History

About the College

Bucks County Community College was founded in 1964 as the first public two-year college in the county. Sponsored by the County of Bucks under provisions of the state’s Community College Act, the College’s first 15-member Board of Trustees was appointed on October 5, 1964, by the County Commissioners.

Three months later, the site of the College was determined when the county acquired 200 acres of the former 2,000 acre Tyler Estate in Newtown Township from Temple University. The estate had been bequeathed to Temple in 1963 by Mrs. Stella Elkins Tyler, a sculptress and patron of the arts who had been a university trustee for 20 years.

Over the years the Newtown campus continued to grow. In 1968 the first major expansion included construction of Founders Hall, the Library (Pemberton Hall), the Gymnasium and pool, and the Student Union Building (Charles E. Rollins Center).

The 1972 expansion included construction of Penn Hall, a new Library, including an audio-visual center, an auditorium and two television studios; conversion of the original Library into Pemberton Hall, which housed a computer lab and the Office of Admissions, Records and Registration; and conversion of the former Computer Center in a carriagestyle garage into the Hicks Art Center.

A facility for Fine Woodworking was added to the Hicks Art Center in 1980. In 1994, the Music and Multimedia Center was constructed for the College’s music and communication students. The 3D Arts building opened in 2002, providing extensive modern facilities for sculpture, ceramics and glassblowing programs.

The Early Learning Center, a childcare center for children of students and staff, opened in 1973 and moved to its own building behind Founders Hall in 1987. The Gateway Center, which houses science labs, a teleconference center and computer classrooms, was constructed in 1999. A new home for the Wellness Center, adjacent to the gym, was added in 2002.

A new 11,900-square-foot building to house the College’s Practical Nursing, Radiography, and Allied Health programs, scheduled to open in 2006, is adjacent to the Music and Multimedia Center.

To better serve the needs of the entire county, the College is scheduled to open a new free-standing 35,000-square-foot Lower Bucks County Campus in 2007, complete with science labs, classrooms, and meeting rooms. The new facility replaces the Bristol Center, which opened in 1989 in a nearby office park. Meanwhile, the Upper County Campus in East Rockhill Township near Perkasie continues to thrive since its opening in 1999, with further expansion scheduled.

BCCC Foundation

The Bucks County Community College Foundation was established in 1982 as a non-profit educational trust under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to provide expanded resources for the growth and development of Bucks County Community College.

In its quest to advance the College as a community of excellence, the Foundation proactively approaches the private sector of the Bucks County community to secure financial support and other assistance. This community support enhances the College’s ongoing activities and programs as well as initiates new services and programs not adequately funded through traditional sources.

Foundation funds support instructional resources, campus facilities, scholarships and awards, cultural activities and special College projects. The Foundation assists donors in creating the maximum benefit from their gifts, thereby enabling immediate and endowment goals to be enjoyed by both the College and the benefactor. In addition to soliciting and receiving funds and other gifts on behalf of the College, the Foundation encourages community awareness through special events, such as the annual Tyler Tasting Party, “Meet the Author” Business Seminar, and Golf Classic.

The Foundation is administered by an executive director and governed by a board of directors. These volunteers are leaders in business, industry, education, health care, community services and the arts throughout Bucks County. For more information about the Foundation, call 215-968-8224, e-mail foundation@bucks.edu, or visit the web site at www.bucks.edu/foundation.