Oxnard College

Coordinates: 34°09′50.98″N 119°09′26.39″W / 34.1641611°N 119.1573306°W / 34.1641611; -119.1573306

Oxnard College

Established	1975
Endowment	$151,380 (2011/2012) [1]
Students	6,941[2]
Location	4000 South Rose Ave Oxnard, California, United States
Campus	118 acres
Website	Oxnardcollege.edu

Oxnard College, an accredited two-year institution of higher education, has been a part of the Ventura County Community College District since 1975.^[3]

Overview

Oxnard College is located at 4000 South Rose Avenue on the southeast end of Oxnard, California. It was established in 1975. It serves the Oxnard Plain cities of Oxnard, Camarillo, and the town of Port Hueneme. The college offers two year degrees, including the new California transfer curriculum, as well as career and technical education programs to the local community. The Dental hygienist program consistently ranks in the top of the 5 U.S. programs. Due to its location between the two stations of the Naval Base Ventura County, it is popular among the military personnel stationed there to attend classes.

The college used to have a television channel, OCTV, which aired educational programming in the Oxnard and Port Hueneme area on Time Warner Cable and Fios. Due to California state budget cuts, OCTV is inactive.

The college lies on a flat plain next to College Park, where the annual California Strawberry Festival is held. Because of the school has not yet grown to the capacity of the site, much of the unused land is leased to nurseries to raise semi-tropical plants in Oxnard's Mediterranean climate. A well-established native plant garden lies near the center of the campus, and changing art exhibits can be seen at the McNish Art Gallery. Numerous student artists display work throughout campus. The college mascot is the Condor. The school colors are royal blue and kelley green.

Oxnard College is part of the Ventura County Community College District along with Moorpark College, and Ventura College.

History

The need for a community college serving the Oxnard Plain has been recognized by the Oxnard, Camarillo, and Port Hueneme communities and the governing board and administration of the Ventura County Community College District, since the district was formed in 1962.

Founded on the understanding established in those early years, the 118-acre college site was purchased in 1968. In 1969, the first classes offered under an Oxnard Center concept were offered at Ramona School in Oxnard. The Oxnard Center program expanded in the fall of 1973 with the opening of the Oxnard Educational Center at 9th and B streets in Oxnard, under the direction of Ventura College; in February 1974, a Camarillo Center opened under the auspices of Moorpark College. The 2000 AD Educational Master Plan and strong support from the Oxnard-Port Hueneme area focused attention on the need for a third college in the spring of 1974, and trustees voted to build Oxnard College on March 26, 1974. The college opened its doors in June 1975, for its first summer session, utilizing the Oxnard and Camarillo centers begun by the other two colleges in the district, and adding classes at a variety of sites throughout the Oxnard Plain.

By mid-fall 1975, Oxnard College had more than 4,400 students enrolled and during the spring semester, that number was even higher—in all likelihood a record enrollment for first-year community colleges in this state. In fall 1979, the first two permanent buildings were occupied on the campus. A Liberal Arts building houses 20 classrooms plus science and business laboratories and faculty office wings, and a Library/Learning Resources Center holds the college Library, Learning Center, general classrooms, and administrative and student services offices.The more recently constructed Occupational Education Building houses the college's information processing, air conditioning and refrigeration, hotel and restaurant management, electronics, and word processing programs. A new Child Development Center opened in early 1992, and a new Physical Education Complex with basketball and racquetball courts, showers and lockers, dance room and weight training facilities officially opened in the fall of 1994. The construction of a Language Arts/Math/Science Building was completed in 1997. Other campus buildings include two relocatable classroom buildings, a vocational shop building, a student services center and a student activities center. In 2002, due to the Measure S bond that was passed Oxnard College received $129 million that would be allocated towards new buildings and renovations.^[4] These newly acquired funds led to the creation of new building on campus such as Condor Cafe in 2009.^[4] The campus also held dedication ceremonies for the new buildings the following of which were: a new Student Services building in 2009, a new Performing Arts building in Spring 2011, a new Library Learning Resource Center (LLRC) in June 2012, and a new Dental Hygiene building in 2016.^[4] Some renovations that were also made to existing building were an expansion of classrooms in the Child Development Center.^[4] This also included the renovation and expansion of athletic facilities which included a new track/soccer stadium, a new softball field, and upgraded baseball facilities.^[4] In 2014 renovation and seismic retrofitting began on the old Learning Resource Center (LRC) building and was completed in 2017 and is now known as Condor Hall.^[4] Oxnard College continues to be committed to developing a comprehensive educational program as well as a comprehensive campus environment for the students of its service area.^[3]

