Edmonds Community College - History and Governance

History and Governance

Established in 1967, and governed by the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, the college is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. The Board of Trustees of Edmonds Community College is composed of five members appointed by the governor of Washington state. Each member serves a five-year term and must reside within the college's district boundaries. The board, on behalf of the citizens of College District #23, ensures the accountability of Edmonds Community College.

Edmonds Community College officially came into being on July 1, 1967. That year the state legislature separated community colleges from the common schools and created 22 community college districts, including District 5 for Everett and Edmonds Community Colleges. Governor Daniel J. Evans in May 1967 appointed a five member board of trustees for District 5 to administer the operations of the already existing Everett Junior College and the new Edmonds Community College. In June 1967 the trustees established a district administrative structure with Dr. Paul McCurley, President of Everett CC, as the district president and district offices were located at Paine Field in 1968.

Byron Norman was named acting president of the college on July 5, 1967. Other presidents of the college in succeeding years have been Dr. Carleton Opgaard (1968–69, 1995–96), Dr. James Warren, Thomas Nielsen, Dr.(in higher education and community college administration) Jack Oharah (1996-2010), and Dr. (in Educational Leadership & Policy Studies) Jean Hernandez (2011-). The EdCC Board of Trustees removed Nielsen as president on May 23, 1995, after he was accused of accepting kickbacks and bribes; he accepted a $49,700 contract buyout on November 1, 1995, and later plead guilty to bribery and income-tax fraud, receiving a two-year prison sentence.

Formal dedication ceremonies were held September 7, 1967 with Senator Henry M. Jackson as the featured speaker.

The college is located on 50 acres (200,000 m2) in Lynnwood, the site of a former military installation, the Northwest Relay and Radio Receiving Station, U.S. Army. The property was declared surplus by the U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and transferred to Edmonds Community College on December 6, 1967. Other parts of the originally 100-acre (0.40 km2) site were transferred to the Edmonds School District, the U.S. Post Office and Snohomish County.

Classes at the college began in the fall of 1967 in leased space at Woodway High School, now Edmonds Woodway High School and the college used portable buildings at the college property while permanent building were being constructed. Two duplex buildings, built in 1941, (which now house International Student Services) remain on campus as virtually the only part of the old Army Relay Station left today. A plaque at the northeast entrance to Alderwood Hall on the college campus commemorates the former site of the Globe Wireless Radio Station. It was dedicated by the Edmonds-South Snohomish County Historical Society. The radio station was built in 1930 and was operated by the U.S. Army and the Alaska Communication System to provide service to Alaska during World War II.

The college's first buildings, the duplexes, were called “A” and “B” until the college began a tradition of naming buildings after local areas. What is now known as the Mountlake Terrace Hall was the first building constructed for the college campus in 1970. The building was renovated in 2006. The college's student newspaper, The Triton Review, was originally called, The Quagmire, due to the muddy campus in the early days of the college. The first graduate of Edmonds Community College was Susan Blackborn, 19, the class of '68 (she was the only graduate that year). Don Wick was the first elected student body president at Edmonds Community College. He was named a Distinguished Alumni of the college by the Edmonds Community College Foundation in 2002 and became the Executive Director of the Economic Development Association of Skagit County.

Edmonds Community College has partnered with Central Washington University to provide bachelor’s degrees locally since 1975. Accounting and business administration were the first programs offered at the Lynnwood Center. The school now offers eight Bachelor's Degrees and one Master's program. The opening of Snoqualmie Hall in 2002 gave Central a permanent presence on campus.

Edmonds Community College became a single district college July 1, 1981 when the legislature approved the new District 23 for Edmonds Community College (which shared boundaries with the Edmonds School District, an explanation for why the college is named "Edmonds," although it has a Lynnwood address).