Shasta College Celebrates 75 Years of Excellence and a Legacy of Community Service

For 75 years, Shasta College has been honored to serve our North State communities by providing affordable access to higher education. It’s a little dizzying to consider how far we’ve come. Thinking back to 1950, we see a vastly different world. Gas was 20 cents a gallon, and you could buy a house for $7,000 when Shasta College opened its first campus in Redding on Eureka Way. With a faculty of 26 and a day enrollment of 256 students, it marked the beginning of a journey that would profoundly shape the North State community.

Shasta College exponentially expands its reach and academics

Our once small local college has grown in many significant ways over the years, with extended campuses in Red Bluff, Weaverville, Burney and two centers in downtown Redding, along with the main campus on Old Oregon Trail. Today, the college serves Shasta, Tehama and Trinity Counties, including parts of Lassen, Modoc and Humboldt Counties—an area larger than the state of Massachusetts! In fact, in the 2022-23 academic year, Shasta College served over 12,500 students.

Those first classes in 1950 included many you might expect, like vocational nursing, which has run continuously for the college’s 75 years. Others, such as clerk typist, vocational homemaking and secretarial science, have long since been replaced. These days, the college offers an impressive 116 programs, 76 associate degrees, 39 certificates and one bachelor’s degree in health information management (one of the first baccalaureates offered by a community college in the state!). Famous faces: notable alums and visitors to Shasta College

Throughout its history, Shasta College has welcomed many notable personalities. We’ve had Ansel Adams, Jesse Owens, the Harlem Globetrotters and U.S. Presidents Harry S. Truman and Bill Clinton travel to visit us. Renowned authors, a U.S. Poet Laureate and past University of California President Janet Napolitano have also shared their insights with students and faculty.

Many accomplished individuals have started at Shasta College and been inspired by our instructors and coaches. The college is proud of all its notable alumni, including opera singers Sydney Mancasola and Rafael Helbig-Kostka, Q97 radio host Jennifer Jones as well as athletes Jason Sehorn, Ken Shamrock, Ricky Ray and Easton Waterman.

From civil service to the sciences, you’ll find Superior Judge Tamara Wood, CalFire Chief Joe Tyler, accountant David “D.H.” Scott, optometrist Dr. Luke Page and Dignity Health CNEO Kelley Baas among its distinguished graduates. And the next notable alumnus might just be reading this right now!

Shasta College offers many avenues for an affordable, positive college experience and many pathways to earn a college degree that will prepare young adults for successful careers or transition to a four-year college. Photos provided by Shasta College

Students keep in shape through challenging sports activities at Shasta College. Photo provided by Shasta College

Shasta College offers innovative programs with real community impact

In the last decade, Shasta College has adapted to meet the changing needs of students and rural communities. High school students ready to jump-start their higher education journey can take advantage of dual and concurrent enrollment programs, all with no tuition fees.

The work to meet the higher education needs of the North State doesn’t end there, though. With North State Together, a regional network dedicated to strengthening educational outcomes ”from cradle to career,” Shasta College is helping to address rural challenges through data sharing and partnerships across Northern California. SCAILE (Shasta College Attainment and Innovation Lab for Equity) supports innovative programs such as ACE/BOLD, enabling working adults to reenter college.

ACE (Accelerated College Education) helps adults, many of whom are already in the workforce, complete their education and obtain certificates and degrees through a more flexible pathway. With eight-week online and hybrid classes, adults can earn a certificate in as little as four months and an associate degree in 24 months.

BOLD (Bachelor’s through Online and Local Degrees) offers support for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree completion program through an online or local university, which is a real boon to those in the rural reaches of the North State wanting to expand their career potential.

Shasta College is proud of the national recognition it has received for addressing students’ educational and situational barriers through innovative and creative new approaches. Incorporating DWD (Degrees When Due) into the mix, the school helps past students realize degree potential. With Credit for Prior Learning and Competency Based Education, college-level skills gained outside of traditional classrooms can be validated toward attaining a life-changing degree.

Recent expansion at Shasta College increases accessibility to technical training

Not only has the college expanded in size, but it has also expanded partnerships with regional businesses, foundations and organizations. In 2016, the passage of Measure H saw significant advancements at Shasta College. Students can enjoy the new Computer Information Systems Center, a Public Safety Training Center, a Veterans Support and Success Center, an Industrial Technology/Machining Center, a new Student Services building at the Tehama Campus and the Community Leadership Center in downtown Redding. The library is being remodeled and will reopen in spring 2025.

Measure H also funded additional solar arrays on the Redding campus, meeting 80% of the college’s energy needs. If you’d like to see everything that Shasta College offers, come check out a football game or watch for notices about theater and music events on the school’s social media channels.

Looking to the bright future on Shasta College’s horizon

“I feel privileged to lead such an incredible institution,” says Frank Nigro, the college’s newly appointed superintendent/president. “Shasta College is committed to making ourselves student-ready to help students reach their goals quickly and cost-effectively. Our new and remodeled buildings reflect the innovative ideas and passion for excellence exhibited by our faculty, staff and students. I’m excited about the future of Shasta College.”

The college mission is to continue to fulfill the aspiration expressed in its motto chosen by Judge Richard B. Eaton at its founding, Lux Montium, which means “Light of the Mountains.” Shasta College has devoted the past 75 years to that vision as a beacon of hope and academic excellence in the North State.