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Cuesta College

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Cuesta College is a public community college in San Luis Obispo County, California.

Cuesta College
TypePublic community college
Established1963; 61 years ago (1963)
Endowment$35.5 million (2020)[1]
PresidentJill Stearns
Academic staff
165 full-time
414 part-time
Administrative staff
245
Students11,019[2]
Location
San Luis Obispo, California
,
United States

35°19′47.89″N 120°44′32.47″W / 35.3299694°N 120.7423528°W / 35.3299694; -120.7423528
CampusSuburban, 150 acres (61 ha)
Colors   Green and white
NicknameCougars
Sporting affiliations
CCCAA – WSC,
SCWA (wrestling)
Websitewww.cuesta.edu

History

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The first community college in the San Luis Obispo area was founded in 1916 as a San Luis Obispo High School division. It lasted until 1919 with the United States involved in World War I. Cal Poly had a junior college division from 1927 to 1932. Miramonte College of Atascadero filled the void as a private institution from 1933 to 1936. The county's second public junior college was formed in 1936 as a part of San Luis Obispo High School District but ceased operation in June 1959.

 
Cuesta College's on-campus Cougar Park is pictured in November 2022.

On April 16, 1963, voters in SLO County agreed to form a community college district, forming the San Luis Obispo County Junior College District.[3]

In 1964, a limited evening division began at Camp San Luis Obispo, a California National Guard facility located between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay.

On October 4, 1965, the college was officially named Cuesta College.[4]

Five years later, following the approval of a $5 million bond,[5] Cuesta broke ground on its current main campus west of Camp San Luis Obispo to establish a 127-acre site including frontage property deeded to the college by the National Guard.[6]

Campus

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Cuesta College's Associated Students Auditorium, shown in 2022, hosts a variety of speaking engagements, musical performances and other events at the center of campus.

Located on State Route 1, the main Cuesta campus is six miles (9.7 km) from the beaches of the Pacific Ocean and six miles (9.7 km) from San Luis Obispo. Cuesta College also has a satellite campus, 'North County Campus', in Paso Robles, which is twenty-nine miles (47 km) to the northeast of the main campus near San Luis Obispo. Limited course offerings are also available at two other sites within the county operated by Cuesta College, one at Arroyo Grande High School in Arroyo Grande and the other at Nipomo High School in Nipomo. The original campus features a science forum including an observatory for astronomy courses, now named Bowen Celestial Observatory.[7] With a 14-inch telescope including a special narrow wavelength-band filter, the observatory has been used since the 1970s, occasionally open to the public for viewing of events such as visible comets[8] and solar eclipses.[9]

 
A decorative rose garden grows beside the Humanities Forum Complex at Cuesta College, pictured in 2022.

The North County Campus opened in August 1998, with the very first structures donated by Vandenberg Air Force Base.[10]

Cuesta's San Luis Obispo campus features a radio station, KGUR, which has broadcast locally on FM 105.3.[11]

Since April 2009, Cuesta's main campus has hosted acclaimed authors to speak at its annual Book of the Year event series, including Julie Otsuka for the debut visit,[12] Sonia Nazario in 2010,[13] Novella Carpenter in 2011,[14] Vanessa Diffenbaugh in 2013,[15] Kevin Powers in 2015,[16] Hector Tobar in 2016,[17] Rebecca Skloot in 2017,[18] Ron Suskind in 2018,[19] Ana Castillo in 2019,[20] Tommy Orange in 2022,[21] Sabaa Tahir in 2023, and Myriam Gurba in 2024.

 
The Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center, featuring two theaters at Cuesta College's San Luis Obispo campus, is shown in October 2022.

