Page 8 - San Bernardino Valley College Student Success Handbook 2020-21

History of San Bernardino Valley College
San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) was established in 1926 as a tiny college of several hundred students, a dozen faculty, and fewer than 40 courses, situated on 30 acres of land on the border between San Bernardino and Colton. During the college’s first academic year (1926-27), classes were scheduled at San Bernardino High School and Colton High School. During the college’s second academic year (1927-28), classes were offered for the first time at the college’s current location and enrolled nearly 300 students with 54 course offerings.
SBVC currently offers 64 degree programs and 74 certificate programs in a variety of fields, leading to immediate employment or university transfer upon graduation and preparing students for some of the most in-demand and highest-compensated career fields in the world.
As of 2018, SBVC enrolls over 13,000 students per semester and has one of the most ethnically-diverse student populations in the country, with 62% of students identifying as Hispanic, 14% Black, 15% White, 5% Asian, and 0.3% Native American.
SBVC prides itself on its traditions of academic excellence and student success, and for educating generations of families in the Inland Empire and across the globe. Through its Early College program and the Middle College High School on its campus, SBVC allows local high school students to take classes while they are still earning their high school diploma, with many graduating high school with their associate degrees.
SBVC is known for being the first college in the nation to establish a “Dreamers Resource Center” for undocumented students. In 2016, the Aspen Institute named SBVC one of the top 150 community colleges in the country.
SBVC has made an immense economic, social and demographic impact on the local region. Several million local students have attended San Bernardino Valley College throughout its 94-year existence.
SBVC has existed through 16 US Presidents: Coolidge, Hoover, Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama, and Trump.
To read more about SBVC’s history, visit www.valleycollege.edu/history.
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