‘Strive for excellence’: Central Oregon Community College celebrating 75 years
Kelsey Merison
(Update: Adding video)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — It’s a big year for Central Oregon Community College—the school is celebrating its 75th anniversary!
On Friday from 4-7 p.m., an anniversary party will take place.
COCC is the oldest two-year college in the entire state of Oregon.
COCC Applied Science Building
To celebrate, KTVZ News is taking a look back at the college’s history and how its partnerships with the community have contributed to its success.
“I think that a lot of people feel pressured to go to a prestigious four-year university. And I think it makes so much more sense to go to a community college to start out,” said Suzanne Painter, a former student.
“I was pretty young at the time and I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life. So it gave me the opportunity at a pretty decent price to explore a lot of different classes. I took all kinds of classes, from language classes, literature, science – anything I felt like I could explore, because the tuition wasn’t high and at the time, books weren’t that expensive.”
Painter attended COCC in 1967 and 1968.
Suzanne Painter with classmates in the 1960s, COCC
“I loved the people, the instructors, they were so student-oriented and were available to you. Their instruction was good,” Painter recalled. “As good as I got at a four-year college.”
Her advisor, Jim Crowell, was the first former student who came back as a member of the faculty.
Jim Crowell
“In 1955, the college was a night school. Even in those very early years, they had some professors who were equal, and in most cases better than many of the professors that I had for the rest of my academic career,” Crowell said. “It was so great coming back to the campus as an instructor and a member of the faculty and administration. That was pretty heavy stuff for a little guy from Bend, Oregon.”
He shared fond memories of his time as both a student-athlete in the 1950s and his return as a staff member in the ’60s.
“When we were students and then faculty, we were privileged in many, many ways,” Crowell said. “I will always be eternally grateful because I did not have any athletic ride offers coming out of high school. But we played the JV team for Portland State, Willamette, Southern Oregon, etc. And we did pretty well. And so I was able to get a ride to what was then Boise Junior College, which is now Boise State.”
Former COCC President Bob Barber (1990-2004) says the success of the school largely comes from its partnerships with the community.
Bob Barber
“(It) took a lot of cooperation between the various communities because it required politics. Their representatives, politicians, etc., to take advantage of that… It really took all of our communities,” Barber said.
“The college has always been very student-focused. A college has to remain student-focused. The primary people that we are serving directly day to day are the students. And so almost all the decisions that are made by the college, whether it’s a program or service or whatever, has to be done in the context of, ‘How does this benefit the students? How can we improve this so students more benefit from our programs?'”
Now, 75 years after COCC was established, Redmond, Madras, and Prineville campuses have opened.
“The college has always taken a leadership role in the state, in terms of moving forward. We’re not the biggest community college by any stretch, but we cover a lot of territory,” Barber said. “Our graduates have always been very successful, because from the very beginning, under Dr. Boyle’s leadership, he required our faculty members to be well-credentialed at whatever level was appropriate that they were teaching at. And that was extremely important.”
Students in a COCC classroom, 1962
With thousands earning an education thanks to the school, while creating lasting relationships and memories.
“People in Central Oregon knew that Central Oregon was going to grow. They knew it was going to get better. And they wanted to plan for the future,” Barber said. “The college does strive for excellence in teaching. It’s just part of who they are, and the fact that it’s very strong and it’s really important. So it’s important for the reputation for our students to leave here and be prepared to attend other schools.”
1966, first library
Painter said, “I had Bob Powell, who taught science. And then later, when I was teaching in Redmond, he came and talked to my third-graders about astronomy. So that was very sweet.”
“I took a Computer Science class. It was like in 1968, maybe Introduction to Computers. And (David Habura) gave us these little punch cards and had this little exercise, and I thought, ‘I get it, but computers are not my thing.’ And then I wind up, of course, being a full-on computer nerd.”
Crowell said, “I set the school record in ‘55. And I think about 10 years later, a kid from Bend smashed it all to heck,” he added with a laugh. “I’ve been able to keep really good, close track of what’s going on and the people there. And I still shoot in the gymnasium three or four mornings a week.”
These three can all agree: Much has changed with the physical appearance of the school, but not its commitment to its students’ success.
To learn more about COCC or its 75th anniversary party, click here.