Merced College is a public

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 ...

Merced, California Merced (; Spanish for "Mercy") is a city in, and the county seat of, Merced County, California, United States, in the San Joaquin Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 86,333, up from 78,958 in 2010. Incorporated on Apri ...

History

In 1961, the Merced High and Le Grand High School Districts petitioned the State Board of Education for permission to set an election to approve the establishment of a junior college district in

Merced County Merced County ( ) is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after ...

. The State Board of Education approved the proposal for the Merced County Junior College on November 10, 1961. The County Superintendent of Schools set February 27, 1962, as the date for the election. Before the election, Robert Clemo, Chief of the Bureau of School District Organization, along with Loren Wann, conducted a survey to determine if Merced County had a sufficient number of students at the time and in the future, if the tax base was high enough to support a community college, and whether a need for a separate junior college (separate from Modesto Junior College) existed. The answer to all three questions was yes.The Inferno Redux, Merced College 1962-2012 by Delores Cabezut-Ortiz The vote in the election was 3996 in favor and 1494 opposed. The initial governing board was elected and sworn into office in 1962. It was composed of the following individuals: Buddy Iwata, George Clark, Byron Cunningham, John Hann, and Donald Robinson. Buddy Iwata was the first board chairman, George Clark was the vice-chairman, and Byron Cunningham was the secretary. Merced Union High School District Superintendent Clair Hopkins acted as the interim junior college superintendent as well as continuing his duties as high school superintendent with the permission of the high school board. One of the first orders of business for the new junior college board was to select a name for the college. While many potential names were considered, Merced Junior College was chosen by a unanimous vote of the college board.

Campuses

The college's service district is composed of Merced County, the Chowchilla Union High School District in Madera County, and the Dos Palos Joint Union Elementary School District. A single-college district, the main campus is located in the City of Merced on 269 acres. The new Los Banos Campus, an educational center completed in 2007, is located on 120 acres in the City of Los Banos. Merced College also has classes available at other locations outside of its two main locations for residents in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

, Dos Palos, and Mariposa. It has also offered classes for employees of the

Valley State Prison for Women Valley State Prison (VSP), previously the Valley State Prison for Women (VSPW), is an American List of California state prisons, state prison in Chowchilla, California, Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Central California Women's ...

and the

Central California Women's Facility Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) is an American women's California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison located in Chowchilla, California. It is across the road from Valley State Prison. CCWF is the second larg ...

Notable alumni

* Jerry Garvin, MLB pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays *

Adam Gray Adam Channing Gray (born September 23, 1977) is an American politician who is a member of the United States House of Representatives from after defeating Republican incumbent John Duarte in the 2024 election. A Democrat, he previously served ...

- California State Assemblyman, District 21 * Benjamin T. Duran - former Merced College President, President & CEO of the Great Valley Center, Modesto, California * Brian McCabe - Judge, Superior Court of Merced County, California * Michael Gallo - Co-Owner

Joseph Gallo Farms Joseph Gallo Farms is a large family-owned dairy operation, and is prominent in California’s dairy industry. It is based in Livingston, California. History Joseph Gallo Farms was founded in 1946 in the northern San Joaquin Valley by Joseph Ed ...

* Hubert (Hub) Walsh, Jr. - former Mayor of Merced, Merced County District 2 Supervisor *

Marvin Eastman Marvin Lee Eastman (born June 8, 1971) is a retired American professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer. A professional MMA competitor from 2000 until 2013, he competed in K-1, the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), World Fighting Alli ...

- two-time

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, State college (disambiguation), state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 sepa ...

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

wrestler;

Mixed Martial Artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

* Duke Fergerson - former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player *

Lavar Johnson Lavar F. Johnson (born June 11, 1977) is an American bare-knuckle boxer and former Heavyweight mixed martial artist. A professional from 2004 until 2014, he competed for the UFC, the WEC, Strikeforce and Bellator MMA. Background Johnson is fr ...

- football player; current

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

fighter for

Bellator Bellator, warrior in Latin, may refer to: * Bellator MMA, a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United States * Bishop Bellator of Sufetula (5th century) Taxonomy * ''Bellator'' (fish), a fish genus in the family Triglidae (sea robins) ** ...

Fighting Championship *

Reuben Droughns Reuben Droughns (; born August 21, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Oregon Ducks, he was selected by the Detroit Lions i ...

- former

player * Bill Mooneyham - former pitcher for the

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control California Community Colleges Universities and colleges established in 1962 1962 establishments in California Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Universities and colleges in Merced County, California Two-year colleges in the United States

History

Campuses

Notable alumni

See also

References

External links