Mission, Vision, & History
At CCC, everything we do comes back to one thing: the people we serve. The following commitments guide how we show up for our students, our employees, and the communities of northern Arizona every day.
Our Mission
Coconino Community College is committed to providing accessible and affordable educational programs that prepare students for the future. Deeply engaged with the communities we serve, we promote student success through a welcoming and inclusive learning environment designed for innovative programming, career and workforce development, university transfer education, and continued life-long learning opportunities.
Our Vision
Shaping the future of Coconino County. Empowering Individuals. Inspiring Communities. Education with Purpose.
Our Commitment to Every Person
Coconino Community College values and respects the uniqueness of each individual and the contributions they make to our communities. We appreciate and welcome cultures, identities, beliefs, experiences, and all that makes us unique. CCC champions and takes action to build an inclusive work and learning environment. We are allies and advocates, navigating a respectful dialogue about our shared humanity.
Why We Do This Work
To enable students to thrive in a complex world by providing access to purpose-driven education that prepares them to succeed in life and work. CCC will pursue our just cause while remaining grounded in the values of integrity and ethical leadership, creating vibrant communities and positive generational impact.
How We Work Together
These principles guide the way we work and learn together at Coconino Community College through our commitment to:
- Put Students First
- Listen, Learn, and Collaborate
- Act and Respond with Integrity and Resilience
- Communicate with Honesty, Dignity, and Respect
- Demonstrate Exceptional Stewardship of Public Resources
- Continually Strive for Excellence as a Community of Learners
- Provide a Safe Environment that Reinforces Learning and Innovation
Our Commitment to This Land
On behalf of Coconino Community College, we would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the sacred land on which this educational institution resides. Sacred sites located within Coconino County include the San Francisco Peaks, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona Red Rocks, the Colorado River, the Little Colorado River, the Colorado River Confluence, the Grand Canyon and many more sites. This land has been inhabited by the Sinagua and Ancestral Pueblo for thousands of years. Currently, the Zuni, Apache, Yavapai, Hualapai, Havasupai, Paiute, Diné, Hopi and many other Arizona tribal nations recognize this land as a significant spiritual place. This sacred land is enriched with Indigenous history and culture that lives on to this day. We, as a community with our CCC family and friends, are very fortunate to live, work, and share this unique location.
Our Strategic Direction
CCC's work is guided by a five-pillar strategic plan built around student success, career and economic mobility, community impact, integrity, and access. Learn how we are putting these commitments into action.
View Our Strategic PlanOur History
Coconino Community College opened its doors on August 19, 1991, when more than 1,000 people lined up outside the Fourth Street Campus in Flagstaff to begin their college journeys. That moment captured something essential about who CCC is: a college built by and for the community it serves.
What began as a single campus serving a few hundred students has grown into a four-campus institution enrolling approximately 8,500 students each year, spanning 18,661 square miles across the largest county in Arizona. From Flagstaff to the Navajo Nation, from Page to the Grand Canyon region, CCC has served nearly 100,000 students since that first day in 1991.
The College has grown alongside its community, adding the Lone Tree Campus as its main administrative hub, expanding Career and Technical Education at the Fourth Street Campus, establishing the Page Center to serve northern Coconino County, and opening the Kaibab Campus in 2025 to meet growing demand for skilled trades training. Each expansion has reflected the same commitment: to bring quality, affordable higher education to every corner of Coconino County.
In 2025, CCC was named among the top 200 community colleges in the nation by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, and for the second consecutive year was recognized as one of the Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges. Both honors reflect what has been true since that first day in 1991: CCC is a place where people, students and employees alike, can do meaningful work and build meaningful futures.