Page 51 of Antelope Valley College 1995-1996 Catalog by Antelope Valley Community College Lancaster California

General Information 49 Philosophy Antelope Valley College is a comprehensive community college in the California Community College System dedicated to providing services to a broad range of students with a variety of educational goals. Antelope Valley College is dedicated to providing educational programs and services as expressed in the California Master Plan for Higher Education. The College is committed to equal educational op- portunity and reinforces that commitment through a program of active affirmation of diversity. Antelope Valley College is dedicated to meeting the dynamic needs of a changing community. The College addresses the educational needs of a diverse and evolving population. The College recognizes that it is uniquely capable of responding to the requirements of regional business, industry, and public service, as well as the social and cultural needs of the Antelope Valley. Antelope Valley College affirms the rights of the individual and respects human dignity. The programs and activities of the College foster the individuals ability to think clearly, critically, and independently to meet the demands of an increasingly complex society. The student is the primary concern of the College. The curriculum, activities, and services of the College help students understand their physical, cultural, ethnic, and social environment. The preservation of academic freedom provides a college environment in which students and faculty can examine ideas freely. This philosophy is reflected in the curriculum, the student-faculty relation- ships, the services and resources, and the policies of the College. Mission The mission of Antelope Valley College is to serve the community by providing comprehensive programs in the following areas: Transfer programs for students desiring a Baccalaureate degree. The courses in the transfer programs are equivalent in content, credit, and quality to courses offered in lower division programs of four-year colleges and universities. Associate degree programs for students who combine the completion of the College General Education require- ments with the fulfillment of a study major and/or the requirements of a certificate program. A vocational and technical educational curriculum providing business and industry with qualified individuals. A general education program which provides the essential base for degree, vocational, and transfer programs. General education develops students knowledge, skills, and attitudes and enhances students analytical ability and critical thinking essential for participation in a complex society. A developmental education program designed to serve a diverse student population with a variety of educational needs. This program provides the opportunity for the individual to profit from the Colleges educational offerings. Student services which promote the development of each individuals talents according to aptitudes; abilities, interests, and motivations, as well as assist students in fulfilling their educational objectives. Learning assistance services and learning resources consistent with the requirements of the educational programs. A non-credit education program to assist adults in maintaining com- petencies and developing themselves as individuals. A community service program which addresses the developmental, rec- reational, cultural and specific educational needs of the community, consistent with the resources of the College and the requirements of the educational program. Transfer, associate degree, and vocational programs are the first priority of the College. In addition, the curriculum for these programs must be supported by general education and developmental education. Adult education courses that address the social, cultural, and economic well-being of the community are a second priority. Community service classes and programs are a third priority. The College must provide student services, learning resources, and learning assistance to support the needs of students in achieving their goals. In addition, the College shall recognize the diversity of its students and shall include educational programs, student activities, and community services that address that diversity. Governance Antelope Valley College is a public community college which operates under the, Board of Trustees of the Antelope Valley Community College District. History The institution was founded in 1929 as a department of Antelope Valley Joint Union High School in Lancaster. The average daily attendance at the college was 13, during the 1929 30 school year. There was little growth in enrollment at the college during the depression years that followed. Alfalfa farmers in Antelope Valley were hard hit during the 1930s, and the smallest junior college in California suffered serious financial difficulties. Teachers took a 20 percent cut in salaries, which ranged from a state-mandated minimum of $1,350 a year to a $1,595 maximum. Average daily attendance (ADA) at the college reached 100 by 1939, but when the boys went off to World War II, it was back to square one. Attendance reached a low of 13 during the war, the same ADA as the year the school was founded. There were pressures to close the junior college, but trustees and staff personnel held out until the vets returned from the war. Enrollment grew steadily during the post-war years, partly because of the GI Bill of Rights and partly because Antelope Valley began developing an aircraft industry.

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