The College of the Canyons Canyon Country Campus has many reasons to celebrate this fall 2017 semester. Not only is the campus offering one of its largest class schedules ever with more than 260 class sections, but the fall 2017 semester also marks the campus’s 10-year anniversary.

“It is hard to believe that it has been a decade since the Canyon Country campus first opened its doors,” said COC Chancellor Dr. Dianne G. Van Hook. “As a true embodiment of College of the Canyons’ pioneering spirit, the Canyon Country campus has blazed trails of success by expanding access to higher education in the eastern Santa Clarita Valley.”

In the past 10 years, the 70-acre campus has offered more than 5,000 classes and has served more than 50,000 students. In fact, nearly 73 percent of the college’s 2017 graduating class completed at least one course at the Canyon Country Campus.

To commemorate the campus’s 10-year anniversary, a variety of events and student-centered activities are planned to help celebrate and continue the progress at COC’s comprehensive second campus.

Various special events will be held throughout the year in celebration of the campus’s anniversary.

Students, staff, and community members are invited to attend the following upcoming events:

Campus Welcome Week – Tuesday, Aug. 29 through Thursday, Aug. 31
Community Open House Anniversary Celebration – Saturday, Oct. 14
Joint Associated Student Government (ASG) and Board of Trustees Meeting – Wednesday, Oct. 25
Star Party – Friday, Oct. 27

“We are very excited about the events we have planned to celebrate this momentous milestone in the history of the Canyon Country Campus,” said Ryan Theule, Vice President of the Canyon Country Campus. “The Canyon Country campus has experienced tremendous growth in the past 10 years and with the construction of the new Science Center on the horizon, we look forward to continue meeting the needs of our students.”

The second permanent building to be built on the Canyon Country Campus, the Science Center will be located in the middle of the campus, serving as a focal point for students and first-time visitors. The approximately 52,000-square-foot building will primarily be devoted to physical and biological sciences, housing eight labs, a large 70-seat lecture room, lab prep space, seven lecture rooms, three computer lab classrooms, 22 faculty offices, as well as 17 group study rooms and several meeting spaces.

Construction for the approximate 22-month long project is slated to begin this year.

The greatly anticipated Science Center will be funded in part by Measure E, which local voters approved in June 2016.

Future construction projects slated for the Canyon Country Campus include a Student Services/Learning Resources Building, which will house Student Services offices and programs. The four-story building will be opposite the Science Building at the center of campus and will also include space for the Library and The Learning Center (TLC).

“The Canyon Country Campus is filled with innovative students, staff, and faculty who will continue to make this amazing site thrive,” said Theule. “With their passion and dedication, we are excited about the many opportunities ahead at the Canyon Country Campus.”

For more information about the fall 2017 semester at the College of the Canyons Canyon Country Campus or the upcoming 10-year campus anniversary, please visit the campus’s webpage.

About the Canyon Country Campus
When the Canyon Country Campus opened its doors on August 27, 2007, it welcomed more than 3,500 students, exceeding its five-year enrollment target on opening day.

Since then, the campus has expanded access to higher education in the Santa Clarita Valley with 18 associate degree offerings and 13 certificate programs. The campus also regularly offers more than 100 classes each semester in high-demand evening, weekend, hybrid or accelerated formats to meet the needs of working students.

Each semester, campus enrollment regularly reaches between 4,000 to 5,000 students, with an average of 170 faculty teaching in approximately 300 classes that span an average of 40 academic disciplines.

Aside from offering high-quality instructional programs and supportive student services, the campus also offers meaningful community partnerships.

The Canyon Country campus hosts a wide variety of events throughout the year, such as Star Party, which is a biannual event that allows community members to learn about astronomy-related topics from experts under the night sky. Other campus activities include movie nights, community mixers, ASG student life events, Battle of the Bands, and Garden Walks.