Faculty

Notable faculty include pioneering martial artist Graciela Casillas, English Department Chair Jim Merrill, who also composed the school anthem, sociologist Dr. Marie Butler whose work on Egyptian women, and the status of women in third world banking is well known, Dr. Tomás Salinas, a professor of Chicano Studies who was an early innovator in the field at both Oxnard College and UC Santa Barbara, Dr. Desmond Jones (emeritus), from the London School of Economics, Prof. Jeanette Redding, whose innovations in providing instruction to under-prepared students resulted in Oxnard College's Success Academy, Prof. Amy London Edwards, whose speech tournaments have led to statewide recognition for Oxnard College students, and Dr. Linda Kama'ila, ethnographer of Hawai'i and Native America, and author of articles on ethnopoetics.^[3]

Programs

Notable programs include Dental Hygiene, whose graduates have consistently had 100% passage rates in the National and State Board exams. Oxnard College ranks #17 nationally on a 2017 assessment of the Top 50 Dental Hygiene programs in the United States. Oxnard College is one of only three institutions in California to make the Top 50 national list.^[5] Culinary Arts whose students operate the program's Bistro Restaurant during the Spring Term; and the Fire Academy and Emergency Medical Technician programs. The Oxnard College Regional Fire Academy is an accredited California State Fire Marshal program that provides certificates from the California Specialized Training Institute, National Wildfire Coordinating Group, as well as California Department of Forestry Fire Protection.^[6] Additional programs at Oxnard College are the Auto Body Program. The Automotive Body and Fender Repair Program at Oxnard College is designed to prepare students to enter either the industry as entry-level technicians or to provide continuous improvement training to technicians already employed in the field. Students will gain hands-on training in body, fender and collision repair, and automotive graphics. Students will also have the option of integrating course work training from other technical programs such as automotive technology business courses designed to help students begin their own repair center. Oxnard College offers a Certificate of Achievement or an Associate in Science Degree in Automotive Body and Fender Repair.^[7] The Automotive Technology program at Oxnard College is designed to prepare students to either enter the industry as entry-level technicians or to provide continuous improvement training to technicians already employed in the industry. Students can complete an Associate of Science Degrees or Certificate of Achievement. Courses include the full range of curriculum for this occupation, including the fundamentals of engine repair, reconstruction, electrical analysis, and trouble-shooting techniques. All courses are taught by Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) certified instructors.^[8] The Oxnard College Early Childhood Education Program develops the knowledge and competence of students interested in teaching or working in related careers with children birth through third grade. The Program provides a sound theoretical foundation in principles of child growth and development from the prenatal period through the primary years, as well as a functional understanding of programs and curricula appropriate for young children. Skills emphasized include child observation, curriculum planning for diverse learners, advocacy, and interpersonal and communication abilities.^[9]

The college is also providing the opportunity for students to do some field research, regarding the Santa Clara river and surrounding scenery. Photo-point monitoring of certain locations are being done by volunteering college students. Photo-point is the process of taking successive pictures of a viewpoint for the purpose of documenting changes in the environment through time. Field researches use GPS, field notes, a measurement and a camera to document the surrounding area and take a snapshot of a viewpoint. In time the pictures accumulate and provide documentation of changes as time progresses. The research has started as of September 16, 2018.

