BCC Turns 40

Timeline

Late 1950s

Somewhat isolated in small, mostly rural communities, residents living east of Lake Washington want accessible, affordable higher education. They become part of a nationwide grass-roots movement for two-year community colleges.

1957-1958

A college planning committee of Eastside citizens forms, made up of school district officials.

The 1960s

The community college planning committee makes enough progress to convince voters in 1962 to pass a $575,000 levy to establish a college. A year later, the Bellevue School District purchases 70 acres for the College in the Eastgate area, six miles southeast of downtown Bellevue. Yet despite the progress, planning for the college lags.

News clipping from the Eastside Journal, 1967. Sign reads, "Future Site of Bellevue Community College. Temporarily located at Newport High School."

Residents and business leaders rally to form another committee called The Greater Eastside Community College Advisory Council, which lobbies the state legislature heavily until, in 1965, the legislature grants $30,000 to plan a community college for the Eastside.

1965

In late September, the college begins accepting applications for Winter Quarter, 1966. A total of 464 credit students ultimately register, with 295 of those signing up in just the first two days. Fifty people camp out overnight to be first to register for classes.

1966

On Jan. 3, Bellevue Community College opens at its temporary home at Newport High School, with 464 students and 37 instructors. The Eastside finally has its own community college. With no facilities of its own, the college holds classes in the evening at Newport High School. Faculty and staff offices are in portables.

BCC operated in temporary quarters at Newport High School from 1966 through summer of 1969.

The curriculum is heavy on academics, such as trigonometry, physics and botany, social science and English. The vocational classes include practical nursing, basic aircraft blueprint reading and food service management.

Parent Education program begins.

Early BCC nursing students gain practical experience at a local hospital.

Dr. Merle E. Landerholm is appointed president of the College in January by the Bellevue School District.

Merle Landerholm began his career in education in 1951 as a civics and history teacher at Bellevue High School.

In 1954, he switched to administration, holding such positions as vice principal of Bellevue junior high, principal of Highland junior high, director of personnel for the district, assistant superintendent, and chief planner for the Bellevue community college.

In January 1966, at 38 years of age, he was selected — from 30 applicants from across the nation — to be the first president of Bellevue Community College.

Mr. Landerholm served as president of BCC until his death in 1976.

He earned bachelor's and a master's degrees from Washington State University, and a doctorate degree from Teacher's College at Columbia University.

In June, the first meeting of the BCC Board of Trustees is held. Dr. Merle E. Landerholm is formally elected President of the College.

Showing a concern for diversity that will characterize the college for decades to come, BCC adds a class called ``Negroes in History.”

1967

The college graduates its first class in June, with 10 students earning degrees and certificates and 15 earning high school diplomas.

The state legislature passes the Community College Act of 1967, creating a state community college system and separating Bellevue Community College from Bellevue School District.

BCC's first men's basketball team is fielded in December and wins the state community college championship that season.

A 1968 story in the Bellevue American announces the state championship won by BCC’s first basketball team.

In addition to intramural and intercollegiate athletics, students enjoy a lecture series, a concert series, discussion forums on current issues, and eight major dances during this time.

BCC students elect their first student body officers and launch a weekly campus newspaper, The Jibsheet.

Developmental Education is initiated.

Ground is broken in December 19 for the $6 million Phase I of campus construction on a wooded, 96-acre tract. The campus design consists of two modular wings of classrooms, walkways and malls bordering a central pedestrian commons, and wins designers Naramore, Bain, Brady & Johanson a national award from Progressive Architecture magazine. ( View construction photos)

A light moment during 1967 groundbreaking ceremonies for construction of BCC’s campus.
Pictured: Board of Trustees Chairman, C.W. Duffy (left), and BCC President, Merle Landerholm (right).

1968

The Black Student Union is founded by student Al Ferdinand.

1969

Continuing Education Classes are launched in January, offering non-credit, lifelong learning opportunities for the entire community.

BCC begins Fall Quarter 1969 on its new campus, with 2,200 full-time students. Offices and some classes remain in portables as construction continues.

Portable offices were brought in to house faculty and staff while the college’s main campus was still under construction.

