page_title: Pierce College
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: Pierce College / History
caption_attribution_description: English: As seen from the far side of Lake Waughop in Fort Steilacoom Park
context_page_description: Pierce College is a public community college in Pierce County, Washington. The college consists of two main campuses, Pierce College Fort Steilacoom in Lakewood and Pierce College Puyallup in Puyallup, and auxiliary campuses at Fort Lewis, McChord Air Force Base, and in South Hill. The college is home to 17,707 students.
context_section_description: In 1967, Clover Park Community College opened its administrative offices and library in an abandoned grocery store on Bridgeport Way Southwest, now the site of QFC. It was nicknamed Albertsons' U.  Classes were held, however, at various Pierce County locations such as high schools, military bases, and hospitals.
  Later that year, on March 24, the Washington State Legislature passed the Community College Act. This law shifted the control of community colleges from the school districts to the state. On April 3, Governor Dan Evans signed the bill into law.
  Consequently, the site of the new campus was chosen on a 140-acre (0.57 km²) site in Fort Steilacoom.  By 1970, the college changed its name to Fort Steilacoom Community College. Until the opening of the main building in 1974, classes were taught in portables.
  In the 1980s, the college opened the Fort Steilacoom Community College Eastern Extension at the corner of 94th Avenue and 112th Street/39th Avenue in Puyallup, Washington. This building has since become the home of Gateway Realty.
  As a result of increasing enrollment over the years, the college sought a name that encompasses the students who live throughout Pierce County. The name was changed once more in 1986 to Pierce College.
  In 1989, a new campus was built in Puyallup, just east of South Hill Mall. The school later opened in the fall of 1990. By 1999, the status was upgraded to a full-service college.
caption: Fort Steilacoom campus, 2006
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