Muskegon Community College (MCC) is a public community college located in Muskegon, Michigan. The college provides 49 associate degree programs and 33 certificate programs. Its main campus covers 111 acres in Muskegon, and it also has extension centers in Ottawa and Newaygo counties.
MCC was established in 1926 as Muskegon Junior College. It has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1929. The community college district was created by the Michigan Constitution of 1963, which also established an elected board of trustees. The college moved to its current campus in 1967. This campus was designed by Alden B. Dow. In 1995, the Stevenson Center for Higher Education opened. This center included Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, and Western Michigan University. It aimed to help Muskegon residents access more educational opportunities. In 2010, the Outdoor Learning Lab opened. This facility focuses on green technology and supports MCC’s Alternative and Renewable Energy certificate program. From 2014, several new or expanded buildings were added to the campus.
History
Muskegon Junior College was created by the Muskegon Board of Education in 1926. It was located on the third floor of the new Muskegon High School. This was a new and important effort because only four other two-year colleges existed in Michigan at that time.
By 1934, the number of students at both the college and high school had grown too much for one building. Because of this, the Junior College moved to the former Hackley School in downtown Muskegon, across from Hackley Park (now the Board of Education Building).
It made sense for the college to use the Hackley building because it had been given to the public schools by Charles Hackley after a fire destroyed the original Central School. Charles Hackley believed that a community should provide young people with training that would help them earn a living and improve the community.
From the time it moved to this new location until 1951, the college mainly helped students who planned to attend a four-year college. Muskegon became well-known for its "college transfer" program, which continues to be important today.
In June 1951, after a law was passed by the Michigan Legislature, the college changed its name and expanded its programs. "Muskegon Junior College" became "Muskegon Community College," showing that the college now offered more types of courses.
New courses were added in areas like retailing, trades, technical fields, public health, and vocational training. These courses allowed students to prepare for specific jobs in just two years of study after high school. The college did not stop offering transfer programs, but it added more courses to serve more students.
After World War II, the number of students increased quickly, and the college needed more space. The Muskegon Board of Education used space in many of its buildings and rented other community spaces when needed.
By the early 1960s, the college had more than 2,000 students and was operating full-time at Hackley, Vanderlaan, and Wilson schools and part-time at eight other locations. It was time for the college to grow again.
The Board of Education formed a Special Citizens Committee to study the college and make suggestions. The committee recommended that the college become independent from the public school system, create a county-wide community college district, elect a board of trustees to plan and build the college, and approve a tax to fund the college.
In April 1963, the county approved the committee’s recommendations and elected the first board of trustees. The board quickly purchased an 111-acre (0.45 km²) campus where the college is now located.
Alden B. Dow and Associates was chosen as the architect. By 1965, plans were completed, and construction began. The Vocational-Technical Wing was finished in 1966, and the entire complex was ready by 1967. Formal dedication ceremonies took place on October 22, 1967, with Dr. Ashley Montagu, a famous anthropologist, giving a speech.
The first addition to the new campus was the Frauenthal Foundation Fine Arts Center, completed in 1968. It was named after A. Harold Frauenthal, a local industrialist who donated money to build it.
When the new district was created, the college’s name changed to Muskegon County Community College. In 1969, the name was changed again to Muskegon Community College at the request of the board of trustees.
In January 1995, the Stevenson Center for Higher Education was completed on the college’s campus. This building houses advanced courses from Ferris State University, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, and Western Michigan University. These schools and Muskegon Community College formed a group to provide education for people in West Michigan.
The 90,000-square-foot (8,400 m²) Stevenson Center is about one-third the size of the main building. It was built to match the style of the existing buildings. Located near the Technical Wing, the center has 35 rooms connected by fiber optics for communication. It also houses the college’s Media Center and Graphic Design program.
In January 2006, the Hendrik Meijer Library Information Technology Center opened. This 40,000-square-foot (3,700 m²) building offers wireless Internet, library services, classrooms, and an Internet café. It has three levels overlooking a forest and creek and includes special features like group study rooms, a quiet reading area, and a workstation for visually impaired students.
In 2010, the Outdoor Learning Center opened. It has a green roof and demonstrates alternative energy technologies, such as wind and solar power. This center serves as a lab for students in a certificate program for renewable energy.
In 2012, Muskegon Community College expanded by opening its Ottawa County Center inside the Grand Haven Community Center.
Also in 2012, the college and the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District started the Early College of Muskegon County. This program allows high school students to earn both a high school diploma and an associate degree in five years. The program later expanded to include Early College of Newaygo County, North Ottawa County Early College, and South Ottawa Early College.
In November 2013, Muskegon County voters approved $24 million to support four college expansion projects outlined in the college’s 2010–2015 Master Plan. The college also raised over $20 million from grants, donations, and private gifts to support these goals.
In September 2014, the college signed an agreement to buy the former Muskegon Chronicle building and a nearby parking lot for a downtown campus. In December 2017, the Peter and Carolyn I. Sturrus Technology Center opened as the new home for the college’s Applied Technology programs, including CAD, Electronics/Automation, Engineering, Machining, Metal Casting, Materials, and Welding. It also houses the Experiential Learning Program.
In June 2015, local developer Jonathan Rooks donated the former Masonic Temple to the college for its Entrepreneurial Studies program. Nick Sarnicola, a successful West Michigan entrepreneur, and his wife, Ashley, created a $200,000 permanent endowment to support an annual $10,000 cash award for the best business idea from an Entrepreneurial Studies graduate. The Rooks-Sarnicola Entrepreneur Institute opened in June 2018.
Campus
The campus is located on the northwest corner of Marquette Ave. and Quarterline Rd., near the line between Muskegon, Michigan, and Muskegon Township, Michigan. It stretches westward toward Harvey Street along U.S. Highway 31, where the Muskegon Area Career Technical Center is found. University Park Golf Course, the only golf course owned by a community college in 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 includes an enclosed court, two wings, and has Four-Mile Creek flowing under it.
The 111-acre (0.45 km²) campus includes the Technology Building, the Hendrik Meijer Library & Information Technology Center (opened in 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 Level 1. Level 3 is the lowest level.
As defined by the Michigan Legislature, the official service area of Muskegon Community College includes territory within the following school districts:
Stevenson Center for Higher Education
The Stevenson Center for Higher Education opened in 1995. It was first called the Muskegon Center for Higher Education and was later renamed to honor James Stevenson, the college president who led the project.
The top floor includes a television studio, a computer laboratory, a conference room, a lecture hall, media services, and graphic design tools. The middle floor includes conference rooms and classrooms, and the bottom floor includes classrooms.
In addition, the center offers programs from the following universities:
• Ferris State University
• Grand Valley State University
• Western Michigan University
• Michigan State University
Muskegon Area Career Technical Center
The Career Technical Center offers career and technical education programs for students in grades kindergarten through 12. It collaborates with the Muskegon Area Intermediate School District. The center opened in 2005.
MCC-TV
Muskegon Community College runs MCC-TV, a public, educational, and government access (PEG) cable TV station. This station broadcasts programs that teach, inform, and share cultural ideas, which help the college achieve its goals. MCC-TV can be watched on Comcast Channels 98 and 902 in Muskegon County and Newaygo County. It is also available on Charter Channel 190 in Ottawa County, Oceana County, northern Muskegon County, and northern Allegan County.
Astronomy
Muskegon Community College has the Carr-Fles Planetarium, which was fully renovated in 2012 and is still West Michigan's only free planetarium. The college also has an observatory located at the Muskegon County Wastewater Treatment Facility.
Athletics
Muskegon Community College (MCC) provides its students with 17 college-level sports, more than any other community college in Michigan. The team name is "Jayhawks," and the school colors are Royal Blue and Gold. MCC participates in the following 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 take place in the Bartels-Rode Gymnasium. Baseball and Softball games are played on their own fields next to the gymnasium.
MCC competes in the National Junior College Athletic Association (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 – former Governor of Minnesota, former president and owner of HB Fuller Company
- Garrett Børns – Musician
- Benjamin Bolger – American expert in many fields who holds 17 degrees and claims to be the second most accredited person in modern history
- Tony Ferguson (attended) – Winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos season 13; current mixed martial artist in the Ultimate Fighting Championships Lightweight Division
- Steven Rinella (1994) – Author, travel writer, and outdoor television host. He has written books such as The Scavenger's Guide to Haute Cuisine and American Buffalo: In Search of a Lost Icon. His articles have been published in The New Yorker, Outside, Glamour, O, The Oprah Magazine, Petersen's Hunting, Men's Journal, Salon.com, Bowhunter, The New York Times, and the anthologies Best American Travel Writing and Best Food Writing. In 2011, he hosted an 8-part series called The Wild Within on Travel Channel. He currently hosts MeatEater on Sportsman Channel.
- Chris Taylor (1970) – Heavyweight wrestler and member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, who won a bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Games.