Dutchess Community College (SUNY Dutchess, or DCC) 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 undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

Dutchess County, New York Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later o ...

. It is one of 30 community colleges within the State University of New York system (SUNY). The main campus, in the town of Poughkeepsie, covers . DCC also operates the Center for Excellence in Industry and Innovation in Fishkill, approximately south, in Fishkill and an aviation education center at the Hudson Valley Regional Airport in the town of

Wappinger The Wappinger ( ) were an Eastern Algonquian Munsee-speaking Native American people from what is now southern New York and western Connecticut. At the time of first contact in the 17th century they were primarily based in what is now Dutc ...

.Dutchess Community College Archival Images Gallery
Before DCC: Samuel and Nettie Bowne Hospital. Retrieved 2013-01-01. Over 60 academic programs are offered, the majority of which are geared toward associate degrees or certificates. In addition, the Office of Workforce Development and Continuing Education provides non-credit courses, High School Equivalency completion through preparation for the Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC) exam, ESL classes, and workforce training to residents of Dutchess County and beyond. One-third of all

Dutchess County Dutchess County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 295,911. The county seat is the city of Poughkeepsie. The county was created in 1683, one of New York's first twelve counties, and later org ...

college-bound high school graduates attend Dutchess Community College each year. The majority of alumni live and work in the

Hudson Valley The Hudson Valley or Hudson River Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. The region stretches from the Capital District (New York), Capital District includi ...

, and many have become civic and community leaders.SUNY Community College 2008 Viewbook
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History

In 1957, the college was founded on the site of a former

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

hospital, which is now Bowne Hall, the campus's main administrative building. In 2007, Dutchess Community College marked its 50th anniversary of operations. Since enrolling its first class in 1957, DCC has awarded degrees and certificates to over 30,000 graduates and has provided educational opportunities for many thousands of other students. On 25 August 2012, Conklin Hall was opened, becoming the college's first, and as of 2023 only, on-campus residence hall. At , it can house up to 467 students in 98 suites.

Presidents

Since its founding in 1957, there have been six people who have held the title of President of Dutchess Community College. In addition, there has been one acting president. James F. Hall of Michigan was hired as the first president of the college in 1957. Pamela Edington, when appointed in 2014, became the first woman to hold the position. Her successor, Peter Jordan, became the first person of color to serve as president of DCC in August 2021. The presidents of the college include: * James Hall (1957–1972) * John Connolly (1972–1982) * Jerry A. Lee (1982–1992) * D. David Conklin (1992–2014) * Pamela R. Edington (2014–2020) * Ellen Gambino (2020–2021) acting * Peter G. Jordan (2021–present)

Academics

Academic departments

The academic offerings of Dutchess Community College are organized into nine main departments: * Allied Health and Biological Sciences * Behavioral Sciences * Business, Aviation and Construction Professions * English and Humanities * History, Government, and Economics * Mathematics and Computer Sciences * Nursing * Performing, Visual Arts and Communications * Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Academic support services

Dutchess Community College has a variety of academic support services available to its student body. These services range from tutoring to programs geared towards helping minority students succeed, and include: * The Math & Science Center * The Writing Center * Office of Accommodative Services (offering disability support) * Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) * The Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP)

Main campus

Nearly all of DCC's eleven main campus buildings are situated on top of a large hill. Conklin Hall, the Louis Greenspan Day Care Center, and Falcon Hall are the only three buildings not to be situated on top of the hill. * The Allyn J. Washington Center for Science & Art, which also contains the campus' only art gallery * Bowne Hall, which holds all the central administrative offices on the campus * Conklin Hall, the only on-campus residence hall, which also contains a secondary dining hall for the exclusive use of Conklin Hall residents * Center for Business & Industry, commonly referred to as CBI * Drumlin Hall, the main dining hall on campus * Dutchess Hall, which contains the only theater, the campus bookstore, as well as multiple student lounges * Falcon Hall, housing the campus gymnasium as well as a fitness center * Hudson Hall houses the only library on campus, as well as the campus Writing Center * Louis Greenspan Day Care Center * Orcutt Student Services Center * Taconic Hall

Student life

Dutchess Community College has a variety of departments and programs dedicated to engaging students and promoting success, all of which are operated by the Department of Student Services. The Department of Student Services has, under its operating umbrella, offices including Health Services, Student Activities, Intercollegiate Athletics, Admissions, and Counseling Services, including many others. Health Services operate the on-campus health center and offers minor medical treatment to DCC students free of charge. The Office of Intercollegiate Activities is responsible for operating and maintaining all sports teams on campus. Sports available for men include soccer, basketball, and baseball. Women's sports include volleyball, softball, basketball, and starting in the fall of 2017, soccer. The Office of Student Activities manages student trips, guest speaker lectures, family festivals, on-campus events, the Student Government Association (SGA) and all on-campus clubs.

