About Las Positas College
History
Las Positas College is located 40 miles southeast of San Francisco, amid one of California's fastest growing regions for business, science, and technology. Gently rolling hills and picturesque vineyards provide the scenic background for the College's 147-acre campus.
Las Positas College began as an extension center of Chabot College in 1963, offering 24 classes and enrolling 810 students at Livermore High School and two other sites. By 1965, the program had expanded and moved to Granada High School in Livermore. It subsequently grew to include Amador and Dublin High Schools as well. The District purchased the Livermore site that same year, intending to develop a comprehensive community college. On March 31, 1975, “Valley Campus” opened as the Livermore Education Center of Chabot College.
In 1988, the College was designated by the Board of Governors to be an independent college and on January 7, 1991, LPC received full accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges.
Overview
Las Positas College currently enrolls nearly 8,500 day and evening students. The College offers curriculum for students seeking career preparation, transfer to a four-year college or university, or personal enrichment. The College provides university transfer classes, retraining classes for those in need of employment or career advancement, a first-time educational opportunity for many adults, enrichment classes for those seeking a broader perspective, and career and technical training for those entering the technical and paraprofessional work force. Las Positas College excels in helping students transfer to the University of California system, the California State University system, and other four-year institutions.
Students who come to the College can choose any of 24 Occupational Associate Degrees, 17 Transfer Associate Degrees, and 44 Certificate Programs. In addition, the College offers community education courses geared toward personal development and cultural enrichment.
Academic rigor is maintained in a friendly, personal atmosphere. Las Positas College faculty and staff are distinguished by their energy, creativity, and commitment to making a difference in the lives of the students they serve.
Las Positas College is a learning-centered institution focused on excellence and student success, and is fully committed to supporting all Tri-Valley residents in their quest for education and advancement.
The campus is accessible from BART and Interstate 580. Students can take buses from the Pleasanton-Dublin BART station and from many locations in Livermore and Pleasanton. The College is proud of its exceptional safety record, which has made it one of the safest colleges in the Bay Area, and its commitment to sustainability, including LEED facilities, recycling and paper reduction practices, and photovoltaic (solar) parking structures generating one megawatt of energy.
Las Positas College Presidents
- Dean, Valley Campus - Barbara M. Mertes, Ph.D. - __ to 1993
- President Barbara A. Adams - 1990 to 1993
- President Susan A. Cota, Ph.D. - 1994 to 2001
- President Karen Halliday - 2001 to 2008
- President DeRionne P. Pollard, Ph.D. - 2008 to 2010
- President Kevin G. Walthers, Ph.D. - 2011 to 2013
- President Barry A. Russell, Ph.D. - 2013 to 2018
- President Dyrell Foster, Ph.D. - 2019 to Present
History of Las Positas College
Las Positas College began as an extension center of Chabot College in 1963, offering 24 classes and enrolling 810 students at Livermore High School and two other sites. By 1965, the program had expanded and moved to Granada High School in Livermore. It subsequently grew to include Amador and Dublin High Schools as well. The District purchased the Livermore site that same year, intending to develop a comprehensive community college. On March 31, 1975, “Valley Campus” opened as the Livermore Education Center of Chabot College.
In 1991 the first full graduating class was honored at Convocation. There were 5 buildings on the west end of campus and Convocation was held on the lawn to the west (in front of) the current Building 700.
What Does "Las Positas" Mean?
The Spanish word "pozos" means springs. The early Tri Valley settler, Robert Livermore, named his homestead "Las Positas", as it had a nice spring running through it. This was apparently his own form of Spanish to mean "The Springs." Livermore was born and raised in an English village named Springfield, in Essex. The village still has the Livermore family home "Springfield House", thus a connection to his home village was in the name "Las Positas."
Robert Livermore married the widow Maria Josefa de Jesus Higuera on 5 May 1838, daughter of José Loreto Higuera, a grantee of Rancho Los Tularcitos. She was a member of the Higuera and Bernal families. Some of her elders were in the Spanish party accompanying De Anza into Norte California in 1775-76.
Credit: Janet Newton, "Las Positas, the Store of Robert and Josefa Livermore," 1969.