Hancock Hosts LVC 25th Anniversary Celebration
APRIL 12, 2024--Allan Hancock College is inviting the community to celebrate 25 years of serving students at its Lompoc Valley Center at a free, family-friendly event. The college is marking the 25th anniversary of the LVC with an open house-style event on April 26 from 4-6:30 p.m. at the center, which is located on One Hancock Drive in Lompoc.
The event will open with a ceremony at 4 p.m. and then move into the open house at 4:30 p.m. and feature the college’s mobile planetarium, live chemistry experiments, fire trucks and ambulances from the college’s public safety training programs, tours of the LVC’s Children's Center and more. Attendees will also be able to enjoy no-host food trucks, a kid's fun zone and the opportunity to learn more about the LVC’s academic programs and student support services.
“The Lompoc Valley Center was built to respond to the critical need to serve students in the Lompoc Valley, and 25 years later it continues that important mission,” said Hancock Superintendent/President Kevin G Walthers, Ph.D. “This celebration is an opportunity to honor the LVC’s past and look forward to its future.”
Hancock’s Lompoc Valley Center officially opened its doors to students in 1999. The campus is the culmination of a more than 40-year effort to build a permanent facility dedicated to serving Lompoc residents. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed legislation that allowed the land the LVC currently occupies to be transferred to the City of Lompoc. In 1993, the city transferred the deed to the college for just one dollar. As work on the funding and planning for the LVC continued, several critical Hancock administrators, trustees, and elected officials saw the project through. Those included former superintendent/president Dr. Ann Foxworthy and former state senator Jack O'Connell. In 1994, O’Connell successfully negotiated with the Office of the Governor and legislative leaders to include $18.5 million for construction in the state budget. On-site construction of the LVC began in 1997, and the campus opened two years later. Both Dr. Foxworthy and O’Connell will speak during the anniversary ceremony.
“When you walk around the LVC, you are seeing the result of a lot of hard work and dedication by past Hancock administrations, faculty, and staff, as well as dedicated lawmakers and other members of the community,” Dr. Walthers said. “It’s a testament to what can be accomplished when people come together to change the odds for students.”
The celebration on April 26 is free and open to all. To learn more about the event and the history of the LVC, visit www.hancockcollege.edu/lvc25.
