Los Angeles Pierce College

:"This article is about a community college in Los Angeles. For the community college near Tacoma, Washington, see Pierce College."Infobox_University
name =Los Angeles Pierce College
native_name =
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established =1947
type =Public community college
endowment =
staff =
faculty =
president =Robert Garber
provost =
principal =
rector =
chancellor =
vice_chancellor =
dean =
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students =20,000
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city =Woodland Hills
Los Angeles
state =CA
country =USA
campus =Urban - 426 acres (1.72 km²)
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free =
colors =Scarlet and White
colours =
mascot =Brahma Bull
nickname =The Brahmas
affiliations =LACCD; WSC
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website = [http://www.piercecollege.edu www.piercecollege.edu]
address =6201 Winnetka Avenue
telephone =818-719-6401
coor =
logo =

Los Angeles Pierce College, also known as Pierce College, Pierce, is a two-year community college that serves more than 20,000 students in Woodland Hills, a community within the San Fernando Valley region of the city of Los Angeles.

The college began with 70 students and 18 faculty members on September 15, 1947. Originally known as the "Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture", the institution’s initial focus was crop cultivation and animal husbandry. Nine years later, in 1956, the school was renamed to "Los Angeles Pierce College", retaining the name of its founder, Dr. Pierce, as well as his commitment to agricultural and veterinary study. (Pierce still maintains a convert|200|acre|km2|sing=on working farm for hands-on training.)

Campus overview

Pierce College offers courses on more than 100 subjects in 92 academic disciplines, and has transfer alliances with most of the universities in the state. The college boasts enviable transfer rates to UC and CSU schools.

In lieu of transfer, students can pursue any of the 43 Associate’s degrees or 78 Certificates of Achievement the school offers directly.Pierce College comprises 426 acres (1.72 km²) amidst a dense metropolis, an area larger than many university campuses, including that of UCLA. The grounds are landscaped with more than 2,200 trees, thousands of roses and a convert|1.9|acre|m2|sing=on botanical garden. The Pierce College farm houses small herds of cattle, sheep, goats,pigs a small poultry flock, as well as a llama and an alpaca for its students to learn from.

John Shephard Stadium

Besides hosting, the Brahmas' football and women's soccer teams, John Shephard Stadium - current capacity 5,500 [ [http://www.lasports.org/lafacilities/display.php?s=Stadium&id=53 Los Angeles Sports Council - L.A. Facilities ] ] - has been host to the only outdoor professional sporting events in San Fernando Valley history.

From 1976 to 1979, the San Fernando Valley's first professional sports team, the Los Angeles Skyhawks of the American Soccer League, played their home games at the Pierce college stadium. They won the 1976 ASL championship 2-1 over the New York Apollo in front of over 9,000 fans there.

The Los Angeles Express of the USFL played their last home game on June 15, 1985. [ [http://www.thefreelibrary.com/YESTERDAY+IN+L.A.+:+HERE+COMES+KAREEM%3B+THERE+GOES+O.J-a083616133 Yesterday In L.A. : Here Comes Kareem; There Goes O.J. - Free Online Library ] ] . The stadium was expanded to 16,000-person capacity for the game, but was still not a sell-out as 8,200 actually attended to see Steve Young and the Express lose 21-10 to Doug Williams and the Arizona Wranglers.

Shephard Stadium hosts Nuts for Mutts, an annual dog show and pet fair that raises funds for the New Leash on Life Animal Rescue. The event is regularly hosted by actress Kim Basinger.

Bond construction

With the approval of county propositions A and AA, the school is in the process of large-scale renovation. Plans include a new Student Services building which will house Admissions, Counseling, Financial Aid and Student Services, as well as create increased parking space. The groundbreaking for a new Center for the Sciences occurred in October, 2007, and is slated to be completed in late 2009.

The creation of the S. Mark Taper Foundation Life Science Botanic Garden was completed in 2007, bringing with it one of the finest collections of drought-resistant plants in the region.Fact|date=December 2007

Pierce College prides itself as an environmentally-forward institution, with a 191-kilowatt solar generation system that has 1,274 photovoltaic panels and a 360-kilowatt, natural gas co-generation system. This project is the largest of its kind to be undertaken by a U.S. community college, yielding around 4.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year and reducing Carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,500 tons over its operating lifetime. The college also has a water retention pond beneath its soccer field, collecting run-off from the adjacent parking lot. Under propositions A and AA, a new water reclamation facility is also being planned, and the new facilities will meet rigorous Silver-level guidelines set by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The campus is home to "Old Trapper's Lodge," an outsider art environment that pays homage to the pioneer upbringing of its creator, John Ehn.

Pierce College is one of the nine colleges of the Los Angeles Community College District, and is accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, a nationally recognized accrediting agency. It is located at 6201 Winnetka Ave. near Victory Boulevard. The campus is accessible from the Pierce College station of the LACMTA Orange Line.

Events

In April of every year, the Foundation for Pierce College hosts a Farmwalk, an outdoor festival including animals, activities, displays, games and music. The Farmwalk also includes face-painting, a petting-zoo and hayrides for children, all to benefit the Pierce College Equestrian Center.

The College also serves as a Los Angeles County large animal emergency evacuation center. During a slew of fires in Southern California in 2007, Pierce College sheltered and fed more than 150 horses under the direction of the L.A. County Volunteer Equine Response team. The horses were taken in for free at Pierce, and a veterinarian was onsite. Trained volunteers from Pierce's equestrian program assisted the county rescue effort.

Athletics

Pierce College currently fields 11 athletic teams, which compete in the Western State Conference. The Pierce Brahmas are known for their athletic skills on the field and their academic skills in the classroom.

Many athletes receive scholarships to four-year universities after playing at Pierce—and Pierce has some of the top sports facilities in the San Fernando Valley.

Notable alumni and staff

*Ellen Albertini Dow, actress "(The Wedding Singer)" aided her husband, Eugene Francis Dow, in founding the Theater Department.
*Bruce Bowdin, drummer, rock group The Rose Garden
*Coco Crisp, baseball player
*Denny Crum, basketball coach
*Doug DeCinces, baseball player
*Melanie Griffith, actress
*Mark Harmon, football player and actor
*Erik Kramer, football player
*Barry Zito, baseball player
*Danny Bonaduce, actor and radio personality
*Keith Green, Gospel musician and songwriter
*Ron Goldman, murder victim, (O. J. Simpson murder case)
*Scott Shaw, author, actor, filmmaker
*Barry Van Dyke, actor and son of Dick Van Dyke
*Gino Bancayan (Gizo), Peruvian reggaeton rapperBrandon Kirby, Los Angeles Rams

References

http://www.piercecollege.edu/news/default.asp

http://www.piercecollege.edu

External links

* [http://www.piercecollege.edu/ Los Angeles Pierce College official website]
* [http://info.piercecollege.edu/students/library/ Los Angeles Pierce College Library]