Academic departments

There are four academic departments at Oxnard College.^[10]

Career and Technical Education

• Accounting/Business
• Addictive Disorders Studies
• Auto Body
• Auto Tech
• Career Pathways/Tech Prep
• Computer Information Systems
• Computer Networking/IT
• Culinary Arts/Restaurant Management/Hospitality Management
• Dental Assisting
• Dental Hygiene
• Digital Media Studies
• Early Childhood Education/Child Development Center Lab School
• Emergency Medical Technician
• Environmental Control Technology/Automation Control Systems
• Fire Academy
• Fire Technology
• Office Occupations Preparation
• Paralegal Studies

Liberal Studies

• American Sign Language
• Anthropology
• Art
• Communication Studies
• Economics
• English
• Ethnic/Chicano Studies
• Film, Television, and Electronic Media
• History
• Music
• Oxnard College Arts
• Philosophy
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Spanish
• Television

Math/Science/Health/PE/Athletics

• Anatomy & Physiology
• Astronomy
• Athletics
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Geography
• Geology
• Health Education
• Marine Center and Aquarium
• Marine Science
• Mathematics
• Microbiology
• Physical Education
• Physics

Transitional Studies

• Transitional Studies Department

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of Oxnard College include artist Veronica Pantoja, the late writer Gerald Schnebly, British musician Fiona Elizabeth Cox, philosopher Vladimir Kalugin and international activist Maria Tapia.^[3]

Degrees

Associate of Arts, Associate of Science (awarded to students who have successfully completed a minimum of 60 semester units in general education courses with at least 18 units in one curriculum area), Certificate of Achievement (awarded to students who have successfully completed a minimum of 18 units in an occupational curriculum), Certificates of Completion (instructional divisions may award Certificates of Completion to students who have satisfactorily completed a course or a sequence of courses designed to lead them to specific types of employment or to an upgrading of skills).^[3]

Student resources

Associated Student Government

Associated Student Government (ASG) represents students, plans the social and cultural activities on campus, and provides students with the opportunity to be involved in the governance of Oxnard College. Its mission is to inform students of their rights and responsibilities, to improve the college experience by getting students involved in the policy making that directly affects them, and to enrich the social, cultural, and academic life on campus. Any student can apply to be a part of ASG. The benefits of serving include a chance to advocate for fellow students, learning to work effectively in a group setting, and facing real life problem solving situations. The available positions include a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Officer, Senate Chair, Advisor, and six Senators.^[3]

Counseling Department

The department of counseling offers academic counseling, personal counseling, career counseling, and a Career & Personal Assessment.^[3]

Admissions & Records

The Admissions and Records Office is responsible for admissions and registration, and for the accuracy and maintenance of all student records. They offer access to registration, grades, classes, the Oxnard College catalog and financial aid information in person and online.^[3]

Welcome Center

The Welcome Center is the main hub of the Student Services Building. Student workers assist students and visitors with applying for the college, portal information, and financial aid.^[14]

Financial Aid Office

The Financial Aid Office at Oxnard College is located in the Student Services Building. It provides information and assistance with FAFSA, California DREAM Act, Board of Governors fee waiver (BOG), or any other types of financial aid.^[15]

Child Development Center

Oxnard College Child Development Center provides childcare and childhood education to children from the ages of 2 to 5. The program covers critical thinking, creative experiences, science, music, language, and literacy, movement education, social development, and school readiness. The center also serves as a model lab for students who are learning to observe and work with children.^[3]

Student Health Center

The Health Center provides services including medical evaluations, individualized counseling, physicals for students and the Child Development department, emergency care and referral, immunizations, pregnancy testing, cholesterol testing, blood sugar testing, and accident insurance. Some over the counter medicines such as aspirin, Tylenol, ibuprofen, and cough drops are available. Most general medical consults and mental health counseling are free but some services require an additional fee.^[16]

Writing and Reading Center

The Writing and Reading Center^[17] can be found in the Library or the LLRC building on campus.

STEM Center/ FYE Center

The STEM Center,^[18] also known as the FYE center, is located in room 333 of Condor Hall. The STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) Center provides free tutoring service on math and physics to all Oxnard College students and peer mentors for students who need help with motivation. The STEM Center also has a 3D printer available to students. It is also called the FYE Center because the faculties support the FYE (First Year Experience) program to help incoming students transition from high school to college.

