at Bellevue College, and 58,515 students had earned 50,562 degrees, certificates, and other awards since its founding in 1966. In February 2020, the college unveiled "Never Again Is Now", a mural by artist Erin Shigaki that depicts two Japanese American children who were sent to internment camps during World War II. The mural's caption included a reference to Bellevue businessman Miller Freeman, a prominent anti-Japanese activist, which was removed by vice president of institutional advancement Gayle Colston Barge. The change in caption sparked outcry from students and the Asian American community, resulting in Barge being placed on administrative leave. Barge and Bellevue College president Jerry Weber, who defended her actions, announced their resignations on March 2. Former Washington governor Gary Locke was named the college's interim president on May 28, 2020. Locke was the 21st governor of Washington state and later served in the Obama Administration as U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and as the 10th Ambassador to China. Facilities Main Campus The college initially operated in portable classrooms on the campus of Newport High School. In December 1967, ground was broken for the first of three phases of construction of a new campus, on land purchased a few years earlier by the Bellevue School District. In 1969, construction was completed, and BC began the fall quarter on its new campus, with 2,200 full-time students. Phase two of construction, completed in 1973, doubled the size of the campus and included a 300-seat theater (the largest public theater in Bellevue at the time), 2,500-seat gymnasium and sports complex, planetarium (the first in the Puget Sound region), daycare center and greenhouse. The third construction phase was finished in 1974 and added 24,000 square feet of space, along with a running track and other facilities. Nearly 20 years later, the first building added to campus since the initial construction boom in the seventies was completed, with a new student services building in 1993. From 1998 to 2001, three new buildings (N, L and R) opened on campus. In 2009, the Science (S) building was completed. In 2015, the Health Technology (T) building was completed. In 2018 the college opened its first residence housing. The Student Success Center opened in 2020. Bellevue College now has 18 buildings, including 12 academic buildings and one parking garage, with more than 813,309 square feet of space. Of that, 742,784 square feet is a dedicated classroom/instructional space. The 100-acre