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A Dream Realized

Reflections...

As we pause and look back at where we started, I am proud to say we have
done what we said we would do: bring programs, opportunities and part-
nerships to Canyon Country to help our students turn their dreams into real-
ity. We offer a wide and ever-growing variety of majors, courses and student
services. The Canyon Country Campus is a reflection of a promise kept, and a
pledge to continue doing what we do best – equipping our students to suc-
ceed. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and even more ex-
cited about what the future holds!
Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook
Chancellor, Santa Clarita Community College District

Enrollment at College of the Canyons mirrored the explosive growth of the community. While
enrollment soared at the Valencia campus, growth was also occurring on the eastside.

Demand for the Canyon Country Campus has its roots in the 1990s, when the state predicted
The ACCESS Center heralded even better things to come when it opened in the Canyon Country Jo Anne Darcy Library
another campus would be needed to serve the growing Santa Clarita Valley. A California Com- in 2001. That same year, a second campus in the eastern Santa Clarita Valley was listed as a priority in the district’s
munity College Chancellor's Office study in 1990 identified the need for 13 new community col- Educational and Facilities Master Plan.
lege campuses and 25 smaller educational centers throughout the state. College of the Canyons
was recommended to receive both a new campus and a new education center to serve students cre- classes at the Valencia campus as well. e center’s success provided a compelling in-
ated by the expansive growth in the Santa Clarita Valley and northern los Angeles County. Surveys dicator that a larger, permanent education facility was necessary to properly serve res-
of community and business leaders also identified the need to better serve the eastern Santa Clarita idents of the eastern Santa Clarita Valley.
Valley. e college began offering evening classes at Canyon and Saugus high schools in 1999, fol-
lowed by a more ambitious concept known as the ACCESS Center. Further reinforcing the need for a more comprehensive educational facility was the
fact that the Santa Clarita Valley had just one main, cross-valley artery: Soledad
ACCESS CENTER FILLS THE GAP Canyon road and Valencia Boulevard. Access to the Valencia campus was challenging
for residents of the eastside, especially Saugus and Canyon Country residents. Popu-
lation projections indicated continued future growth in Canyon Country. Studies of
Beginning in 2001, the district made a dramatic improvement in access to education by opening enrollment data indicated that 32 percent of Valencia campus students resided in
the ACCESS Center in the Canyon Country Jo Anne Darcy library in partnership with the City Canyon Country. e district determined that the limitations of the ACCESS Center,
of Santa Clarita. In 2004, the district responded further by offering classes at Golden Valley High combined with current and future demand for access to higher education in Canyon
School. A series of focus groups and community surveys, as well as an analysis of enrollment pat- Country, required expansion of college programs in Canyon Country.
terns and projections, confirmed the demand for access to college programs in Canyon Country.
A second campus on the east side of the Santa Clarita Valley was listed as a priority in the 2001 e ACCESS Center was a success, but it was unable to fully meet the area’s educa-
Educational and Facilities Master Plan. tional needs. Ultimately, it served as a compelling argument that a more comprehen-
sive facility was needed. Bolstering the idea of a new campus were other compelling
With 812 students enrolled in 68 class sections, the ACCESS Center was successful but limited, trends, such as high growth projections for the area and the college’s own data that re-
considering it had just five classrooms, one of which was a computer lab. It had a limited mix of vealed 32 percent of Valencia Campus students lived in Canyon Country and Saugus.
transferable and non-transferable courses. Students seeking a wider variety of classes had to take e stage was set to put an ambitious plan in motion.

10 C A N Y O N C O U N T R Y C A M P U S : F I V E Y E A R S I N R E V I E W C A N Y O N C O U N T R Y C A M P U S : F I V E Y E A R S I N R E V I E W 11