Fishkill branch

In Fall 2021, Dutchess Community College opened a new satellite center called DCC@Fishkill, approximately south of the main campus, at the site of the former Dutchess Mall's Jamesway anchor store. The Fishkill facility has 20 multi-purpose classrooms, a versatile design, a fully equipped biology lab, and a networked computer classroom. Located in the Fishkill campus is the Center of Excellence for Industry and Innovation, a mechatronics lab, with three rooms set up as a Mechanical lab, an Electrical/Automation lab and a

Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC ) is the use of various technologies to control the temperature, humidity, and purity of the air in an enclosed space. Its goal is to provide thermal comfort and acceptable indoor air quality. H ...

lab. The college offers hands-on learning needed to support installation, maintenance, repair, calibration and troubleshooting of systems including controls and machine-to-machine networks. On October 6, 2023,

First Lady of the United States First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is a title typically held by the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been Code of law, codified or offici ...

Jill Biden Jill Tracy Jacobs Biden (née Jacobs; born June 3, 1951) is an American educator who served as the first lady of the United States from 2021 to 2025 as the wife of President Joe Biden. She was second lady of the United States from 2009 to 20 ...

toured the DCC@Fishkill facility, particularly the newly opened

Mechatronics Mechatronics engineering, also called mechatronics, is the synergistic integration of mechanical, electrical, and computer systems employing mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and computer engineering, and also ...

lab. Previously, Dutchess Community College had a satellite branch in Wappingers Falls, called Dutchess South, which operated from at least the early 1990s until 2021. It closed upon the opening of the Fishkill location.

Community involvement

The Bridge Program

In an effort to more effectively prepare students for college, as well as to draw more students to the college, DCC instituted the Bridge Program. This allows local high school students to take certain DCC classes on the campus. These classes are primarily entry-level English classes, but can range from government to calculus courses, depending on the proficiency of the student. While the majority of local high schools allow their students to travel to DCC for these classes, a few do not. One notable exception is Poughkeepsie High School, which only allows its students to take the college courses in the high school building itself. Teachers must be specially certified by both Poughkeepsie High School and by DCC in order for the classes to be counted as college credit.

The Charles E. & Mabel E. Conklin Scholarship for Academic Excellence

Established in 2003, the Charles & Mabel Conklin Scholarship provides students with the full cost of tuition for four semesters at DCC. The scholarship is open to graduating seniors attending a high school in Dutchess County that graduate in the top 10% of their class. 43 students were awarded the Charles E. & Mabel E. Conklin Scholarship in 2016.

Notable alumni

Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. As a ...

, actor and director * Mela Hudson, actress * Kima Jones, writer and poet * Matthew Lee (1992), Vice President for Agriculture & Dean, College of Agriculture,

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

* Marc Molinaro (2001), member of the

New York State Assembly The New York State Assembly is the lower house of the New York State Legislature, with the New York State Senate being the upper house. There are 150 seats in the Assembly. Assembly members serve two-year terms without term limits. The Ass ...

(2007–2011) and the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

(2023–2025)

Notable faculty and staff

* Rita Kogler Carver, lighting designer * Matt Finley, retired professor of

computer information systems An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, store, and distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, information systems comprise four components: task, people, structu ...

and former Dean of Academic Affairs *

Donald L. Klein Donald Lee Klein (born December 19, 1930) is an American inventor and chemist, most known for inventing the process to fabricate the self-aligned gate MOSFET transistor along with Robert E. Kerwin and John C. Sarace in 1967 at Bell Labs. In 19 ...

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

* George Tarantini, assistant soccer coach * Sumi Tonooka, piano

References

External links

Official websiteHudson River Valley Heritage website
– photos and other documents from DCC's first 50 years {{authority control Dutchess Community College NJCAA schools Community colleges in New York (state) Universities and colleges in Dutchess County, New York