Bellevue Community College is dedicated in December.

BCC leadership and faculty process toward dedication ceremonies for the new campus, December 1969.

The 1970s

The college continues to grow in enrollment, curriculum and physical space through the middle of the decade. Student services expand to include health care, childcare, career counseling, and specialized assistance for women, people of color, and students with disabilities.

1970

BCC receives accreditation in October by the Northwest Association of Secondary and Higher Schools.

“Chester,” a dial-in information retrieval system in the Library Media Center, is installed and begins to pipe audio and video signals to external callers as well as students in booths in the media center.

Chester arrives in the BCC Library Media Center in 1969. This $80,000 dial-access information retrieval system requires an entire room of its own (it took up 240 square feet). Chester piped information and programs via audio and video signals over phone lines to dial-in callers, as well as to students in booths in the Library Media Center.

Chester was the first system of its type to be installed in the State of Washington, and the first in the entire United States to offer off-campus dial-in access.

Chester takes on a personality of its own, with Wayne Bitterman, Media Specialist, providing Chester’s voice.

Students use audio tutorials to study anatomy, physiology and biology. Audio and videotapes are used in economics classes.

Audio tapes were used to enhance instruction in a number of science classes, leading students through lessons then pausing as students took time to review visual aids.

1971

Phase II of campus construction begins in January. The $8.5 million addition ultimately will double the size of the campus and provide a 300-seat theatre (the largest public theatre in Bellevue); a 2,500-seat gymnasium and sports complex; a planetarium seating 66; a daycare center; and a greenhouse.

A Black Awareness Workshop at BCC leads to the formation of the Minority Affairs Program, which serves all students regardless of ethnic or cultural heritage.

New student clubs are formed: Married Student Union, Ecological Action Club,

International Club, American Indian Student Association, Young Business Managers of America, Young Democrats, Young Republicans, Secretarial Association.

The BCC Indian Club was one of the first of hundreds of student clubs chartered at BCC over the years.

The annual base salary for professional personnel is $8,200.

BCC Day Care Center opens, only 10 days after college officials give their approval and a location is selected.

BCC's Day Care Center is a cooperative program, in which student-parents are required to take an early childhood education class for one quarter as well as work a few hours each week at the center as long as their children are enrolled

1972-74

BCC has nine instructional divisions: Allied Health, Business, Creative Arts, Home and Community Education, Humanities, Individual Development, Physical Development and Performance, Science, Social Science.

Women's sports programs begin with volleyball and basketball.

Carlson Theatre opens with the musical production, "The Boyfriend."

As a national energy shortage hits, BCC encourages carpooling.

1972

The Women's Center is established.

1973

Phase II construction is completed, and Phase III is launched. The third and final phase will add 23,928 square feet of new space to accommodate 228 new students in occupational facilities, and also provide a running track with a rubberized field surface and paved field event areas.

BCC’s radio station, KBCS 91.3 FM, goes on the air in February with 10 watts of power. Daily programming includes shows on politics and religion.

News media greet the arrival of BCC’s radio station, KBCS 91.3 FM.
The station's daily broadcasts on 91.3 FM included programs on politics and religion.

1974

BCC’s planetarium opens, becoming the first major planetarium in the Puget Sound area.

Construction nears an end prior to the opening of BCC’s planetarium in 1974. BCC remains Washington State’s only community college with a planetarium.

Phase III construction is completed.

1975

Students register using cathode-ray terminals (CRTs) connected to BCC’s central computer. The new system reduces lines and provides up-to-date review of the quarterly class schedule. Students receive confirmation of their class schedules during registration via telephone.

Popular professional/technical programs include Cashier Training, Diver Certification, Environmental Horticulture, Fashion Merchandising, Graphic Reproduction Technician, Media Technician.

BCC’s cable TV station goes on the air, broadcasting college information and courses. One of the first such “distance-learning” courses is based on the popular book, Roots.

With a $12,000 grant from the International Telephone and Telegraph Corporation, BCC establishes a television hookup with the local cable TV system. Viewers and students can view courses from the comfort of their living room couch.

