Walla Walla Community College


Walla Walla Community College is a multi-campus community college in southeastern Washington state.

History

Walla Walla Community College was founded in 1967 by Peter Dietrich when the region saw a need for a community college. It was first housed in the educational complex on Park St. previously occupied by Walla Walla High School before that school moved to its current facility south of town. When WWCC grew too big for this location, it purchased land to the east of town near the airport and built its current facilities there. Eventually a branch campus was established in Clarkston, WA, 100 miles to the east as well.
WWCC added one of its most important programs, the enological and viticulture program, in the late 1990s when the town of Walla Walla was facing economic uncertainty due to the decline of the agriculture industry locally. This program is responsible in part for the boom of the wine industry in Walla Walla in that it has graduated many of the winemakers of the over 175 wineries in the area today. From here WWCC has had several more non-traditional programs, in addition to more typical programs to meet the needs of the Walla Walla Valley such as the Commercial Truck Driver Program, John Deere Technology Program, and Water Technologies and Management Program.
Most recently, WWCC is in the process of completing the Southeast Area Tech Skills Center expansion. This includes a multimillion-dollar building at the main campus to house an array of new programs in cooperation with area high schools.

Campus

The college is spread over three campuses in southeastern Washington state. The WWCC also maintains a facility at the Washington State Penitentiary.

Academics

The college has an average annual enrollment of about 9,000 students. It has numerous areas of study and certificates as well as 45 different associate degree programs.

Athletics

WWCC fields teams in eleven sports. In the Fall, Warrior Field plays host to men's and women's soccer, while volleyball takes center stage in the Dietrich Center – often referred to as 'The Dome'. The winter quarter sees The Dome taken over by the men's and women's basketball while the spring months offer baseball, softball, men's and women's golf, and rodeo. The Warriors play in the Northwest Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Notable people

head men's basketball coach Chuck Martin played here, as did Washington Redskins starting fullback Mike Sellers. Super Bowl XL champion Kimo Von Oelhoffen also spent one year playing football at WWCC. NFL long snapper Bryan Pittman played at WWCC before transferring to the University of Washington, and later played professionally for Houston, Atlanta, Seattle, and Cleveland.Gonzaga University assistant coach Tommy Lloyd played basketball here as well.