Outside of Seattle in the fall of 1965, dozens of students camped out overnight to be the first to enroll at a fledgling new college. Bellevue Community College opened its doors the following January, starting classes with 500 students in a temporary home at Newport High School.

On Oct. 6, hundreds of people helped Interim President Jill Wakefield and elected officials kick off a celebratory homecoming week in honor of Bellevue College, which in its 50th year now serves 33,000 students.

Now, the college is the third-largest institution of higher education in the state. Bellevue College recently announced that it will start offering a new Bachelor of Science degree in computer science, making it the 11th four-year degree at the college and the only computer science degree available at a community/technical college in Washington.

The college is also building its first dormitories on campus and working on a partnership with Washington State University. While it expands, the college still works with around 2,000 businesses in Bellevue and brings many people to the city.

“Having this college here and its students is so important to the vitality in Bellevue,” Bellevue mayor John Stokes said of the institution.

To celebrate the 50th anniversary, a week-long series of Homecoming events will take place on the college campus. The public is invited to join in the fun at the Homecoming Festival on Saturday, Oct. 15 for a day-long music concert with food trucks, kids activities, and local vendors. The festivities culminate Jan. 7 at a special 50th Anniversary Gala to benefit the BC Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.bellevuecollege.edu/50years.