Extended Opportunities Programs and Services

Extended Opportunities Programs and Services (EOPS) is a program that provides services to low income and educationally disadvantaged students. Oxnard College EOPS is designed to give EOPS students the opportunity and assistance necessary to successfully complete their academic transfer and/or vocational program. EOPS support services assist students in overcoming the many obstacles presented by a new environment, new school or a new setting. EOPS offers counseling, financial assistance, workshops, book services, scholarships and preregistration.^[19]

CalWorks

CalWorks (or California Work Opportunities & Responsibility to Kids) was established when California combined the federal grant with state funds. CAlWOrks came to be when President Bill Clinton signed a legislation bill, known as the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (or PRWORA) which ended a federal guarantee of aid to the poor. Although the federal view of welfare reform has been one of (work first), the state of California recognized that many cash aid recipients would benefit by continuing with their self-initiated education programs. Therefore, during the four year federal time limit, a qualified student-parent may have the opportunity to proceed with education; increase skills and talents; and/or earn a certificate, Associate's or bachelor's degree at a four-year university, which will endure the future self-sufficiency of their family.^[20]

Student organizations

ASL Sign Language (ASL) Club The purpose of the ASL Club is to create an accessible place for all ASL learners of all levels to practice, interact with deaf community and promote awareness about ASL

Addictive Disorders Studies ADS is a social group for students who are learning about substance-abuse addiction. ADS promotes awareness in the community.

Chemistry Club Chemistry Club aims to assist the members in attaining their goals of academic success through experiments, field trips, study groups, and tutoring. The Chemistry Club makes chemistry accessible to the general public through outreach and fun social events such as dodge-ball tournaments, beach cleanups, movie nights, potlucks and magic shows.

Culinary Arts Club The Culinary Arts Club gives students the opportunity to pursue various avenues of partnerships which in turn will also teach, mentor, and give purpose to our club members, and to provide non-profit assistance to the culinary arts program.

Engineering Math Physics (EMP Club) The EMP Club promotes the understanding and increase the enjoyment of learning in all areas of engineering, math and physics. Also, to assist their members in attaining their goals of academic success.

M.E.C.H.A Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o De Aztlan is a student organization that promotes higher education, culture, and history. M.E.C.H.A was founded on the principles of self-determination. M.E.C.H.A. hopes a political involvement and education is the avenue for change in society.

Monster Fitness Club Monster Fitness Club’s promotes a healthy eating and a proper exercise regime for a balanced lifestyle and overall wellbeing.

Near East Multicultural Arts Association (N.E.M.A.) NEMA's purpose is to promote the understanding and increase the enjoyment of learning all areas of near eastern dance, music, costuming, customs and cuisine.

Phi Theta Kappa Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) is the world’s largest and most prestigious honor society for community college / two-year students recognizing academic excellence and leadership potential. PTK is made up of more than 3 million honorees and has nearly 1,300 chapters in nine nations. Members are provided the opportunity for involvement in leadership, travel, campus and community service activities, and last but not least; scholarships. The OC Chapter, Beta Rho Tau, is one of the college’s most active organizations.

Polynesian Club Polynesian Club shares Polynesian culture with OC students.

Sociology Club Sociology Club is an organization that serves homeless shelters, food banks, one book one campus and has Cinco de mayo. The Sociology Club’s motto is “Changing Our Social World.”

Theater Arts Club The Theater Arts club is dedicated to the performing arts at Oxnard College. The club organizes field trips to live theater performances in the community.

Veterans Club Veterans Club was established to provide a network of support to military veterans, their families and civilian supporters. The Veterans Club provides information to assist veterans with integrating into the classroom as well as the workforce.

Society for Hispanic Engineers Society of Hispanic Engineers (S.H.P.E.) benefits students who are interested in engineering (regardless of major) through group projects with other professionals who are employed in that specific field. SHPE was founded in Los Angeles around 1974 with the objective to form a national organization of professional engineers that as role models in the Hispanic community (although members do not have to be Hispanic).^[21]

^[22]==References==

External links

• Oxnard College Web Site