1976

President Merle Landerholm dies suddenly in August, and the college community mourns its beloved first leader. Roy Wahle and Wayne Siegel, dean of students, serve as interim presidents while a national search is undertaken for a successor. Thomas O'Connell, a community college president from Massachusetts, is selected in the spring of 1977.

1978

The Bellevue Community College Foundation is formed to raise funds to support quality education and learning opportunities for all students.

The 1980's

It's a decade of change - sometimes difficult change - for BCC. An economic downturn hits the Puget Sound region and the College faces deep budget cuts that eliminate a number of programs and services and consolidate others. Layoffs are unavoidable, and BCC is forced to cut back enrollment.

1983

President O’Connell resigns. He is succeeded by Dr. Paul N. Thompson.

1984

The college works to reduce its reliance on state funding by seeking more grants and private donations. The Development Office is created to handle public relations and fund-raising

The BCC Alumni Association is formed.

1988

President Thompson resigns. Richard White serves as interim president until a new president is selected.

1989

B. Jean Floten , Executive Vice President at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Washington assumes the Presidency of BCC on June 1.

B. Jean Floten has served as President of Bellevue Community College since June 1, 1989. Prior to coming to BCC, she was Executive Vice President at Edmonds Community College in Lynnwood, Washington.

President Floten has led BCC than any other president in its history. Under her leadership, BCC has become the third largest institution of higher learning in Washington State, known nationally for its innovations in programs and teaching methods.

The 1990s

The 1990s are a time of new growth and emergence as an educational leader. As computer technology drives a powerful Eastside economy, President Floten commits the College to help meet demand for high-tech workers, and BCC moves into the forefront of information technology education, earning national recognition.

Computers become ubiquitous in BCC classrooms and offices. New tools for communication include e-mail and Web pages.

Enrollment soars, overcrowding BCC's 20-year-old facilities. For the first time in decades, the college constructs new buildings.

Online classes over the Internet add a new dimension to distance education.

1993

The Student Services Building is constructed, funded by student fees and private funds. It is the first building added to BCC’s campus since the mid-1970s and marks the beginning of a period of construction that will more than double the college’s square footage by 2004.

BCC’s student services building houses the registration desk, cashiers, the bookstore, and offices for International Student Programs and many support resources such as Multi-Cultural Services and academic advising.

1995

The National Science Foundation awards BCC $3 million to establish the Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies and names BCC a Center of Excellence in Information Technology. This seminal grant (soon followed by another from the NSF totaling $2 million) ultimately brings national recognition for the college.

BCC launches its first home page on the World Wide Web.

Students may register over the phone using touch-tone dialing.

BCC launched its first home page on the Internet in 1995. Now, via a new Web portal installed in 2004, many instructional and administrative functions are carried out over the Web.

1997

BCC offers its first course via the Internet: Economics 200.

1998

The College pioneers Fast-Track educational programs in Continuing Education. Fast-Track courses compress one year or more of education into four to seven months of intense study. Other colleges nationwide copy the program design.

The American Productivity and Quality Council recognizes BCC for best practices in faculty development.

The American Association of Community Colleges awards BCC mentor college status in information technology.

The N Building, also called the Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies, opens in April. The $15 million, state-of-the-art facility houses computer labs and high-tech classrooms as well as a program called the Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies (later renamed the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies), whose purpose is to help develop the national workforce for the new information economy.

The N Building houses computer labs and high-tech classrooms, as well as the National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies (NWCET). The NWCET is an Advanced Technology Education Center of Excellence funded by the National Science Foundation, whose purpose is to help develop the national workforce for the information economy. Its educational products and programs have been used nationwide, bringing new stature to Bellevue Community College.

BCC is named one of the top community colleges in the nation by Rolling Stone magazine.

1999

Vice President Al Gore cites BCC as one of 20 colleges known for world-class 21st Century job preparation.

L Building opens with additional classrooms and office space.

BCC’s L Building, constructed in 1999, houses the interior design program and much of the science division. It’s spacious lobby is a favorite site of students for socializing and study.

2000

By 2000, the college has come of age with the rest of the Eastside, from a quiet, rural community to a busy, diverse, high-tech hub.

The Student Union is renovated with a curved two-story glass exterior to allow in more external light.

