History of the District and Mission College

History of the District and Mission College 

In July 1962, the first public meeting was convened to address the formation of the West Valley Community College District.  In October 1962, the District’s formation was approved by the California State Board of Education.  In January 1963, the District was established by voters residing in the Campbell, Los Gatos-Saratoga, and Santa Clara High School Districts. 

West Valley Junior College became operational in September 1964 at the site of the former Campbell Grammar School in Campbell.  During the 1964-65 academic years, the college accommodated 3,203 students at this 12-1/2-acre campus.   The staff consisted of 10 administrators and 53 instructors with 100 courses being offered that first year. 

In 1964, the present West Valley College 143-acre site at Fruitvale-Allendale was purchased. Funding was obtained through the State Junior College Construction Act.  The campus was developed between 1964 and 1974, with the completion of the first building in 1968.  The first classes began in Fall 1968. 

In 1966-67, land was purchased in Santa Clara for the construction of a new college.  These 12 acres were located north of the Bayshore Freeway (Highway 101).  In 1970, the total 164- acre parcel was acquired.  Mission College began its educational operations at Jefferson Intermediate School in Santa Clara in 1975. The first phase of construction was completed, and Mission College moved to its new facility in September 1979.  This singular three-story 63 building was designed to reflect a learning philosophy that relied heavily on study labs. Other programs and services were housed temporarily in this building with the intent to move into four attached wings. The Passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 interrupted completion of the remainder of the college.  To accommodate the increase in student enrollment, portable classrooms were added to the grounds. 

The Hospitality Management program moved to Mission College from West Valley College in 1987 after construction of their new building was completed. The Hospitality Management Building is a 14,500 square foot facility with two self-contained kitchens containing top quality equipment. 

Mission's Gymnasium was opened in May 12, 1994. It has a multi-use floor plan with striping for professional and league basketball as well as badminton and volleyball. It is equipped with a state-of-the-art sound system, electronically retractable bleachers and a center-court divider for split games. 

The College's Campus Center grand opening was held on October 29, 1999. The new facility houses the campus bookstore, a multi-use cafeteria, video lounge, and an arcade room on its first floor. Its upper level houses offices for the Associated Student Body and clubs, the Director of Student Activities, the Vice President of Student Services, a conference center with multiple meeting rooms and a 156-station computer lab with 4 group study/activity rooms. 

The Library-Telecommunications Building opened its doors in April 2001.  The library facility includes 60 computer research stations as well as reference stacks, multi-media instructional materials, a 50,124-book collection, and over 160 periodicals. Also housed in the building are five group study rooms, a copy center, a training classroom and offices for all library staff and acquisitions. The telecommunications facility has two television studios used for large meetings, video shoots and teleconferences. The college's office of audio-visual equipment and repair, the web master and instructional designer are all within the building as well. 

Ground was broken for the Child Development Center on May 3, 2001 and it opened for service in August 2002. Within the 9,000 square foot center are meeting rooms, offices, observation rooms, play rooms, a laundry room, and kitchen. Surrounding the building are outdoor play areas with lawns, play equipment, and seating. 

Physical Education Phase II, adjacent to the gymnasium, opened in October 2003.  This new building houses new shower and locker rooms, meeting rooms, equipment storage rooms, team rooms, laundry facilities and offices for athletics staff. 

Mission's Silver Anniversary Celebration was held on Saturday, May 18, 2002 at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara. A special commemorative composition, "Celebration in Silver" was composed by Professor Keith Johnson. 

President Christopher O'Hearn commissioned a new flag to be flown in honor of the college's next 25 years which was unveiled and raised in a ceremony with Vice Mayor Jamie Mathews on Friday, May 24, 2002 the day proclaimed "Mission College Day" by the City of Santa Clara. In August 2004, construction on Mission College's Science & Technology building was completed housing classrooms for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy & Physiology, and Botany, as well as meeting rooms and offices for the programs. 

Mission College began its 1979-80 academic year with 3,500 students, 8 administrators, and 73 instructors.  Annually, the college has over 14,000 students served by over 100 staff members, 425 full and part-time instructors, and 19 managers.   Mission College is a comprehensive educational institution that serves a diverse constituency in Santa Clara County and northern Santa Cruz County by providing university transfer preparation, workforce training, basic skills course work, vocational/ career preparation, and counseling and guidance.  The College grants Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS) and Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) degrees and Certificates of Completion in a wide variety of subject areas.    Mission College is an accredited member of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and is regularly reviewed by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.  Mission College received reaffirmation of its accreditation in 2016.

