Wenatchee Valley College

Wenatchee Valley College

File:Wenatchee, WA - Wells House 04.jpg Wells House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Type	Community college
Established	1939
President	Jim Richardson
Students	3,353
Location	Wenatchee , WA , United States
Campus	Rural
Colors	Black and White
Affiliations	NWAACC
Mascot	Knights
Website	http://www.wvc.edu/

Wenatchee Valley College, or WVC, is a two-year community college located in Wenatchee, Washington, United States. The college provides students with adult education classes, certifications, and 2-year Associate Degrees. WVC's primary service district is one of the largest in the state, serving an area larger than the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, at more than 10,000 square miles (30,000 km²). The school consists of three campuses: a main campus in central Wenatchee, a Downtown Learning Center in downtown Wenatchee, and an Omak campus. Because of the close proximity to area high schools, WVC maintains a sizable Running Start student population, with students attending college during the junior and senior years in high school.

History

Wenatchee Valley College originally opened as a private college in 1939, supported by donations from 51 area residents. In 1941, Wenatchee Valley College was adopted into the state public education system. Originally, classes were held on the third floor of the original Wenatchee High School situated at King and Idaho streets.

In 1949, the college moved to the home of A. Z. Wells on 5 acres (20,000 m²) of land along Fifth Street. The home was hand-built, consisting of stones from the Columbia River, and was modeled with castle style turrets. Wells House held all classrooms and offices, until additional buildings could be constructed allowing the Wells House to become a dormitory.

WVC was able to purchase land from neighboring land owners, expanding the campus to its current 56 acres (230,000 m²). Wells House still stands on the WVC Main Campus, although the building is owned by the Wells House Committee, which currently maintains the mansion.

Community College District #15 was formed in 1967, expanding WVC's service area to include Chelan, Douglas, and Okanogan counties. A satellite campus was set up in Omak in a former hospital building, until the Omak campus was built in the mid-1970s near downtown Omak.

Recent expansion

A large section of the WVC Main Campus in Wenatchee has undergone expansion. The college added parking to accommodate additional students. A new Central Washington University extension building was constructed west of Batjer Hall and north of Sexton Hall. Anderson Hall was demolished to make way for the new 82,000-square-foot (7,600 m²) Wenatchi Hall, which opened in September 2007. Wenatchi Hall provides expanded room for Allied Health and Safety programs, science and other courses.

Accreditation

Wenatchee Valley College is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Nursing Program and other Clinical programs are accredited through either the National League for Nursing or the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Sciences.

Omak Campus

The Omak campus consists of five buildings all located near downtown Omak. Two specialty programs offered at this campus both on-site and via distance learning include nursing and chemical dependency studies. There are no dormitories or residential living quarters on or designated to this campus.

Campuses

Campus	Location	City
Main	1300 Fifth Street	Wenatchee
Downtown Learning Center		Wenatchee
Omak	116 West Apple Ave.	Omak
Grady and Lillie Auvil Teaching and Demonstration Orchard	North Wenatchee/Sunnyslope	Wenatchee

See also

• Wenatchee, Washington
• Omak, Washington
• Central Washington University
• Wenatchee School District