Muskegon Community College (MCC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...

Muskegon, Michigan Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expans ...

. The college offers 49 associate degree programs and 33 certificate programs. The college's main campus is located on a 111-acre campus in Muskegon, with extension centers in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the c ...

and Newaygo counties. MCC was founded as Muskegon Junior College in 1926 and has been continually accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Io ...

since 1929. The community college district was created via the Michigan Constitution of 1963 along with an elected Board of Trustees and the college moved to its current campus location, an Alden B. Dow designed facility that opened to the public in 1967. In 1995, the Stevenson Center for Higher Education opened; it comprised a consortium of

Ferris State University Ferris State University (FSU or Ferris) is a public university with its main campus in Big Rapids, Michigan. It was founded in 1884 and became a public institution in 1950. Ferris is the ninth-largest institutions of higher education by enrol ...

Grand Valley State University Grand Valley State University (GVSU, GV, or Grand Valley) is a public university in Allendale, Michigan. It was established in 1960 as Grand Valley State College. Its main campus is situated on approximately west of Grand Rapids. The universit ...

, and

Western Michigan University Western Michigan University (Western Michigan, Western or WMU) is a public research university in Kalamazoo, Michigan. It was initially established as Western State Normal School in 1903 by Governor Aaron T. Bliss for the training of teachers ...

, designed to increase access to educational opportunities for Muskegon residents. In 2010 the Outdoor Learning Lab, a focal point of green technology and center for MCC's new Alternative and Renewable Energy certificate program, opened. Several new or expanded buildings were constructed or commissioned from 2014.

History

Establishment

Muskegon

Junior College A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in ...

was established by the Muskegon

Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional ar ...

in 1926 and was housed on the third floor of what was then the new

Muskegon High School Muskegon High School is a public high school located in Muskegon, Michigan, and was the first high school in Muskegon County, Michigan. History The Class of 1875, consisting of two girls, was the first from Muskegon High School. Records show ...

. It was a pioneering effort, since only four other two-year institutions existed in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

at the time. By 1934, enrollment of both the College and the high school had grown beyond the capacity of a single building. The

, therefore, moved into the former Hackley School in downtown Muskegon across from Hackley Park (now the Board of Education Building). It was appropriate that the College should occupy the old Hackley building, which had been presented to the public schools of Muskegon by Charles Hackley after fire had destroyed the original Central School. The city's First Citizen believed that a community was obliged to offer its youth the kind of training which would enable them to earn a good livelihood and at the same time contribute to the well-being of the community. At the time of its move into this facility and for 17 years after, Muskegon Junior College was primarily geared to those students intending to complete at least four years of college. Muskegon's reputation in this field of the " college transfer" program was an enviable one, and continues to be so today. Then in June 1951, after an enabling act by the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of an upper chamber, the Senate, and a lower chamber, the House of Representatives. Article IV of the Michigan Constitution ...

, the name and educational scope of the College was changed. "Muskegon Junior College" became "Muskegon Community College," thereby reflecting the expanded nature of the College's programs. They were broadened to serve a larger number of students with a wider variety of interests. Courses were added in

retailing Retail is the sale of goods and services to consumers, in contrast to wholesaling, which is sale to business or institutional customers. A retailer purchases goods in large quantities from manufacturers, directly or through a wholesaler, and t ...

, the vocations, the technical fields,

public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the det ...

, and the trades. These courses enabled young men and women to prepare themselves for a specific field of

employment Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any o ...

in two years of training beyond

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

. There was no shrinking of the transfer program, only an expanded curriculum to serve a larger segment of the community. In the post

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

years, enrollment climbed quickly and the Community College "campus" had to grow accordingly. The Muskegon Board of Education, which still operated the College, utilized available space in many of its buildings, and rented other community facilities when enrollment exceeded the capacities of those buildings. By the early 1960s, enrollment had topped 2,000 and the College was operating full-time at Hackley, Vanderlaan, and Wilson schools and part-time at eight other locations. The time had come for another step in the development of the College. The Board of Education formed a Special Citizens Committee to study the entire program and make recommendations. The Committee proposed that the College be separated from the public school system, that a county-wide community college district be created, that a board of trustees be elected to plan, build, and operate the school, and that millage be voted in sufficient amount and for enough years to build and operate the College.

