Pima Community College

Voters in Pima County approved the creation of a junior college district in 1966 and the first classes were held in 1969 at a temporary campus in an airplane hangar at the Tucson International Airport , Tucson Medical Center , Villa Maria, and Marana. The college was originally named Pima College , but the name was changed to Pima Community College in 1972 to better reflect the mission of the college. [ 5 ] In 2008, PCC's board of governors began receiving anonymous complaints of sexual harassment by PCC chancellor Roy Flores. The board took no formal action until 2011 and Flores resigned in 2012 citing health problems. [ 6 ] The search for his replacement had been troubled. In February 2013, PCC discovered that the search consultant failed to disclose an issue with a finalist for the job; the consultant was fired and the job search extended. [ 7 ] One month after the chancellor search was extended, the interim chancellor resigned in the wake of a scathing report issued by PCC's regional accreditor, the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). [ 8 ] The report documented not only the ignored complaints of sexual harassment but also a hostile work environment and numerous administrative and financial problems. The report discussed problems with admissions standards which PCC changed in 2011, problems the college has admitted. [ 9 ] As a result of the problems Pima had been on probation with the HLC; however, on February 26, 2015, the probation was rescinded. Pima was placed "On Notice" for deficiencies. [ 10 ] That was removed in February 2017 and the college has been fully accredited since then. [ 11 ] PCC also received media attention in early 2011 for being the former school of 2011 Tucson shooting perpetrator Jared Lee Loughner . While he was at PCC, some of his teachers complained to the administration about his disruptions and bizarre behavior, as they thought them a sign of mental illness and feared what he might do. The college suspended Loughner. [ 12 ]

The original campus for Pima College was located at the site which is now the West Campus. Before the campus opened, classes were taught at a variety of locations around Tucson. From 1971 to the present, the college district has expanded to meet the growing educational needs of the Tucson area. The campuses and learning center provides traditional classroom, distance learning, and hands-on learning opportunities. There are six campuses in the Tucson metropolitan area: Community campus (closed in 2019) [ 13 ] Desert Vista campus Downtown campus East campus Northwest campus West campus Additionally, there are four Learning/Education Centers: Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Education Center Green Valley Community Learning Center Northeast Education Center (closed in 2011) Southeast Education Center Community campus The Pima Community College Community campus was opened in 1975 to meet non-traditional educational needs, including distance learning, non-degree activity classes, and adult education. In 1997, the campus moved to Bonita Avenue and Commerce Park Loop, near St. Mary's Road and Interstate 10. The campus was home to the teacher education program. Many of its services were moved to the Northwest, West, and Downtown campuses when the PCC Community campus was closed in 2019. [ 13 ]

First established as the South Education Center in 1986, the Desert Vista campus moved to its present location in 1993. The campus is located at Valencia Viejo, a site once occupied by the Hohokam people, between Irvington Road and Valencia Road on Calle Santa Cruz, west of Interstate 19 . The campus supports the nearby Aviation Technology Center at Tucson International Airport and supplies workforce training to the business community at the Center for Training and Development.

Opened in 1974, the Downtown Campus is situated between Speedway Blvd. and Drachman Street on Stone Avenue, close to downtown Tucson and east of Interstate 10 . It has traditional academic, occupational, technical, and trade programs. In 2018, the historic Tucson Inn was purchased by the district and added to the campus. [ 14 ]