Hartnell College

Hartnell College is one of the oldest educational institutions in California. Founded in 1920 as Salinas Junior College, the school was renamed Hartnell College in 1948. The Hartnell Community College District was formed the following year. The college moved to its present location at 411 Central Avenue in Salinas in 1936. (The location was first identified as being at 156 Homestead Avenue, but renovations and additions eliminated the entranceway on that street, so the address was officially changed in 2008.) The main campus is located in Monterey County just a 20-minute drive from the scenic Monterey Coast. Hartnell College serves the Salinas Valley, a fertile agricultural region some 10 miles wide and 100 miles long. The College draws most of its students from Salinas and the surrounding communities of Bradley, Castroville, Chualar, Gonzales, Greenfield, Jolon, King City, Lockwood, Moss Landing, San Ardo, San Lucas, Soledad, and adjacent rural areas. It also attracts students from many Peninsula towns and from surrounding counties who are drawn to Hartnell's excellent academic opportunities, nursing and technical programs, and strong and successful athletic teams. Day, evening, and weekend courses are offered in both classroom and online settings. Hartnell is sensitive to its diverse community and offers classes in modified formats to meet the needs of students who work or have other outside commitments, such as those that begin after the regular semester does or are offered in a condensed format. Additionally, Hartnell's recently-built advanced technology campus in the Alisal District of Salinas houses its Agricultural Business and Technology Institute, its Sustainable Design and Construction Center, a diesel program, an automotive technology program, and its computer science program. Hartnell holds classes at its education center in King City and at numerous off-campus locations in north and south Monterey County. The college offers a full complement of services to assist students' educational progress in a one-stop student services format. Services include web-based, telephone, and in-person registration, academic and personal counseling, financial aid and scholarship services, international student services, re-entry services, veterans services, sports counseling, disabled students programs and services, assessment testing, career and transfer assistance, and more. In addition, students are encouraged to become involved in the many clubs on campus and student government through the Associated Students of Hartnell College.