New campus

In April 1963, the county overwhelmingly approved the recommendations of the committee and elected the first Board of Trustees. The elected board went to work immediately and by September of that year had purchased the campus on which the College exists today. Alden B. Dow and Associates was named

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

and by the summer of 1965 drawings were completed and construction begun. The Vocational-Technical Wing was completed and occupied in the fall of 1966 and the following September the entire complex was placed in service. Formal dedication ceremonies were held October 22, 1967, with Dr. Ashley Montagu, one of the world's foremost anthropologists, delivering the dedicatory address. The first addition to the new campus was the Frauenthal Foundation Fine Arts Center, completed in 1968 and named for the Muskegon industrialist whose gift had made the Center possible – A. Harold Frauenthal. When the new district was created, the name of the college was changed to Muskegon County Community College; but in the spring of 1969, at the request of the

board of trustees A board of directors (commonly referred simply as the board) is an executive committee that jointly supervises the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit org ...

, the State Board of Education approved changing the name once again to Muskegon Community College.

University outreach

January 1995 brought the completion of the Stevenson Center for

Higher Education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

on the campus of Muskegon Community College. The Center houses upper level courses and programs offered by

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It ...

, and

. These institutions, along with Muskegon Community College, have formed a "

consortium A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources ...

" to coordinate offerings to meet the needs of West Michigan residents. The facility is about one-third the size of the main building and was constructed to complement existing architecture. Attached to the main building near the Technical Wing, the James L. Stevenson Center for Higher Education contains

communication technology Telecommunication is the transmission of information by various types of technologies over wire, radio, optical, or other electromagnetic systems. It has its origin in the desire of humans for communication over a distance greater than that ...

with all of its 35 rooms connected via

fiber optics An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means t ...

for voice, video and data transmission. In addition to housing the educational programs of the consortium member institutions, the Center is also the new home for MCC's Media Center and

Graphic Design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art whose activity consists in projecting visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdiscip ...

program.

Further developments

Newly opened in January 2006, the Hendrik Meijer Library Information Technology Center offers students and the community communication capabilities, including wireless Internet access, library facilities/technologies and

classrooms A classroom or schoolroom is a learning space in which both children and adults learn. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, ranging from preschools to universities, and may also be found in other places where educatio ...

, and an Internet café. The facility has three levels overlooking the woods and creek, and offers special services including interlibrary loan, photocopy machines, group study rooms, a quiet reading room, a workstation for visually impaired persons, and both group and individual orientations. In 2010 the Outdoor Learning Center, featuring a green roof, opened to the public. The Center contains many alternative energy demonstration technologies, serving as a laboratory for MCC students enrolled in a certificate program for Wind and Solar Alternative Energy technologies. Building upon its two decades of offering classes in Grand Haven, MCC opened its Ottawa County Center in 2012 inside the Grand Haven Community Center. In 2012, MCC and the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District (MAISD) launched the Early College of Muskegon County offering select high school students an intense five-year program leading to both a high school diploma and an associate degree. The concept was expanded and MCC offered Early College of Newaygo County, North Ottawa County Early College and South Ottawa Early College. In November 2013, Muskegon voters approved $24 million to support four MCC facilities expansion projects outlined as goals in the College's 2010-2015 Master Plan. In September 2014, MCC signed a purchase agreement with The Herald Publishing Co. LLC and the owners of the former Muskegon Chronicle building, to buy the building and an adjacent parking lot for a downtown campus. In December 2017, the Peter and Carolyn I. Sturrus Technology Center opened as the new home to MCC's Applied Technology programs in CAD, Electronics/Automation, Engineering, Machining, Metal Casting, Materials, and Welding, as well as to MCC's Experiential Learning Program. In June 2015, local developer Jonathan Rooks donated the 23,790 square-foot former Masonic Temple to MCC for its Entrepreneurial Studies program and related business-generating activities. Nick Sarnicola, a West Michigan native and highly successful entrepreneur, and his wife, Ashley, then created a $200,000 permanent endowment through their Next Gen Foundation to the Foundation for Muskegon Community College to support an annual $10,000 cash award for the best business idea generated by an MCC entrepreneurial program graduate. The Rooks-Sarnicola Entrepreneur Institute opened in June 2018 and also houses the Lakeshore Fab Lab. In August 2015, MCC opened its $9.6 million Science Center, home to the MCC Life Sciences Department and the College's biology labs and research areas. In April 2016, the facility earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Certification for its sustainable strategies used in its design and construction - one of only four buildings in Muskegon to have received this high honor. The same year, MCC purchased the Muskegon Family YMCA's West Western Avenue property on Muskegon Lake for $1.17 million as part of the college's community-focused health and wellness initiative, which includes the construction of a new center on campus. The building opened in 2016 at the MCC Lakeshore Fitness Center. In 2017, MCC was the top-ranked Michigan community college by BestColleges.com for its gainful employment, graduation rates, and earnings outcomes. MCC has earned acclaim as a national leader in student success, having been named an Achieving the Dream Leader College, as well as a Top 50 Best Value community college in the U.S. MCC ranked 27th among the 1,711 community and other two-year colleges in the nation evaluated for gainful employment and earnings outcomes. In November 2018, the 52,000 square foot MCC Health and Wellness Center opened on the main campus. The facility houses the College's Health, Physical Education and Recreation Department; the Medical Assistant Program; the Athletic Department Office; a state-of-the-art Health Simulation Lab for MCC students in nursing, respiratory therapy, and medical assistant programs; learning spaces and classrooms; the Ron Gaffner Multipurpose Room; a regulation wood floor gymnasium; a one-tenth mile indoor running track; and a fitness center. The Mercy Health Partners Primary Care Center, a collaboration between MCC and its Mercy Health and Grand Valley State University educational partners, is also located there. In Fall 2019, the new MCC Arts and Humanities Center is scheduled to open on the main campus

