Centralia College

"Centralia Community College" redirects here. For the community college in Centralia, Illinois, see Kaskaskia College.

For the former college in Ontario, Canada, see Centralia College of Agricultural Technology.

Centralia College

Former names	Centralia Junior College
Type	Public community college
Established	1925[1]
Endowment	$7.8 million[2]
President	Robert Mohrbacher
Administrative staff	212
Students	4,803[3]
Location	Centralia , Washington , United States 46.71595°N 122.95944°W / 46.71595; -122.95944
Nickname	Trailblazers
Sporting affiliations	Northwest Athletic Conference
Mascot	Blazer Bill
Website	www.centralia.edu

Centralia College is a public community college in Centralia, Washington. Although it primarily offers certificates and Associate degrees, it also offers a few Bachelor's degrees. Founded in 1925, Centralia is the oldest continuously operating community college in the state of Washington.^[1] The college sits on 29 acres (120,000 m²) in the middle of the town of Centralia. There is a branch education center, Centralia College East, in the town of Morton and the college offers a range of online and correspondence courses. Overall, the college serves an area of 2,409 square miles (6,240 km²) in Lewis County and southern Thurston County under the administrative classification of Community College District Twelve.

History

Aerial view of campus

Centralia College opened on September 14, 1925, as the Centralia Junior College as part of an agreement between the University of Washington, Centralia Public Schools, and the Centralia School Board.^[4] It was the first junior college to open in the state and preceded the Washington Community and Technical Colleges system.^[5] The college received its accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities in 1948.^[6] The first physical campus opened in 1950 with Kemp Hall.^[7] Growing from an entrance class of 15 students, as of 2009^[update] the college has an enrollment of 4,803 students in 64 academic programs.^[3] The college is affiliated with the private Centralia College Foundation, founded in 1982 by community members, to supplement its public resources.

The college is also home to Michael Spafford's The Twelve Labors of Hercules, a series of murals commissioned in the early 1980s for the House of Representatives' chambers.^[8] From 1982 to 1987 they were covered with curtains due to their perceived (by some) sexually suggestive nature and later were placed in storage. Following a decade of negotiations, the college acquired the murals in 2002 for display in the Corbet Theatre.^[9][10] Murals created by Alden Mason and originally displayed at the Capitol were moved to the college library in 1990.^[11][12]

Academics

In 2012 the college began offering a Bachelor of Applied Science in Applied Management degree. It now offers a Bachelor of Applied Science in Diesel Technology degree and a Bachelor of Applied Science in Information Science and Application Development degree.

Campus

In 2023, the college, in partnership with Collegiate Housing International (CHI), completed an off-campus student apartment complex providing affordable accommodations for students in part due to the ongoing housing crisis. The dormitory complex can house up to 110 students. With an occupancy of 8 people per living quarters, each unit shares a common room and is pre-furnished.^[13] The following year, the complex was begun to be used as limited and temporary housing for Centralia high school students who are homeless. The project, named Scholars Haven, enrolls the students into the college's Running Start program.^[14]

Artworks

The campus contains several murals including works by Alden Mason and Robert Calvo. The mural collection, Twelve Labors of Hercules, by the artist William Spafford that was created in the 1980s for the Washington State Capitol but removed due to complaints, resides at the college.^[15] A mural in Washington Hall features Merce Cunningham, a dancer and choreographer from Centralia.^[16]

Athletics

The college's mascot is the Trailblazer and the athletics program includes teams for women's volleyball, men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's fast pitch softball and women's golf. These teams play in the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC).^[17]

The college is home to a sports complex known as Bob Peters Field. The site, begun in 1999 through the purchasing of neighborhood lots, was declared completed in 2023 after an official groundbreaking the prior year. The complex was named after the college's athletic director, the longest serving director in Washington state history. The athletic compound is 4.0 acres (1.6 ha) and hosts fields for baseball, softball, and soccer. Student fees of over $3 million were used for the construction of the complex.^[18]

Notable alumni and people

• Charlie Albright, pianist^[19]
• Charles L. Littel, one of the founders of the college who also founded Junior College of Bergen County^[20]
• Angela Meade, opera singer^[21]
• Patricia Anne Morton, first woman to serve as a Diplomatic Security special agent^[22]
• Jimmy Ritchey, country music songwriter and record producer^[23]
• Delford M. Smith, aviator and businessman^[21]
• Brian Valentine, American software executive^[21]

References

1. Centralia College; the Chronicle (December 25, 2015). "A Timeline: 90 Years of Education at Centralia College". The Chronicle. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
2. As of June 30, 2011. "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2011 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2010 to FY 2011" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers. January 17, 2012. p. 22. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
3. "College Search". College Board. 2009. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
4. Ott, Jennifer (April 17, 2008). "Centralia College holds its first day of classes on September 14, 1925". HistoryLink. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
5. Long, Katherine (April 3, 2017). "Washington state's lauded community-college system is 50 years old today". The Seattle Times. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
6. "Directory of Institutions A — D". Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. March 28, 2009. Archived from the original on October 11, 2017. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
7. "Centralia College International Programs Student Handbook". Centralia College. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
8. Farr, Sheilla (June 8, 2001). "Exiled murals may surface in Centralia". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
9. Associated Press (August 30, 2003). "Controversial murals go to Centralia College". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
10. Thomas, Ralph (September 3, 2003). "Controversial murals on the move". The Seattle Times. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
11. Ralph Thomas (September 3, 2003), "Controversial murals on the move", The Seattle Times, retrieved October 12, 2012
12. "College's commissioned art spans three decades" (PDF), Blue & Gold, p. 10, April–May 2000, archived from the original (PDF) on September 5, 2015, retrieved October 12, 2012
13. Sexton, Owen (November 8, 2023). "Take a look inside Centralia College's new student apartments". The Chronicle. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
14. Sexton, Owen (March 29, 2024). "Partnership forms to house homeless Centralia students in college campus student apartments". The Chronicle. Retrieved April 2, 2024.
15. The Chronicle staff (May 22, 2006). "Art in the Park celebrates a decade". The Chronicle (Centralia, Washington). Retrieved April 15, 2024.
16. The Chronicle Editorial Board (June 10, 2009). "Our Views: The Most Famous Centralian? Merce Cunningham". The Chronicle. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
17. "Athletics at Centralia College". Centralia College. 2008. Retrieved March 28, 2009.
18. Nance, Jesse (May 23, 2023). "Centralia College Honors Campus Stalwart With Bob Peters Field". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
19. The Chronicle staff (November 9, 2022). "World-Renowned Pianist, Centralia Native Charlie Albright to Return for Holiday Performance at Centralia College". The Chronicle. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
20. Walton, James (November 2, 2013). "As Leaves Fall on Esplanade, We'll Remember Aadland". The Chronicle. Retrieved April 16, 2024. Guest columnist from President of Centralia College
21. The Chronicle staff (October 26, 2017). "Centralia College Asks for Nominations for Distinguished Alumnus". The Chronicle. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
22. Aadland, Gordon (July 23, 2010). "The Amazing Bag Lady from the Nation's Capital". The Chronicle. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
23. Fitzgerald, Celene (April 22, 2020). "Jimmy Ritchey Selected as Centralia College Distinguished Alumnus". The Chronicle. Retrieved April 16, 2024.

External links

• Official site