PVCC was founded by the Maricopa County Community College District as the Northeast Valley Education Center in 1985 with classes temporarily held at Paradise Valley High School. The district gave the college its present name and began campus construction in 1986 and inaugurated the permanent site during 1987. The college had operated as an extension of Scottsdale Community College and gained independent accreditation in 1990. Since then, PVCC has expanded in both campus size and enrollment along with the development of the Phoenix area. The campus includes the Q Building, which was formerly the George L. Campbell Branch Library. The campus also has a Learning Resource Center building which houses the library, computer labs, and tutoring center. Several art collections, such as the over 600 Western-themed pieces donated by faculty-emeritus member Dr. Warren Buxton, are on display near the college's library. The PVCC Center for the Performing Arts, containing stage facilities for drama and music performances, opened in 2005. A new building for the study of life sciences opened at the main campus in August 2009. It includes seven classrooms, six biology labs and two anatomy/physiology labs, one of which is a cadaver lab, plus lab support spaces and administrative offices.
Athletics
Athletics at PVCC is affiliated with the National Junior College Athletic Association. PVCC offers 12 intercollegiate athletics programs; Men's & Women's Soccer, Men's & Women's Cross Country, Baseball, Softball, Men's & Women's Indoor/Outdoor Track and Field, Men's & Women's Golf, and Men's & Women's Tennis. PVCC athletics mascot is the Pumas. The Pumas boast 11 NJCAA National Championships. Women’s Soccer - 2016, 2012, 2010 Men’s Cross Country - 2011, 2008, 2004 Women's Cross County - 2004, 2003, 2002, 1998, 1997 The Pumas are also extremely strong in the classroom. PVCC has been home to multiple NJCAA Academic Team of the Year awards and dozens of NJCAA Academic Award individuals. Athletic facilities include: Baseball and Softball fields, Track facility, Soccer game field and Soccer practice field, Tennis courts, Athletics Training Room and Athletics offices. All athletics facilities are located toward the south side of campus.
Transportation
The college is a short distance west of State Route 51 and south of the Loop 101 interchange. Valley Metro buses from routes 16 and 186 serve the campus. For many years, the campus was served by express route 500, but in 2003, this service was canceled and replaced with the RAPID service that departs from Bell Road and State Route 51 Park-and-Ride.
