois.
Col ...
, American football player and coach
* Joe Perry, professional football player and (NFL) Hall of Fame member
* Carl Pohlad, owner of the
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area ...
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL) ...
player for the
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division, having moved to the division in 2013 after ...