Irvine Valley College marks 40 years of excellence

Last month, as workers moved the final steel beam into place on the new Student Services Center at Irvine Valley College, the traditional Topping Out ceremony looked a little different. Students, faculty and staff didn’t just sign their names on the beam. They wrote heartfelt messages that are now part of the building.

“My voice started cracking when I saw the beam installed,” IVC President John Hernandez says. “Those expressions exemplify how much students are at the heart of our mission.”What began in 1985 as a little college in the orange groves has grown into one of the premier community colleges in the state and will celebrate 40 years since its founding this month. The college sends more graduates off to UC schools than any of California’s other 116 community institutions. That’s not all. This year saw record-breaking enrollment, a 3% increase over 2024’s unsurpassed year. It also expanded offerings for part-time students, adult learners and ESL programming.

While Hernandez appreciates the accolades, he says students remain the driving force behind IVC’s decision-making. That means being adaptive and responsive to shifting community needs. After all, part-time students – most of whom are in the workforce – make up 62% of the student body.

Students of all types

“We’ve been recognized in-state and nationally for our ranking as a transfer institution, but that’s only a segment of our community,” Hernandez says. “Many adult learners come for retraining and recertification. We have over 3,000 students in our adult ESL program, including individuals who were professionals in their home countries. We’ve created paths for English learners pursuing careers in real estate, health care, pharmacy, technology, etc. ESL students are in a pipeline that leads to a living wage.” 

For the 38% of full-time students who attend college straight out of high school, IVC remains a top choice. Alumni Justin Jadali and Allyson Najera were attracted to IVC’s high transfer rate – including to prestigious universities such as Brown, Columbia, Caltech, Penn, UC Berkeley, UCLA and Yale – both driving extra distances to attend. But they soon discovered the true benefits IVC offered: one-on-one access to Ivy League-trained professors, small class sizes and unique course offerings. Najera appreciated the intimate and supportive atmosphere. Not to mention the cost … virtually free. 

In June, they both graduated from UCLA. Jadali has started his master’s in mechanical engineering at Yale and plans to pursue a Ph.D. at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Najera studies public policy and management at Carnegie Mellon. They credit IVC’s honors program with their success. “One reason I got into Northwestern, UCLA, UC Berkeley and NYU as a transfer student was the one-on-one writing training I received before I wrote my applications,” Jadali says. “That really improved my essays.” 

Building for success

Their experience was neither unique nor an accident. “From the beginning, we sought out highly trained faculty from top-drawer institutions who demanded rigor from their students,” says Professor Emeritus Peter Morrison, who was an original member of the faculty. Morrison recalls someone quipping that Frank Marmolejo – a founding member of IVC’s history department – was trying to create the “Stanford of community colleges,” to which Marmolejo responded, “All but the price.” 

For Najera, that last bit proved critical. IVC’s Promise Program offered her free tuition, bookstore vouchers, counseling services and other academic and career resources to launch her college career. Today, Najera’s master’s program is fully funded. 

“I come from a background that isn’t as wealthy as my peers. I felt those differences in the classroom,” Najera says. “But the professors are so approachable and empathetic. They motivated me to push myself, bridge the socioeconomic differences and build community with everybody.”  

Jadali cites a long list of advantages that informed his choice. “Two years of free classes – regardless of family income – taught by kind and helpful professors who hold Ph.Ds. All at a school that offers accelerated pathways to prestigious universities,” Jadali says, sounding incredulous that anyone would forgo this opportunity. “There are so many factors that make IVC a no-brainer.”

IVC’s commitment to students and excellence in affordable education has paid dividends for 40 years. And now it’s set in steel.

IVC Through the Years