A guide to Gloucester County College

Gloucester County College is a two-year, public, co-educational, public community college located in the American state of New Jersey. Like many community colleges in the USA, the college looks to provide affordable, accessible education programs for the local community. The college is noteworthy for having been attended by punk poet and musician Patti Smith.

History & location

Gloucester County College can trace its origins to 1965, when a public referendum approved the foundation of a community college in Gloucester County, New Jersey. The New Jersey State Department of Education gave permission for plans for the college to proceed in April 1966. By September, the first Board of Trustees had been appointed. GCC held its first graduation in 1970, which was also when work began on a new campus. The Instructional Center was the first building to be completed. Later, in January 1971, the College Center and Physical Education Center was opened, with the Fine Arts Center being completed by May of that year. The college has been expanding steadily since then, with a massive upgrade of technology and information technology facilities occurring in the early years of the 21st Century. The GCC main campus is located on Tanyard Road in Sewell, NJ. The Continuing Education is situated nearby on the same street. Classes also take place at the Gloucester County Institute of Technology as well as several local high schools.

Learning & lifestyle

According to the college's own figures, 6609 students were enrolled at the college in 2010. Some 3990 of these were full-time, with the rest, 2619, undertaking part-time study programs. Of those full-time students, slightly more are female than male, but the proportions are roughly equal. The college offers 16 associates degrees in science, with a further 13 in arts and 25 in applied sciences. There are 11 programs leading to certificates, and 14 professional development certificates. In 2010, GCC awarded 819 associates degrees to graduating students. There is a well-developed athletics and sports programs at GCC. Men's teams compete in baseball, basketball, soccer, cross country, tennis, track and field and wrestling. In addition, women's teams compete in all those sports, apart from wrestling, and play softball instead of baseball. The college's nickname for athletic purposes is the Roadrunners.