Eastern Arizona College

Eastern Arizona College was chartered by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1888. Classes started in a church room in Central, Arizona in 1890 with 17 students and was called the St. Joseph Stake Academy. In 1891, classes were moved to Thatcher, Arizona, to be more centralized and due to room constraints. The school continued to expand, though it was strapped financially. In 1908, a new 21-room building was opened that would eventually be called Old Main.

In 1932, the Church stated they could no longer afford to support the college financially and would close it unless the local valley could support it. In 1933, the residents of Graham County passed an initiative funding the school. The state of Arizona took over the school, changing the name to Gila Junior College of Graham County. This name was changed to Eastern Arizona Junior College in 1950, then simply Eastern Arizona College in 1966. In 1962, it was the inaugural member of Arizona's newly created Junior College system.^[2] The 1960s was a time of growth and the college purchased nearby farmland to extend their campus.

In 1972 a fine arts center was completed. In 1979, two fires within one week destroyed Old Main. The building was razed and a new administration building was constructed on the site. During the 1987–1988 school year, Eastern Arizona College celebrated its centennial.

Eastern Arizona College has changed names nine times, growing from a one-room school house to becoming a large community college serving three counties and hosting a satellite campus for a university.^[3]

In December 2012, after 10 years of lobbying, Eastern Arizona College launched its first bachelor's degree programs in a partnership with Arizona State University.^[4] The bachelor's degree programs include nursing and business.

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The church is headquartered in the United States in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has established congregations and built temples worldwide. According to the church, it has over 16.8 million members and 54,539 full-time volunteer missionaries. Based on these numbers, the church is the fourth-largest Christian denomination in the United States as of 2012, and reported over 6.7 million US members as of 2021. It is the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement founded by Joseph Smith during the early 19th-century period of religious revival known as the Second Great Awakening.

Central, Arizona

Central, Arizona

Central is a census-designated place in Graham County, Arizona, United States. Its population was 758 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Safford micropolitan area.

Thatcher, Arizona

Thatcher, Arizona

Thatcher is a town in Graham County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2010 Census, the population of the town is 4,865. It is part of the Safford Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Arizona State University

Arizona State University

Arizona State University is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States.

EAC is a state-sponsored community college and comes under the guidance and control of the state of Arizona.

The main campus 32°50′31″N 109°45′43″W / 32.8419°N 109.7620°W / 32.8419; -109.7620Coordinates: 32°50′31″N 109°45′43″W / 32.8419°N 109.7620°W / 32.8419; -109.7620^[5] sits in the center of the Upper Gila River Valley with Mt. Graham towering to the south and the Gila River to the north. The buildings on the campus are plain, while the grass, trees, and flower beds on EAC's campus are impeccably maintained year-round.^[6]

On September 15, 2007, Eastern Arizona College dedicated their Bell Tower. The tower is adjacent to the administration building, between the north and south campuses.^[7]

Eastern Arizona College provides dormitories for single students. EAC has the following houses:

• Mark Allen
• Wesley Taylor
• Nellie Lee
• Residence towers (three towers)

Married student housing is not available on-campus. Most married couples are able to find off-campus apartments.

In addition to on-campus housing, there are many off-campus places available for rent. EAC has a housing office with information for on- and off-campus living.^[8]

Eastern Arizona College is divided into nine academic divisions:

• Business^[9]
• Communicative Arts^[10]
• Fine Arts^[11]
• Health and Physical Education^[12]
• Industrial Technology Education^[13]
• Liberal Studies^[14]
• Mathematics^[15]
• Science and Allied Health^[16]
• Social Sciences^[17]

Eastern Arizona College is the home of the Mills Collection, the life-work of avocational archaeologists Jack and Vera Mills. The Mills conducted extensive excavations on archaeological sites in Southeastern Arizona and Western New Mexico from the 1940s through the 1970s. They restored numerous pottery vessels and amassed more than 600 whole and restored pots, as well as over 5,000 other artifacts. Most of their work was carried out on private land in southeastern Arizona and western New Mexico. They donated their collection of some 600 whole vessels to EAC, on condition that their collection be placed on permanent public display.^[18]

The college's mascot is "Gila Hank," a Gila monster, indigenous to the region.^[19]

