Free RCC Journal Highlights 50-Year History With Photos
When the County launched Rockland Community College, classes were held in the former Almshouse (now Brucker Hall) and the theater and gym were housed in a barn.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: August 20, 2009
CONTACT: Lisa Saunders
(845) 574 - 4244
Historical Photographs and Reminisces Featured
at SUNY Rockland's 50th Anniversary Academic Convocation
Free convocation journal highlights half a century of RCC's history
Suffern, NY - In celebration of Rockland Community College’s impact on Rockland County, RCC is making the 50th Anniversary Academic Convocation journal free and available to the public at the Convocation on Friday, September 25, 11:00 a.m., in the Fieldhouse.
The first semester at the College began in September 1959. Classes were held in the former County Almshouse (now Brucker Hall), originally built in 1883, and the theater and gym were housed in a barn. The campus was on the site of a 26.5-acre farm with fields of cabbages and tomatoes and included the County Jailhouse. Beginning enrollment was 139 day and 162 evening students, and the library had only 224 books.
Joseph M. Famellette, Professor of Physical Education, is entering his 50th year as a faculty member. He was recruited in the fall of 1960 to build a soccer and wrestling team. He remembers, "Co-educational physical education classes were a radical new concept then, and we were among the first. I coached soccer on a hilly tomato patch, hoping to play the last quarter on the downhill slope."
In 1961, the first graduating class consisted of 39 students (22 men, 17 women).
RCC today:
- Enrollment: 11,000 students in credit and non-credit courses
- College grounds: 175 acres
- Library: 134,682 books
- Graduating Class of 2009: 886 (365 men, 521 women)
- Scholarships: The RCC Foundation has awarded almost $2 million in scholarships to students for scholastic excellence and/or financial need.
The 50th Anniversary Academic Convocation journals are available for free at the Convocation on September 25, or can be picked up after the Convocation at RCC's Campus Communications, Brucker Hall, Room 6302, on the main campus in Suffern.
For more information about the Convocation and other 50th Anniversary events, visit: http://www.sunyrockland.edu/go/50
Stay informed: sign up for RCC's free monthly e-newsletter of events by visiting www.sunyrockland.edu and clicking into the "Sign up for events newsletter" button on the lower right. Suffern campus map: http://www.sunyrockland.edu/about/campus-guide/map
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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.
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