Cuesta's Paso Robles campus opened a new student center featuring a cafeteria, student lounge, and Pearson VUE-administered CBEST and CSET testing stations, in June 2018.[22]

Also in 2018, the college's San Luis Obispo campus received a $1.5 million gift from the Harold J. Miossi Charitable Trust; the donation toward Cuesta's Cultural and Performing Arts Center was the second-largest in the institution's then-55-year history.[23] The center, featuring a 450-seat main theater as well as a 100-seat experimental theater, plus teaching facilities, was thereafter renamed as the Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center.

In 2019, the college's aquatics center, including a 50-meter competition pool along with a 25-yard training pool,[24] was expanded following Measure L funding.[25] The complex hosted the silver medal-winning U.S. men's national water polo team and the gold medalist synchronized swimming duo of Tracie Ruiz and Candy Costie during training sessions for the 1984 Summer Olympics.[26][27]

Organization and administration

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Cuesta College is the only college in the San Luis Obispo County Community College District (or SLOCCCD, part of the California Community College system) and is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. The district is governed by an elected five-member board of trustees.

Jill Stearns, the current president, began her presidency in July 2018 after Gilbert H. Stork retired. The gymnasium was renamed Gilbert H. Stork Gymnasium in his honor in August 2018.

Academics

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Since the mid-1970s, Cuesta College's Bowen Celestial Observatory has observed events such as passing comets and solar eclipses.

The college offers 76 Associate's degree programs and 96 certificate programs. A number of Cuesta students transfer to the public California State University and University of California systems, including the nearby Cal Poly SLO campus, as well as private colleges and universities.

In 2012, Cuesta College's regional accreditor Western Association of Schools and Colleges placed the college on "show cause" status, warning the college that its accreditation might not be renewed. A year later, the college's accreditation was renewed and its status upgraded to "on warning." The Tribune, the local newspaper of San Luis Obispo, described this as the result of a "years-long struggle to fix several deficiencies identified by the commission [that] came at a cost: lower enrollment, difficulty recruiting applicants and damaged morale."[28] In February 2014, Cuesta's "on warning" status was removed and the accreditor certified that the college meets all of its standards.[29]

The Cuesta welding team won first place in the theme category at the 2016 Welders Without Borders competition, and won gold in the welding fabrication competition at the SkillsUSA conference the same year.[30][31] Meanwhile, following three years of expansion to the college's agriculture department, Cuesta hosted its first plant sale in April 2018.[32] Ahead of the fall 2018 semester, the college added new courses in viticulture and geographic information systems.[33]

 
Foliage near Cuesta College's Building 6300 stairwell is shown in 2022.

In the spring semester of 2023, Cuesta launched a reportedly first-of-its-kind aviation maintenance technician program, with 25 students in the first cohort.[34] The 18-month vocational program, which started in part from a $500,000 contribution via ACI Jet,[35] is designed to prepare students to test for FAA mechanical licensing.

In November 2023, Cuesta was selected by the Aspen Institute as one of the top 150 community colleges in the nation (based upon criteria including teaching and learning, certificate and degree completion, transfer and bachelor's attainment, workforce success, equitable access to the college, and equitable outcomes for students of color and students from low-income backgrounds).[36][37]

With regard to students passing the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), Cuesta's registered nursing graduating class of 2023 ranked as the top-scoring program across California.[38] The college graduated more than 1,800 nurses from 1969 to 2018.[39]

Athletics

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The college's athletic teams are known as the Cougars and the school colors are green and white.[40] The college currently fields seven men's and nine women's varsity teams. It competes as a member of the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) in the Western State Conference (WSC) for all sports except wrestling, which competes in the Southern California Wrestling Association (SCWA).[41]

 
Originally constructed in 1978, Cuesta College's Dr. Stork Gym in San Luis Obispo, California, seats approximately 2,000 people, and hosts community events in addition to Cougars games and matches.

