In 1969 the cost of gas was only 35 cents, and the average home was about $15,550. President Nixon was in office, and the Beatles recorded their final album together. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid graced the big screen that year, while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the moon. In sports news, the New York Jets won the Superbowl and the Mets took home the World Series Championship.
1969 was also the year when instruction began at College of the Canyons.
In 1967, the residents of the SCV wanted a college to call their own, and just two years later hundreds of students awaited the opening of the new community college. Its name, College of the Canyons, was derived from the large number of canyons seen on the topographical map of the intended college site.
School’s In
On September 22, 1969, College of the Canyons officially opened on the temporary campus at Hart High School. With Dr. Robert C. Rockwell, the college’s first superintendent/president at the helm, over 700 students showed up to the 150 plus classes that were offered. The following year, 16 students graduated during the college’s first commencement, which took place at the Hart High School cafeteria on June 26, 1970.
A Place to Call Home
In July of 1970, the college was on the move. While the 153.4-acre campus property was not ready tenancy, 99 temporary structures were erected to accommodate the growing number of students. On October 5, 1970, classes began in the temporary buildings and by the second academic year, there was over 1,200 students…nearly doubling in attendance from the previous year.
Construction on the college’s first building, the Instructional Resource Center (IRC), began in June of 1972 and was completed just a year and a half later. The IRC was renamed to the Dr. William G. Bonelli Instructional Resources Center, which students refer to as Bonelli Hall, to honor the former COC Board of Trustees and its first president who died earlier that year. Over the next few years, College of the Canyons added more permanent buildings, also constructing the 6,000-seat Cougar Stadium for the Cougar football team. Fans cheered as the Cougars played their first home game on September 21, 1974.
From Robert C. Rockwell, the college’s first Superintendent-President, to Mr. Gary Mouck, Dr. Leland B. Newcomer and Dr. Ramon F. LaGrandeur, College of the Canyons has excelled in leadership throughout the years, setting the stage for Dr. Dianne Gracia Van Hook, who was chosen over 22 other candidates to take over as superintendent-president in 1988. Dr. Van Hook is the college’s fourth superintendent-president and the school has never seen such a significant growth and advancement since she took on the position. College enrollment was well over 5,000, which was an all-time high for the college. Major expansion plans were unveiled to renovate and expand facilities to accommodate a projected 20,000-student enrollment. By the turn of the century, the college enrolled more than 10,000 students in the spring, and nearly 11,000 by the fall semester. 
In 2002, construction began on the anticipated Performing Arts Center, which made its debut two years later. Due to the growing needs of higher education, in 2007, the Canyon Country campus opened for class. In 2009, the Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook University Center opened, a state of the art 110,000 square foot facility which houses a variety of bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, credential and certificate programs to further enhance higher education.
As we look ahead, College of the Canyons continues to grow as the construction of the new state-of-the-art Culinary Arts building is set to open this month (iCuE). The college’s culinary arts program has previously been housed in three separate facilities, but with the opening of the new permanent facility on campus, students will have the opportunity to take classes in the culinary arts as well as provide opportunities for students, faculty, staff and college programs to host events within the collegiate environment. The new facility will be approximately 12,000 square feet, and will include a “Show Kitchen,” a “Savory Kitchen,” a “Sweets Kitchen,” an area for “Wine Studies,” a “Culinary Lab space” and instructor office spaces.
The 2014-15 academic year marks College of the Canyons’ 45th anniversary of service to the Santa Clarita Valley. Over the years, College of the Canyons has grown from a small community college of several hundred students into a dynamic, comprehensive institution that serves more than 20,000 students every semester. Change and significant progress have occurred throughout the Santa Clarita Valley, and College of the Canyons has been propelled forward by a combination of the community’s growth and an unwavering commitment to transform it into one of the best community colleges in the country.
Happy 45th Anniversary, COC!
