Linn-Benton Community College

Former LBCC President Jon Carnahan speaks to the crowd during the first LB time capsule dedication in 1993. Our 50th anniversary provides a great opportunity for us to connect to our past while envisioning our future. One great way to make those connections is by burying a time capsule filled with memorabilia. In 1993, LBCC staff decided to bury one with our 50th anniversary celebration in mind! On Wednesday, May 16, plan to join us for a nostalgic special event as we dig up that time capsule buried 25 years ago. Join LBCC President Dr. Greg Hamann and special guests in the courtyard in front of White Oak Hall for music, historical displays, cupcakes and refreshments. You can even sign our giant birthday card! Festivities start at 3 p.m., with time capsule reveal starting at 4 p.m. Not only will we get to see what was buried 25 years ago, we’ll dedicate a new time capsule to be opened on LBCC’s 75th anniversary in 2043. Details at www.linnbenton.edu/50 .

As LBCC's first full-time employee and faculty member hired in June 1968, biology instructor Bob Ross shares a significant milestone with LBCC. One might even say the two grew up together. "It doesn't feel like 50 years of teaching. It sneaks up on you because you're having a great time," said Ross. "I can't imagine a better life. Ross remembers LBCC’s early days and compares them to being a pioneer arriving in a new, uncultivated land. "There was so much excitement and creativity at that time. We were asking, ‘What are the students asking for? What do they need?’ We were listening. It was fun to hear the feedback.” Over the next five decades, Ross taught courses in biology, botany, natural history, foods and nutrition, zoology, vegetable garden ecology, reproductive strategies, Oregon ecology and photography. Ross’s philosophy was, and still is, all about teaching students how to be curious, to observe and to make connections in their learning. Ro...

Since 1967, LBCC has served Benton County and the surrounding communities, starting with evening adult education classes held at Corvallis High School. In 1971, LBCC opened the first headquarters for the Benton Center in a 10 x 35-foot trailer parked near CHS, offering around 80 evening classes in high school classrooms and elsewhere in Corvallis. Adult education director Orville Zielaskowski was appointed as the first center director. In September 1977, the Benton Center moved to its current location in the former Washington Elementary School on Polk Avenue in Corvallis. Math and business technology were the first core programs offered, along with ongoing adult basic education and parent education classes. In addition to on-site classroom space, the new building offered space for a ceramics lab, and the school's gym became home to the center's fitness classes – ever popular with community members today. In 1994, a successful bond measure provided funds for installation of an...

Sweeping out an old barn in 1967 so students could attend class there was not in his job description as a college board member. But sweep he did. Some 50 years later, LBCC Founding Board Member Russell Tripp would find himself celebrating the college’s 50th Anniversary, held September 29, 2017 – just not in a barn. Through the years, Tripp has seen the college transform from those early days in ’67, holding classes in barns and basements and serving 2,400 students, to a 104-acre Albany campus, centers in Corvallis, Lebanon, and Sweet Home, and serving more than 19,000 students and community members today. Advocating to bring a community college to Linn county, Tripp was elected in 1967 to serve on LBCC’s first board of education. That first board had a lot of work ahead of them to get the newly-formed college up and running, including appointing the first college president, Dr. Eldon Schafer, who put out a lofty goal to have the first classes start in September of that year. “It was ...

LBCC Machine Tool students Linn-Benton Community College’s Foundation was established in 1972, just five years after the college began, and has provided resources to support student success and program excellence ever since. Last year, the LBCC Foundation granted more than $360,000 in student scholarships and more than $1 million in program support, thanks to the generosity of our donors. So many in our communities have either attended LBCC, have friends and family who have attended or know of businesses that hire LBCC graduates.  As LBCC approaches its 50th Commencement in June, it’s likely that some of the first LBCC graduates will be attending their child’s – or perhaps even their grandchild’s – graduation from LBCC. You can help inspire the next generation of LBCC graduates. Your gift to the LBCC Foundation makes all the difference in the lives of students and the communities we serve. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, gifts to the Foundation qualify as charitable contr...

Drive down any main road today, you likely will see signs posted for job openings. On the surface, it may look good for workers. But those openings often reflect a gap between the skills that businesses need to fill positions and the skills that applicants have. For 50 years, Linn-Benton Community College has stepped up to provide skills training, from our first programs in welding and nurse’s aide and orderlies, to more than 30 career and technical programs today. Partnerships play an important role. Pipeline to Jobs is one such partnership, connecting high school students to programs that lead to good, local jobs. LBCC’s newest program, Non-Destructive Test and Evaluation (NDT) is a direct result of that partnership. The NDT program provides training in the high-tech field of non-destructive testing, or finding potential flaws in parts without destroying them. People with these skills are much sought-after by local industry. Partnerships also played a part in building LBCC’s Advanc...

