Skagit Valley College celebrates centennial at Whidbey Island campus
WHIDBEY ISLAND - A totem pole dedication, live music, food and festivities marked Skagit Valley College's centennial celebration, called "Through the Decades," Tuesday at the Whidbey Island campus.
The event celebrated the people and milestones that shaped the college throughout the past 100 years.
Skagit Valley College opened in 1926 with its Mount Vernon campus, and the Whidbey Island campus opened in 1970.
VIDEO: Skagit Valley College Whidbey Island Campus centennial celebration
Skagit Valley College celebrates 100 years with festivities Tuesday at the Whidbey Island campus.
The college has evolved to meet workforce and community needs throughout the years.
Skagit Valley College Interim President Tom Keegan said the college will continue to increase instructional programs and partnerships to meet the changing needs in the future.
When the Whidbey Island Campus opened, 600 students registered. The college offered vocational and basic skills training at the Swinomish, Lummi and Tulip reservations.
Campus enrollment expanded to 922 students in 1971, which included 75% U.S. Navy personnel and dependents.
In 1973, the Navy transferred property ownership and the former hospital building to the Whidbey Island Campus, and enrollment increased by 18%.
Persian Gulf War demonstrations took place at the Whidbey campus starting in 1990.
In 1993, Hayes Hall opened at Whidbey Campus, named for Dean Harlow Hayes. Oak Hall opened on campus in 2003, which included student services, faculty offices, classrooms and labs.
Keegan said new programs are coming to the Whidbey campus, including higher levels of arts and sciences courses, and an EMT program that will be launched in partnership with Whidbey Island fire departments starting fall 2026.
The EMT program is expected to have 10 to 15 students enrolled in its first year, with the goal of expanding to two cohorts per year.
State Rep. Dave Paul, who is also the director of community relations at the Whidbey campus, said it's heartwarming to see the impact of the college through many generations and to hear people's stories about how Skagit Valley College shaped many people's careers and lives.
A story pole was unveiled at the celebration, carved by Swinomish Coast Salish Master Carver Kevin "Wa lee hub" Paul, a tribal elder and resident of Swinomish land and La Conner.
The story pole is centrally located on campus with a backdrop of the harbor.
Paul said the piece is meant to honor the generations of students who have attended the college, and the students yet to come.
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