With banners, balloons and student-made cake and ice cream, Flathead Valley Community College celebrated its 45th anniversary Thursday with students, faculty, staff and community members.

In a short program, college President Jane Karas painted a stark and often humorous contrast between today’s modern buildings and memories of the first campus scattered among buildings in downtown in the society of 1967.

“Before our first accreditation visit, maybe a few of you remember this, the faculty wives swept the building steps so they would be all clean and ready for the accreditors’ visit,” she said.

Karas, the first woman president of the college, spoke in the spacious light-filled community room in the new Arts and Technology Building as she related another favorite story about the faculty offices of the first campus. They were located in the old Central School before it was extensively renovated into a museum.

“One of our faculty then, as it got cold during the winter, the cracks got wider and wider,” she said. “He went to the president and said, ‘I think my office is coming apart.’”

This bit of information didn’t alarm the president, who simply suggested that the faculty member go home if he felt unsafe. A similar casual attitude was taken toward student records.

“Our student files that we now have carefully under lock and key and electronically and digitally protected were in the past kept in the basement of the Elks [Lodge] in their pool,” Karas said. “That was our filing cabinet.”

Some faculty still on campus, such as artist and art instructor Karen Leigh, actually taught art classes downtown when students dried their batiks and paintings on lines run between parking meters. Some were life drawings of the human body.

“Some people reported to the police that there were scandalous pictures hanging outside the college buildings,” Karas said, triggering a big laugh at the gathering. “So times have changed a little bit.”

The college left downtown in 1990 to four new buildings on 40 acres to the north along U.S. 93. Although a huge improvement over the classes scattered downtown, the campus had some shortcomings as the college added or expanded programs such as theater arts that was located in the Learning Resources Center building.

Karas recalled how students had to take spotlights and sets up and down in the four-quad classrooms used for performances.

“Our students changed their clothes in the hallways behind screens — sometimes not behind screens,” she said. “They built sets outside no matter what the weather was — it wasn’t always conducive to that either.”

The new Arts and Technology Building provided a set design room, costume storage and male and female changing rooms. But even with the shortcomings of the old area, Karas said students were successful.

“One of our students went on to become a very successful lighting designer in New York City,” she said.

Today’s campus has grown to seven buildings with a new nursing/health sciences building under construction on a campus of 216 acres. Karas gave thanks to the community for supporting the expansion and to the faculty and staff for the quality of education provided to a growing number of students.

“This last May, we had a record graduating class of 458 graduates,” she said. “Our graduation rate continues to improve. In fact, from 2008 to 2012, our number of graduates has doubled.”

According to Karas, enrollment has grown by 41 percent including the peaks when the economy slowed and recent declines. Historically, the college gains full time students in bad economic times and has more part-time students when jobs become more plentiful.

She invited the community to take part in many events scheduled this fall. Those included the Chef’s Table weekly dinners, the Festival of Flavors, theater productions, lectures and art shows including a major gathering of Montana artists slated for Sept. 28 and 29.

Karas wrapped up her remarks by saying the board of trustees’ master planning process has explored more ways to meet community needs. One concept in development is a university center on campus allowing students to complete additional four-year and graduate programs here in the valley. (See related story.)

“Those are some of the things you’ll be hearing more about from us in the future,” she said.

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.