Several of the Cougars' programs compete in Dr. Stork Gym, which in the mid-1980s to early 1990s garnered local attention for hosting the SLO County Basketball Camp, which on multiple occasions featured clinics including instructor Bill Walton.[42][43] Since the early 2010s, the arena space has also hosted Special Olympics annual Spring Regional Games.[44][45]

Baseball

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Cuesta has advanced to the CCCAA final four on four occasions, including third-place finishes in 1997 (when the team tallied a state-leading 44 wins) and 2002.[46] All-time, Cuesta has produced 52 MLB Draft picks, including seven future Major League players.[47]

Men's basketball

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In the history of the Western State Conference, Cuesta accumulated 10 WSC North Division championships from 1981 through 2016, the second-most in the league; only Ventura College (with 13 such titles) won more in that time span.[48] In 2019, Cougars head coach Rusty Blair won his 500th career victory with the college, becoming the 13th coach in state history to total at least a half-thousand wins.[49] The 1996–97 academic year saw Cuesta set a program record for wins in a season (32), soon due to a CCCAA revision increased to 33 wins for an overall record of 33–5.[50] The season included a February 12 victory over then-defending state champion Ventura, 98–87, with roughly 1,300 fans in attendance.[51] On the Central Coast, at any level of college basketball, the 33-win total is tied as the second-most victories in a year, trailing only the 34–1 season of Allan Hancock College exactly four decades earlier in 1956–57.

Softball

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The Cougars' highest finish in the state tournament has come in 2006, as the team placed sixth after advancing to the California Finals held at Big League Dreams Sports Park in Redding.[52]

Water polo

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Cuesta's men's water polo team, which has compiled more than 40 consecutive winning-record seasons,[53] has advanced to the CCCAA final four on four occasions since 2005, including finishing in third place in the state in 2006[54] and 2023. The Cuesta women's water polo squad, which owns four WSC championships since 2000,[55] saw its single-season goals record broken in 2022 by Arroyo Grande High School recruit Anna Kreowski (who scored a state-leading 142 times before transferring to Cal Baptist).[56]

Women's basketball

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Cuesta College's Jake Lincoln wrestles Rudy Delgado of Cerritos College in 2012.

During the 1981–82 season, Cuesta set a program record for winning percentage, going 19-1 overall (.950).[57] The Cougars won the state's 1982 then-Division II championship[58] in San Mateo, defeating Shasta College 68–59. LeAnne Armstrong scored 21 points in the title game and was named Tournament MVP.

Women's volleyball

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Cuesta won CCCAA state titles in 1979, 1985, and 1986.[59]

Wrestling

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The Cougars, coached by Gary Meissner, won the 1980 California Community College (then-Division II classification) state championship on February 9, 1980, at Chabot College.[60] Cuesta scored 29 team points for the trophy.

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  •  
    The North County Cuesta College Campus Center is pictured in December 2023.
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    The Cuesta College Founders Grove, located behind Building 1100 on the main San Luis Obispo campus, leads up to the Cougar Soccer Expanse.
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    Cuesta College hosts the Festival Mozaic Orchestra in 2019 at the Miossi Center.
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    The Patricia D. Fox Allied Health, Math & Science Building, shown in 2023, is part of Cuesta College's North County Campus expansion since the original opening in 1998.
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    Cuesta College's Building 3100, noted for its modern mission-style design, is pictured at the San Luis Obispo campus.

Notable people

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Jon Moscot
For a more comprehensive list, see Category:Cuesta College alumni.

