Utah Travel Center
  • Home
  • Travel Center
    • Activities
      • ATV Riding
      • Biking
      • Cross-Country Skiing
      • Fishing
      • Golf
      • Hiking
      • Horseback
      • Hunting
      • Jeep Tours
      • Snowboarding
      • Snowmobiling
      • Sports
      • Rock Climbing
      • Watersports
      • Winter Activities
    • Destinations
      • National Parks
      • BLM Lands
      • Counties
      • National Forests
      • National Historic Site
      • National Monuments
      • National Recreation Areas
      • Points of Interest
      • Scenic Byways
      • State Parks
    • State Info
      • Transportation
      • Travel Regions
      • Wildlife
    • Travel Info
      • Entertainment
      • Lodging
      • Trip Planning
      • Weather
    • Cities
      • Cedar City
      • Green River
      • Kanab
      • Logan
      • Moab
      • Ogden
      • Orem
      • Panguitch
      • Park City
      • Price
      • Provo
      • Salt Lake City
      • Sandy
      • Springdale
      • St. George
  • History
  • Search
  • Menu

Salt Lake Community College

Salt Lake Community College is a multi-campus, two-year community college. Its 103-acre main campus (Redwood) is located ten miles south and slightly west of downtown Salt Lake City. The state legislature established it in 1947 as a state-supported vocational school under the management and control of the Utah State Board for Vocational Education. Classes began in the fall of 1948. In 1978 it became part of the Utah System of Higher Education under the jurisdiction of the Utah State Board of Regents.

Originally known as the Salt Lake Area Vocational School, it was intended primarily, but not exclusively, to serve returning World War II veterans. Its name has changed several times since then: in 1959 to Salt Lake Trade Technical Institute; in 1967 to Utah Technical College; and in 1987 to Salt Lake Community College. It was originally located near downtown Salt Lake City, at Fourth South and Sixth East, in buildings at first leased. In 1959 seventy-two acres of land near 4700 South and Redwood Road were purchased for a new campus, and over the next twelve years thirty-one additional acres were acquired. Building construction began in the early 1960s, and classes were first offered at the new campus in 1967. In addition to the main campus, the college also maintains facilities and offers classes at seven other locations in the Salt Lake Valley and one in Tooele City.

In the beginning, classes were offered in sixteen vocational and technical areas, from auto mechanics to welding. Over time, more and more vocational courses were added, as were also general education classes; however, by law at least 75 percent of the courses taught were required to be vocational, and the school conferred certificates and associate degrees in vocational subjects only. In the late 1950s debate began about whether the school should remain vocational or become a community college with both vocational and general education components. Rapid growth preceded and followed the change, and more is forecast for the decade of the 1990s.

By the early 1990s the college had more than 11,000 full- and part-time students on its campuses, and about 500 full-time and 600 part-time employees. It offered classes in more than 100 subjects, and it awarded certificates, diplomas, and associate of arts and science degrees. The average age of its students was twenty-seven. Nearly 90 percent were from the Salt Lake Valley. Most of the remaining 10 percent were from other parts of the state; two percent were from outside of Utah. There were an almost equal number of male and female students. The college also offered a wide range of special programs, including Alcohol and Drug Education and Prevention; an Early Childhood Lab School; a Single Parent/Displaced Homemaker Project; a Cooperative Education Program that integrated course work with paid, study-related work experience; men’s and women’s intercollegiate basketball; Handicapped Student Services; and a Skills Center, designed to provide vocational training for unemployed and disadvantaged students. Since its founding, the college has had five presidents: Howard B. Gunderson (1948-49); Jay L. Nelson (1949-78); Dale S. Cowgill (1979-81); Orville D. Carnahan (1981-92); and Frank W. Budd (1992 to the present).

John S. McCormick

© Copyright - Utah Travel Center
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OKLearn more

Cookie and Privacy Settings

How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, you cannot refuse them without impacting how our site functions. You can block or delete them by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds: