Portland Community College (or PCC) is Oregon's largest community college, located in Portland. It serves close to 90,000 residents in the five county area of Multnomah, Washington, Yamhill, Clackamas,
and Columbia. PCC enrolls over 100,000 students
annually in this 1500 square mile (3,900 km²) area in northwest Oregon.The college was founded in 1961 as an adult education program for the local public
school system. Voters approved the establishment of an independent district for the college in 1968.There are three main campuses, which are larger facilities offering two-year degrees and a range of typical student
services:
- Sylvania, opened in the southwestern suburbs of Portland in 1968 and serving over
26,000 students annually
- Rock Creek, a 256 acre (1 km²) suburban campus opened in 1976, near Hillsboro
- Cascade, an urban campus opened in 1971, and located in the heart of north
Portland
There are several centers throughout the metropolitan area,
which are smaller facilities offering more limited or specialized programs:
- Central Portland Workforce Training Center, located near OMSI
- Portland Metropolitan Workforce Training Center
- Washington County Workforce Training
Center, also known as the Capital Center
- Southeast Center, opening Winter 2004 in the former home of the local U.S. Corps of Engineers
headquarters
- Hillsboro Education Center, on the MAX line
PCC is a member of the Northwest Athletic Association of Community
Colleges, with sports teams competing against those from the community colleges of Chemeketa,
Clackamas, Mt. Hood, Lane,
Linn-Benton, Southwestern Oregon, and Umpqua.