Cerritos College

Cerritos College
Established 1955
President Dr. Jose Fierro
Students 23,955[1]
Location Norwalk, California, US
Coordinates: 33°53′09″N 118°05′40″W / 33.88570°N 118.09457°W / 33.88570; -118.09457
Colors Blue & White
Nickname Falcons
Website cerritos.edu
Falcon Stadium in 2008

Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college located in Norwalk, California. The college offers degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions.

History

The college was founded in 1955. It was named after Rancho Los Cerritos, a local ranch in the 19th century. In turn the college was part of the inspiration for the renaming of the neighboring city of Dairy Valley to Cerritos. The district covers Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Norwalk, La Mirada, and Hawaiian Gardens.

Originally, classrooms were rented in the now defunct Excelsior High School in September 1956.[2] On July 24, 1957, the Cerritos Junior College District won the case against Dairy Valley (now Cerritos) to use the undeveloped land as an educational site.[2] On September 1959, the college moved from Excelsior High School to the current site.[2]

Organization and administration

The college president is Dr. Jose Fierro.

Academic profile

Cerritos College is a public comprehensive community college serving an area of 52 square miles (130 km2) of southeastern Los Angeles county. The college offers associate's degrees and certificates in 87 areas of study in nine divisions. Over 1,200 students successfully complete their course of studies each year.[3]

The Cerritos College student body is a majority of minorities: Hispanics, Asians, African-Americans, Pacific Islanders and Native Americans together account for more than 60% of its students. The college has a student body that is 54.6% Hispanic, 12.4% Caucasian, 10.2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 3.6% Filipino, 7.3% Black, 0.5% Native American, and the rest undeclared. Students come from more than 30 California cities, with 60% of the students coming from cities outside the college district. Cerritos College ranked third in California and sixth in the nation among Hispanic-serving community colleges for the number of associate degrees granted to Hispanic students in 2006.[4]

Notable alumni

References

External links

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