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Community Roots "The Vision"
In 1967 the city of Scottsdale was still very much a 'western town'. Hitching posts lined Scottsdale Road and Lincoln Drive remained unpaved in many areas. The city thrived from the tourists flocking to the area for a taste of the old west and to explore the community's renowned art studios. City leaders met over lunch, often at the historic Sugar Bowl, and discussed the idea of building a community college for Scottsdale. Mesa CC, Glendale CC, and Phoenix College served as their examples. -
Scottsdale Town Enrichment Program
Scottsdale civic leaders, city government officials, Chamber of Commerce members and the business community formed the Scottsdale Town Enrichment Program (STEP) to study the feasibility of building a community college. This group shadowed the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) board for more than two years lobbying for a new college in Scottsdale. -
Funding for a New College
The MCCCD Governing Board conceded to the STEP committee and authorized a bond issue with $5,000,000 in funding for a new Scottsdale Community College. The catch: STEP had to sell the voters on providing their support fot the bond. -
Scottsdale Community College Temporary Offices Open
Scottsdale Community College's (SCC) temporary offices opened in the former North Scottsdale Baptist Church located at 4208 N. 82nd Street. -
SCC Faculty Hired
The first nine faculty members were hired bringing excitement for the development of a different comprehensive community college that would be SCC. -
First Classes Begin in Fall Semester 1969
The fall semester in 1969 began with classes being taught in speech, art, aeronautics and basic core curriculum courses. The classes were held in the evenings at Scottsdale High School. -
Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community Leases Land for SCC
Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community and the Bureau pf Indian Affairs, interested in developing the reservation, agreed to lease 160 acres to MCCCD. The 99 year lease established SCC as the only public community college residing on an Indian reservation. -
Students 1970's: Native American Partnership
Tuition waivers were implementred to provide encouragement to Native American students to attend SCC and SCC Indian Cultural Days began in 1970. -
SCC Opens It's Doors at Their Permanent Location
Students were welcomed to the new SCC location amidst a downpour of rain lasting for days creating transportation challenges for students as they navigated across the desert in the mud. Classes were held wooden barracks imported from Phoeix College, Mesa CC, and Glendale CC. The last of these 'temporary' buildings was torn down 40 years later in 2010. -
Students 1970's: Activism
Student activism reflected the rebellion against tradition sweeping the nation in the 1970's. Exploration of inner life, promoting freedom of speech and expression, Vietnam protests, women's rights, sexual freedom swept the campus as students supported these various causes. The first head of the student government association was an activist and the student newspaper urged rejection of the student government constitution because it limited student rights. -
Business Building Opens
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The 1970's: An Explosion of Growth
In January of 1972 the Library, Student Center, Science Building, Gymnasium, and Business Building opened up. The ultimate capacity at this time was projected to be 5000 but only two years after opening it's doors SCC enrollment topped 3000. -
Life and Physical Science Building Opens
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Students 1970's: First Native Americans graduate
Classes specific to the needs of the students from the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community included secretarial, health care and perswonal development classes. The first Native American students graduated from the nursing program in 1974. -
AZ State Board of Nursing Authorizes Full Accreditation for SCC Nursing Program
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Child Care Building Opens
The Child Care Center served as a learning lab for early childhood education majors and had the capacity to provide child care to 100 children. -
Full Accreditation Awarded to SCC by North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
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The 80's: An Era for Defining Programs & Continuing Growth
Fall of 1980 enrollment figures reached nearly 7000 for a campus created for a maximum enrollment of 5000 prompting a five year, $8.5 million expansion project. A prolific music program created a need for a music building to support the growing music program. -
Community Garden
122 community gardeners cultivated more than 250 plots and won 2nd place in the National Community Garden Contest. The SCC Artichoke Co=op grew out of the garden club. -
Culinary Arts Program Restaurant Opens
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Groundbraking for Social Behavioral Science Building
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Students 1980's: Advocacy
Students in the 1980's inherited the ideal of righting injustices but acted more as a community to advocate for others in need. El Salvadoran refugees was a cause supported through awareness efforts shared by guest speakers who were sympathetic to the sancturay movement. The Desert Restoration Project was another cause thAT the student government promoted as part of a plan to xeriscape the campus. -
The 90's: New Horizons
The early years of SCC experienced a rapid growth unimagined by community leaders. The city of Scottsdale grew from a population of 54,500 in 1965 when the vision for a community college developed to 130,069 by 1990. Student populations grew from nearly 1000 the first year to over 10,000 by 1990. Graduating classes grew from 16 in the first graduating class to having 5680 two year degrees bestowed by the early 1990's. The vision continued as leaders looked to the future student needs,
