Macomb Community College

Macomb Community College

300px
Type	Community college
Established	1954
Location	Warren, Michigan, Clinton Township, Michigan , USA
Website	www.macomb.edu

Macomb Community College is a community college with several locations in Michigan. Its headquarters are in Warren.

About

Macomb Community College is a multi-campus learning community in Macomb County, Mich., which shares borders with Detroit and Canada. The College ranks in the top two percent nationally for the number of associate degrees awarded and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

The College offerings include university transfer, early college, professional certification, workforce development, continuing education and enrichment, and through its nationally acclaimed University Center, which opened in 1991, bachelor degree completion and graduate level programs. Growing steadily from the first 84 students that showed up for class on Sept. 16, 1954, Macomb now serves approximately 48,000 annually.

History

South Macomb Community College, as it was first called, was founded by educators from the Van Dyke School District who believed the lack of access to higher education was greatly impeding the success of the county and its residents. The first classes were held after hours in the district's Lincoln High School, with a transfer curriculum developed in collaboration with educators from the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University.

Enrollment at Macomb reached 3,000 by 1961 and with the College rapidly outgrowing the space allotted to it by the school district, its founders developed a plan and a proposal to expand its size and its scope. The go-ahead was given in 1962 when Macomb County voters approved an operating millage to support the Community College District of Macomb, autonomous of the Van Dyke School District. The 20-year operating millage has been reauthorized twice by voters.

After passage of the first millage, an ambitious construction program ensued for the newly named Macomb County Community College. South Campus in Warren opened in 1965, and Center Campus in Clinton Township opened in 1968. East Campus, which houses a training center for police, fire and emergency services personnel, opened in 1996 and M-TEC, dedicated to workforce development, opened in 2002. The College also purchased (and later sold) property in Ray Township for a North Campus that never materialized and previously operated a campus and a satellite in Fraser and Washington Township, respectively. The College shortened its name to Macomb Community College in 1981.

Today

The College now offers nearly 200 degree and certificate programs, including those in high tech and high demand fields. Because of the generosity of donors to the Macomb Community College Foundation, there are more than 100 private scholarships to help Macomb students pay for their education. In 2009, Macomb also became one of the first community colleges to join Achieving the Dream, a national initiative aimed at helping community college students succeed. Additionally, the Dreamkeepers Emergency Assistance Fund and the Mall at Partridge Creek Student Assistance Fund, coordinated by the College's Student Options for Success office, provides financial assistance to eligible students in the event of a one-time financial emergency that hinders their ability to continue college.

As a community college funded, in part, by local tax revenue and state appropriations, Macomb is able to maintain a tuition rate that is considerably lower than that of four-year colleges or universities, amounting to a savings of approximately $18,000 for transfer students taking their first two years of a four-year bachelor's degree program program at Macomb. Transfer agreements numbering more than 350 help assure that credits earned at Macomb transfer to other institutions.

Additional Macomb Community College Initiatives

Center for Advanced Automotive Technology (CAAT), a regional resource and Macomb/Wayne State University partnership funded by the National Science Foundation

Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a free resource for entrepreneurs – both Macomb students and community residents

Innovation Fund Macomb Community College, Powered by JPMorgan Chase & Co., awarding seed funding to startups in an effort to stimulate regional economical development and job growth

Albert L. Lorenzo Cultural Center: providing an ever-changing slate of free cultural programming

Macomb Center for the Performing Arts: hosting national recording artists and touring companies as well as local arts organizations

Procurement Technical Assistance Center (inside MTEC): assisting local companies in securing government contracts

Sports & Expo Center: home to the college’s men’s and women’s athletic teams (Monarchs - Michigan Community College Athletic Association members) and hosting a variety of interest-based shows and expositions

History of College Leadership

Among the individuals listed here are a few whose names grace South and Center Campus buildings and maps.

Max Thompson (educator/co-founder) Superintendent of the Van Dyke School District during the College’s formative years

Walter Bradley (educator/co-founder) College’s First Dean 1954-1963

Robert Turner (engineer) College’s First President 1963-1967

John Dimitry (political scientist) President 1968-1975

Robert Roelofs (industrial engineer) President 1975-1979

Albert Lorenzo (accountant) President 1979-2008

James Jacobs (economist) President 2008–present

Notable Alumni

Mark Hackel, Macomb County Executive

Candice Miller, U.S. Representative

Richard Sheridan, CEO, Menlo Innovations in Ann Arbor

Cynthia Watros, Actress and Daytime Emmy-Winner

Ken Paves, Celebrity Hair Stylist (Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez)

Dawn Riley, Sailing Legend - First Woman to Captain an America Cup entry

Mark Grosz, Chicago Chef and Restaurateur (Oceanique)

Lindsey Tycholiz, Miss Michigan USA 2009

Campus Locations

South Campus: 14500 12 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48088

Center Campus: 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Township, MI 48038

East Campus: 21901 Dunham Road, Clinton Township, MI 48030

MTEC^sm: 7900 Tank Ave., Clinton Township, MI 48092

References

The History of Macomb Community College, Walter Bradley, 1965, Personal Papers

Macomb County Community College: A Quarter Center, 1979, Macomb County Community College

The Macomb Plan: Expanding a Community's Access to Higher Education, 1989, Macomb Community College

Macomb Community College: A Decade of Progress, 1980-1990, 1990, Macomb Community College

Macomb County: A Historical Perspective, Bellwether Report, Book I, The Center for Community Studies, 1992, Macomb Community College

Macomb Community College 1954-2004, Celebrating 50 Years, 2004, Macomb Community College

Macomb Community College News Releases, 1989 - 2015, Macomb Community College

Macomb Community College Catalog, 2015-2016, Macomb Community College

External links

Macomb Community College http://www.macomb.edu