Community College of Allegheny County

The Pennsylvania legislature passed the Community College Act in 1963, and officials in Allegheny County began creating a local community college. County residents voted to fund the project in May 1965, and the first 15-member board of trustees was sworn in that December. [ 1 ] The college opened Boyce Campus, in Monroeville , and Allegheny Campus, on Pittsburgh's North Side , in 1966. The following year, South Campus was opened; North Campus opened in 1972. The college also has centers beyond the main campuses that offer classes.

CCAC's academic programs lead to an associate degree, a certificate, or a transfer to a four-year institution through more than 150 programs and lifelong learning, community education, continuing education, and workforce training courses. During the 2012–2013 academic year , it had more than 32,000 credit and 28,000 non-credit students. Through articulation agreements, students are guaranteed admission and the recognition of courses at several institutions offering four-year degrees .

Volunteer students operate a college-wide newspaper, The Voice . The newspaper and its staff have received several recognitions and awards in recent years, including Keystone Student Press Awards from the Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association and the Associated Collegiate Press . [ 2 ] In spring 2020, The Voice was recognized as one of the few community college student newspapers to continue to publish regularly during the COVID-19 pandemic . [ 3 ] CCAC athletics are affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The team name and mascot, Wild Cats, was chosen by a student vote in 2019. [ 4 ] Intercollegiate sports include men's and women's basketball, women's volleyball, men's baseball, men's and women's golf, and bowling.

The Community College of Allegheny County has a campus or center within ten miles (16 km) of more than 95% of Allegheny County residents. Allegheny Campus West Hall Byers Hall In Pittsburgh's Allegheny West neighborhood and surrounded by Acrisure Stadium , PNC Park , the Carnegie Science Center , and other notable landmarks, CCAC's Allegheny Campus is the largest and only urban campus of the college. Allegheny Campus features a blend of modern and historic architecture set on 10 acres (40,000 m 2 ) in a neighborhood once known as Pittsburgh's Millionaires' Row and extending to the once posh "Monument Hill" area (that rises above and behind modern day Acrisure Stadium) so named for a Civil War monument dedicated on May 30, 1871, by General George G. Meade and Governor John W. Geary . The centerpiece of the campus is the Student Services Center, a 52,000-square-foot (4,800 m 2 ) hub housing the enrollment and financial aid offices, classrooms, a student lounge, dining facilities, and a 300-seat theatre/auditorium. The campus also features a library, physical education facilities, and Milton Hall, the main campus classroom building. Along Ridge Avenue and Galveston Street are West Hall, Jones Hall, the general administration building; Byers Hall , housing the offices of the president and the Visual Arts Center. The K. Leroy Irvis Science Center was dedicated in March 2013. [ citation needed ]