Ohlone College

Ohlone College is a community college in Fremont, California with a second campus located in Newark. The Ohlone Community College District serves the cities of Fremont and Newark, as well as parts of Union City. Ohlone offers 61 associate degrees leading to university transfer or careers and over 100 vocational certificate programs that provide job skill training.

Ohlone is one of the 112 colleges in the California Community College System. In 2013, it was recognized as one of the Top 10 Community Colleges in California for its transfer to university and success rate, based on data from the State Chancellor's Office.

History of Ohlone College

Established as a California Community College in 1965 following voter approval, Ohlone College serves the cities of Fremont and Newark and parts of Union City in the southeast region of the San Francisco Bay area. The Ohlone Community College District is a single college district with two campuses and a thriving e-campus.

Officially named Ohlone College on June 18, 1967, the institution honors the early Ohlone who lived in the Fremont and Newark area and much of the surrounding San Francisco Bay for hundreds of years prior to the arrival of Europeans.^[2]

A Board of Trustees was elected in 1966, which then hired the founding president, Dr. Stephen Epler, in June 1966.^[3] The college opened in fall 1967 at the Serra Center, a temporary site on Washington Boulevard.^[4] Eventually the college went out to the community for a $10 million bond and in 1972 began construction of the new Ohlone College campus on Mission Boulevard in Fremont.

Ernest J. Kump designed the original nine buildings that make up the academic village. Buildings added later to the campus include the performing arts center, the technology center, the child development center and the student services center. A second campus was constructed in Newark, CA, The Ohlone College Newark Center for Health Sciences and Technology, which opened in 2008.

Including Dr. Epler, Ohlone has had only six presidents in its 45+ year history. The current president is Dr. Gari Browning, Ohlone's first female president.

Athletics

Ohlone fields teams in 7 varsity sports (5 men's, 6 women's) including baseball, basketball, soccer and water polo, and is a member of the CCCAA (California Community College Athletics Association) and the Coast Conference.^[5]

Academics

Ohlone offers associate degrees in the Arts and Sciences (AA and AS) equivalent to completing the two year undergraduate coursework in many subjects. Ohlone also offers job training programs which can be completed in less than the two-year cycle required for a degree.

Center for Deaf Studies

In 1972, the Ohlone College Center for Deaf Studies and Special Services was established when the College opened its doors to 30 Deaf and Hard of Hearing students. The Center for Deaf Studies has up to 200 Deaf and Hard of Hearing students in a single year.

Biotechnology High School Outreach Programs

Learning Alliance for Bioscience (LAB) Program is a National Science Foundation funded program that places high school students from underrepresented populations on an academic pathway to prepare for college degrees in biotechnology.^[6]

Broadcasting Department

Ohlone College is the home of 89.3 KOHL radio and ONTV-28 television channel broadcast over cable. The radio station and TV studios are housed on the Fremont campus. The Ohlone Network News on the ON-TV channel, which is broadcast on the local Comcast channel 28, is prepared and delivered by students.

KOHL radio has been the host of notable individuals such as civil rights activist Bobby Seale^[7][8] and actress Rita Moreno.^[9][10]

The department teaches television news production including a live weekly newscast during the spring and fall semesters, as well as an ASL (American Sign Language) live newscast.

Dina Ruiz Eastwood, wife of Clint Eastwood, anchored the show Newsline at the school before moving on to San Francisco State University and KSBW-TV.

Registered Nursing Department

Ohlone College offers an Associate of Science Degree in Nursing accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission and the California Board of Registered Nurses. Students who graduate from this program are eligible to sit for the NCLEX-RN which leads to licensure as a registered nurse (RN).

Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) Department

Ohlone College's Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program is a two calendar year course of study leading to an Associate of Science Degree and eligibility to take the National PTA licensing examination.

Ohlone College's PTA program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education of the American Physical Therapy Association.

Respiratory Therapist (RT) Department

The Respiratory Therapist is a licensed healthcare professional in cardio-pulmonary evaluation, diagnosis and treatment.

Upon completion of Respiratory Therapist program graduates are eligible to sit for the California State License Examination for Respiratory Care Practitioner (RCP). Once the RCP Credential has been attained graduates are eligible to sit for the Advanced Level Practitioner Examinations (RRT) of the National Board for Respiratory Care.

Media References

• Ohlone College is mentioned in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner.^[11]

Alumni

• Terry Alderete (1945–2013), businesswoman
• Andy Bloom (born 1973), shot putter
• Glenn Dishman (born 1970), baseball pitcher
• Brian Dunning (born 1965), author
• Larry Johannessen (1947–2009), author
• Lev Kirshner (born 1969), soccer player and coach^[12]
• Kenney Mencher (born 1965), painter
• Anjuli Papineau, Soccer player^[13] and soul singer^[14]
• Gary Plummer (born 1960), American footballer

Notes

External links

• Ohlone College official site
• ONTV
• ASOC Student Government site