Riverside City College (RCC) 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 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 ...

Riverside, California Riverside is a city in and the county seat of Riverside County, California, United States, in the Inland Empire metropolitan area. It is named for its location beside the Santa Ana River. It is the most populous city in the Inland Empire and ...

. The college is part of the

Riverside Community College District The Riverside Community College District, or RCCD, is the community college district serving Riverside, California, United States, and neighboring cities. It is part of the California Community Colleges System. The California Community College s ...

, as well as the larger

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 ...

History

RCC first opened in 1916 at the same site as the

Riverside Polytechnic High School Riverside Polytechnic High School is a four-year public high school in Riverside, California, United States, and part of the Riverside Unified School District. The current facility, located on Victoria Avenue, was opened in September 1965; the ...

(Riverside Poly). Originally known as Riverside Junior College and later as Riverside City College,
University of California, Riverside, Science Library
/ref> the school changed its name to Riverside Community College in the mid-1980s. In 2008, the board of trustees renamed the institution back to ''Riverside City College''. The junior college expanded from the Riverside Poly campus and in 1924 constructed the first two buildings of the campus quadrangle in 1924. When Riverside Poly re-located to its own campus on Victoria Avenue in 1965 the college assumed total control of the Magnolia property. Today, Riverside City College is part of the greater Riverside Community College District which enrolls about 21,000 students each semester. Students may earn an

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. Th ...

transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

to a four-year college or

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...

, or earn a career certificate. In addition to the campus located in downtown Riverside, there are campuses in

Moreno Valley Moreno Valley is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and is part of the Riverside–San Bernardino–Ontario metropolitan area. It is the second-largest city in Riverside County by population and one of the Inland Empire's po ...

and Norco. Separate education centers include the Riverside County Sheriff's Department Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, the Center for Teaching Excellence at Stokoe, and the Rubidoux Annex in Rubidoux. RCC is also home to Gateway to College, a

charter school A charter school is a school that receives government funding but operates independently of the established state school system in which it is located. It is independent in the sense that it operates according to the basic principle of autono ...

that serves those returning to high school seeking diplomas as adults. RCC maintains programs in

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...

and

science Science is a systematic endeavor that Scientific method, builds and organizes knowledge in the form of Testability, testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earli ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

, and performing arts and

vocational education Vocational education is education that prepares people to work as a technician or to take up employment in a skilled craft or trade as a tradesperson or artisan. Vocational Education can also be seen as that type of education given to an in ...

. The school band is the RCC Marching Tigers, which includes the Fantasia Winter Guard, which has won several

Winter Guard International Winter Guard International (WGI) is an American performing arts association, governing body, and the producer of regional championship events for three activities: color guard (known as winter guard), percussion ensembles, and small marching bands ...

awards, a Fall Marching Band, a Winter Drum Line, and a Spring Pep Band. The

student newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repo ...

is ''Viewpoints''. The college is home to the School for Nursing. In 2016, RCC opened the Henry W. Coil Sr. and Alice Edna Coil School for the Arts on University Avenue and Market Street, adjacent to the historic White Park. The school is the home of the college's music program, including the internationally renowned RCC Chamber Singers, and the RCC Jazz Ensemble. The school combining classrooms, studios, and digital media labs, built around a state of the art concert hall designed with adjustable acoustics. The new school serves around 1,000 students preparing for careers in vocal or instrumental performance,

music education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do origin ...

, and careers in the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, trai ...

. The college's marching band performed at the

Tournament of Roses Parade A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

in Pasadena, California on January 1, 2010, and at Bandfest at

Pasadena City College Pasadena City College (PCC) is a public community college in Pasadena, California. History Pasadena City College was founded in 1924 as Pasadena Junior College. From 1928 to 1953, it operated as a four-year junior college, combining the l ...

Athletics

The Riverside City College Tigers compete in the

Orange Empire Conference Orange Empire Conference (OEC) is a community college athletic conference in Orange County, California. Member institutions and the OEC are governed by the California Community College Athletic Association. Commissioner *John Keever Member Ins ...

(OEC) and Southern California Football Association, which operates within the

California Community College Athletic Association The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) is a sports association of community colleges in the U.S. state of California. It oversees 108 athletic programs throughout the state. The organization was formed in 1929 as the Calif ...

. The college currently fields nine men's teams and nine women's teams. The athletic facilities include Fran Bushman Tennis Courts, Riverside Aquatics Complex, Samuel C. Evans Complex, Wheelock Gymnasium and

Wheelock Stadium Wheelock and similar may refer to: Firms and buildings * Cooper Wheelock, a manufacturer of fire alarm and general signaling products * Wheelock and Company, formerly British Hong Wheelock and Marden Company Limited * Wheelock College, a small ...

Notable alumni

Jeff Bajenaru Jeffrey Michael Bajenaru ( ro, Băjenaru; born March 21, 1978) is an American former professional baseball pitcher and current pitching coach for the Hillsboro Hops, the Single-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He played in Major League bas ...

– Major League Baseball *

Chester Carlson Chester Floyd Carlson (February 8, 1906 – September 19, 1968) was an American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney born in Seattle, Washington. Carlson invented electrophotography, the process used by millions of photocopiers worldwide. C ...

