The Truth Shall Make You Free
Long the dream of Archibald Jete Cloud, the Chief Deputy Superintendent of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD), °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø was established in response to the demand forÌýa public institution to serve both the academic and vocational needs of students as an integral part of SFUSD. It was opened in August of 1935 as San Francisco Junior College and was first housed in two temporaryÌýfacilities – one downtown and one in the Marina district. Ìý
As enrollment of theÌýCollege rapidly expanded, additional space was obtained at twenty-three nearby business and public recreational sites. Faculty and students used public transportation to travel between the many sites, giving the college the nickname of the "Trolley Car College".Ìý
In 1937, the San Francisco Board of Education approved a building plan for the College which included a 56-acre site of what is now the Ocean Campus. The new, permanent campus was officially opened in 1940 with the opening of Science Hall. With federal and state grants, the College expanded and built many new buildings during the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1970 as a result of a law requiring community colleges to operate as an independent district no longer under the supervision of a unified school district,ÌýÌýthe College separated from SFUSD and officially formed the San Francisco Community College District. With the forming of its own district, the staff, programs, and buildings of the Adult and Occupational Division of SFUSD were transferred to the new College District.ÌýThe College maintained these neighborhood education programs composedÌýprimarily of noncredit courses. With rapid growth, the College District subsequently formed two separate divisions: one for-credit courses on the Ocean Campus and another for noncredit courses offered throughout San Francisco. The two divisions merged in 1990 into a single °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø.
With approved bond measures in 1997, 2001, and 2005, totaling $491.3million, the College renovated expanded and developed new buildings and facilities throughout San Francisco, including the new Mission Campus, a new Chinatown Campus and extensive renovations at the Downtown Campus and the John Adams Campus.
Today, City College includes 11 sites citywide and serves 60,000+ students each year.ÌýThe College remains proud of the education it provides the citizens of San Francisco, and it continues to be thankful for the consistent and generous support that San Franciscans have always given City College.