|
Rolling Stone magazine has named SMC among “Ten of the Best” community colleges in the nation.
Santa Monica College is a public two-year community college accredited by the Western Association of Schools
and Colleges and by many professional accrediting organizations. It is a leader among the state's 108 community
colleges in transferring students to the University of California, USC and Loyola Marymount. SMC is also a major job
training center in such fields as nursing, computer technology, new media, accounting, photography and graphic design.
Santa Monica College has no academic admission requirements, and with its low tuition ($26 a unit for most students),
provides a higher education opportunity to thousands of economically deprived people who might not otherwise have it.
With an annual budget of $138.1 million and approximately 1,700 employees, SMC is a major employer in the
Los Angeles area and has a significant economic impact in the region.
SMC is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees elected by residents of the Santa Monica Community
College District, which incorporates Santa Monica and Malibu. The Board also includes an advisory Student Trustee,
elected annually by the SMC student body.
The college was founded in 1929 as Santa Monica Junior College and began with 153 students in a facility at
Santa Monica High School. In 1952, the college moved to its current site at 1900 Pico Blvd. Enrollment has grown to
approximately 30,000 today.
Contact: Bruce Smith, Public Information Officer (310) 434-4209
{ Football Standings from 1980 - 2000}
Sept. 10, 1929 – Santa Monica Junior College opens on second floor of Santa Monica High School with 153 students.
1932-33 – SMJC moves to old brick building at Garfield School site at 7th & Michigan, but the 1933 earthquake renders the building uninhabitable; college moves to tents and bungalows on site (new campus affectionately called “Splinterville”).
1952 – Classes start on new campus, which continues to be SMC’s main campus at 1900 Pico Blvd.
1975 – SMC’s Emeritus College, the widely acclaimed program for older adults, opens.
1988 – SMC’s first satellite campus, located at Santa Monica Airport, opens
1989 – SMC’s second satellite campus, the former Madison Elementary School on Santa Monica Boulevard at 11th Street, opens.
February 1993 – President Clinton visits SMC in his first visit to California since his inauguration the month before.
January 1994 – The Northridge earthquake hits SMC hard, causing millions of dollars in damage.
March-April 1997 – Marking a first for SMC, the theatre arts’ production of “Once on this Island”
September 1998 – SMC holds dedication ceremony for its new Academy of Entertainment & Technology, a then-unique program to prepare students for careers in the entertainment industry, particularly new technologies
October 1998 – Rolling Stone magazine names SMC among “Ten of the Best” community colleges in the nation.
October 1998 – SMC launches online classes. The first two classes offered are introductory political science and music appreciation.
December 1998 – SMC's historic running track, which was built for the 1984 Olympics and served as the training ground for such Olympians as Carl Lewis, is replaced and renamed the Archie Morrison Track in memory of an SMC vice president.
August 1999 – The new $30 million Science Complex opens for classes after an on-time two-year construction.
August 2000 – SMC opens a new high-tech Art Gallery at its Madison campus, named the Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery.
August 2000 – Physics professor Richard Masada is named recipient of the Marvin Elkin/Northrop Grumman Chair of Excellence, the first recipient of an endowed chair at SMC.
June 2001 – The video of the SMC Opera Theatre production of "Faust" wins a Los Angeles Area Emmy Award. It is believed to be the first Emmy for SMC.
Sept. 11, 2001 – The SMC family suffers losses in the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York. Student Emily Aoyama's father is killed on American Airlines Flight 11, as is SMC alumnus Edmund Glazer.
December 2001 – The SMC Board of Trustees votes unanimously to purchase the BAE Systems property at Santa Monica Airport for a satellite campus and parking facility. The property, with four structures on 10.4 acres, is purchased for $30 million.
March 2002 – Santa Monica-Malibu voters approve Measure U, SMC's $160 million capital improvement bond, by 70 percent.
March 2002 – "Slavery," a play with music by SMC student Jonathan Payne, is selected from more than 360 plays at colleges and universities throughout the nation for the prestigious annual Kennedy Center/American College Theatre Festival in Washington, D.C.
July 2002 – The Santa Monica Swim Center, a new municipal aquatics complex on the northwest part of the campus, opens.
Winter-Spring 2003 – SMC faces biggest budget crisis in history, prompted by historically high state budget deficit. The budget crisis, which includes mid-fiscal-year cuts, continues through 2002-03 and the early part of 2003-04.
August 2003 – SMC's $23.6 million Library Expansion and Modernization project is completed, allowing the reopening of the facility two years after construction began.
October 2003 – SMC's Emeritus College for older adults moves into its new headquarters in downtown Santa Monica. The new 24,000-square-foot building was purchased for $8.65 million
December 2005