San Bernardino Valley College

History

San Bernardino Valley College was established in 1926 and is the twenty-fifth oldest community college in California. In 1926, San Bernardino Valley College’s campus was split between San Bernardino High School and Colton High School and consisted of 140 students and one administrator, George H. Jantzen, who was dean of the college. Today, San Bernardino Valley College offers classes to 25,000 students and runs on an annual budget of $59 million. The college district, which includes two campuses, has 148 full-time faculty, 429 part-time faculty and staff of 459. It serves multiple high school districts, and the district encompasses nearly 500 square miles (1,300 km²).

Academics

As part of the state system of community colleges, San Bernardino Valley College is dedicated to providing educational opportunities at minimum cost. Central to San Bernardino Valley College’s philosophy is the idea of general education - a system of instruction that gives the student a basic competence in written and spoken English, mathematics, history and government; a regard for health, both mental and physical; a grasp of the basic disciplines and methodologies of human and scientific study, and knowledge in some depth of chosen subject area. The college offers degrees in the arts and sciences to students who successfully complete a comprehensive two-year course study. This course study corresponds to the lower division requirements of the University of California and the California State University system, so qualified students can transfer to four-year institutions with junior standing. San Bernardino Valley College transfer students have demonstrated a high success rate in continuing their education at the four-year College and university level. While recognizing the importance of a general education, the college also recognizes an obligation to provide specialized programs leading directly to employment or to improving the skill and knowledge of those already employees in the work force. To achieve this, the college offers more than 40 programs in technical and occupational fields. Courses may be taken individually to improve specific skills or as part of a program leading to an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science and or a Certificate of Completion in specific occupational fields. Qualified students can even combine work and study through work experience programs. San Bernardino Valley College was a pioneer in the work/study concept. In addition to general and occupational programs, San Bernardino Valley College offers developmental programs for students who need to improve basic skills before taking advanced classes, counseling and guidance programs, and service for disabled students, veterans and other adults. San Bernardino Valley College has been a leader in programs for the physically handicapped, including adaptive physical education classes.

Student life

San Bernardino Valley College also offers its students a diverse selection of clubs. At San Bernardino Valley College there are more than 30 clubs and organizations representing a variety of academic and career pursuits. There are also a number of special interest groups.

Board Of Trustees

Joseph Williams, President
Gloria Macias Harrison, Vice President
Donna Ferracone, Clerk
John Longville, Trustee
Dr. Donald L. Singer, Trustee
Dr. Anne L. Viricel, Trustee
Frank Reyes, Trustee
Beverly Rapouw, Crafton Hills Student Trustee
Pablo Machado, San Bernardino Valley Student Trustee

Middle College High School

Located on the SBVC campus, Middle College High School is a 3-year high school that reaches out to students with high potential but who may be struggling on a regular high school campus. Students spend mornings in Valley College courses and the afternoon taking high school classes in English, math and science. Students can graduate with an associate degree at the same time as a high school diploma.

The school boasts a 98% graduation rate and the highest Academic Performance Index score (832) of any high school in San Bernardino or Riverside counties. It has won a federal recognition under the 2008 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools award.

Athletics

San Bernardino Valley College is a member of the Foothill Conference for 11 of its 12 sports. SBVC Football is a member of the American Division-Mountain Conference. Each sport has a different competitive alignment within the conference.

SBVC competes with: Antelope Valley College, Barstow Community College, Cerro Coso, Chaffey College, College of the Desert, Compton College (Football Only), East Los Angeles College (Football Only), Mt. San Jacinto College, Rio Hondo College, San Diego Mesa College (Football Only), and Victor Valley College.

From 1926-2000 SBVC's mascot was the Indians, since 2000 SBVC's mascot has been the Wolverines, much to the dismay of alumni and area tribes alike.

The Men's and Women's basketball teams play their home games in the Joseph W. Snyder Gymnasium, which was built in 1975.

Athletic championships

San Bernardino Valley College has numerous accomplishments in the field of competitive sports. Below will soon include a listing of those athletic achievements only bestowed on a select few. The author of this section would like to acknowledge the work of alumnae Roger Schmidt and Harry Carson Frye and thank them for their extensive history which provides the base of the information below.

Seismic reconstruction

The college's original builders were unaware of local fault hazards, and constructed the campus upon an elevated pressure ridge (the Bunker Hill Dike) along the San Jacinto Fault Zone, which bisects the campus and ran under the foundations of some buildings. Between 2001 and 2010, several of the campus' major buildings have been demolished and new ones built nearby.

Original survey

In 1935, with the damage from the 1933 Long Beach earthquake still a recent memory, SBVC hired John Buwalda of the Caltech Seismological Laboratory to assess seismic hazards. Buwalda discovered and reported the presence of the fault, specifically recommending "a thousand-foot-wide zone of no building, which basically took in almost the entire campus. They [SBVC] ignored his advice, even though they paid for his report."

1990s

The trustees of SBVC hired Professor Kerry Sieh, also of Caltech, to perform a seismic hazard study in 1995-1996. This confirmed the danger of the fault to the campus. Excavated trenches revealed that the surface trace of the fault passed through four of the school’s buildings. Eight other buildings were determined to be at risk due to secondary ground fracturing or their location across an active surface fold caused by shallow blind thrust faulting. The buildings, most over 50 years old, were not built to modern seismic standards and it was decided that creating new buildings away from, and parallel to, the fault would be more sensible than retrofitting the aging ones.

2000–2010

Buildings replaced included the Administration Building, the Library, the Student Center/Cafeteria Building, the Art Building, the Physical Sciences Buildings, the Life Science Building, and North Hall. Prominently preserved is the Auditorium. Built in 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, the ornate building contains the clock tower that is featured on many of the college's publications.

Notable alumni

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