Central Arizona College
Encyclopedia
Central Arizona College (CAC) is a public community college
located in Coolidge, Arizona
. "CAC," as the school is commonly known, serves the population of Pinal County.
The school's sports teams are called the Vaqueros and the colors are green and gold. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association
, the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference
, and the Western States Football League
. Central Arizona College currently has three campus
es: Signal Peak campus, located in Coolidge, Arizona
, Aravaipa campus, located in Winkelman, Arizona
, and Superstition Mountain campus, located in Apache Junction, Arizona
. To serve the growing and widespread population of Pinal County, CAC also operates six educational centers: The Casa Grande and Corporate Centers, located in Casa Grande, Arizona
, the Coolidge Training and Assessment Center, located in Coolidge, Arizona
, the Florence Center, located in Florence, Arizona
, the Maricopa Center, located in Maricopa, Arizona
, and the San Tan/Johnson Ranch Center, located in Queen Creek, Arizona
.
CAC made news in October when faculty, students and staff voted No Confidence in his leadership and the board authorized by 5-0 vote, an investigation into his violation of policies.
, A.S., A.A.E.E., A.G.S., or A.A.S. degrees.
, basketball
, cross country
, track and field
and rodeo
. The Vaqueras women compete in basketball
, softball
, and cross country
, track and field
and rodeo
.
The Vaqueros are among the premier junior colleges for men's and women's athletics; winners of 35 National Titles.
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
located in Coolidge, Arizona
Coolidge, Arizona
Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 8,154.Arizona Highway 87 and Arizona Highway 287 pass through the town. Coolidge is 56 miles southeast of Phoenix, and 69 miles northwest of Tucson. It is 21 miles...
. "CAC," as the school is commonly known, serves the population of Pinal County.
The school's sports teams are called the Vaqueros and the colors are green and gold. They participate in the National Junior College Athletic Association
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association , founded in 1938, is an association of community college and junior college athletic departments throughout the United States. It is held as Divisions and Regions. The current NJCAA holds 24 separate regions.-History:The idea for the NJCAA was...
, the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference
Arizona Community College Athletic Conference
Also known as '. Hosted by the National Junior College Athletic Association, also known as Region I is a junior college conference for many Tech and Community Colleges. Conference championships are held in most sports and individuals can be named to All-Conference and All-Academic teams.-Members:...
, and the Western States Football League
Western States Football League
The Western States Football League is a U.S. junior college football league for schools in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The league is part of the National Junior College Athletic Association.-History:...
. Central Arizona College currently has three campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
es: Signal Peak campus, located in Coolidge, Arizona
Coolidge, Arizona
Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 8,154.Arizona Highway 87 and Arizona Highway 287 pass through the town. Coolidge is 56 miles southeast of Phoenix, and 69 miles northwest of Tucson. It is 21 miles...
, Aravaipa campus, located in Winkelman, Arizona
Winkelman, Arizona
Winkelman is a town in Gila and Pinal counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town was 444, almost all of whom lived in Gila County.-Geography:...
, and Superstition Mountain campus, located in Apache Junction, Arizona
Apache Junction, Arizona
Apache Junction is a city in Maricopa and Pinal counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the city was 35,840, most of whom lived in Pinal County....
. To serve the growing and widespread population of Pinal County, CAC also operates six educational centers: The Casa Grande and Corporate Centers, located in Casa Grande, Arizona
Casa Grande, Arizona
Casa Grande is a city in Pinal County, approximately halfway between Phoenix and Tucson in the U.S. state of Arizona. According to 2010 Census, the population of the city is 48,571...
, the Coolidge Training and Assessment Center, located in Coolidge, Arizona
Coolidge, Arizona
Coolidge is a city in Pinal County, Arizona, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 8,154.Arizona Highway 87 and Arizona Highway 287 pass through the town. Coolidge is 56 miles southeast of Phoenix, and 69 miles northwest of Tucson. It is 21 miles...
, the Florence Center, located in Florence, Arizona
Florence, Arizona
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 17,054 people, 2,226 households, and 1,540 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,056.2 people per square mile . There were 3,216 housing units at an average density of 387.7 per square mile...
, the Maricopa Center, located in Maricopa, Arizona
Maricopa, Arizona
-Surrounding Municipalities:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 43,482 people, 14,359 households, and 11,110 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,356.8 people per square mile . There were 17,240 housing units at an average density of 540.4 per square mile...
, and the San Tan/Johnson Ranch Center, located in Queen Creek, Arizona
Queen Creek, Arizona
Queen Creek is a town in Maricopa and Pinal counties in the U.S. state of Arizona. The population was 26,361 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Queen Creek is located at ....
.
CAC made news in October when faculty, students and staff voted No Confidence in his leadership and the board authorized by 5-0 vote, an investigation into his violation of policies.
Academics
Central Arizona College offers numerous academic programs leading to the granting of an occupational certificate or the A.A., A.B.Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
, A.S., A.A.E.E., A.G.S., or A.A.S. degrees.
Athletics
The mascot for Central Arizona is the Vaquero/Vaquera for women's teams (vaquero/a is Spanish for cowboy). Their colors are gold and green. CAC competes in division 1 in the NJCAA. Currently, CAC fields 10 intercollegiate teams, five for men and five for women. Men's sports at Central Arizona College include baseballBaseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
. The Vaqueras women compete in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
, track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and rodeo
Rodeo
Rodeo is a competitive sport which arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain, Mexico, and later the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the skills required of the working vaqueros and later, cowboys, in what today is the western United States,...
.
The Vaqueros are among the premier junior colleges for men's and women's athletics; winners of 35 National Titles.
Notable alumni
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