​Celebrated Past. Boundless Future.

Discover the history of Santa Ana College. As we celebrate our centennial, take a journey through our long and storied history.

1915

September 20: Santa Ana Junior College opened its doors to 29 students as an upper division branch of Santa Ana High School. Dana King Hammond, former high school teacher and principal, was first named dean, then director of the college. He served in this role from 1915-1942.

The college opened with 11 faculty and 20 courses including English, mathematics, science, history, philosophy and languages.

1916

September: The SAJC football game was played with a 20-0 loss to Chaffey College. The first win came at the end of the 1916 season with a 10-0 victory over Chaffey College.

1917

April: The U.S. officially entered World War I.

May: The college held its first play, The Princess, an elaborate outdoor pageant.

June 15: The first graduating class of Santa Ana Junior College (SAJC) consisted of seven female students. They were Isabel Anderson, Ramona Clevenger, Muriel Lee, Dorothy Mead, Charlotte Ranney, Dorothy Skiles, and Theretta Taylor.

1918

The number of faculty increased to 15.

1919

May: The Santa Ana Board of Education approved a motion to terminate Santa Ana Junior College.

June 6: The Santa Ana Board of Education reversed its decision to discontinue SAJC. Many parents in Santa Ana and nearby communities were anxious "to have the college kept up not only for the coming year but hereafter so that their children might remain at home and go to school for a year or two after graduation from high school."

The junior college held its first standalone commencement, with a graduating class of 16 female students.