De Anza College’s Institute of Community and Civic Engagement will be renamed the Vasconcellos Institute of Democracy in Action on June 10.

The new name is to honor the life of California state assembly member and state senator John Vasconcellos, who died at age 82 in May 2014.

VIDA will be a continuation of the ICCE, founded by De Anza president Brian Murphy in 2005.

Vasconcellos was a local man, attending Bellarmine College Preparatory and Santa Clara University before serving as a lieutenant for two years in the army.

After his election into state assembly in 1967, Vasconcellos served as a legislator in California for a total of 38 years.

He strategized budget changes and advocated for education, the same kind of work ICCE members are encouraged to do.

Like the ICCE, Vasconcellos encouraged students to become agents of change in their local communities and beyond, Murphy said.

“John Vasconcellos was undoubtedly the champion of community colleges in our state legislature,” Murphy said.

One of Vasconcellos’ dying wishes was that the money people would otherwise spend on flowers be donated to De Anza and the ICCE,
Murphy said.

Vasconellos encouraged young people to become active within their communities and the politics that surrounded them, according to the San Jose Mercury News.

In renaming the ICCE after Vasconcellos, members will be encouraged to engage in their communities with the same persistence Vasconcellos had.

This is the ICCE’s first name change since it was founded.

The renaming ceremony will be held on June 10 from 5-7 p.m. in the Sunken Garden, with opportunities to meet students and faculty involved in ICCE programs.