| Foothill College | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Upgrade. Advance. |
| Established | 1957 |
| Type | Community college |
| President | Dr. Judy Miner |
| Undergraduates | 18036 |
| Location | Los Altos Hills, California, United States |
| Campus | 122 acres (49 ha) |
| Mascot | Owls |
| Affiliations | De Anza College |
| Website | www.foothill.edu |
Foothill College is a community college located in Los Altos Hills, California and is part of the Foothill-De Anza Community College District. It was founded on January 15, 1957 by Founding Superintendent and President Dr. Calvin C. Flint.
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In July 1956, Henry M. Gunn, superintendent of the Palo Alto School District, called a meeting of local school superintendents that led to the creation of Foothill College.[1] Calvin Flint, then President of Monterey Peninsula College was hired as the first District Superintendent and President; he started work on March 1, 1958.[2]
Candidates for the new college's name, besides Foothill, were Peninsula, Junipero Serra, Mid-Peninsula, Earl Warren, Herbert Hoover, North Santa Clara, Altos, Valley, Skyline, Highland, and Intercity.[3] At first the name was Foothill Junior College, but because Flint insisted that his new college would be "not junior to anyone", the Board dropped the "Junior" in September 1958.[2]
Foothill held its first classes in the old Highway School campus on El Camino Real in Mountain View on September 15, 1958.[3] It was accredited by March of the next year and was the first school in the state to ever reach full accreditation in less than six months.[3] The owl mascot originated from a concrete owl that was a decoration on the Highway School's bell tower; it was later moved to the new campus.[4]
Foothill's unique neo-Japanese architecture is well-known among architects;[5] the campus was designed by architect Ernest Kump and landscape architect Hideo Sasaki.[6]
Traditionally, Foothill serves the communities of Los Altos Hills, Los Altos, Mountain View and Palo Alto; together these communities form the northwest corner of Silicon Valley. The college sits next to Interstate 280, at the interchange with El Monte Road.
In 2003, the college began the most dramatic construction project ever attempted since its founding, to accommodate the fact that a campus designed for 3,500 is now serving 19,000. It is renovating nearly all buildings, tearing up and rebuilding its potholed parking lots, demolishing several unsafe buildings (including the campus center), and constructing several replacement buildings. Two of the new buildings feature sod roofs (part of the lower campus complex).
For detailed demographic information go to http://research.fhda.edu/factbook/factbook.htm.
Foothill College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community & Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This organization is recognized by the Council on Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. Foothill is also accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association, American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation, American Medical Association Council on Medical Education, and Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.
Foothill, following the example of the national Black History Month, has combined a series of celebratory months starting every year in January, organized completely by students and funded by the student government (ASFC). These months are filled with cultural activities, speakers and art exhibits tied with the culture of each month respectively.
More details available on: http://www.foothill.edu/news/releases/heritage.html
The community college district's headquarters are located in one corner of the Foothill campus. The district also administers De Anza College in nearby Cupertino.
Foothill is a member of the Coast Conference of the California Community College Commission on Athletics and NorCal Football Conference. The school mascot is an owl.
Foothill's student government is known as the Associated Students of Foothill College (ASFC). Student government provides its student body the opportunity to self-govern and participate with faculty, staff and administration.
The campus serves a large number of international students who are attempting to earn associate's degrees as the basis for transferring into prestigious American universities; according to a Community College Week survey in 2001, Foothill had the 12th highest population of international students out of all community colleges in the United States.[8]
The school was harshly criticized in 2002 by the Wall Street Journal for its aggressive recruitment of such students (who are a lucrative revenue source because they must pay the higher tuition required of all out-of-state students).[9] It has been noted, though, that foreign students receive no tuition or fee subsidy from any public source; they pay the full and true cost of their education; they must have proof of full financial support and medical insurance prior to arriving on campus; and they can only enroll in programs that are not impacted and have enrollment slots that would otherwise go unfilled.
On 10 December 2001, Foothill College abruptly canceled its men basketball season after completing just six games.[10] Questions arose over how housing and tuition for six foreign players were being paid by Tariq Abdul-Wahad, then with the NBA's Denver Nuggets and alumni of San Jose State University.
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