- Diablo Valley College
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Diablo Valley College 
Established 1949 Type Community College Academic staff 670 Undergraduates 26,000 Location Pleasant Hill, California, 
USA
37°58′17″N 122°4′12″W / 37.97139°N 122.07°WCoordinates: 37°58′17″N 122°4′12″W / 37.97139°N 122.07°WCampus Suburban Colors Green and White Mascot Vikings Website http://www.dvc.edu/ Diablo Valley College (DVC) is a two-year community college in Pleasant Hill in Contra Costa County, California.
DVC is one of three publicly supported two-year community colleges in the Contra Costa Community College District (along with Contra Costa College and Los Medanos College), and was first opened in 1949. Current enrollment is 26,000 students and it has 300 full-time and 370 part-time instructors.
DVC has satellite centers in San Ramon and Walnut Creek and also offers classes in other facilities in Concord, Martinez, Danville, and San Ramon.
Contents
Academics
Diablo Valley College is a popular choice for Asian international students to complete lower-division college requirements for frequently crowded California universities. In particular, DVC is a “feeder” college to the University of California, Berkeley; California State University, East Bay; and to St. Mary’s College. DVC ranks among the top five transfer colleges in California.[1] In 2004, the top four transfer destinations were California State University, East Bay (formerly Hayward), San Francisco State University, UC Berkeley and UC Davis.
DVC also offers a variety of occupational specialties, including hotel/restaurant management, culinary arts, dental technology, and real estate. DVC has a very active speech and debate team.
Athletics
DVC has had famous athletes throughout its sports history, probably most recognized being Willie McGee, a former MLB National League MVP who played for the DVC baseball team in the 1970s and Doug Davis, who pitches for the Milwaukee Brewers. Demarshay Johnson, a former DVC Basketball star currently playing for Nevada, was named 1st team All-State for California for the 2004-2005 season. In that season, he led the entire state in blocks, averaging 5.2 per game.
History
The college officially began in 1949, and was then called East Contra Costa Junior College. The college moved to its permanent campus in 1952, and changed its name to Diablo Valley College in 1958.
Currently, DVC is upgrading some of its facilities. A new bookstore, advanced technology building, and solar panel parking lots are some of the recent projects. Future plans include upgrades to the engineering technology building and County Connection bus stop areas.
Grade-fixing scandal
In 2007 a six-year grade fixing scheme came to light with allegations that some of the alleged 84 students used sex or cash as payment to student employees in the admissions and records office in exchange for over 400 grade changes.[1] Many of these students have transferred to universities and in some cases may have already graduated. As of November, 2007 49 students had been charged with misdemeanors or felonies over the incident, and at least one had accepted a no contest plea.[2] A spokesperson for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges said that although the scandal was a negative factor it would likely not lead to the school's loss of accreditation.[3]
School newspaper
The Inquirer, the college's student-run newspaper, is produced on campus by the Journalism 126 class. It is printed on community presses of the Contra Costa Times. The paper has been produced with as many as 10 pages, but recently has been forced to print only four to six pages as funding has declined.[4]
The newspaper was forced to produce their paper off-site at the Times' newsroom when a bomb-threat in 2006 closed the campus and access to the newsroom was restricted.[5]
Notable alumni
In addition to the athletes named above, notable alumni of Diablo Valley include:
- Julie Strain, model and actress
- Kyle Gass, member of Tenacious D
- George Miller (politician), U.S. Congressman, Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor.[6]
- Willie McGee, former Major League Baseball player
- Katharine Ross, actress
- Natalie Coughlin, women's swimmer who has set multiple records
References
- ^ Drummond, Marshall; Perry, Patrick (2007-03-19). "Focus on Results: Accountability Reporting for the California Community Colleges". California Community Colleges System Office. http://www.cccco.edu/divisions/tris/rp/ab_1417/ARCC_Report_2007.pdf. Retrieved 2007-06-20.
- ^ Henry K. Lee (2007-11-29). "Another 15 former Diablo Valley College students charged in grade scandal". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/11/29/BAAFTL8SC.DTL. Retrieved 2007-11-29.
- ^ http://www.contracostatimes.com/ci_6148272?nclick_check=1
- ^ http://www.dvc.edu/journalism
- ^ Jones, Carolyn; Lagos, Marisa (October 24, 2006). "DVC classes canceled on bomb threats suspicious locations". San Francisco Chronicle. http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-10-24/bay-area/17314974_1_explosive-device-bomb-squad-bomb-sniffing-dogs.
- ^ Official Biography of Congressman George Miller
External links
Categories:- California Community Colleges System
- Universities and colleges in Contra Costa County, California
- Educational institutions established in 1949
- Schools accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges
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