Campus

The campus is located on the

northwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each s ...

corner of Marquette Ave. and Quarterline Rd., near the boundary of

and Muskegon Township, Michigan. It extends westward towards Harvey Street along

U.S. Highway 31 U.S. Route 31 or U.S. Highway 31 (US 31) is a major north–south U.S. highway connecting southern Alabama to northern Michigan. Its southern terminus is at an intersection with US 90/ US 98 in Spanish Fort, Alabama. Its ...

, where the Muskegon Area Career Technical Center is located. University Park Golf Course, the only community college-owned golf course in the State of Michigan, opened in 1968 and is located across from the main campus at the northeast corner of the intersection. The Academic Complex was designed by Alden B. Dow. It features an enclosed court and two wings, with Four-Mile Creek flowing underneath. The campus includes the Technology Building, the Hendrik Meijer Library & Information Technology Center (opened January 2006), the Bartels-Rode Gymnasium, the Frauenthal Foundation Fine Arts Center with the Overbrook Theater and Art Gallery, the Stevenson Center for Higher Education, the Science Center, the Health and Wellness Center, and an Art Building. The main building has three levels: Level 1 is at ground level. Level 2 is below it. Level 3 is at the bottom.

Service area

As defined by the

, the official service area of Muskegon Community College includes territory within the following

school district A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations. North America United States In the U.S, most K–12 public schools function as units of local school districts, w ...

s: * Muskegon Public Schools * Muskegon Heights Public Schools * North Muskegon Public Schools *

Orchard View Schools Orchard View Schools is a school district in Muskegon Township, Michigan, south of the Muskegon River in Muskegon County, Michigan. It is a member of the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. Schools * Orchard View High School (grades ...

* Oakridge Public Schools *

Reeths-Puffer Schools The Reeths-Puffer School District is a public school district located in Muskegon, Michigan. Reeths-Puffer currently has an early education center, formally McMillan Elementary, 3 elementary schools, 1 intermediate school, 1 middle school, and ...

* Holton Public Schools * Montague Area Public Schools * Ravenna Public Schools * Whitehall District Schools * Grand Haven Area Public Schools * Spring Lake Public Schools *

Fruitport Community Schools Fruitport Community Schools is a school district in Fruitport, Michigan, a village located in Muskegon County, Michigan, Muskegon County. The Superintendent (education), superintendent of schools is Jason Kennedy. Schools The schools are: *Fr ...

* Mona Shores School District

Stevenson Center for Higher Education

The Stevenson Center for Higher Education opened in 1995. Originally named the Muskegon Center for Higher Education, it was named in honor of James Stevenson, the College President who spearheaded its construction. The top floor houses a television studio, a computer laboratory, a conference room, a lecture hall, media services, graphics technology. The middle floor houses conference rooms and classrooms, and the bottom floor houses classrooms. In addition, the Center houses programs from the following universities. *

Muskegon Area Career Technical Center

The Career Technical Center houses K-12 vocational-technical programs in partnership with the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. It opened in 2005.