The Student Union is a focal point on campus, housing the student programs office, student government, the Jibsheet student newspaper and the Campus Activities Board. It also houses the cafeteria and provides a warm and welcoming area for socializing.

2001-04

The state and national economies falter after the “dot.com crash” and the 9/11 terrorist attacks. BCC enters another period of reduced funding from the state. Belt-tightening over the next several years requires the cutting of several million dollars from the budget and leads to layoffs. Academic programs are preserved.

With layoffs growing around the Puget Sound Region, BCC adds to its repertoire of Fast-Track courses to help workers get back into the workforce quickly.

Online services grow to offer a full range of options for students via the Web including online admissions, registration and access to their grades, as well as chat rooms for discussions with instructors.

2001

Annual enrollment (unduplicated headcount, credit and non-credit) reaches a peak of 39,300 students during the 2000-01 academic year. BCC is the third-largest higher-education institution in Washington.

The College’s Continuing Education program, the largest among the state’s 34 community and technical colleges, moves into a former Microsoft headquarters building that becomes known as North Campus.

BCC’s North Campus, at the northern edge of Bellevue, is home to the college’s Continuing Education program and some credit classes.

Service Learning debuts at BCC. Service learning combines community service with classroom instruction. Students gain a sense of civic responsibility and real-world experience that complements the ideas they study in class.

Continuing to expand to accommodate a growing student population. the college in November opens the new R Building with classrooms and faculty offices. The R Building is a “green” facility, containing such ecologically sound components as geothermal heating and greater use of natural light.

The R Building is a ‘green’ facility, made primarily of recycled materials and using geothermal heat and cooling. With a three-story classroom wing and a two-story office wing, it is the largest classroom building on BCC’s campus, providing 33 additional classrooms, a dance studio, and 52 faculty and staff offices.

2002

The Center for Liberal Arts is created in February to promote Liberal Arts education; encourage civic engagement; foster excellence in research, scholarship and teaching; and sponsor lectures and cultural events for the campus and community.

In May, the College opens the Early Learning, Family, and Childcare Center, created in collaboration with Costco Wholesale Corporation. Washington Governor Gary Locke leads the dedication of the model program, which combines day-care, parent education and the College’s early childhood education programs into a cohesive whole.

BCC’s Early Learning, Family and Childcare Center brings together all of the college’s early-childhood programs to create a unified, model program – a combined learning environment for children, students and parents. The facility promotes interaction among college students enrolled in the college’s early childhood education programs, adults in parent education classes and children in day care and Head Start programs. The $5 million facility provides 14 children’s classrooms, two parent/child classrooms, one adult classroom, several outdoor play areas, a kitchen, conference rooms and a resource area for the community.

Also in May, BCC is honored with the Eastside Economic Leadership Award from the Bellevue Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes BCC as a positive economic factor, contributing to the development of employment opportunities on the Eastside.

2003

BCC establishes a Health Sciences, Education and Wellness Institute to coordinate educational offerings in an increasingly important professional/technical training area.

2004

BCC wins a National Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Collaboration Award from the Community College National Center of Community Engagement for a course entitled “Multicultural Entrepreneurship and Consulting.”

Recognizing the extent to which BCC has infused international learning throughout its programs, NAFSA (Association of International Educators) awards BCC the Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization.

After years of increasingly inadequate parking due to enrollment growth, BCC in June opens a 764-space student parking garage, financed by student fees.

After years of increasingly inadequate parking due to growth, Bellevue Community College opens a 764-space student parking garage in June of 2004. Built at a cost of $13 million, the four-story garage is funded through student fees and is reserved for students only. A fifth floor, added in 2005, is open to employee parking.

2005

BCC and Eastern Washington University agree in April to establish an EWU University Center on the BCC campus, offering upper-division courses leading to EWU bachelor’s degrees.

BCC receives the national Equity Award from the Association of Community College Trustees, honoring the college’s success in promoting diversity on campus.

Working together, Bellevue Community College and Eastern Washington University (EWU) are creating Eastern Washington University @ Bellevue, a university center on the BCC campus offering upper division courses that lead to EWU bachelor's degrees.