- Oregon Coast Community College
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Oregon Coast Community College 
Entrance to Newport campusEstablished 1987 Type Community College President Patrick O'Connor Admin. staff 45 Undergraduates 3,000 Location Newport, Oregon, USA Website [1] Oregon Coast Community College (OCCC) is a community college in Oregon, serving students in Lincoln County. Located in Newport, OCCC has approximately 3,000 students and a faculty of 45 people. Of the 17 community colleges in Oregon, only Klamath Community College is younger, and only Tillamook Bay Community College has fewer students.
OCCC offers the only Aquarium Science Program in the United States. The classes are taught at the nearby Hatfield Marine Science Center, but a building is currently being built on the college's 28-acre (11 ha) campus to teach this curriculum.
Contents
History
OCCC held its first classes in 1987, meeting in whatever spare space the staff could find. "You could be teaching in a church basement, fire station, real estate office," college president Patrick O'Connor recalled.[1] The following year, OCCC found a permanent home in a building formerly known as "Jake's High Tide Bar".
In 2004, local voters approved a $23.5 million bond levy, which is being used to build three buildings between Newport and Waldport. According to president O'Connor, the three buildings are necessary due to Lincoln County's size and treacherous driving weather during the winter months.
Aquarium science program
Oregon Coast Community College offers a degree program in aquarium science, and is the only college in the United States to do so. There are two programs, one to obtain an associate's degree and the other a one-year certification for those with a bachelor's degree or higher in life sciences. Because of the limited number of places available (22 at present), applicants must apply early and are interviewed by several aquarists and biologists. Classes offered range from Biology of Captive Fish and Aquatic Animal Health Management to a scuba diving course. Those studying for either their associates degree or their one-year certification end with an internship at a public aquarium, zoo, fish hatchery, or marine laboratory. The program is run by Bruce Koike, who started the program with help from Sea Grant.
See also
- List of Oregon community colleges
Notes
- ^ Lori Tobias, "The little college that could", The Oregonian 20 August 2006, B6.
External links
Colleges and Universities in Oregon Public institutions Private institutions ACHS · Art Institute · Cascade · Concordia · Corban · DeVry · New Hope Christian · George Fox · Gutenberg · Lewis & Clark · Linfield · Marylhurst · Mount Angel · Multnomah · NCNM · Northwest Christian · OCAC · OCOM · PNCA · Pacific · Pioneer Pacific · Reed · University of Portland · UWS · Warner Pacific · Western Seminary · Willamette
Community colleges Blue Mountain CC · Central Oregon CC · Chemeketa CC · Clackamas CC · Clatsop CC · Columbia Gorge CC · Klamath CC · Lane CC · Linn-Benton CC · Mt. Hood CC · Oregon Coast CC · Portland CC · Rogue CC · Southwestern Oregon CC · Tillamook Bay CC · Treasure Valley CC · Umpqua CC
Categories:- Two-year colleges in Oregon
- Education in Lincoln County, Oregon
- Educational institutions established in 1987
- Buildings and structures in Lincoln County, Oregon
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