 | |
| Type | Publiccommunity college |
|---|---|
| Established | 1949 |
Parent institution | Contra Costa Community College District |
Academic staff | 670 |
| Students | 22,000 |
| Location | ,, 37°58′17″N122°4′12″W / 37.97139°N 122.07000°W /37.97139; -122.07000 |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Colors | Green and white |
| Nickname | Vikings |
| Website | www |
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Diablo Valley College (DVC) is apubliccommunity college with campuses inPleasant Hill andSan Ramon inContra Costa County,California.[1] DVC is one of three public community colleges in theContra Costa Community College District (along withContra Costa College andLos Medanos College). It opened in 1949. DVC has more than 22,000 students and 300 full-time and 370 part-time instructors.
Diablo Valley College was founded in 1949 asEast Contra Costa Junior College. The college enrolls over 22,000 students on two sites.[2]
In 2007, a six-year grade fixing scheme came to light with allegations that over 70 students used sex or cash as payment to student employees in the admissions and records office in exchange for over 400 grade changes.[3][4] Many of these students had transferred to universities and in some cases may have already graduated. By November 2007, 49 students had been charged with misdemeanors or felonies over the incident, and at least one had accepted ano contest plea.[5] A spokesperson for theAccrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges said that although the scandal was a negative factor it would be unlikely to lead to the school's loss ofaccreditation.[6]
In the first trial resulting from the grade changes, former student employee Erick Martinez was acquitted of all criminal charges on September 5, 2008. Jurors reached that decision after concluding that prosecutors failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was a definite link between Martinez and grade changes.[7][8]
| Race and ethnicity | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| Hispanic | 31% | |
| White | 30% | |
| Asian | 16% | |
| Multiracial | 9% | |
| African American | 6% | |
| Filipino | 5% | |
| Unknown | 3% | |
DVC is a "feeder" college to theUniversity of California, Berkeley;California State University, East Bay; andSt. Mary's College. It ranks among the top five transfer colleges in California.[10] In 2004, the top four transfer destinations were California State University, East Bay,San Francisco State University, University of California, Berkeley andUniversity of California, Davis.
DVC also offers a variety of occupational specialties, including hotel/restaurant management, culinary arts, dental technology and real estate. It has an active speech and debating team.
DVC offers sports including men's and women's basketball, cross country, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo, baseball, football, lacrosse, track and field (men) and soccer, softball, and volleyball (women).
Willie McGee played baseball for DVC in 1977, and would later win aNational League MVP award in 1985.[11] PitcherDoug Davis also played in themajors from 1999 to 2011.
Demarshay Johnson, a former DVC basketball star who went on to play for theUniversity of Nevada, was namedCalifornia Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) first team All-State after the 2004–05 season. That season he led the CCCAA in blocks, averaging 5.2 per game, and was namedBay Valley Conference MVP.
The DVC Viking men'slacrosse program was the first junior college club in California, forming in 2008. In 2013, DVC won the California Junior College Lacrosse Association (CJCLA) championship.[12]
The Inquirer, the college's student-run newspaper, is produced on campus by the Journalism 126 class.
The newspaper was forced to produce its paper off-site at theContra Costa Times newsroom when a bomb-threat on October 24, 2006, closed the campus and access to the newsroom was restricted.[13]
The Inquirer won General Excellence awards from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges (JACC) in 2006, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The newspaper also won a Pacesetter award from JACC in 1999.
The student union at DVC is named for Margaret Lesher, widow ofDean Lesher, founder of theContra Costa Times and cofounder of the Margaret and Dean Lesher Foundation.[14]
In addition to the athletes named above, notable alumni of Diablo Valley include:
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