References

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  1. ^ As of June 30, 2020. U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2020 Endowment Market Value and Change in Endowment Market Value from FY19 to FY20 (Report). National Association of College and University Business Officers and TIAA. February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. ^ California, State of. "California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office - Data Mart". datamart.cccco.edu. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  3. ^ "District Gets Big Majority: Jr. College Approved". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. April 17, 1963. p. 1.
  4. ^ "Cuesta chosen as name of college". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. October 5, 1965. p. 1.
  5. ^ "Cuesta bonds pass". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. November 4, 1970. p. 1.
  6. ^ Strandberg, Sue (November 17, 1970). "Cuesta board approves space addition for science center". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. p. 12.
  7. ^ Middlecamp, David (May 10, 2016). "Mercury has close encounter with surface of the sun". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. 1A.
  8. ^ "Big show in the skies". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. March 5, 1976. pp. A-2.
  9. ^ Wilson, Nick (August 22, 2017). "Right as the eclipse peaked, the clouds parted to cheers". San Luis Obispo Tribune. pp. 1A.
  10. ^ Lazier, Matt (August 17, 1998). "Paso becomes a college town: Cuesta College's North County campus opens after seven years of work". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. pp. A-1.
  11. ^ "A Guide to the Media of the Central Coast". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). March 23, 2002. p. 76.
  12. ^ Linn, Sarah (April 17, 2009). "'Emperor' Author to Talk Here of Family's War Life". San Luis Obispo Tribune. pp. A1.
  13. ^ Linn, Sarah (April 9, 2010). "Horrifying But Inspiring Story: Author to Speak at Cuesta". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. A1.
  14. ^ Linn, Sarah (April 5, 2011). "Cuesta to get urban farming message". San Luis Obispo Tribune. pp. A1.
  15. ^ Linn, Sarah (February 15, 2013). "Best-selling novelist set to appear at Cuesta College". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. A2.
  16. ^ "Veteran to speak at Cuesta book event". San Luis Obispo Tribune. February 3, 2015. pp. A3.
  17. ^ "Cuesta College Book of the Year". San Luis Obispo Tribune. March 13, 2016. pp. 1E.
  18. ^ Linn, Sarah (March 26, 2017). "Henrietta Lacks' legacy lives in immortal cells". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. 1F.
  19. ^ Linn, Sarah (February 19, 2018). "Man to discuss book about using Disney films to connect with son". San Luis Obispo Tribune. pp. 3A.
  20. ^ Wiseblood, Caleb (September 20, 2018). "Book of the Year honors Ana Castillo". New Times SLO.
  21. ^ "Book of the Year author Tommy Orange comes to Cuesta College". Paso Robles Daily News. April 15, 2022.
  22. ^ Clark, Lucas (June 22, 2018). "Cuesta College opens new $32 million student center in Paso Robles". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. 3A.
  23. ^ Sheeler, Andrew (June 1, 2018). "Another popular SLO venue is getting a new name, courtesy of a $1.5 million gift". The San Luis Obispo Tribune Web Edition.
  24. ^ "Cuesta College Aquatics Center Reopens". San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce. June 24, 2019.
  25. ^ "Cuesta College Aquatics Center reopens after expansion". KSBY TV. June 14, 2019.
  26. ^ Steers, Dennis (July 9, 1984). "USA team pools its resources". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. pp. B1.
  27. ^ Steers, Dennis (July 14, 1984). "USA swimming duo to get in sync at Cuesta". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. pp. B1.
  28. ^ Tonya Strickland (February 14, 2013). "Cuesta College retains accreditation, officials announce". The Tribune. Archived from the original on February 17, 2013. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  29. ^ AnnMarie Cornejo (February 10, 2014). "Cuesta College's accreditation is reaffirmed, sanctions dropped". The Tribune. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
  30. ^ "The Cuesta College welding team takes top awards at event". San Luis Obispo Tribune. January 25, 2017. pp. 3S.
  31. ^ "Cuesta College welding fabrication team 'Best in Nation'". Paso Robles Daily News. July 19, 2016.
