OCCC Opens New Arcadia Campus In East County

Oregon Coast Community College staff, board members, and supporters turned out on Friday September 11th for a ribbon cutting opening their new Arcadia East County Center to serve Toledo, Siletz, and rural students. College officials noted this was a long-overdue investment in rural students and working families on the east side of Lincoln County.

Speaking at the event, OCCC President Dr. Marshall Roache said the college views access to education as a fundamental right, not a privilege. “We believe that education is a civil right, not just a privilege, because it's the key that unlocks every other opportunity for people in this life,” Roache told the crowd. “As educators, we are the guardians of that right.”

The new center, located at the historic Arcadia school site in Toledo, is intended to serve Toledo, Siletz, Eddyville, the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians, and other East County residents who previously lacked a nearby OCCC facility. Roache said the project is “40 years overdue” and was made possible after voters passed a community college bond two years ago.

“We have a responsibility now and a mandate by the community as the community college to serve the entire community, and East County is part of that community,” he said. Roache tied the opening to a series of milestones for the college that have fallen on this same date, September 11th, including the 2009 ribbon cutting that established the current Newport, Lincoln City, and Waldport facilities, and last year’s groundbreaking for the new OCATT career and technical education building in South Beach.

“This represents progress for us in our county and in our communities,” he said. The name “Arcadia” was chosen to honor generations of students and teachers who have used the building before. Roache credited Toledo Rotary and his partnership with Dr. Majalise Tolan, Superintendent of the Lincoln County School District, for helping the college secure the site and move the project forward.

“When we talk about grassroots community, that's how this gets done,” he said, describing how a Rotary conversation led directly to the opportunity in Toledo. He also publicly thanked local contractors as well as staff and family members who put in “countless time” preparing the building.

Toledo Mayor Tracy Mix said she was very happy to see new educational opportunities come to Toledo and East County. " We are excited about OCCC's Arcadia Campus opening up here in Toledo. It is bringing higher education within reach of many east county residents, both young and old." The new East County Center marks the College’s first permanent presence in Toledo, made possible through an exceptional partnership with the Lincoln County School District and Dr. Tolan.

“We are so pleased that OCCC reached out to use the Arcadia building to support post-secondary education in Toledo,” Tolan said. “Our ability to partner with Oregon Coast Community College allows both institutions to pool resources to provide even more opportunities for a strong Pre-K-to-college experience in Lincoln County.”

Future offerings at the East County Center will be shaped by community interest and may include basic skills courses such as GED preparation and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), traditional credit courses in subjects like Writing, Mathematics and History for degree- and certificate-seeking students, and additional Community Education and Small Business Development Center workshops, classes and events.