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| The college also is a participant in several innovative partnerships that have redefined the traditional role of community colleges. Academy of the Canyons, a middle-school operated by the William S. Hart Union High School District, opened on the College of the Canyons campus in 2002. The concept allows promising high school students to attend high school and college concurrrently. The college also oversees the University Center, a collection of public and private universities that offer advanced degree programs on the college’s campus, eliminating the need for residents to commute long distances to earn their degrees. Also operating at the college are the Center for Applied Competitive Technology and the Employee Training Institute, both of which have helped local businesses become more efficient and train employees in the latest emerging fields. | The college also is a participant in several innovative partnerships that have redefined the traditional role of community colleges. Academy of the Canyons, a middle-school operated by the William S. Hart Union High School District, opened on the College of the Canyons campus in 2002. The concept allows promising high school students to attend high school and college concurrrently. The college also oversees the University Center, a collection of public and private universities that offer advanced degree programs on the college’s campus, eliminating the need for residents to commute long distances to earn their degrees. Also operating at the college are the Center for Applied Competitive Technology and the Employee Training Institute, both of which have helped local businesses become more efficient and train employees in the latest emerging fields. | ||
| ==Controversy== | |||
| From 1997 to the present, College of the Canyons has participated in numerous "enrollment bloating" endeavours in order to procure additional funding from the State. Beginning with the "Summer Athletics" scandals statewide, in which COC was a prominent participant, and continuing with College Affiliation programs to the current day. The "Summer Athletics" programs involved the teaching of High School summer athletic classes in which the High School coach taught the class while the Community College administered the enrollment and collection of fees. The "College Affiliations" include partnerships with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's, Fire and Police Departments which account for thousands of phantom students. During the initial partnerships with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Sheriff's Department from 1997 to 2001, no enrollment fees were charged to either the student or the sponsoring agency. In California, tuition and enrollment fees are submitted to the State, as funding to the school is based upon enrollment, growth and other factors. The questionable accounting practices for this 1997 to 2001 time period are currently under investigation to determine where the tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars went while COC boosted it's enrollment figures. | |||
| In 2004, President-Superintendant Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook became the highest paid community college president in the State of California, earning an annual salary exceeding that of the Governor. Amidst public outcry, a salary increase was again given by the local Board of Trustees in 2005 despite accusations of impropriety in labor relations, including accusations of tampering with the organization of a part-time faculty union, false disciplinary accusations against Union officers who opposed current practices, and routine salary raises for friends and comrades who supported her. Additionally, the aforementioned complaints of suspect accounting practices regarding the college affiliations with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department played a part as well in opposition to the raises given (of taxpayer monies) to Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook. | |||
| ==External link== | ==External link== | ||
Revision as of 22:35, 22 May 2006
Template:Wikify-date College of the Canyons is a public two-year community college that operates within the Santa Clarita Community College District. The college is located on 153 acres (619,000 m²) of rolling, tree-dotted hills in the incorporated city of Santa Clarita in northern Los Angeles County, California. The college’s address is: 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, CA 91355. Its superintendent-president is Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook, who has served in this capacity since 1988.
College of the Canyons is one of the fastest-growing community colleges in the state. Its fall 2005 enrollment of 17,089 students is projected to grow to an estimated 21,000 by 2015. With 171 full-time and 423 part-time faculty members (as of fall 2005), the college offers AA and AS degrees in 58 academic programs, as well as credentials in 39 certificate programs. Programs include Audio/Radio Production, Biotechnology, Child Development, Dance, Film/Video Production, Fire Control Technology, Industrial Manufacturing, Music, Nursing, Paralegal Studies, Television Production, Theatre Arts and Video Game Animation.
Local voters approved the formation of the college in 1967. It officially opened in 1969, operating in temporary quarters on the campus of Wm. S. Hart High School in Newhall. In 1970, the college purchased a permanent campus site along the east side of Interstate 5, south of Valencia Boulevard and north of McBean Parkway. The college relocated to a collection of modular buildings on the site in 1970 as permanent facilities were being built. Over the years, educational facilities have been built to ensure that they "blend with the natural attributes of the location, creating a relaxed and comfortable physical environment."
Recent additions to the campus include a 926-seat performing arts center, built in partnership with the city of Santa Clarita, that offers academic, community and professional productions. The facility, which also holds a smaller experimental theater, opened in late 2004. A new Music/Dance Building opened adjacent to the performing arts center in 2005. As of early 2006, construction was under way on a new High-Tech Classroom Building (34,000 square feet) and a major expansion of the Laboratory Building. Also under way was site preparation for the Canyon Country Educational Center, a full-service educational facility that the college plans to open in the eastern Santa Clarita Valley in the 2006-07 academic year.
The college also is a participant in several innovative partnerships that have redefined the traditional role of community colleges. Academy of the Canyons, a middle-school operated by the William S. Hart Union High School District, opened on the College of the Canyons campus in 2002. The concept allows promising high school students to attend high school and college concurrrently. The college also oversees the University Center, a collection of public and private universities that offer advanced degree programs on the college’s campus, eliminating the need for residents to commute long distances to earn their degrees. Also operating at the college are the Center for Applied Competitive Technology and the Employee Training Institute, both of which have helped local businesses become more efficient and train employees in the latest emerging fields.
Controversy
From 1997 to the present, College of the Canyons has participated in numerous "enrollment bloating" endeavours in order to procure additional funding from the State. Beginning with the "Summer Athletics" scandals statewide, in which COC was a prominent participant, and continuing with College Affiliation programs to the current day. The "Summer Athletics" programs involved the teaching of High School summer athletic classes in which the High School coach taught the class while the Community College administered the enrollment and collection of fees. The "College Affiliations" include partnerships with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's, Fire and Police Departments which account for thousands of phantom students. During the initial partnerships with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Sheriff's Department from 1997 to 2001, no enrollment fees were charged to either the student or the sponsoring agency. In California, tuition and enrollment fees are submitted to the State, as funding to the school is based upon enrollment, growth and other factors. The questionable accounting practices for this 1997 to 2001 time period are currently under investigation to determine where the tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars went while COC boosted it's enrollment figures.
In 2004, President-Superintendant Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook became the highest paid community college president in the State of California, earning an annual salary exceeding that of the Governor. Amidst public outcry, a salary increase was again given by the local Board of Trustees in 2005 despite accusations of impropriety in labor relations, including accusations of tampering with the organization of a part-time faculty union, false disciplinary accusations against Union officers who opposed current practices, and routine salary raises for friends and comrades who supported her. Additionally, the aforementioned complaints of suspect accounting practices regarding the college affiliations with the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department played a part as well in opposition to the raises given (of taxpayer monies) to Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook.
External link
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