MCC-TV

Muskegon Community College operates MCC-TV, a

Public, educational, and government access Public-access television is traditionally a form of non-commercial mass media where the general public can create content television programming which is narrowcast through cable television specialty channels. Public-access television was creat ...

(PEG)

cable TV Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...

station, that markets educational, cultural and informative programs that advance the mission of the College. MCC TV can be viewed in Muskegon County and Newaygo County on Comcast Channels 98 and 902, and in Ottawa County, Oceana County, northern Muskegon County and northern Allegan County on Charter Channel 190.

Online Radio

MCC Radio is an online radio station operated by the college.

Astronomy

Muskegon Community College is home to the Carr-Fles

Planetarium A planetarium ( planetariums or ''planetaria'') is a Theater (structure), theatre built primarily for presenting educational entertainment, educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navi ...

, which was completely renovated in 2012 and remains West Michigan's only free planetarium, and also owns an

observatory An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. ...

at the Muskegon County Wastewater Treatment Facility.

Athletics

Muskegon Community College offers its students 17 intercollegiate sports, more than any other community college in the state of Michigan. The team nickname is "Jayhawks" and the school colors are Royal Blue and Gold. MCC competes in the following intercollegiate sports - Men's and Women's Basketball, Men's and Women's Soccer, Men's and Women's Cross Country, Men's and Women's Bowling, Men's and Women's Indoor Track, Men's and Women's Outdoor Track, Baseball, Softball, Women's Volleyball, Men's Golf and Wrestling. All indoor athletic events are held in the Bartels-Rode Gymnasium. Baseball and softball are played on the respective fields adjacent to the gymnasium. MCC competes in the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

(NJCAA) Region XII and the Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA). National Championships: * 1963: Men's Cross Country - NJCAA * 1964: Men's Cross Country - NJCAA * 1970: Wrestling - NJCAA * 2010: Softball - NJCAA Club Sports National Championships: * 2003: Men's Ice Hockey - ACHA Division III

Notable alumni

Elmer L. Andersen Elmer Lee Andersen (June 17, 1909 – November 15, 2004) was an American businessman, philanthropist, and politician who built a successful business career with the H. B. Fuller Company. Andersen was most notably the 30th Governor of Minnesota ...

– former

Governor of Minnesota The governor of Minnesota is the head of government of the U.S. state of Minnesota, leading the state's executive branch. Forty people have been governor of Minnesota, though historically there were also three governors of Minnesota Territory. ...

, Past

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

and

owner Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

of HB Fuller Company * Garrett Børns – Musician *

Benjamin Bolger Benjamin Bradley Bolger (born 1975) is an American perpetual student who has earned 17 degrees and claims to be the second-most credentialed person in modern history after Michael Nicholson (academic), Michael W. Nicholson (who has 30 degrees). L ...

– American

polymath A polymath ( el, πολυμαθής, , "having learned much"; la, homo universalis, "universal human") is an individual whose knowledge spans a substantial number of subjects, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific pro ...

who holds 14 degrees and claims to be the second most accredited person in modern history. * Tony Ferguson (attended) – '' The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos'' season 13 winner; current mixed martial artist in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

s Lightweight Division * Steven Rinella (1994) – Author, travel writer and outdoor television host. His work includes ''The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine'' and ''American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon''. His writing has appeared in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', ''Outside'', ''Glamour'', ''O, The Oprah Magazine'', Petersen's Hunting, ''

Men's Journal ''Men's Journal'' is an American monthly men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and gear. It was founded in 1992 by Jann Wenne ...

'', Salon.com, Bowhunter, ''The New York Times'', and the anthologies ''Best American Travel Writing'' and ''Best Food Writing''. In 2011 he hosted the 8-part series '' The Wild Within'' on

Travel Channel Travel Channel (stylized as Trvl Channel since 2018) is an American pay television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, which had previously owned the channel from 1997 to 2007. The channel is headquartered in New York, New York, United S ...

. He is currently the host of ''MeatEater'', on Sportsman Channel. * Chris Taylor (1970) – Heavyweight wrestler, National Wrestling Hall of Fame member and bronze medal winner at the 1972 Munich Games.

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control Community colleges in Michigan Two-year colleges in the United States Michigan Community College Athletic Association Buildings and structures in Muskegon, Michigan Education in Muskegon County, Michigan Alden B. Dow buildings NJCAA athletics