  32. ^ Clark, Lucas (April 20, 2018). "Cuesta is celebrating its growing ag program with first ever plant sale". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. 4A.
  33. ^ Clark, Lucas (July 25, 2018). "Register for classes at Cuesta College". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. 4A.
  34. ^ Cruz, Kimberly (February 16, 2023). "Cuesta College students getting real-life aircraft experience". KSBY 6 TV.
  35. ^ Cruz, Kimberly (August 19, 2022). "New aviation maintenance technician program prepares for takeoff next year at Cuesta College". KSBY 6 TV.
  36. ^ Gillies, Andrew (November 1, 2023). "Cuesta College honored as one of Aspen Institute's top 150 Community Colleges". KEYT News Channel.
  37. ^ "Cuesta College Among 150 Top Community Colleges In U.S.". KVEC News Talk 920 AM. November 2, 2023.
  38. ^ "Local nursing students achieve 100% exam pass rate, first national ranking". Paso Robles Daily News. February 8, 2024.
  39. ^ Clark, Lucas (May 30, 2018). "Military vet earns Cuesta nursing degree". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. 2S.
  40. ^ "California Community College Baseball Coaches Association". California Community College Baseball Coaches Association. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
  41. ^ "2019-20 CCCAA Directory" (PDF). California Community College Athletic Association. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  42. ^ Steers, Dennis (June 27, 1984). "Big Bill a big hit at Cuesta cage camp". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. pp. C-1.
  43. ^ Ruthemeyer, Dan (July 2, 1991). "Ball still bounces in Walton's court". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. pp. B-1.
  44. ^ Hickey, Julia (May 1, 2011). "Cuesta College". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. B1.
  45. ^ Middlecamp, David (May 7, 2023). "Special Olympics games return to SLO after COVID hiatus: 'Super excited to be back'". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. 5A.
  46. ^ "Sports Roundup". San Luis Obispo Tribune. May 21, 2010. pp. S2.
  47. ^ Cuesta College Draft Pick History. The Baseball Cube. 2024.
  48. ^ "Western State Conference" (PDF). Western State Conference. Retrieved 2022-07-11.
  49. ^ "Cuesta College men's basketball coach Rusty Blair picks up 500th career win". 2019-02-05. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  50. ^ Burdick, Eric (November 8, 1997). "Ventura suspends cage program". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. pp. C-1.
  51. ^ Petersen, Troy M. (February 13, 1997). "Cuesta shakes, rolls by Ventura". San Luis Obispo County Telegram-Tribune. pp. C-1.
  52. ^ Smith, Erick (May 8, 2006). "Cougars in a Winning State: Cuesta Advances to the California Finals". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). pp. D1.
  53. ^ Nushi, Emma (October 8, 2019). "Men's water polo looks to be CCCAA playoffs contender again". The Cuestonian.
  54. ^ "Cuesta Men Third in State Water Polo Championships". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). November 19, 2006. pp. D2.
  55. ^ "Cuesta Roundup: Cougars in Control of WSC Polo - Cuesta Men's and Women's Water Polo Teams Win Conference, Secure Top Seed at Tournament". The Tribune (San Luis Obispo, CA). October 25, 2007. pp. S4.
  56. ^ Buscher, Casey (November 15, 2022). "Anna Kreowski breaks season goal record at Cuesta College". KSBY TV.
  57. ^ "Armstrong named Cuesta MVP". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. May 12, 1982. p. 21.
  58. ^ "Cougars' late rally nets state hoop title". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. March 8, 1982. p. 15.
  59. ^ "Women's Volleyball History of Champions". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  60. ^ "Cuesta wrestlers tops". San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune. February 11, 1980. p. 13.
  61. ^ "20 Questions Tuesday: 173 - Dave Anthony". Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  62. ^ Morris, Don (2018-05-01). "Greatest athletes on the Central Coast: Sean Chambers". Central Coast Journal. Retrieved 2022-06-27.
  63. ^ "GKR Mangkubumi, Penjaga Inti Kebudayaan Keraton Yogyakarta". www.kratonjogja.id. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  64. ^ Sherdog.com. "Ian McCall's Violent Delights - Shakespeare Comes to the Cage". Sherdog. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  65. ^ "Jon Moscot Bio". Pepperdine University Official Athletic Site. Archived from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2016-09-15.
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