Agency Details:

Green River Community College Foundation

Green River Community College improves the lives of people within our diverse communities by providing quality education and training programs. We assist students in defining and achieving their goals through instructional excellence, innovative programs and responsive services.

The Green River Community College Foundation provides resources to assist Green River Community College achieve educational excellence.

Description:
In 1975, a group of community members founded the Green River Community College Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the mission to provide resources to assist Green River Community College achieve educational excellence. The Foundation is supported by contributions from individuals and local businesses, as well as charitable bequests and investment income from prior gifts.

Last year, the GRCC Foundation awarded more than $175,000 in scholarships to over 200 students. The Foundation also funds campus improvements, library books, instructional technology, and special projects to address unanticipated needs. The Foundation’s vision is to have resources in place to accomplish Green River Community College’s excellence in education. As government funding of higher education declines, the GRCC Foundation fills an increasingly important gap.

History:
GRCC’s history reaches back to 1945, when the Auburn School District founded an adult education program which swiftly became the largest of its kind in Washington state. The program’s success was acknowledged in 1965 with the opening of GRCC’s main Auburn campus. The 1967 Community College Act set out GRCC’s charter “to offer an open door to every citizen, regardless of his or her academic background or experiences, at a cost normally within his or her economic means.”

86 students first graduated from GRCC in 1965 with degrees in fields such as nursing, secretarial science, and draftsmanship. This trickle has swelled until today, GRCC serves over 9,000 students annually. The four buildings of GRCC’s campus in 1965 have expanded to a 186-acre campus that maintains a careful balance between contemporary instructional facilities and managed forestland. In recent years, a flood of new residents to our area has necessitated opening branch campuses in Enumclaw (1995) and Kent (2005). These two campuses collectively serve over 3,000 students each year.

GRCC serves an area (District 10) that reaches north to Renton, south to the King County line, east to Lester and west to Interstate 5. Our students possess a similarly broad range of backgrounds and aspirations. 57% of students transfer to a four-year university. 27% attend to develop their basic skills and competencies. 15% of students obtain professional or technical degrees.

While meeting students’ needs, GRCC has distinguished itself as a statewide leader in innovative services:
o More than 1,000 high school students participate each year in GRCC’s Running Start program, taking advanced courses and earning college credit while in high school.
o Project TEACH (Teacher Education Alliance of Colleges and High Schools), a partnership with Central Washington University, trains current and future educators through hands-on instruction.
o The award-winning Small Business Assistance Center (SBAC) has secured over $20 million in funding for local businesses and created or saved over 400 jobs since its founding in 2000.

Contact people:

Matthew Swenson, Volunteer Coordinator, (phone), (email) Megan Evans, Development Specialist, (phone), (email) Josh Gerstman, Development Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (253) 288-3420

Address:

12401 SE 320th St Auburn, WA 98092 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.greenriver.edu

Directions:

The Main Campus is located at 12401 SE 320th Street, Auburn, WA, 98092. For a detailed map and directions, visit http://www.greenriver.edu/maps or follow these directions. FROM SOUTHBOUND HIGHWAY 167: Take Hwy 167 South toward Kent / Auburn. Take. . . (more)   Nearest Bus Stop: Onsite, 0-1 minute walk

Miscellaneous Information

Liability
	Yes
Does your organization welcome court-ordered community service volunteers?
	Yes
Does your organization have volunteer positions for youth 12-18?
	Yes

Last updated on August 31, 2009