Schoolcraft College 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 ...

Livonia, Michigan Livonia ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Livonia is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 95,535. Originally organized as ...

History

Schoolcraft College was established in 1961. Originally named Northwest Wayne County Community College, the name of the college was changed because of the length. On February 6, 1963, the college officially changed the name to Schoolcraft College, after an American geologist

Henry Schoolcraft Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (March 28, 1793 – December 10, 1864) was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 expedition to the source of the Mississippi ...

. The school's name omits the word "community", both to keep the name short, and to avoid the assumption on the part of the public that the school is located in or associated with Schoolcraft County.

Academics

Schoolcraft College is known for its

culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or ...

program and

continuing education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

. The culinary department is headed by four certified master chefs (CMC) which is the highest CMC/Student ratio of any culinary school in the country. That department is housed in the Vistatech Center, which underwent an $11 million renovation to improve spaces such as the American Harvest restaurant and reopened in fall 2023. The ''Schoolcraft Connection'' is the student-run campus newspaper. In addition to its main campus off Haggerty Road, Schoolcraft College also operates two other academic sites. Its Public Safety Training Complex is located on Industrial Road in Livonia and is where students learn skills for both policing and firefighting. It is also the home to the Wayne County Regional Police Academy. The college also operates its Manufacturing and Engineering Center along Merriman Road south of I-96. This facility houses programs such as advanced manufacturing, welding and more. The college formerly operated a satellite campus, the Radcliff Center, in Garden City. That campus was closed in 2022 and sold to Garden City.

Athletics

Schoolcraft College Athletic program is a part of the

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

via the

Michigan Community College Athletic Association The Michigan Community College Athletic Association (MCCAA) is a junior college conference throughout Michigan and northern Indiana in Region 12 of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The men's sports organized by the MCCA ...

. The athletic teams' name is the

Ocelots The ocelot (''Leopardus pardalis'') is a medium-sized spotted wild cat that reaches at the shoulders and weighs between on average. It is native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean island ...

Administration

Some noteworthy public figures have served on the Schoolcraft College Board of Trustees in the past. They include Congressman Thaddeus McCotter of Livonia and former State Senator Laura M. Toy of Livonia. The value of its endowment as of June 30, 2011 was $10.659 million.As of June 30, 2011.

Business engagement

Schoolcraft College's Business Development Center hosts several programs for regional businesses. The center is composed of the Schoolcraft College Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC), the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) of Schoolcraft College, and Workforce Training Solutions.

Schoolcraft College Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)

The Schoolcraft College PTAC is funded through a cooperative agreement with the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

State of Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

and Schoolcraft College. The PTAC provides free government contracting assistance to businesses in selling products and services to federal, state, and local government agencies. The Center assists companies headquartered in Oakland County and most of Wayne County, excluding the City of Detroit and Downriver Communities. The Schoolcraft College PTAC operates satellite offices at Automation Alley and the Oakland County government's One Stop Shop Business Center.

Public Sector Construction Forum (PSCF)

The Public Sector Construction Forum (PSCF) was established in 2016 with the support and assistance of the Schoolcraft College PTAC and

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

PTAC. The Forum engages local public and private sector representatives, including small business owners. The Forum discusses industry trends, federal and state spending, contractor diversity and methods to expand the success of public sector construction - both vertical and horizontal - from a stakeholder and private industry perspective throughout the

and

Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of Northern America is a binational Canadian– American region centered on the Great Lakes that includes the U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and the Ca ...

. The current Chairman of the Forum is Alexander Masters.

References

External links

* {{authority control Community colleges in Michigan Michigan Community College Athletic Association Universities and colleges in Wayne County, Michigan Livonia, Michigan Universities and colleges established in 1961 1961 establishments in Michigan Two-year colleges in the United States