Statement of Purpose 

Statement of Purpose
 

Mission College is an institution of higher learning that is open to all.   The purpose of the College is to: 

• Identify and anticipate students’ needs
• Provide opportunities for lifelong learning in a supportive environment
• Be responsive to the unique cultural and demographic diversity of a changing community
• Serve those seeking vocational skills, associate and baccalaureate degrees, or a vocational education, and those with special needs 

Mission College supports the mission of the West Valley-Mission Community College District: 

The West Valley-Mission Community College District is committed to achieving student success through innovative and effective lifelong education and career opportunities, which include associate degrees, certificates, transfer, occupational programs, workforce development, pre-collegiate, global, and community education programs. The District strives to maintain and support institutional integrity, mutual respect, diversity, tolerance, rigorous evaluation, an exceptional workforce of faculty and staff, and partnerships between students, faculty, staff, administrators, the Board of Trustees, and the community. The District promotes an environment conducive to open dialogue and the free exchange of ideas leading to the achievement of successful student learning outcomes. 

College Goals

College Goals

 
A. Strategic Focus: Community Life, Outreach, and Marketing

Goal #1: Increase the community understands of the college, its value to the community, and its ability to meet the educational goals of students. 

Goal #2: Create a sense of community and collaboration at all levels across the college. 

Goal #3: Advance Mission College’s visibility and service to the community. 

B. Strategic Focus: Curriculum and Program Improvement

Goal #1: Ensure that the college’s curriculum responds to the 21st century needs of our students and the community.

Goal #2: Increase the number of opportunities for students to transfer to a four-year institution. 

Goal #3: Increase the number of students who earn awards and transfer within Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. 

 C. Strategic Focus: Economic Development and Sustainability

Goal #1: Provide market-responsive education, training, and services that are developed in conjunction with business, industry and community partners to address local workforce, economic and community needs. 

Goal #2: Establish Mission College as a community leader and partner for workforce and economic development in the region. 

Goal #3: Develop and implement a systematic and coordinated process for soliciting, evaluating and responding to workforce and economic development opportunities.  Goal #4: Create a scheduling model which includes criteria for resource allocation model implications to ensure that college fiscal solvency equals enrollment solvency.  

D. Strategic Focus: K-12 and Higher Education Articulation and Partnerships

Goal #1: Strengthen collaborative partnerships with the local K-12 institutions to align programs and facilitate student matriculation to Mission College.

Goal #2: Establish collaborative partnerships with local universities to align programs and provide students with a seamless transfer experience. 

Goal #3: Expand and enhance collaborative partnerships with international communities to increase the global diversity of the college. 

E. Strategic Focus: Leadership and Professional Development

Goal #1: Provide opportunities for all employees to receive professional development and skill building.

Goal #2: Promote leadership growth and participation in community and college activities from all college constituencies. 

F. Strategic Focus: Student Learning, Completion, and Institutional Accountability

Goal #1: Facilitate student persistence, retention, and goal completion through effective student support and instructional strategies.

Goal #2: Implement ongoing institutional assessment and evaluation that supports student learning and completion.

G. Strategic Focus: Technology

Goal #1: Optimize technology to provide effective support for programs, services, and processes, with a focus on sustainability.

Goal #2: Identify and foster partnerships with technology organizations to keep the college at the forefront of technological advances. 

Local Vision Goals 

Local Vision Goals

Goal 1:  Completion
Goal 1A:  Increase all students who earned an Associate Degree (including ADTs)
Goal 1B:  Increase all students who earned a Chancellor’s office approved certificate
Goal 1C:  Increase all students who attained the vision goal completion definition 

Goal 2:  Transfer
Goal 2A:  Increase all students who earned an Associate Degree for Transfer
Goal 2B:  Increase all students who transferred to a CSU or UC institution 

Goal 3:  Unit Accumulation
Goal 3A:  Decrease average number of units accumulated by all associate degree earners 

Goal 4:  Workforce
Goal 4A:  Increase median annual earnings of all students
Goal 4B:  Increase all students who attain the living wage
Goal 4C:  Increase all students with a job closely related to their field of study 

Goal 5:  Equity
Goal 5.1A:  Increase all students who earned an Associate Degree (including ADTs)
Goal 5.1B:  Increase all students who earned a Chancellor’s office approved certificate
Goal 5.1C:  Increase all students who attained the vision goal completion definition
Goal 5.2A:  Increase all students who earned an Associate Degree for Transfer
Goal 5.2B:  Increase all students who transferred to a CSU or UC institution
Goal 5.3A:  Decrease average number of units accumulated by all associate degree earners
Goal 5.4A:  Increase median annual earnings of all students

State/District/College Relationships

State/District/College Relationships

State of California 

The California public community colleges are administered by a Board of Governors consisting of fourteen members,  appointed  by the Governor and  approved  by the State Senate.  The Community College System is coordinated by a State Chancellor located in Sacramento.  The Chancellor executes the duties and responsibilities delegated to him by the Board of Governors. 

The California Community College Board of Governors through the State Chancellor’s office implements applicable legislation, appropriates monies to local colleges, approves all course and program offerings, and ensures compliance to the laws of the State of California. Quality education for the citizens of the State of California is offered through the local community colleges.  Local community colleges are divided into districts governed by local governing boards.  West Valley College and Mission College constitute the West Valley- Mission Community College District.