Prince William Sound College
| Established | 1978 |
|---|---|
| Students | about 1400 |
| Location | , |
| Website | PWSCC |
Founded in 1978, Prince William Sound Community College (also known as PWSCC or P-Dub) is a community college located in Valdez, a town in south central Alaska.
PWSCC is comprised of three campuses, one in Valdez, another is the Copper Basin campus that can be found in Glennallen, Alaska located along the Richardson Highway, and the other Prince William Sound campus is located in Cordova, Alaska.
PWSCC is part of the University of Alaska Anchorage which is part of the University of Alaska System.
There is no out-of-state tuition, which is a major draw for its 1400 student population comprised of distance learners, international and out-of-state students.
P-Dub services approximately 44,000 sq mi which is relative to the size of Ohio.
History
Dr. John Devens founded the college in 1978. It was John’s dream to start a school, he went to the city of Valdez and asked for money. The original endowment was about $50,000 and now the city of Valdez gives about $700,000.
The buildings that make up the dormitory complex were the first buildings constructed on the new Valdez town site after the 1964 Alaska earthquake. Originally, they were Army barracks and after, low income housing until they were acquired by the college in 1977 for the price of one dollar.The current dorm buildings were fully renovated in 2010. Eventually, the college moved to its current location at 303 Lowe Street. The structure where the college is currently located was originally used as Growden Harrison Elementary School. In the 1980’s the school was closed and later purchased for one dollar by the college. The building has since undergone a handful of renovations.
PWSCC also began the Last Frontier Theatre Conference in 1993, see section below for more information.
In 1998, Maxine Whitney donated a large collection of native artifacts to the college. The collection now resides in the aptly named Whitney Museum, located on the PWSCC campus. See section on Whitney Museum below for more information.
Academic Programs
Baccalaureate Degrees
- Bachelor of Science in Natural Science*
- Bachelor of Art in Psychology*
- Bachelor of Science in Psychology*
- Bachelor of Business Administration**
- Bachelor of Art in Elementary Education**
- Bachelor of Human Services*
- Bachelor of Liberal Arts**
- Bachelor of Science, Technology, with Business Option*
- *Offered in partnership with University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) via distance
- **Offered in partnership with University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) via distance
Associate Degrees
- Associate of Arts (General Studies), AA
- Associate of Fine Arts in Playwriting, AFA
- Business Administration, AAS***
- Computer Information and Office Systems, AAS
- Disability Services
- Community Support Emphasis, AAS*
- Educational Support Emphasis, AAS*
- Speech-Language Support Emphasis, AAS*
- Fisheries Technology, AAS***
- Health Sciences, AAS***
- Human Services, AAS*
- Industrial Technology
- Millwright, AAS
- Oil Spill Response, AAS
- Safety Management, AAS
- Nursing, AAS* (requires additional clinical sequence)
- Outdoor Leadership, AAS**
- *Offered in partnership with University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) via distance
- **Offered in partnership with Kenai Peninsula College (KPC) via distance
- ***Offered in partnership with University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) via distance
Certificates
- Disability Services*
- Oil Spill Response
- Safety Management
Occupational Endorsement
- Computer Information Office Systems
- Direct Service Specialist
Accreditation
PWSCC is accredited by the Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities.
Facilities
Campus
The main campus is located at 303 Lowe Street where there are numerous classrooms and staff, a wellness center, student lounge with a 12 ft video screen, and a computer lab. The main campus is also home to a collection of various native Alaskan artifacts donated by Maxine Whitney. Historical photographs from the original Valdez town site taken by P.S. Hunt, who was a photographer working throughout Alaska in the early 1900‘s, are also on the main campus. Also, to be found at the main campus is two of the wooden bear sculptures carved by Peter Toth. (see Whispering Giant and Bears section).