Welcome to Golden West College

Welcome message from GWC President and the Associated Students President

Located in the coastal community of Huntington Beach, in Southern California, Golden West College is part of the California Community College system and was founded in 1965. On 120 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, GWC serves 13,000 students and is considered a medium-size, two-year college. GWC provides an Associate degree in most subjects, a strong university transfer program, in addition to a wide variety of short-term vocational [Certificate] options-- offering over 60 major areas. It provides a safe and secure location, a multicultural environment, an active student body and is proud of its newly developed honors program. The college is highly regarded for academic quality and innovation. In its earliest years, the college was recognized for its pioneering leadership in designing learning-centered programs and services for its student body and continues in that tradition to this day.

Mission Statement

Golden West College’s mission is to create an intellectually and culturally stimulating learning environment for students and the community. Our students improve their basic skills, develop and enhance career opportunities, and/or prepare for transfer to a four-year institution as they become productive citizens and lifelong learners.

Vision Statement

Golden West College is committed to excellence and endeavors to provide an optimum teaching and learning environment. This will be demonstrated by innovation which embraces demographic and technological changes.

Values

Our values are the ideals that guide us in our commitment to student learning and to the vitality of our community. The following ten ideals (in alpha order) represent the foundation for our mission. They guide us in our daily decisions, as well as inspiring and motivating us to accomplish our goals.

Access and Equity
We value and strive to ensure open access to our college and equitable opportunities for all the residents of our community.

Campus Environment
We value and support “Spirit of Place” through which the people, buildings, and grounds all serve to convey to our students that they are welcome and that our college is a special place of learning.

Collaborative Climate
We support active participation based on trust, openness, consistency, and respect in the college’s decision-making process. We encourage students, faculty, and staff to work together to solve problems by listening to one another, by speaking honestly, and by demonstrating ethical behavior and responsibility for the good of the college.

Excellence and Innovation
We work to provide a quality educational environment for students by embracing a culture of assessment and continual improvement. We are inspired by our founding president’s dictum to “Let Change Be the Tradition,” to encourage innovation, creative problem-solving, and to welcome changes that will enhance the College’s ability to fulfill its mission.

Inclusiveness and Diversity
We value diversity and recognize the contributions of all individuals. We support the free and open exchange of thoughts and ideas in an environment that embraces mutual respect and civility.

Leadership
We promote active leadership for students, faculty, and staff at all levels of the institution and through partnerships with the community at large. We embrace our responsibility to clearly communicate, inspire, and proactively respond to the changing needs of our students and community.

Learning
We aspire to high academic standards and support the personal growth of all our students. We are committed to student learning that culminates in identified student outcomes.

Stewardship and Sustainability
We are responsible for utilizing and developing our human, environmental, and fiscal resources efficiently and effectively and in a manner consistent with the principles of health and sustainability.

Teaching
We value the primary role that faculty play in providing students with a dynamic and challenging environment that maximizes learning. We also acknowledge the important roles that classified staff and managers perform in support of students and their learning.

Technology
We value the role that technology plays in reducing barriers to learning, increasing access to educational opportunities, creating new ways of addressing students’ learning needs, and enhancing the administrative aspects of serving students and faculty.

College Goals

GOAL # 1 - PLANNING
The College will establish a fully integrated planning process.

GOAL # 2 - ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
The College will develop and implement a comprehensive Enrollment Management Plan aimed at reaching and maintaining the preferred enrollment level within the adopted District guidelines.

GOAL # 3 - STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
The College will foster an approach to learning which focuses on student achievement and skill acquisition.

GOAL # 4 - STUDENT SUPPORT
The College will foster student success by encouraging and strengthening support programs that promote greater student and staff involvement in campus and community life.

GOAL # 5 - FACILITIES
The College will develop, adopt and implement a College Facility Master Plan which incorporates the adopted Measure C Projects for Golden West College and integrates those projects with other Facility Plans.

GOAL # 6 - CAMPUS DIVERSITY
The College will support an environment to enhance diversity among staff and students and respond to the changing demographics of our district population through the development and implementation of a student equity plan and a staff diversity plan.

GOAL # 7 - INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT
The College will increase support to students, instructional programs and support services through a coordinated approach to institutional advancement.

Accreditation

View Golden West College's Accreditations and Approvals.

College Master Plan

District Organizational Charts

Some specific and helpful facts about the college are:

Golden West is an open-access institution. As such, all students are admissible if they have a high school diploma, or equivalent, or are at least 18 years of age.

We are a commuter campus and do not have dormitories. It will be your responsibility to find housing. To assist you, the GWC Student Activities Office provides a housing-referral board, which lists available housing.

The cost to attend is minimal. Currently, it costs approximately $350 (excluding textbooks) per semester for students meeting California residency requirements.

We appreciate your interest in Golden West College and trust you will find this information helpful. Further information can be obtained by calling the Admissions Office at (714) 895-8306; tours of the campus are available through our Outreach Office by calling (714) 895-8144. A wealth of information about GWC is available through links on this website.

We look forward to helping you discover "Oceans of Opportunity" here at Golden West College.