Chaffey College is a public community college in the San Bernardino County city of Rancho Cucamonga, California, United States, in the northern part of the community of Alta Loma. The district covers Chino, Chino Hills, Fontana, Montclair, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland.
History
The school was established in Ontario, California in 1883, when city founders and brothers George and William Chaffey donated land and established an endowment for a private college. The private school was founded as the Chaffey College of Agriculture of the University of Southern California; USC, also a private university, had been founded three years earlier in nearby Los Angeles. The cornerstone of the new school was laid on March 17, 1883 at Fourth and Euclid in Ontario; it opened on October 15, 1885. The original institution included a secondary school and was run by USC until 1901. During this period, Chaffey's football team had a 1-1 series with the young USC football team, winning 32-6 in 1893 and losing 38-0 in 1897.
Financial troubles forced the school to close in 1901. The building was taken over by the city and became the home of Ontario High School (now Chaffey High School). In 1906 the Chaffey endowment was legally separated from USC and reorganized to benefit the newly created Chaffey Union High School District. When Ontario High school opened to students from Upland in 1911, its present name was adopted. In 1916, the Chaffey Junior College of Agriculture was added as a postgraduate department to the high school. The school's buildings were renovated and additional buildings added during the New Deal.
A separate junior college district was created in 1922 and in 1957 bonds were approved in support of a complete separation of the high school and college facilities. The current location in Alta Loma opened in the spring of 1960. The college's mascot is the Panther.
The Measure L bond provides up to $230 million in bonds during a 10-year period for the Facilities Master Plan. Off-site campuses in Fontana and Chino are also part of this master plan, with new Fontana buildings and a new Chino campus being developed. The college remains open while undergoing construction, except for occasional diversions in traffic and parking.
Campus
The college has upgraded its facilities in 2010s with infrastructure repairs, renovation and upgrades to existing buildings, as well as the construction of a new four-building science complex, student services building, the Panther Express convenience store, Rancho Dining Commons (MACC), Panther Cafe (Starbucks), and educational excellence center. The campus bookstore is known for being an industry leader in low cost books and educational materials. They were early champions of textbook rentals and e-books and have received significant recognition for their efforts.
Organization and administration
The president is Dr Henry D. Shannon.
Academic profile
Chaffey offers associate degrees and occupational certificates in many fields, including aviation, automotive, business, science, the arts, history, philosophy, psychology, RN, and LVN nursing. Chaffey offers one of the oldest aviation programs in the United States. Chaffey College is the oldest community college in California.
Sport
The college athletic teams are nicknamed the Panthers.
Notable people
- Hobart Alter, pioneer in surfboard shaping industry, creator of Hobie Cat and founder of the Hobie Company
- Beverly Cleary, author and recipient of 1984 Newbery Medal
- Skip Ewing, country music star
- Rollie Fingers, Major League Baseball pitcher, (Hall of Fame)
- Alan Haskvitz, 1997 National Teacher's Hall of Fame educator and Chaffey College Alumnus of the Year.
- Darryl Kile, Major League Baseball pitcher (St. Louis Cardinals)
- Robert Lyn Nelson, marine painter
- Peter Popoff, evangelist
- Meagan Tandy, Miss California USA 2007
- Joseph Wambaugh, author of novels often involving Los Angeles Police Department
- Frank Zappa (one semester), musician
References
External links
- Official website
- Chaffey College construction update