Chemeketa Community College


Chemeketa Community College is a community college located in the unincorporated community of Hayesville, Oregon, near Salem, United States, with a campus in McMinnville and education centers in Dallas, Brooks, and Woodburn, and the Northwest Wine Studies Center in Eola. Chemeketa serves nearly 30,000 students each year in a district that covers in Marion, Polk, most of Yamhill, and part of Linn counties.

History

Chemeketa's history began in 1952, when the Salem School District started the Salem Technical-Vocational School to provide training for the unemployed. Two programs, Nursing and Electronics, were offered and were occupied in the school at the corner of 3rd and Gerth St. NW. In 1957, student records were lost in a fire at the district office. In 1969 the college district was formed, and a competition was held to name the new college. The winning entry came from dental assisting student Susan Blum, who wrote in her submission that the term "Chemeketa" means "a peaceful gathering place" in the language of the Kalapuya tribe. In December 1969, the Board of Education approved the name Chemeketa Community College. Property was purchased off Lancaster Street and the current Building 22 was the first official building.

Programs

In addition to the campuses and centers listed above, the college's Center for Business and Industry in downtown Salem houses the Small Business Development Center and operates classes and programs benefiting area businesses. The college also operates the Northwest Wine Studies Center which includes a working vineyard and houses its winemaking and vineyard management programs. This program was the first of its kind in Oregon.
Chemeketa offers Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates in more than 40 professional-technical programs, as well as an Associate of Arts—Oregon Transfer and a General Education degree. Chemeketa Community College is well known for its nursing, fire science, wine and electronics programs.

Notable alumni