The origin of Sierra College is somewhat shrouded in uncertainty.

A few believe that the college may have begun as the result of a meeting held at the  Placer County Courthouse in 1882 to discuss the establishment of an institute of higher learning.  In the year of 1882, Sierra Normal College and Business Institute began. It was a small, private college at  the location of today’s Placer High School in Auburn. 

In 1897, a high school was begun on the same spot in the same building.  It was called Auburn High School.   It was a direct outgrowth of Sierra Normal College. In 1903, the high school district purchased the Normal College grounds and the school was renamed Placer County High School. In 1906, the old Sierra Normal College structure was demolished and replaced with an ornate $40,000 brick structure. 

In 1914, the gigantic Placer Union High School District was born, stretching from Loomis to Lake Tahoe. In that same year college-level classes were offered.   The new college was named Placer Junior College; it was the indirect descendant of Sierra Normal College, which had given birth to Placer High School.   Placer Junior College was the fourth oldest junior college in California at the time.  And only one of nine statewide.  The faculty numbered four. 

However, due to enrollment loss caused by World War I,  the junior college was abandoned by 1920. But the college idea never completely died.  In 1936 the college was reestablished, again in Auburn, with the enthusiastic support of local voters.   It is 1936 that Sierra College uses as its official date of birth.

Three wings of buildings were constructed to serve primarily Placer Junior College, but Placer High School students shared many of the facilities, instructors and organizations with the new college.  The entire operating budget of Placer Junior College in its first year was … $8000.

Enrollment numbered about 100 and the college athletes went by the name “Spartans.” In 1936, Placer Junior College proudly announced its first graduate – a young woman named Marion Sully. The college grew steadily.  By 1938, 200 students were enrolled. 
Enrollment crested at 282 in 1939,
…but events quickly overtook the college in the 1940s.

Dr. John Napier was the first superintendent of the Placer High School and Junior College District.  John Napier directed the college until 1941, when Dr. Ernest Oertel briefly took over as superintendent.

Harold Chastain replaced Dr. Oertel, who left in 1942, and led the high school and junior college until 1956.   During his tenure he was instrumental in establishing educational programs for returning wounded veterans at the DeWitt Army Hospital, north of Auburn. Mr. Chastain also instituted classes that were taught in the Lake Tahoe area. 

The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor essentially ended enrollment by men as they went off to serve their country during World War II.  The war became a daily presence on campus, even while the more light-hearted aspects of college life continued.

Enrollment dropped significantly when Americans of Japanese ancestry were forced into internment camps.  The student population dropped to 53 by 1943. And the college eliminated the “Junior” from its name. 

As the war neared its conclusion in 1945, enrollment had edged up to 119.  The war’s end brought returning veterans, the end of internment, and the GI Bill of Rights. Enrollment in the post-war years exploded as a result.  1946 saw 467 students – about half were veterans. 856 were enrolled in 1949 and the Placer College facility was bursting at the seams. In 1948, Harold Chastain retained overall leadership of the school district, but Harold Weaver was appointed as Placer College president.   Harold Weaver had arrived at the college as an instructor in 1938 and would continue to serve the college as president until 1971. 

The college had reached full capacity and efforts to find a new college location began. 
Two bond issues calling for a new campus were rejected in the early 1950s. Area population continued to grow and the need for new facilities grew acute.  

In 1954 Placer College was renamed Sierra College.  The college athletes gained a new nickname – “Wolverines.”  In 1957 a bond measure to establish a new Sierra Junior College District and to pay for new facilities was presented to the Placer County electorate and passed. A parade was organized in Auburn to promote passage of the bond.  This parade was coordinated by Barbara Vineyard, current member of the Board of Trustees. The newly elected trustees selected Harold Weaver as President and District Superintendent of the new district.

In 1958, a site selection committee for the new campus was appointed.  Thirty-five possible locations were considered until the present Rocklin site was chosen.  The location near the Interstate highway then being constructed was a plus, but the land itself was far from inviting.   Located on a largely bare knob of decomposed granite, the college site was quickly nicknamed “Sahara College.”  Bond issues to fund construction were passed and the Rocklin campus began to emerge.

By 1961, the new Rocklin campus opened and enrollment reached 1500.  Landscaping, under the capable direction of   Ted Kitada, turned the campus into a garden.   In 1962 Nevada County joined a huge new Sierra Junior College District.  It began in Roseville ….and extended to the beautiful shores of Lake Tahoe. The Sierra Junior College District then had more square miles -- 3,200 -- than students. 

Enrollment boomed in the 1960s.   By the end of the decade Sierra College boasted 100 full-time faculty members,  nine new campus buildings, and enrollment was nearly 4000.  However, as fast as new facilities could be built, they were filled. 

The next several decades saw much student population growth.  The student population increased by 45% in 1962 alone.  A 32% increase happened the next year.   And a 40% boost the next.  By the turn of the 1970s, more than 4000 students were enrolled.
From 1970 to 1980, enrollment jumped from 4000 to nearly 10,000.

In 1971 Harold Weaver retired as college president and district superintendent.  He was replaced by William Winstead who served from 1971 to 1974. The Winstead Center on the Rocklin campus is named for him. 

The 1970s saw the college gaining a national reputation for its then state-of-the art electronic and computer instruction … its excellent athletic program … its diversified artistic curriculum … and its programs of social service, such as those in nursing. 
More buildings were constructed…   And still the students came, often overwhelming the facilities.   A student body president in the 1970s commented that he was seriously considering writing a petition to the governor requesting that Sierra College be designated as the state’s first 3-year college, since, as he put it, “it takes two years to get your degree, and another year just to find a parking place.” 

