West Valley College
Encyclopedia
West Valley College is a community college
in northern California
. Founded in 1963, the campus is located on 143 acres (57.9 ha) in the city of Saratoga
. One of the distinguishing features of the school's location is that it is located right off of the West Valley Freeway.
West Valley College is part of Silicon Valley's West Valley-Mission Community College District, which also administers Mission College in nearby Santa Clara, California
, in turn part of the California Community Colleges System
. The district serves the cities of Campbell, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Monte Sereno, Santa Clara, and San Jose. The district headquarters is on the West Valley College campus.
In 2009/2010, the school had a total enrollment of 9,502 students , and its faculty has 198 full-time and 270 associate members. , West Valley College offered 61 associate's degree
programs and 94 certificate programs.
Aside from traditional programs, West Valley College offers degrees in
Interior Design
, Architecture
, Landscape Architecture
, Fashion design
, Park Management, Heath Care Technologies, Paralegal
, Child Studies, Engineering and Drafting, and Information Technologies to include Computer Information Systems, Computer Applications, and Digital Media.
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
in northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Founded in 1963, the campus is located on 143 acres (57.9 ha) in the city of Saratoga
Saratoga, California
Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, directly west of San Jose, in the San Francisco Bay area. The population was 29,926 at the 2010 census....
. One of the distinguishing features of the school's location is that it is located right off of the West Valley Freeway.
West Valley College is part of Silicon Valley's West Valley-Mission Community College District, which also administers Mission College in nearby Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara, California
Santa Clara , founded in 1777 and incorporated in 1852, is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city is the site of the eighth of 21 California missions, Mission Santa Clara de Asís, and was named after the mission. The Mission and Mission Gardens are located on the...
, in turn part of the California Community Colleges System
California Community Colleges system
The California Community Colleges System consists of 112 community colleges in 72 community college districts in the U.S. state of California...
. The district serves the cities of Campbell, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Monte Sereno, Santa Clara, and San Jose. The district headquarters is on the West Valley College campus.
In 2009/2010, the school had a total enrollment of 9,502 students , and its faculty has 198 full-time and 270 associate members. , West Valley College offered 61 associate's degree
Associate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
programs and 94 certificate programs.
Aside from traditional programs, West Valley College offers degrees in
Interior Design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
, Architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
, Landscape Architecture
Landscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
, Fashion design
Fashion design
Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
, Park Management, Heath Care Technologies, Paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
, Child Studies, Engineering and Drafting, and Information Technologies to include Computer Information Systems, Computer Applications, and Digital Media.
Notable alumni
- Jason TarverJason TarverJason Tarver is an American football former player who is the co-defensive coordinator and inside linebacker coach for the Stanford Cardinal football team.-Early life and playing career:...
, current NFL assistant linebackerLinebackerA linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
s coach for the San Francisco 49ersSan Francisco 49ersThe San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
. - Cung LeCung LeCung Le is a Vietnamese-American Sanshou kickboxer, mixed martial artist, and actor from Saigon, Vietnam currently competing in the UFC. He is the former IKF Light Heavyweight San Shou World Champion and has a professional San Shou record of 16-0 before moving to mixed martial arts...
, StrikeforceStrikeforceStrikeforce is a U.S.-based mixed martial arts and kickboxing organization based in San Jose, California. It is headed by CEO Scott Coker and owned by Zuffa, LLC...
and ELITE XC fighter, former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion. - Doug CapillaDoug CapillaDouglas Edmund Capilla, born January 7, 1952 in Honolulu, Hawaii, was a Major League Baseball player drafted by the San Francisco Giants in 1970....
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player - Mark BinghamMark BinghamMark Kendall Bingham was an American public relations executive who founded his own company, the Bingham Group. During the September 11 attacks in 2001 he was a passenger on board United Airlines Flight 93...
and Nicole C. Miller, passengers on the United 93United Airlines Flight 93United Airlines Flight 93 was United Airlines' scheduled morning transcontinental flight across the United States from Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, to San Francisco International Airport in California. On Tuesday, September 11, 2001, the Boeing 757–222 aircraft operating the...
flight during the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. - Kit LathropKit LathropKit Douglas Lathrop is a former American football defensive lineman in the National Football League and in the United States Football League .-College career:...
, former NFL Defensive EndDefensive endDefensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
/Defensive Tackle - H. Paul ShuchH. Paul ShuchDr. H. Paul Shuch is an American scientist and engineer who has coordinated radio amateurs to help in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.-Overview:...
, SETISETIThe search for extraterrestrial intelligence is the collective name for a number of activities people undertake to search for intelligent extraterrestrial life. Some of the most well known projects are run by the SETI Institute. SETI projects use scientific methods to search for intelligent life...
scientist