College of the Sequoias (COS) is a public two-year community college in Visalia, California. The college is named for the Giant Sequoia trees native to the nearby Sierra Nevada mountain range.
 | |
| Motto | The first step to success |
|---|---|
| Type | Public Junior College |
| Established | 1926 |
| President | Brent Calvin |
| Location | , , 36°19′26″N 119°18′55″W / 36.3238°N 119.3152°W |
| Colors | Orange and Blue |
| Mascot | Giants |
| Website | www |
History
editCollege of the Sequoias was originally established in 1926 as Visalia Junior College as a department in the city high school. Its mission at that time was to provide inexpensive, lower-division college education to local high school graduates who intended to transfer to a traditional four-year college.[1] Visalia Junior College was later expanded and a campus was built in 1938. The campus was built on what is still the college grounds. In 1949, it expanded further and formed the College of the Sequoias Community College District.
Campus and centers
editCollege of the Sequoias' main campus is in Visalia, but it also has full-service centers in Hanford and Tulare.
Each location offers the full-range of general education offerings and students services, but each also features a flagship program. The Visalia main campus is the home of Nursing and Allied Health, the Hanford Center (opened in 2010) is the home of the Public Safety Academy, and the Tulare College Center (opened in 2012) is the home of Agriculture.
COS offers classes at many other locations. These include: Corcoran, Dinuba, Exeter, Farmersville, Hanford, Ivanhoe, Lemoore, Lindsay, Orosi, Porterville, Strathmore, Three Rivers, Tulare, and Woodlake.
Academics
editThe current enrollment of COS is 11,141 students,[2] and the college offers a variety of transfer, vocational, and community-based classes, including the fire/police academies for Tulare and Kings counties. College of the Sequoias is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC).[3]
Student life
editAthletics
editThe college athletics teams are nicknamed the Giants, and COS sponsors 14 teams which participate in the Central Valley Conference.[4]
Notable alumni
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (April 2013) |
- Wilson Alvarez – American football player
- Creed Bratton – American musician The Grass Roots and actor The Office
- Bonnie Bryant – First golfer to win on the LPGA Tour playing left-handed
- Linda Gist Calvin – 41st President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution
- Joseph James DeAngelo – convicted as the Golden State Killer and the Visalia Ransacker in 2020, was a police officer in Exeter from 1973 to 1976, around the same time as when the Ransacker crimes occurred in neighboring Visalia[5]
- Crystal Galindo – Xicana artist
- Quincy Hall - World Champion Professional sprinter and 2024 Olympic gold medalist in the 400 meters
- DeeAndre Hulett – American basketball player
- Dannie Lockett – American football player
- Devin Nunes – U.S. Representative for California's 22nd congressional district
- Steve Perry – American singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Journey
- J. G. Quintel – Animator who created Regular Show for Cartoon Network and Close Enough for TBS
- Sheldon Richardson – American football defensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL)
- Windham Rotunda – American professional wrestler who used the ring name Bray Wyatt
- David Valadao – U.S. Representative for California's 21st congressional district
References
edit- ^ "About C.O.S." Archived from the original on 2007-07-30. Retrieved 2007-08-05.
- ^ "California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office". Data Mart.
- ^ "Accreditation". College of the Sequoias Accreditation. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
"Seven Years ACCJC Reaffirmation!" (PDF). College of the Sequoias Accreditation. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
Western Association of Schools and Colleges (February 7, 2014). "WASC letter to COS president" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014. - ^ "College of the Sequoias". College of the Sequoias. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
- ^ New York Times, April 25, 2018