The 1970s saw significant changes in the social fabric and educational programs of the college as more and more classes and programs were opened to female students as past inequities were rectified.

In 1974, William Winstead became ill and was replaced by Marion Akers, who served as president and district superintendent for a few months in 1975.
In 1975, Gerald Angove was selected as the new president and district superintendent.  President Angove would serve until 1993. A Nevada County native, Dr. Angove was instrumental in developing the Nevada County Campus and in bringing the San Francisco 49ers to train in Rocklin.

In the early 1980s, Sierra College received national recognition as the Summer training camp of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League.   From 1981 to 1997, the 49ers trained in Rocklin.  Arguably, their best years were a result of their Sierra College experience.   The 49ers won five Super Bowls during their stay at the college, and have not won another one since leaving the friendly confines of Sierra.

As Sierra College entered the 1980s, its reputation for academic and athletic excellence served it well.  Enrollment from 1980 to 1990 jumped from about 10,000 to nearly 14,000.  Sierra College served a population as diverse as its geographical district.   The majority of students were now part-time.   Increased urbanization marked the counties that served the college.  The Railroad and agriculture were no longer the dominant industries as an extensive service economy came to characterize the district. 
Sierra College extended its own services with the opening of a child care center and expanded course offerings in Nevada County and other satellite centers. 
1986 marked the 50th official anniversary of the college and it was time to take stock.  In 1956 about 65 percent of students were men, but thirty years later women made up 52 percent of the enrollment. 
About half the students in 1939 indicated that they planned to earn a baccalaureate degree,  but only about 25 percent of the students expressed this goal in the early 1980s. 
As the 1990s dawned, Sierra College continued to grow, both in enrollment and for its recognized excellence.  The student population from 1990 to the year 2000 swelled from about 14,000 to nearly 18,000.  

In 1993, Kevin Ramirez assumed the mantle of President and District Superintendent and continued to serve in that capacity until 2005.  Morgan Lynn would serve as Interim President in 2005.  Dr. Leo Chavez would become college president and district superintendent in 2006.

Additional construction in Rocklin occurred.   Most notable was the building of the Learning Resources Center.   Ground was broken in December 1994 …
and then the rains came.  The construction continued until the beautiful new building, the most visible structure on campus, was opened in 1996.

Sierra College’s reputation continued to grow.   The college became a state leader in transfers to the State University and college system.   The completion of two-year degrees and certificate programs increased three-fold.  In 2005, Sierra College ranked first in California for the awarding of associate degrees and #13 nationally.
In 1996,  the 105-acre Nevada County Campus was opened.  A colorful groundbreaking marked the occasion. Twelve locations were considered in the county until property between Grass Valley and Nevada City was chosen.

Additional centers were opened in the Tahoe/Truckee area and Roseville.  And funding was provided for a new library at Twelve Bridges in association with the City of Lincoln and others.  Classes were also taught at local high schools and community centers. 
Projections of future enrollment top 25,000. And an extensive “Facilities Master Plan” provides a blueprint for the future.

But the story of Sierra College is about more than brick and mortar, it is also flesh and blood.  Sierra College is about the students, the staff, and the faculty.  And while it was sometimes hard to find a parking spot, it was very easy to find outstanding instruction and administration.  And some of these individuals had campus buildings named for them:
There isWeaver Hall, named for Harold Weaver … Sierra and Placer College instructor, administrator and College President/Superintendent, 1938 – 1971…Sewell Hall, named for J. Gordon Sewell … chemistry instructor … 1939 – 1955 …Carner Hall … named for Irvine E. Carner … business instructor … 1947 – 1972 …Ostrom Field .. named for Homer “Buzz” Ostrom, Sierra College head football coach, dean and athletic director ….1958 – 1982 …Ridley Gallery … in memory of Robert Ridley … art instructor 1969 – 1979, who died tragically in a car accident at age 40 …Walker Hall … named for Collan Walker, music instructor at Placer and Sierra College for 41 years until his retirement in 1988 …

And influential Board of Trustees members were recognized as well.  Dietrich Theatre … named for Willard Dietrich, Board member 1957 – 1972
and Lee Administration Building on the Rocklin campus … in honor of Richard A. Lee … Board member 1957 – 1972 …

But many, many more are remembered in other ways.   Through the years, the college has seen the remarkable become commonplace.  Academic accomplishment is a hallmark of Sierra College.  Just to name a few … The first discovery of dinosaur bones in Northern California was accomplished by a Sierra College instructor, Dick Hilton …In the sciences, Sierra College was, if not the first, one of the very first to accomplish the birth of an octopus in captivity… In the 1990s, Sierra College scientific experiments rode on the space shuttle Endeavor… the award-winning Standing Guard project chronicled the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II…and .. in athletics, Sierra College has a long tradition of superior accomplishment, just to name a few, in 1950, Placer College won the State Championship in Men’s Basketball, in 1999, Sierra won the State Championship in Women’s Basketball, the 2004 Wrestling team won the State Dual Meet Championship, and, in the early 21st Century, the Football team had a remarkable 37 straight victories. In February 2005, the Center for Sierra Nevada Studies, with the extensive involvement of Sierra College students, faculty, and staff and the regional community, launched the Sierra Nevada Virtual Museum, an online, interactive museum chronicling the arts, history, and natural history of the Sierra. 

But, when you come right down to it, the history of Sierra College is about the students -- stories we all know of fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and friends who changed their lives at Placer and Sierra College.  It is these stories that gives this place life … it is these stories, these human stories, which gives Sierra College meaning.  

Think about … what may have begun way back in 1882 has become this, the Sierra College we known today.  And the best part of the story is that the journey is not over.  Because, it can truly be said that the History of Sierra College follows a road that never ends.