Taft Junior College was established August 30, 1922 as part of the Taft Union High School District. Classes were held on the high school campus. The school title officially became Taft College on July 1, 1954 and in September of 1956 a separate campus opened on Emmons Park Drive adjacent to the high school.
The West Kern Junior College District was formed in an election on June 19, 1962, and became operative on July 1, 1963. Two years later the Maricopa Unified District was annexed to the West Kern Junior College District, and on July 1, 1971, the district’s name was changed to the West Kern Community College District.
The college is under the guidance of a Board of Trustees. The chief administrative officer is the superintendent/president of the district. A complete chart of the administrative organization is included in the Policies and Procedures of the Board of Trustees.
Taft College is located in the City of Taft. The district contains 735 square miles and is composed of the Taft City, Midway, McKittrick, Elk Hills elementary school districts and the Maricopa Unified District.
Taft College is located in the western Kern County community of Taft with a population of 17,000. The surrounding area brings the total population to about 21,000. The community is in the heart of the Midway-Sunset oilfield, one of the nation’s best producing fields. While oil is the leading industry, the area also is rich in agriculture, light industry, and recreation.
The campus is located at 29 Emmons Park Drive. Campus buildings are considered excellent structures with adequate space provided for physical education, recreation and athletics.
The campus was built in 1956 and originally included classrooms, a library, student union, and administrative offices, marking the first step in separating the college from the high school.
A physical education building was completed in 1956, but was converted in the Student Services Center in early 1977 to centralize all student personnel services in one location.
The science building was completed in 1966, the technical arts facility a year later, and the vocational and technical education center in 1969.
A 36-student addition to the campus residence halls, lighted tennis courts, and a women’s softball field were added in 1978.
Three years later a sports center designed to accommodate physical education classes, athletics, and community services programs was finished. An 80-student residence hall opened in 1983 and brought the total campus capacity to 200 students.
Most of the college’s occupational programs are headquartered in an off-campus center near the downtown area called Westec (Westside Energy Services Training and Education). A 30,000-square foot building and six acres of surrounding land house the college’s welding, machine shop, and electronics programs. But the focal point of the center is the college’s petroleum technology program.
The facility is headquarters for a nonprofit corporation established to work with the college in providing a variety of services to the oil industry in Kern County and the western United States. Westec expanded during 2001 with the purchase of a vacated elementary school north of Bakersfield. This expansion saw the college partner with Bakersfield College to provide increased offerings in petroleum technology as well as the growing correctional officer training program. The new addition is called the North Kern Training Center
A new children center was completed in April of 1991 to meet the needs of college students with young children, and to provide a community children’s center. It has grown to become the largest day care center in the county.
A 6,500-square foot dental hygiene complex that includes offices, classrooms, and a clinic was completed in 1993 when the college christened what has become one of the most highly regarded dental hygiene programs in the state.