About Lane Hero

About Lane: Community Events

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Nestled in the Willamette Valley, between the Cascade Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Lane Community College serves more than 25,000 students per year through transfer, career technical, and personal enrichment programs. Home to more than 228,000 people, the Eugene/Springfield area is the second largest population center in the state, and Lane serves a 4,600 square mile area, an area larger than the states of Delaware and Rhode Island combined!

Lane’s Mission:

Lane is the community’s college: we provide comprehensive, accessible, quality, learning-centered educational opportunities that promote student success.

Learn more about Lane's mission, vision, and values

View our About Lane video.

Lane's Economic Impact:

Lane Community College makes a big difference in our local economy. A recent study by Lightcast, looking at the 2021-22 fiscal year, found that Lane added $674.6 million to the region’s income. That’s about 3.3% of everything people and businesses in the area earned. The college also helped support 8,898 jobs in the community.

How Lane Helps Through Daily Operations
Lane spends money to pay its employees and run the campus. In 2021-22, this spending added $100.3 million to the local economy and supported 1,039 jobs in the area.

How Students Make a Difference
Many students come from other areas or stay in the region because of Lane. While here, they spend money on things like rent, food, and transportation. This spending added $19.7 million to the economy and supported 357 local jobs.

How Graduates Help the Region
Lane’s graduates make the biggest impact. Thanks to their education, they earn more money and help businesses grow. In 2021-22, Lane alumni added $554.7 million to the region’s income and supported 7,502 jobs.

Why Lane Matters
According to the Lightcast study, Lane helped create one out of every 24 jobs in the area. The college brings value to our community by supporting families, businesses, and the local economy. For every dollar invested in Lane, the community gains even more in better incomes, more jobs, and a stronger economy. Lane truly makes a difference for everyone! Learn more about the economic value of Lane Community College:

Explore Lane County:

Eugene is known as “TrackTown U.S.A.” and for good reason: the city's historic Hayward Field has hosted the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Track & Field eight times, including in 2008, 2012, 2016, 2021, and 2024. In 2022, Eugene made history by hosting the World Athletics Championships, solidifying its place as a global track and field destination. Beyond athletics, Lane County offers unparalleled natural diversity—stretching from the ocean and sand dunes to old-growth forests and glaciated mountain peaks. Here, you can hike the Pacific Crest Trail, bike under historic covered bridges, snowboard in the Cascades, sandboard down the dunes in Florence, and much more.

With over 600 restaurants, 210 food carts, 36 cafes, and 1 weekly artisanal Saturday Market, you will never run out of new, yummy places to explore. Catch a music, comedy, or theater performance at the Hult Center, watch a sports game at the Matthew Knight Arena or attend a high tea at the Shelton McMurphey Johnson House! See what's going on in Eugene, in the Cascades & the Coast.

Lane Community College is proud to serve Lane County with six locations:

Enrolling at Lane

Whether you’re a new student, a transfer student or just looking to take some classes for fun, our Admissions Office is ready to help. Interested in learning more about a specific program and what we have to offer? Request information now!

Ready to find out more about our campus? Online Information Sessions are a great way to see the campus, explore our programs and ask questions to make sure Lane is the right choice for you. Learn more about Online Information Sessions!

If you have any questions please email admissions@lanecc.edu or call 541-463-5678 and we can help!

History

The Eugene Vocational School was established in the 1930’s to provide manual education and training to high school students and unemployed adults. In the 1950’s, community-oriented adult education classes were added, and local educational leaders recognized the need to expand into a regional institution that would better serve the diverse needs of the wider community. Following the October 1964 election, Lane Community College was founded by a vote of local citizens, and the main campus opened in 1968. Lane’s second campus opened in Florence in 1976, and the Cottage Grove and Downtown Eugene campuses opened a year later.

Lane’s nationally renowned radio station, KLCC, was established in 1967, and is the most powerful public radio station signal in Oregon! KLCC is a charter member of NPR, serving more that 88,000 listeners each week. Lane has housed the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network since 1984. In 2016, Lane’s SBDC generated more than $1.7 million in capital for the community, created 107 jobs, helped start 13 new businesses, and provided free and low-cost classes for the business community. In 2010, Lane became the second community college in the country to house a Longhouse and annually hosts one of the largest powwows in the Pacific Northwest! Since 2006, Lane has offered Chinuk WaWa, an indigenous language specific to the Pacific Northwest.

See more Lane history