History
Delta College's district started in 1955 and included Saginaw, Midland, and Bay counties. In 1957, voters in these counties agreed to build the college, and it opened for classes in 1961. Delta College replaced Bay City Junior College, which was created in 1922, because the junior college could not handle the increasing number of students.
In 1967, the college opened two dormitories on campus. The number of students living in the dorms was highest in 1980, with 178 students. By 1990, this number had dropped to 85. The next year, one dormitory was closed, and the other dormitory closed in 1993.
Governance
Delta College's district includes Saginaw, Midland, and Bay counties. The board of trustees has nine members, with three from each county.
Downtown centers
Delta College has branch campuses in each of its three nearby counties: Delta College Planetarium in downtown Bay City; Delta College Midland Center in downtown Midland; and Delta College Saginaw Center in downtown Saginaw. The previous Ricker Center in Saginaw was closed after the new Downtown location opened.
Athletics
Delta College has six college sports teams that compete in the NJCAA and are part of the MCCAA group. The teams include men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, women's soccer, and men's golf. Baseball and women's soccer became varsity sports during the 2011–2012 school year. Delta College has won three national championships: men's basketball in 1989, softball in 1999, and women's soccer in 2024.
Media
Delta College owns and operates WDCQ-TV, the region's PBS station, and WUCX-FM, the NPR affiliate. These stations are owned by Central Michigan University (CMU) and operated together with Delta College and CMU. Together, these stations are called Delta College Public Media, and they serve an audience of 1.2 million people in mid-Michigan.
The college's student-run newspaper is called the Delta Collegiate. It has been published since the college opened in 1961. The newspaper prints a new issue every two weeks during the fall and winter semesters. The Library Learning Information Center (LLIC) has an online archive of the first 50 years of the Delta Collegiate.
Notable alumni
- Mike Hoadley, a Michigan lawmaker
- Jake Kiszka, a guitarist for the American rock band Greta Van Fleet