Established in 1961 by and for the residents of the high desert, Victor Valley College has served as the region’s primary provider of higher education for more than 60 years. Before the college had its permanent campus, the first classes were held at Victor Valley High School, the only feeder school in the area at the time. In 1964, local voters passed a $2.5 million bond to fund construction of the first buildings on a portion of the former Kalin Ranch site, chosen because it was central to the three largest nearby communities of Victorville, Hesperia, and Apple Valley. With each new expansion since, the college has more closely matched its founders’ vision of an institution that enriches the burgeoning community and helps students build a brighter future. The college’s 253-acre main campus is located 90 miles north of Los Angeles in the high desert of Southern California and covers a geographic service area of approximately 2,200 square miles. Three off site locations also operated by the college are:
- The Regional Public Safety Training Center, located at 19190 Navajo Road, Apple Valley, CA 92307—approximately 15 miles northeast of the main campus near the intersection of Johnson and Navajo Roads. The facility consolidates three college programs related to public safety training and career development:
- Emergency medical services (EMS)
- Fire technology
- Criminal justice
In addition, the facility includes a prop yard consisting of various fire training props and a Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training area.
- The School of Aviation Technology, located approximately 13 miles northwest of the main campus on the grounds of the Southern California Logistics Airport (formerly George Air Force Base) located at 18368 Phantom Road West, Victorville, CA 91294
- The High Desert Training Center which houses OHSA Safety, Forklift Operator, and Industrial Maintenance training courses, is located at 13313 Sabre Boulevard, Suite 2, Victorville, CA 92394.
- Hesperia High School site at 9898 Maple Avenue, Hesperia, CA 92345 with five classrooms and an office that is located approximately 7.2 mile southwest of the college, this site is dedicated to ESL (English as a Second Language) classes and general education courses.
Communities served by the college have expanded from the original (Victorville, Hesperia, and Apple Valley) to now include Adelanto, Helendale, Spring Valley Lake, Lucerne, Oro Grande, Phelan, Piñon Hills, and Wrightwood. At the start of its journey, the college was described as rural, had one feeder high school, and served a population of roughly 70,000 residents. Today the college services 32 feeder schools and serves a population base of over 400,000. According to local economists, this unprecedented growth is a result of the region’s proximity to major markets, inexpensive cost of land, affordable housing, access to major transportation arteries, and the comparatively low cost of living.
For more than 60 years, tens of thousands of residents from the high desert and beyond have journeyed to the college and have gone on to achieve remarkable success. From their ranks are civic leaders, businesspeople, service industry personnel, medical providers, first responders, professional sports team owners, and people of all walks of life who are contributors to the health and welfare of the community. These successful students represent the best evidence of the realization of the college’s mission.
VISION
Committed to equity and social justice, Victor Valley College will be the model of an innovative community college through exceptional student experiences that drive success, promote civic engagement, and meet community needs.
VALUES
As a student-centered learning organization, we will uphold the following core values:
- Excellence - providing superior service and educational learning opportunities
- Integrity - guiding the college's actions with an internally consistent framework of principles
- Accessibility - facilitating access to the college's programs from other locations
- Diversity - valuing different points of view and contributions of all
- Collaboration - encouraging recursive interaction of knowledge experience and mutual learning of people who are working together toward a common creative goal
- Innovation - providing creative approaches to learning problem solving and growth
MISSION
Victor Valley College, in partnership with the community, is dedicated to providing opportunities for student learning and success through academic advancement, workforce development, and personal growth.
GOALS
- District Goal 1 - Student Experience and Success. VVC will empower students and cultivate excellence in student learning and achievement, transfer-level course completion, engagement, retention, persistence, graduation, transfer, and job placement for its graduates. VVC will champion an equity-minded frame that fosters responsible attitudes toward cultural diversity, personal responsibility, community engagement, inclusivity, and cultural humility.
- District Goal 2 - High Quality Practice/Excellence. VVC will continue to develop and implement high-impact, student-centered practices, showcasing VVC’s dynamic, diverse, and highly trained workforce, to promote equitable, innovative, and evidence-based best practices across all campus operations. VVC will continuously demonstrate the quality of its programs by conducting ongoing and systematic improvements using research, assessment, and the professional expertise of its workforce members.
- District Goal 3 - Institutional Learning. VVC will transform its environment through its investments in a culture of inquiry that emphasizes engaged and collaborative learning through action research. Such powerful scholarship across campus will inspire meaningful contributions to the workforce and local community to create world class innovative teaching and student service practices. In turn, VVC will empower a new generation of lifelong learners with multi-cultural and global competencies.