Sixty years of opening doors, transforming lives and building the future of our community
Everyday students walk through the doors of Pierce College carrying different dreams.
Some are the first in their families to attend college. Others are returning after years away from the classroom. Some are preparing to transfer to a university, launch a new career, or earn the skills needed to support their families. Their stories are different, but they all begin in the same place – with possibility.
For 60 years, Pierce College has been helping people realize those possibilities.
What began in 1967 as a new community college serving approximately 1,500 students has grown into one of Washington state's leading community and technical college districts. Today, more than 13,500 students each year choose Pierce College's campuses at Fort Steilacoom and Puyallup, as well as Pierce College at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, pursuing everything from workforce certificates to bachelor's degrees.
This year, the college celebrates its diamond anniversary: a chance to reflect on six decades of expanding opportunity while looking ahead to the next generation of learners, leaders and changemakers.
Humble beginnings, bold vision
Pierce College's story began in an unlikely place.
In the fall of 1967, students attended classes inside a former Albertsons grocery store in Lakewood. Officially named Clover Park Community College, the institution quickly earned the nickname "Albertsons U." While the setting was temporary, the mission to provide educational opportunities to our community was anything but.
That same year, the Washington State Legislature passed the Community College Act of 1967, establishing a statewide system dedicated to making higher education accessible to every Washington resident, regardless of background, experience or financial means.
That commitment to access became the foundation of Pierce College.
The college's first commencement ceremony, held June 7, 1968, reflected those early beginnings. Seven students earned associate degrees, while approximately 200 students completed the college's adult high school program.
Even then, the college measured success not by the size of its campus, but by the opportunities it created.
Growing alongside our community
As Pierce County grew, Pierce College responded.
In 1970, construction began on what would become the permanent Fort Steilacoom campus. Students attended classes in portable buildings while watching the campus rise around them. The Cascade Building –– the college's first permanent structure –– opened in 1974, marking the beginning of a campus that today includes 16 buildings supporting everything from advanced science laboratories and healthcare simulation spaces to performing arts and career education.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the college expanded its reach through extension sites serving eastern Pierce County, Western State Hospital and correctional facilities, ensuring education remained accessible wherever students lived and worked.
In 1986, the institution officially became Pierce College, reflecting its growing role across the county. Expansion soon turned eastward with the development of the Puyallup campus. The Gaspard Administration Building opened in 1990, and in 1999 the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges designated Pierce College Puyallup as Washington's 34th community college, and created the Pierce College District, the two-campus district that serves students to this day.
Student success at the center
While Pierce College has grown dramatically over six decades, its purpose has remained remarkably consistent: helping students succeed.
That commitment is reflected in the college's recent momentum. Over the past five years, completion rates in foundational college-level math and English courses have increased by more than 20 percent. Across key student success measures — including completing college-level math and English and earning 15, 30 and 45 credits during the first year — Pierce College outperforms the statewide community and technical college system by an average of seven percentage points.
The college's focus on student achievement has earned national recognition, including the prestigious Leah Meyer Austin Award from Achieving the Dream, recognizing institutions that have built a college-wide culture centered on student success.
The results are reflected not only in data, but in the lives changed through education.
This spring alone, the college celebrated more than 2,800 graduates earning nearly 2,500 associate degrees, 270 professional certificates, more than 100 high school diplomas or GEDs and 67 bachelor's degrees.
Among today's students, 64 percent are the first in their families to attend college — continuing Pierce College's long tradition of expanding access and creating opportunity.
Looking toward tomorrow
Washington's future depends on higher education.
Nearly 40 percent of Washington residents who earn bachelor's degrees begin their journey at a community or technical college. Those graduates contribute more than $11 billion annually to the state's economy, and with Washington projected to add more than 2.4 million residents over the coming decades, the demand for accessible, high-quality education will only continue to grow.
Pierce College is preparing for that future by expanding bachelor's degree opportunities, strengthening workforce partnerships, embracing innovation in teaching and learning, and continuing to remove barriers that prevent students from achieving their goals.
The challenges may look different than they did in 1967, but the mission remains the same.
A year of celebration
The college's 60th anniversary celebration will span the entire academic year, bringing together employees, students, alumni, donors and community partners to celebrate the people who have shaped Pierce College's legacy and those who will define its future.
The celebration begins with the 60th Anniversary Kickoff Celebration during All-District Day on September 16, 2026, recognizing the employees whose dedication has built the college over six decades.
In February, Homecoming and Alumni event will reconnect graduates with the college that helped launch their journeys while celebrating current students and strengthening lifelong connections.
The celebration continues in May with the Diamond Anniversary Signature Fundraising Event, bringing together the community to invest in scholarships, student success initiatives and the future of Pierce College.
Our 60th celebration concludes in August with the Pierce College Foundation’s annual Scholarship Scramble bringing together community leaders, businesses, alumni, and supporters for a day of golf with a purpose. Sponsorship opportunities help fund scholarships for Pierce College students while showcasing our community's commitment to education and workforce development.
Building the next 60 years
Sixty years ago, few could have imagined that a small community college operating out of a former grocery store would become a cornerstone of education for Pierce County.
Yet the measure of Pierce College has never been its buildings or its enrollment. It has always been the people whose lives have been transformed through education.
For six decades, Pierce College has opened doors, strengthened communities and created pathways to opportunity.
The next chapter promises to do the same.
As Pierce College celebrates its past, it also looks confidently toward its future –– continuing to build community, drive impact and shape tomorrow for generations to come.