Sierra College 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 ...
in
Rocklin, California
Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California, United States, about from Sacramento, and about northeast of Roseville in the Sacramento metropolitan area. Besides Roseville, it shares borders with Granite Bay, Loomis and Lincoln. As of th ...
. It is part of the Sierra Joint Community College District, a district that covers over , serves
Placer,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
and parts of
El Dorado
El Dorado () is a mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America. The king of this city was said to be so rich that he would cover himself from head to foot in gold dust – either daily or on certain ceremonial occasions � ...
and
Sacramento
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
counties.
History
The college was officially founded in 1936 and is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This is the date that the school uses as the official establishment, even though it had been operating under various names and places before this. It was established as Placer Junior College. In 1954 the college was named "College of the Sierras" with a
wolverine
The wolverine ( , ; ''Gulo gulo''), also called the carcajou or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species, member of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscular carnivore and a solitary animal. The w ...
as the mascot. There were other junior colleges named after regions. These included: College of the Redwoods, College of the Sequoias & College of the Siskiyous
The main campus in Rocklin was chosen by 1960, out of 35 possible sites.
The planned construction of
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
was a consideration in the decision making. In 1961, the new campus opened.
In 1996, another campus in
Nevada County opened, in between
Grass Valley and
Nevada City. The Grass Valley campus is also used by the Ghidotti Early College High School where students take both high school and college courses. During 2000–2005, outreach campuses in
Roseville and near
Truckee were opened.
It is governed by a board of seven trustees who are elected district-wide and a student trustee. Only five individuals have held the post of president in the last 50 years.
Academics
Approximately 125 degree and certificate programs are offered in a wide variety of configurations taught by 216 full and 650 part-time faculty members. Faculty typically has the minimum of a master's degree in their fields and enhance their teaching with research, authorship and industry expertise. Classes are offered both in traditional "on-ground" classrooms and, increasingly, in an online format.
Athletics
The Sierra College mascot is the Wolverine. Sierra College participates in the
Big 8 Conference, and is a member of the
California Community College Athletic Association
The California Community College Athletic Association (3C2A; formerly 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 ...
.
Athletic events
The 2002
USA Cross Country Championships were held on the Sierra College cross country course.
Student body association
A California nonprofit public benefit corporation named "Associated Students of Sierra College" (ASSC) has been operating at Sierra College since 1959. The board of trustees of the Sierra Joint Community College District has authorized ASSC to operate at Sierra College as a "student body association". In addition, ASSC "is recognized as the official voice for the students in District
consultation processes".
[Sierra Joint Community College District]
Board Policy 5400.
Retrieved 2020-04-23.
Notable people
*
Buffy Wicks, California State Assembly member, District 15
*
Ryan Guzman, actor and model
*
Alex Obert
Alexander "Alex" Obert ( ; born December 18, 1991) was born in Loomis, CA and is an American water polo player. He was a part of Team USA at the 2016 Summer Olympics, where the team finished in tenth place. Obert plays Center and is also curre ...
, current captain of the
United States water polo team, competed in the
2020 Summer Olympics
The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...
.
*
Hans Ostrom, writer and professor
*
John Romero
Alfonso John Romero (born October 28, 1967) is an American video game developer. He co-founded id Software and designed their early games, including ''Wolfenstein 3D'' (1992), ''Doom (1993 video game), Doom'' (1993), ''Doom II'' (1994), ''Hexen ...
, game designer
*
Heather Rene Smith, ''Playboy'' Playmate of the Month (February 2007)
*
James LeVoy Sorenson, inventor and entrepreneur
*
Fenuki Tupou, offensive guard for the Philadelphia Eagles
*
Brandon Aiyuk, NFL wide receiver for the
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
*
Joseph James DeAngelo,
Golden State Killer
*
Alexis Alford
Alexis Rose Alford (born April 10, 1998), also known as Lexie Limitless, is an American adventure traveler and YouTuber who is notable for traveling to 195 countries before reaching the age of twenty-two. Alford was awarded two Guinness World Reco ...
, youngest person to travel to every country
References
External links
*
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Universities and colleges in Placer County, California
Universities and colleges established in 1936
1936 establishments in California
Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
California Community Colleges
Two-year colleges in the United States