Similar to a number of California
Community Colleges, Santiago Canyon College also grew out of humble
beginnings. Santiago Canyon College’s journey began in 1971 after the
Orange Unified School District joined with the Santa Ana Unified School
District to create the Rancho Santiago Community College District. Later
in that year, supporting their vision for higher education in their
community, residents of the City of Orange voted to levy a self-imposed
tax to purchase the original 30 acres of land in East Orange that would
ultimately become the foundation for Santiago Canyon College.
By
1985, the Rancho Santiago Community College District (RSCCD) developed
the land in East Orange to create the Orange Campus. As the second
campus in the Rancho Santiago Community College District, the Orange
Campus’ first semester saw more than 2,500 eager students take a variety
of general education, transfer, and vocational courses. Then, from 1985
to 1996, the Orange Campus experienced tremendous growth as the student
population more than doubled. As a result of this veritable growth, the
Rancho Santiago Community College District Board of Trustees
unanimously voted to change the name of the Orange Campus to Santiago
Canyon College and, therefore, created a multi-college structure for the
Rancho Santiago Community College District.
After
Santiago Canyon College officially came into being, the College became
independently accredited in 2000. Since that time, Santiago Canyon
College has continued to evolve so as to effectively and innovatively
provide an array of educational opportunities to the over 195,000
residents who comprise the eclectic community that encompasses the
College.
In addition to Santiago
Canyon College’s multiple offerings, the campus’ landscape has also
evolved so as to better meet the changing needs of students and
community members. In order to provide students and the surrounding
community with the space to embrace their life-long educational
pursuits, Santiago Canyon College’s grounds have grown from its earlier
30 acres to 82 acres. In November, 2002, voters in the college district
voted to approve Measure E, a $337 million bond measure to provide for
renovation and new construction at both Santiago Canyon and Santa Ana
colleges.
The campus has undergone a
dramatic physical transformation, for Santiago Canyon College has
developed its building inventory to 271,138 gross square feet and
continues to grow with the recent completion of the Science Center,
Humanities Building, Gymnasium, Swimming Pool, and Maintenance and
Operations facility. Furthermore, for enhanced usability, the College
site has been improved with regard to parking, circulation, and athletic
facilities.
Despite its humble
beginnings and relative youth, Santiago Canyon College has taken root in
its community and, has evolved from a fledging institution to a
well-established, respected, and recognized college. As such, Santiago
Canyon College will continue to respond to and celebrate the changing
demographics of its vibrant student body as well as of its diverse
community. Indeed, Santiago Canyon College will seek to provide a place
of learning where future generations have the opportunity to explore
varied educational opportunities that enhance their professional and
personal lives.