• H. Verlan Andersen, LDS general authority
• Mike Bellamy, CFL player
• Christo Bilukidi, NFL player
• Del M. Clawson, politician
• Henry Eyring, chemist
• Mark Gastineau, NFL player
• Adarius Glanton, NFL player
• Tay Glover-Wright, NFL player
• Michael Haynes, NFL player
• Mitch Hoopes, NFL player
• Orlando Huff, NFL Player
• Mike James, NBA player
• Walter S. Johnson, businessman and philanthropist
• Spencer W. Kimball, religious leader
• Bronzell Miller, NFL player and actor
• John Mitchell, NFL assistant coach
• Jeremy Nelson, visual effects artist
• Nick Nolte, actor
• Spencer J. Palmer, religious scholar
• Nolan Richardson, college basketball coach
• Brandon Stewart, CFL player
• James Tolkan, actor
• Frank R. Zapata, United States District judge

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H. Verlan Andersen

H. Verlan Andersen

Hans Verlan Andersen was a general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a professor at Brigham Young University (BYU).

Mike Bellamy (running back)

Mike Bellamy (running back)

Michael Bellamy is a former American football running back. He spent time in college with Fort Valley State. He played the Clemson Tigers football team in 2011, but was ruled academically ineligible for the 2012 fall semester. He then enrolled at East Mississippi Community College, where he took part in off-season practice but was eventually dismissed for an undisclosed violation of team policy. He subsequently enrolled at Eastern Arizona College, where he played for the 2012 season, before transferring to the historically black Fort Valley State.

Christo Bilukidi

Christo Bilukidi

Christo Milumba Bilukidi is a former Angolan-born Canadian professional football defensive end. He played collegiate football at Eastern Arizona College before transferring to Georgia State University where he was a two-year starter for the Panthers.

Del M. Clawson

Del M. Clawson

Delwin Morgan Clawson was an American politician. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. He also served as mayor of Compton, California.

Henry Eyring (chemist)

Henry Eyring (chemist)

Henry Eyring was a Mexico-born United States theoretical chemist whose primary contribution was in the study of chemical reaction rates and intermediates. Eyring developed the Absolute Rate Theory or Transition state theory of chemical reactions, connecting the fields of chemistry and physics through atomic theory, quantum theory, and statistical mechanics.

Mark Gastineau

Mark Gastineau

Marcus Dell Gastineau is an American former football player who was a defensive end for the New York Jets from 1979 to 1988. A five-time Pro Bowler, he was one of the quickest and most feared pass rushers of his generation; he was the first player to lead the NFL in sacks in consecutive seasons. Gastineau was ranked the 8th greatest pass rusher in National Football League (NFL) history on NFL Network's Top 10 Pass Rushers.

Michael Haynes (wide receiver)

Michael Haynes (wide receiver)

Michael David Haynes is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the seventh round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northern Arizona after attending Eastern Arizona College. Haynes also played for the New Orleans Saints.

Mitch Hoopes

Mitch Hoopes

Mitchell Kent Hoopes was an American football punter in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys, San Diego Chargers, Houston Oilers, Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. He also was a member of the Boston Breakers in the United States Football League (USFL). He played college football at the University of Arizona.

Mike James (basketball, born 1990)

Mike James (basketball, born 1990)

Michael Perry James is an American professional basketball player for AS Monaco Basket of LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague. He was a high school basketball standout playing for Grant High School in Portland, and played college basketball for Eastern Arizona College and Lamar University. He was the first player in NBA history to go from a two-way contract to a regular contract, all while never being sent down to the NBA G League in the process.

Bronzell Miller

Bronzell Miller

Bronzell LaJames Miller was a professional American football player and entertainer. As a football player he played for the University of Utah in college and then a series of professional teams being drafted by the St. Louis Rams in 1995. He spent a season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1996, the Calgary Stampeders from 1997-2001 and ending with the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League in 2001. As an actor he appeared in feature films including Bringing Down the House, Mr. 3000, Slow, The Luck of the Irish, as well as television shows and commercials. He also worked as a print model for the YMCA of Greater New York and performed voice work for Milwaukee Radio Group.

John Mitchell (American football coach)

John Mitchell (American football coach)

John Mitchell, Jr. is a former American football coach and collegiate player. Over the course of his career, Mitchell has broken several racial barriers, one of which was being the first black player for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He served on the staff of the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1994 until his retirement following the 2022 season.

Jeremy Nelson

Jeremy Nelson

Jeremy Nelson is an American visual effects artist. He won a Visual Effects Society award in 2011 for best compositing for his work on the HBO mini-series, The Pacific.