Cuesta College
| Cuesta College | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1963 |
| Type | Public Community College |
| President | Gil Stork |
| Academic staff |
165 full-time 414 part-time |
| Admin. staff | 245 |
| Students | 11,019 [2012][1] |
| Location | San Luis Obispo, CA, USA |
| Campus | Suburban - 150 acres (61 ha) |
| Colors | Green and white |
| Nickname | Cougars |
| Website | www.cuesta.edu |
Cuesta College is a public community college located in San Luis Obispo County near the Central Coast of California.
History
The first community college in the San Luis Obispo area was founded in 1916 as a division of San Luis Obispo High School, it lasted until 1919 with the United States involved in World War I. Cal Poly had a junior college division from 1927 to 1932. Miramonte College of Atascadero filled the void as a private institution from 1933 to 1936. The county's second public junior college was formed in 1936 as a part of San Luis Obispo High School District, but ceased operation in June 1959. On April 16, 1963, voters in SLO County agreed to form a community college district, forming the San Luis Obispo County Junior College District. In 1964, a limited evening division began at Camp San Luis Obispo, a California National Guard facility located between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. On October 4, 1965, the college was officially named Cuesta College. In 1970, Cuesta broke ground on its current campus west of Camp San Luis Obispo.
Campus
Located on State Route 1, the Cuesta campus is six miles (9.7 km) from the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and six miles (9.7 km) from San Luis Obispo (SLO). Cuesta College also has a satellite campus, known as 'North County Campus', located in Paso Robles, which is twenty-nine miles (47 km) to the northeast of the main campus near San Luis Obispo. Limited course offerings are also available at two other sites within the county operated by Cuesta College, one located at Arroyo Grande High School in Arroyo Grande, and the other located at Nipomo High School in Nipomo.
Organization and administration
Cuesta is a part of the San Luis Obispo County Community College District (part of the California Community Colleges system) and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The district is governed by an elected five-member Board of Trustees.
Academic profile
The college offers 76 Associate's degree programs and 96 certificate programs. A number of Cuesta students transfer to the public California State University and University of California systems, including the nearby Cal Poly SLO campus, as well as private colleges and universities.
In 2012, Cuesta College's regional accreditor Western Association of Schools and Colleges placed the college on "show cause" status, warning the college that its accreditation might not be renewed. A year later, the college's accreditation was renewed and its status upgraded to "on warning." The Tribune, the local newspaper of San Luis Obispo, described this as the result of a "years-long struggle to fix several deficiencies identified by the commission [that] came at a cost: lower enrollment, difficulty recruiting applicants and damaged morale."[2]
Student life
Sport
In athletics, Cuesta fields 7 sports for men, and 9 for women. The school's athletic mascot is the Cougar, and the school colors are green and white.
Noted people
- Jay Asher, children's author
- Sam Blakeslee, California State Senator
- Kristof Ongenaet, forward who played for Syracuse University
- Gabrielle Union, actress
- Jake Shields, All-American wrestler and professional mixed martial artist
References
- ↑ http://datamart.cccco.edu/Students/Enrollment_Status.aspx
- ↑ Tonya Strickland (February 14, 2013). "Cuesta College retains accreditation, officials announce". The Tribune. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
External links
Coordinates: 35°19′47.89″N 120°44′32.47″W / 35.3299694°N 120.7423528°W