Los Angeles Pierce College

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This article is about a community college in Los Angeles. For other uses, see Pierce College.

**Los Angeles Pierce College**

Motto	The Smart Choice
Established	1947
Type	Public community college
President	Robert Garber
Students	18,500
Location	Woodland Hills, CA, USA
Address	6201 Winnetka Avenue
Telephone	818-719-6401
Campus	Urban - 426 acres (1.72 km²)
Colors	Scarlet and White
Nickname	The Brahmas
Mascot	Brahma Bull: "Clarence the Bull"
Affiliations	LACCD; WSC
Website	www.piercecollege.edu

The farm at Los Angeles Pierce College

Los Angeles Pierce College, also known as Pierce College or Pierce, is a two-year community college that serves over 18,500 students in Woodland Hills, a community within the San Fernando Valley district of the City of Los Angeles.

The college began with 70 students and 18 faculty members on September 15, 1947. Originally known as the Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture, the institution’s initial focus was crop cultivation and animal husbandry. Nine years later, in 1956, the school was renamed to Los Angeles Pierce College, retaining the name of its founder, Dr. Pierce, as well as his commitment to agricultural and veterinary study. (Pierce still maintains a 200-acre working farm for hands-on training.)

1 Campus overview
2 Athletics
3 Notable alumni and staff
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Campus overview

Pierce now offers courses on over 100 subjects in 71 academic disciplines, and has transfer alliances with most of the universities in the state. The college boasts enviable transfer rates to UC and CSU schools. Honors students have a 100% admission rate to UCLA, and graduate with higher grade point averages than students from other community colleges in Southern California. (This was determined by the UCLA Office of Academic Planning after a ten-year study.) Pierce students also represent the largest number of transfers to CSUN.

In lieu of transfer, students can pursue any of the 43 Associate’s degrees or 78 Certificates of Achievement the school offers directly.

Pierce College comprises 426 acres (1.72 km²) amidst a dense metropolis, an area that out-sizes many campuses, including that of UCLA. The grounds are landscaped with more than 2,200 trees, thousands of roses and a 1.9 acre botanical garden.

With the approval of county propositions A and AA, the school is in the process of large-scale renovation. Plans include a new building for the Agriculture, Science and Nursing Departments, a new building for the Horticulture department, a new Technology Center, a new building for Admissions, Counseling, Financial Aid and Student Services, increased parking space and a connector to the express bus way. The restoration of the Life Science and Natural Resources Management Outdoor Laboratory is also planned, as well as renovations for the Animal Science, Behavioral Science, Social Science, Mathematics, Business Education, English, Fine Arts, Music and Theater departments. The Performing Arts Building, Library and faculty offices will also be remodeled.

Pierce College prides itself as an environmentally-forward institution, with a 191-kilowatt solar generation system that has 1,274 photovoltaic panels and a 360-kilowatt, natural gas co-generation system. This project is the largest of it kind to be undertaken by a U.S. community college, yielding around 4.4 million kilowatt-hours of electricity a year and reducing Carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,500 tons over its operating lifetime. The college also has a water retention pond beneath its soccer field, collecting run-off from the adjacent parking lot. Under propositions A and AA, a new water reclamation facility is also being planned, and the new facilities for Agriculture, Science and Nursing will meet rigorous Silver-level guidelines set by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The campus is home to "Old Trapper's Lodge," an outsider art environment that pays homage to the pioneer upbringing of its creator, John Ehn.

Shephard Stadium also hosts Nuts for Mutts, an annual dog show and pet fair that raises funds for the New Leash on Life Animal Rescue. The event is regularly hosted by Actress Kim Bassinger.

Pierce College is part of the Los Angeles Community College District, and is accredited through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. It is located on Victory Boulevard, between Winnetka Avenue and Canoga Avenue. The campus is accessible from the Pierce College station of the LACMTA Orange Line.

[edit] Athletics

Pierce College athletic teams compete in the Western State Conference. Its teams are called the The Brahmas, and its mascot is a Brahma Bull named Clarence the Bull. An example of a top team in its athletic program is the baseball team, coached by Bob Lofrano. The team has sent players such as Barry Zito to the majors.

[edit] Notable alumni and staff

Doug DeCinces, baseball player, student
Denny Crum, basketball coach, student
Melanie Griffith, actress, student
Mark Harmon, football player and actor, student
Erik Kramer, football player, student
Ellen Albertini Dow, actress (The Wedding Singer) aided her husband, Eugene Francis Dow, in founding the Theater Department.
Barry Zito, baseball player, student