Westmoreland County Community College | |
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Motto | You can afford success with WCCC |
Established | 1970 |
Type | Community college |
President | Dr. Daniel Obara |
Academic staff | 410 |
Students | 7,202 |
Location | Youngwood, Pennsylvania, USA |
Colors | Green and White |
Nickname | Wolfpack |
Mascot | Westly Wolf |
Website | wccc.edu |
Westmoreland County Community College, commonly referred to as WCCC or 3C's, was founded in 1970 and is located in Youngwood, Pennsylvania, USA. In 2009, a new enrollment record was set, with WCCC registering its 7,000th student.[1]
WCCC was founded in 1970, during an era of community college proliferation within the state. Its location on the suburban fringe was designed to attract students from both the Westmoreland County suburbs of Pittsburgh and the Monongahela Valley, then a still booming industrial center. WCCC has also extended its outreach to provide services to students from Fayette, Somerset, Greene, Indiana and Armstrong Counties.
The college has four main buildings: Founders Hall, Commissioners Hall, Business and Industry Center, and Science Hall. Currently, 54 associate degrees, as well as 48 certificate programs are available on-site. An education center was established in New Kensington in 2008 to complement a long active facility in Rostraver Township.
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Westmoreland County Community College, founded in 1970, first offered evening classes at Jeanette High School in 1971. By the fall of 1972, WCCC took up a permanent residence in a former Westinghouse plant in Youngwood, PA establishing a permanent facility and expanding into day classes.
In the four decades since, WCCC's original campus has expanded to four buildings and the college has opened additional centers in other areas: the Bushy Run Education Center in Export, Fayette County Education Center in Uniontown, Greene County Education Center in Waynesburg, Indiana County Community College Center in Indiana, Laurel Education Center in Latrobe, Mon Valley Education Center in Belle Vernon, New Kensington Education Center in New Kensington, and Public Safety Training Center in Smithton.
Throughout all the growth, WCCC maintains the lowest tuition among all Pennsylvania colleges.
WCCC currently offers 64 associate degree programs, 13 diploma options and 49 certificate programs to prepare students for careers or transfer to baccalaureate degree programs at a four-year institution. The college also offers Continuing Education courses for adults, displaced workers, non-traditional students and even college for kids.
Starting with a single building, now known as Founders Hall, Westmoreland County Community College now comprises four buildings on its main campus in Youngwood, PA.
WCCC's original building, it now houses academic and administrative office, classrooms, laboratories, the library, 300-seat amphitheater and a tutoring and learning center. It also contains the bookstore, student center, cafeteria and a licensed day care center. A gymnasium, indoor running track, and a combination aerobic/fitness center provide fitness options for students and faculty.
Commissioners Hall houses additional academic and administrative offices, classrooms, laboratories, a culinary arts complex and a dining facility.
Science hall consists of classrooms and laboratories for the physical science and horticulture departments, a dental hygiene clinic, a greenhouse, and an art gallery. The facility also contains a 420-seat theater.
The Business and Industry Center contains administrative offices for Continuing Education and workforce development along with classrooms and labs for engineering science and industrial technology programs such as robotics and welding. It also holds offices for PA CareerLink-Westmoreland and the Workforce Investment Board.
Constructed in 1992, the baseball field, which meets major league specifications, softball field and multipurpose field are used for intercollegiate competitions, intramural sporting activities and noncredit programming.
WCCC maintains education centers that serve all of Westmoreland, Fayette, Greene and Indiana counties. Each center offers day and evening classes as well as online courses. Student services such as counseling, advising and financial aid are available at scheduled times.
Located near Murrysville, the Bushy Run Center houses traditional classrooms, a distance learning classroom, computer and science laboratories, workforce development training and a student lounge.
Established in a former Kennametal facility in Latrobe this center contains traditional classrooms, distance learning classroom, computer classrooms/labs, electronic classrooms, a natural science classroom/lab and student lounge areas.
Situated in Belle Vernon, the Mon Valley Center is home to traditional classrooms, a distance learning classroom, a computer laboratories, and a student lounge.
Founded in 2009, this center is located in downtown New Kensington. It contains traditional classrooms, a distance learning classroom, computer classrooms/labs, a science lab and a student lounge.
The New Kensington Education Center is also home to PA CareerLink - Alle-Kiski, which provides services to the unemployed.
Completed in 2003, this training center is located in South Huntington Township. Designed for firefighter, police and emergency services personnel, it features a class A live burn building, outdoor firing range, rubble pile and a classroom/administration building.
Housed in the Fayette County Community Action Agency Inc. Campus in Uniontown, this center features traditional classrooms, a computer classroom, a videoconferencing classroom and administrative offices.
Accessible just off I-79, the center resides in EverGreene Technology Park in Waynesburg. It features two computer labs, a nursing lab, six classrooms and a student lounge.
Located in Indiania near the Jimmy Stewart Airport, the center contains a computer lab, nursing lab, six classrooms, an office and a student lounge.
WCCC's academic programs lead to an associate's degree, a certificate, a diploma and/or transfer to a four-year institution.
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