About the Colorado Community College System
The Colorado Community College System (CCCS) is the state’s largest system of higher education, serving more than 144,000 students annually at 13 colleges and 39 locations across Colorado. Our open access mission ensures all Coloradans who aspire to enrich their lives have access to quality higher education opportunities. CCCS students save time and money with affordable tuition and fees, concurrent enrollment, and guaranteed transfer to any public university in Colorado. Online courses are available via Colorado Community Colleges Online. CCCS also oversees career and technical programs in our 13 colleges, more than 160 school districts, and six other post-secondary institutions. By partnering with business and industry, CCCS helps employers meet workforce needs and prepares students for direct entry to their chosen career pathway. The vast majority of our students are Colorado residents and, after graduation, 97% of our students stay in state, becoming the workforce that powers the Colorado economy and the heart of our neighborhoods, businesses, and communities.
Our Mission
We provide an accessible, responsive learning environment that facilitates the achievement of educational, professional and personal goals by our students and other members of our communities, and we foster an atmosphere that embraces academic excellence, diversity and innovation.
Our Vision
Colorado community colleges are unsurpassed at providing quality educational opportunities for all who aspire to enrich their lives.
Fact Sheets
Learn More About CCCS and Each of Our Colleges with these Fact Sheets that provide an overview of the CCCS as a whole and the characteristics of each of our 13 institutions.
Strategic Plan
Our vision is that Colorado community colleges are unsurpassed at providing quality educational opportunities for all who aspire to enrich their lives. We have collaborated with our stakeholders to create a strategic plan that will help us achieve our vision via the attainment of four goals:
- Transform the student experience
- Transform our own workforce experience
- Create education without barriers through transformational partnerships
- Redefine our value proposition through accessibility, affordability, quality, accountability, resource development and operational excellence
Our Campus
The Colorado Community College System office is located in the northeast quadrant of what was formerly Lowry Air Force Base, now known as Lowry Campus, about six miles southeast of downtown Denver. In 1993 the State Board for Community Colleges and Occupational Education (SBCCOE), which governs CCCS, was deeded 153 acres and 1 million square feet of building space at Lowry, and CCCS moved its headquarters and IT offices there in 2002. Some academic programs are also offered at Lowry Campus, including:
- CCA Solar Energy Program
- Police Academy
- Film & Video
- Computer and Science Programs
- CCA and CCD Health Sciences Programs
- CCD Dental Clinic, which serves more than 600 patients annually
Plans for campus development include creation of large green space in the middle of campus and ongoing renovation of additional buildings for academic and administrative uses.
President
Dr. Nancy McCallin