Valencia Community College

Infobox_University
name = Valencia Community College
motto = "A Better Place to Start"
established= 1967


campus = Urban
type = Public Community College
president = Sanford C. Shugart
city = Orlando
state = Florida
country = USA
students = 51,551
staff = 2,557
faculty = 396 (full-time)
endowment = $68 million [http://www.nacubo.org/Images/All%20Institutions%20Listed%20by%20FY%202007%20Market%20Value%20of%20Endowment%20Assets_2007%20NES.pdf]
colors = Red, Black and Gold (unofficial)
nickname = Matadors (unofficial) [http://www.valenciacc.edu/aboutus/whoweare/fascfacts.asp]
website = [http://www.valenciacc.edu/ www.valenciacc.edu]

Valencia Community College is a multi-campus college located in Orlando, Florida in the United States.

The college was founded in 1967 as Valencia Junior College, taking its current name in 1971. It has several campuses in Orlando with additional campuses in Kissimmee and Winter Park. More than 50,000 students enroll each year.

Valencia is ranked second in the United States for the number of Associate's degrees awarded; it is first among two-year schools. VCC also offers 40 AA Pre-Majors and certificate programs that lead to immediate entry into the workforce.

The average class size is 23.5. The campus is diverse, with 51% of students being white, 22% Hispanic, 15% African-American, and 6% Asian.

The Valencia Foundation $68 million endowment is about 12 times the average community college endowment, which reflects the abnormally commitment of local business, organizations, and individuals, including the foundation board of directors.Fact|date=February 2007

The seal of the college includes the coat of arms of Valencia, Spain, in the middle and the entire diamond design stems from it.

Interesting Facts

* Out of 28 community colleges, Valencia is the third largest in the state of Florida.

*The Criminal Justice Institute [http://www.valenciacc.edu/cji] occupies a separate 77,000 square foot state-of-the-art criminal justice training facility. The CJI is certified and approved by Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) to operate law enforcement and corrections academy's, advanced courses and specialized training. Valencia is one of 4 colleges in Florida that trains Department of Juvenile Justice recruit officers.

*It is not unheard of for honors graduates to attend top schools in the country like Emory University, Vanderbilt University, Georgetown University, and University of Florida.

*World famous trauma surgeon Ernest FJ Block, MD, EMT-P attended Valencia for his EMT certificate.

Arts & Entertainment Programs

*The college's strengths lie in media-related courses. In an interview with Jane Pauley on The Today Show in 1990, Director Steven Spielberg called Valencia's film program one of the best available in the nation [http://www.valenciacc.edu/asdegrees/arts/fpt.cfm] . The school trains film technicians who gain experience by participating in feature films. As a result, the students have had the opportunity to work with famous filmmakers such as George A. Romero and four-time Academy Award-winning director Robert Wise, in addition to film, stage and television stars Julie Harris,Talia Shire, Ed Begley, Jr., Sally Kellerman, Mickey Rooney, Ruby Dee, among others. [http://www.valenciacc.edu/asdegrees/arts/fpt.cfm]

*Howie Dorough of the Backstreet Boys and Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC both attended Valencia's music department.

*Bob Newhart briefly taught at the college during 2003.

Intramurals

Although Valencia is not a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), Intramural sports are available. The Valencia Community College bowl team has won four national community college championships at NAQT and Six State championships.

Notable People

Alumni

External links

* [http://www.valenciacc.edu/ Official Website]
* [http://www.valenciacc.edu/AboutUs/whoweare/documents/FastFacts.pdf Factual Book]
* [http://www.valenciacc.edu/aboutus/whoweare/fascfacts.cfm More Fascinating Facts About Valencia]
* [http://www.educationisin.com Design Your Future Studio]