Health care training has been a part of LBCC since the college started classes in 1967. There were 2,800 students enrolled that year, with 37 students eventually graduating as nurse’s aides and orderlies, the only medical program offered at the college at the time. In the 2016-17 school year, more than 19,000 students were enrolled at LBCC, with over 200 earning degrees and certificates in the medical field. From that one program in 1967 to 11 medical programs today, LBCC continues to meet the needs of our communities as graduates go to work in local medical offices, dental offices, hospitals and clinics. Training takes place at LBCC’s newest facility - a 42,000 square foot, state-of-the-art Healthcare Occupations Center in Lebanon, made possible in part by a voter-approved bond passed in 2014. Programs include diagnostic imaging, nursing, nursing assistant, medical assistant, coding and reimbursement specialist, dental assistant, polysomnographic technician, phlebotomy, pharmacy tec...

LBCC was established in December 1966 by a voter-approved referendum. The first classes were held in September 1967. Students could earn an associate degree or a certificate in bookkeeping, clerical-secretarial, nurse’s aide-orderlies and welding. Classes were held in 30 leased or borrowed facilities around Linn and Benton counties, and students “hit the road” to get from class to class. They came to call themselves “Roadrunners,” which ultimately became the college mascot. Through the years, LBCC has benefited from the generous support of voters and donors. That support helped build LBCC’s 104-acre Albany campus - dedicated in 1974, and the Benton Center in Corvallis, and the Lebanon and Sweet Home Centers. That support also helped build a state-of-the-art Healthcare Occupations Center in Lebanon. Completed in August of this year, the center brings LBCC’s 10 health care programs into one learning space. The Advanced Transportation Technology Center and Heavy Equipment Diesel Cente...

Linn-Benton Community will hold its 50th Anniversary Celebration starting at 4 p.m. Friday, September 29 at Deluxe Brewery, 635 NW Water Ave, Albany.  Open to friends and family of LBCC, the celebration will feature live music, a no-host bar and food truck, and a special edition “LBCC Inspired” IPA brewed by Deluxe. LBCC was established in December 1966 as a two-year public college to serve the educational needs of Linn and Benton counties. The first classes were held in September 1967 in a variety of locations across Linn and Benton counties, and students came to call themselves “Roadrunners,” which eventually became the college mascot. The current 104-acre campus in Albany was completed in 1972. Today, the college has centers in Corvallis, Lebanon and Sweet Home, a horse center in Albany, and the Advanced Transportation Technology Center and the Healthcare Occupations Center in Lebanon. More than 20,000 students take at least one class each year, and approximately 30 percent of...

Jayme Frazier Congratulations to Head Volleyball Coach Jayme Frazier and team on an undefeated regular season – landing a 2nd place finish in the NWAC playoffs. In addition, Coach Frazier was named NWAC Southern Region 2016 Coach of the Year, and player Chase Bohman was named NWAC South MVP, players Alyvia Sams and Montanna Gubrud were named 1st Team All-Stars, and player Mindy Wilmes was named 2nd Team All-Star.  The college kicked-off its 50th Anniversary with cake in the Commons Tuesday, December 6, which marks the day in 1966 that Linn and Benton county voters voted by a 2 to 1 margin to establish the college. Speakers at the event included local business man and founding college board member Russell Tripp. Watch for future announcements to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the college's first classes in September 1967. Three LBCC faculty members recently had their writings published. An article by English faculty Chris Riseley titled “Allow Students to Purs...

Groundbreaking ceremony for LBCC's Albany campus, Sept. 17, 1970. L-R:  Board of Education chair Russ Tripp, LBCC's first president, Eldon Schafer, board member Glenn Huston, and interim college president Bob Adams. A kick-off celebration for Linn-Benton Community College’s 50th Anniversary will be held Tuesday, December 6 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the college Commons cafeteria, 6500 Pacific Blvd. SW, Albany. Founding college board member and local business man Russell Tripp will attend the kickoff along with other community members. Birthday cake and refreshments will be served. On December 6, 1966, Linn and Benton county voters approved a bond to establish LBCC as Oregon’s 11th community college. The first classes were held fall term 1967, with students attending classes throughout the city. They came to call themselves “Roadrunners,” as they were often “running” from one class location to the next. LBCC now has campuses in Albany, Corvallis, Lebanon and Sweet Home, and...