About Us

Chemeketa Community College serves a three-county area with 465,010 residents (based on 2006 census numbers) and more than 40 high schools. Students can enroll in transfer degree or technical training programs, earn professional certifications, or take community education courses for personal enrichment.

It is hard to find someone whose life hasn’t been touched by Chemeketa in some way. More than 64,000 students took a class at Chemeketa during the 2006-2007 school year. As well, a recent survey found that 72% approve of Chemeketa’s performance.

Chemeketa is still challenged, though, to keep pace with high-demand occupations such as nursing, public safety, and career and technical programs. These programs provide vital services to all communities and yield high-wage, high-demand graduates. This set of circumstances will put pressure on Chemeketa to make room for these students and find ways to make college affordable for them. The ever-changing economy drives our efforts to continuously be the community’s resource for training and retraining people who lose jobs and want to go back to school.

While donations and grants have kept students working with the most current technologies, the school has run out of space to house the equipment. Chemeketa must make room for students pursuing careers in these fields and keep college education affordable. Chemeketa, and other community colleges, play an essential role in the futures of the communities they serve. Approval of the 2008 bond levy would allow Chemeketa to expand and accommodate growth for several decades.