(Norco College Art Club at the campus rodeo, 1993)

When Karin Skiba was hired by the Riverside Community College District in 1990, Norco College existed only as a vision. Along with other new faculty, she toured the open land by bus, imagining what would soon become a campus rooted in community, growth, and possibility. By 1991, as the first buildings rose and even a mounted police officer patrolled the grounds, Karin decided to join Norco College full time as its art instructor, teaching in a single Humanities classroom that served as the college’s first art lab.

In those early years, Norco College was small but ambitious. With fewer than a dozen faculty members, Karin helped shape the academic foundation of the campus, teaching studio art, art appreciation, and eventually art history, while also representing Norco College in Academic Senate meetings and helping faculty find their voice. As the campus grew, so did its programs, facilities, and identity. Art classes found a permanent home in the ATEC building, new facilities opened, and Norco College evolved from a center into a college of its own.

(Original Norco College Art Club in the RCC Courtyard.)

Norco College’s pioneering spirit was evident everywhere, including a rodeo fair held in a dirt parking lot and organized by faculty and early student clubs, with math instructor Bob Prior also serving as the campus’s first student services director.

A true innovator, Karin was part of the first faculty cohort to develop online courses, launching California’s first online art appreciation class in 1998, years before digital learning became the norm. Her leadership extended beyond the classroom when she became the first Norco College faculty member and the first woman elected president of the Faculty Association, representing the National Education Association and its state affiliate, the California Teachers Association, in 2004. Shortly thereafter, she was awarded the title of full professor in recognition of her significant achievements and contributions across the district. After retiring in 2011, Karin continued her legacy by establishing Norco College’s Art Gallery, creating a space that celebrates creativity, community, and student talent and continues to thrive.

From open land to a comprehensive college, Karin Skiba’s Mustang story is inseparable from Norco College’s own, built on vision, resilience, and a lasting commitment to students and the arts.

(Sienna, Italy Study Abroad Trip, 1995)