This year marks the 75th anniversary of our beloved SUNY Jamestown Community College! To honor the milestone, we are counting from 75 to 1 throughout the 2025-26 academic year, with each number having a connection to the college’s history, legacy, people, and campuses.
Follow along with us here and on our Facebook and Instagram pages as we countdown each week.
No. 75 - 75 Years of Community College Excellence
No. 75 on our 75th anniversary countdown is the 75 years of our existence in Jamestown and Chautauqua County.
A short history lesson ...
SUNY JCC was founded in 1950 as the first community college in the State University of New York system. The SUNY board of trustees sanctioned JCC on Feb. 17, 1950, and the first meeting of our board of trustees was held on April 29, 1950.
Classes began in 1950 and were held after 2 p.m. at Jamestown High School.
The former home of Mr. And Mrs. Fletcher Goodwill at Foote Avenue and Allen Street in Jamestown was given to JCC in 1952 and became our first campus in 1954.
The Jamestown Board of Education agreed to allow JCC to use half of the East Jamestown Elementary School in 1958, and the following year the board donated the school and nearby municipal golf course and 100 Acre lot to the college.
In 1962, we moved to our current Jamestown home on 107 acres at Falconer Street.
Thanks to support from the Cattaraugus County legislator, we expanded to Olean in 1976, where classes were held at an old elementary school on Homer Street. By 1980, the site received branch campus certification by SUNY.
The campus moved downtown to its current location in 1984 and expanded with a $31 million project in the early 2000s.
Over the years, we have also had college locations in Dunkirk and Warren.
No. 74 - Notable 1974 Graduate Dennis Webster
No. 74 in our 75-to-1 75th anniversary countdown is the graduation year of 1974 alumnus Dennis Webster, a local radio staple for more than 50 years on WJTN in Jamestown and longtime host and supporter of the regional High School Bowl competition that takes place on our Jamestown Campus.
We're proud of the thousands and thousands of graduates SUNY JCC has produced over the past 75 years. Besides radio hosts, they have become doctors, nurses, government leaders, judges, teachers, coaches scientists, and even famous musicians.
From Natalie Merchant to Eric Jones, Randy Merrill to Bryan Hodgson, Vernon Robinson to Dennis Webster, and so many in between, we are thankful for all that you have done to improve our communities and shine the best light on JCC.
No. 73 - First 2-Year Grads Celebrated 73 years ago in 1952
No. 73 on our 75-1 to 75th Anniversary Countdown is 73 years ago we graduated our first class of students to complete two-year State University of New York associate's degrees. On June 10, 1952, 20 grads received their diplomas before some 300 attendees at the First Presbyterian Church in Jamestown.
Top scholastic awards went to to Robert V. Nolan of Salamanca, and Warren W. Davidson of Celoron. Deans William H. Schlifke and Robert Kochersberger presented the graduates.
No. 72 - Record 72 International Students in 2021
No. 72 on our 75-1 to 75th Anniversary Countdown is a record 72 international students we welcomed to the Jamestown Campus to start the 2021 fall semester.
They came from 26 countries and six continents. The previous high was 53 in 2019. By coincidence, we also have 72 international students enrolled this fall, representing 23 countries
While we occasionally had international students before 2008, the opening of Hillside Suites residence halls that year brought many more to Chautauqua County. That was also the year of an earthquake devastated Sichuan, China.
"SUNY had launched a special effort to bring 150 students whose college experience were disrupted by the earthquake to SUNY institutions," longtime former JCC employee Nelson Garifi said in an interview with WRFA last year. "We were so fortunate to welcome five really outstanding students from Sichuan who spent the year with us."
Our international students have long been active in campus clubs, leadership, athletics, and residence life.
"That changes the whole dynamic when you have that level of diversity," Garifi said. "It really lets you hear perspectives you would not hear in your classrooms."
A gift from the 2008-09 Student Senate allowed JCC to initiate a collection of international flags representing the home countries of all our students. Those flags are displayed proudly in our Student Union.
No. 71 - Becoming the Jayhawks in 1971
No. 71 on our 75-1 to 75th Anniversary Countdown brings us back to 1971. That was the year we made the switch to the Jayhawk mascot. Before that SUNY JCC Athletics teams were known as the Muskies.
Although the appearance of JJ Jayhawk, our longtime mascot, has changed quite a bit over the last five decades, his friendly and encouraging spirit has remained as strong as ever.
No. 70 - Marking JCC's 70th Anniversary
No. 70 on our 75-1 to 75th Anniversary Countdown is the recognition of our 70th anniversary by State Sen. George Borrello in September 2020. Borrello presented JCC President Daniel DeMarte with a state Senate proclamation congratulating us on the milestone.
“We’re proud of our legacy — which includes over 27,000 alumni — and our ability to serve the education, enrichment, and economic development needs of our students over seven decades,” DeMarte said at the time.
No. 69 - JCC Nursing Program Accredited by the National League of Nursing in 1969
No. 69 on our 75-1 to 75th Anniversary Countdown takes us all the way back to year 1969, when our Nursing program was accredited by the National League of Nursing.
Starting under the watch of WCA Hospital during the early years of JCC in the 1950s, nursing has always been one of our leading academic programs for students. We have seen much growth with the program over the decades, as shown in the photos announcing expansion of studies to the Cattaraugus County Campus in Olean and an addition of hospital unit for our Jamestown Campus Nursing Lab.
We are very proud of the thousands grads who have come through our Nursing labs and classrooms over the last 70 or so years, many of whom stayed in our region to provide exceptional care to members of our community.
No. 68 - Early Increase of Enrolled Students by 68%
No. 68 on our 75-1 to 75th Anniversary Countdown: Between fall 1954 and fall 1955, JCC saw a remarkable 68% increase in student registration.
This leap foreshadowed the college's explosive growth in our early years, as we went from having just 157 students enrolled in 1950 to 2,554 by 1971. By 1982, we had 4,436 full-time students at our campuses in Jamestown and Cattaraugus County.
No. 67 - Opening of the Arts & Sciences Center in 1967
No. 67 on our 75-1 to 75th Anniversary Countdown: The addition and opening of the Arts & Sciences Center on the Jamestown Campus in 1967.
Now known as the Sheldon Center, the building remains a hub of action. It houses arts, humanities, and health sciences programs, including nursing and occupational therapy assistant programs; music studios; student computer labs; the Robert Lee Scharmann Theatre; Weeks Gallery; and the Sarita Hopkins Weeks Reception Hall.
In recent years, an upgraded music wing was added thanks to $1.1 million grant from the Sheldon Foundation, as well as a virtual reality room, and the Jayhawk Explore & Soar Occupational Therapy Clinic for children and families.
Nos. 66 to 1 to come!