– American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney * Jesse Chavez – Major League Baseball * John Gabbert – California Court of Appeal judge, Superior Court judge. * Mike Garcia – Major League Baseball *

Tommy Hanson Thomas J. Hanson Jr. (August 28, 1986 November 9, 2015) was an American professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Hanson made his MLB debut with Atlanta on ...

– Major League Baseball *

Jess Hill Jesse Terrill Hill (January 20, 1907 – August 31, 1993) was an American athlete, coach, and college athletics administrator who was best known for his tenure as a coach and athletic director at the University of Southern California (USC). His c ...

– Major League Baseball from 1935 to 1937, first person to both play for and coach Rose Bowl champions *

J. C. Jackson Jerald Christopher Jackson (born November 17, 1995) is an American football cornerback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Maryland and signed with the New England ...

– NFL Cornerback *

Domaine Javier Domaine Javier is a Philippine-born actor, nurse, and TV personality. She came to prominence after appearing on the MTV show ''True Life'' and being expelled by and suing California Baptist University over her right to study nursing there as a ...

– Transgender actress, writer, reality TV personality, registered nurse, and activist * Sharon Jordan – American film and television actress. Recurred on the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

series

The Suite Life of Zack & Cody ''The Suite Life of Zack & Cody'' is an American sitcom created by Danny Kallis and Jim Geoghan. The series aired on Disney Channel from March 18, 2005, to September 1, 2008. The series was nominated for an Emmy Award three times and was also ...

. *

Bobby Kielty Robert Michael Kielty (last name pronounced KELT-ee) (born August 5, 1976) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, and Boston Red Sox during a Major League Ba ...

– Major League Baseball *

Noureddine Morceli Noureddine Morceli ( ar, نور الدين مرسلي, ''Nūr ud-Dīn Mursilī''; born February 28, 1970) is a retired Algerian middle-distance runner. He was the winner of the 1500 metres at the 1996 Summer Olympics and won three straight gold ...

– Olympic track champion *

Ryan Navarro Ryan Navarro (born July 5, 1994) is an American football long snapper for the Philadelphia Stars of the United States Football League (USFL). He also played for the Memphis Express of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) and Los Angeles Wi ...

– American football player * Douglas Negrete – All-American Marathoner *

Paul Oglesby Paul William Oglesby (January 9, 1939 – September 25, 1994) was an American football tackle who played one season with the Oakland Raiders of the American Football League. He was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in the tenth round of the 1960 ...

– American football player *

Miné Okubo Miné Okubo (; June 27, 1912 – February 10, 2001) was an American artist and writer. She is best known for her book '' Citizen 13660'', a collection of 198 drawings and accompanying text chronicling her experiences in Japanese American internme ...

– Artist and writer *

AJ Rafael Arthur Joseph Rafael (born March 12, 1989), known professionally as AJ Rafael, is a Filipino-American singer-songwriter, YouTuber, and TikToker. Born in Moreno Valley, California, he graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2010. Rafael st ...

– American singer-songwriter * Kathy Raymond – Model * Bob Rule – NBA All-Star center. * Richard S. Prather – American mystery novelist, pseudonyms David Knight and Douglas Ring *

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

– Dallas Cowboys linebacker * Chris Stewart – Major League Baseball *

Jeff Soto Jeff Soto (born June 3, 1975) is an American contemporary artist. His distinct color palette, subject matter and technique have been said to bridge the gap between Pop Surrealism and Street Art. Early life Soto was born in Fullerton, California, ...

– Professional Artist, painter * Brian Stokes – Major League Baseball * Susan Straight – Published writer and novelist, Professor at the University of California, Riverside * Charles Tuaau – NFL Nose Tackle

Notable former faculty

Kurt Barber Kurt Barber (born January 5, 1969) is the former head coach for Paducah Tilghman High School's football team and a former linebacker for the USC Trojans and in the National Football League (NFL). High school career Barber prepped at Paducah Til ...

– National Football League, Coach at RCC * Bob Boyd (basketball) – William Robert "Bob" Boyd, Head coach at the University of Southern California (USC) and Mississippi State University, Head coach at RCC * Edmund Jaeger – noted biologist (the Edmund C. Jaeger Desert Institute on the

Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley College (MVC) is a public community college in Moreno Valley, California. The college is part of the Riverside Community College District and the larger California Community Colleges System. History Founded in 1991, Moreno Vall ...

campus is named in his honor) *

Jess Mortensen Jesse Philo Mortensen (April 16, 1907 in Thatcher, Arizona – February 19, 1962) was an NCAA champion track athlete and coach. Mortensen is one of only three men to win Division I Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship team titles as bo ...

– NCAA champion track athlete, USC track and field, Coach at RCC *

Jerry Tarkanian Jerry Tarkanian (August 8, 1930 – February 11, 2015) was an American basketball coach. He coached college basketball for 31 seasons over five decades at three schools. He spent the majority of his career coaching with the UNLV Runnin' Reb ...

– NCAA Basketball coach, RCC coach * Bob Schermerhorn – NCAA Basketball coach, RCC coach

References

External links

* * {{authority control California Community Colleges Educational institutions established in 1916 Sports venues in Riverside, California Education in Riverside, California Universities and colleges in Riverside County, California 1916 establishments in California