Mission:

The purpose of Mid Michigan Community College is to provide educational and community leadership for the development of human ability.  To this end the College provides post-secondary education and services to enable students and the community to achieve success in a global society.

Goals:

1.  Provide educational opportunities which will prepare students to transfer to baccalaureate institutions or add to their life skills.  Mid Michigan Community College provides courses comparable to those found in the freshman and sophomore years of the four-year college or university.  Many of these courses are academic or liberal arts in nature and are open to all students regardless of program.

2.  Provide educational opportunities which will prepare students for successful employment in business, health, and technical occupations.  Mid Michigan Community College provides a variety of occupational courses, certificate, and associate degree programs designed to assist students in preparing for initial employment in occupations, changing to new occupations, or advancing in their current occupations.  These offerings are available to high school graduates, those who have not graduated, and those currently attending high school.  

3.  Provide counseling and guidance for students regarding decisions related to education.  Most students are uncertain of their education objectives at the onset or change their plans once or several times during the college years.  Thus, Mid Michigan Community College attempts to aid students in determining where their interests, inclinations, abilities lie.  Students are assisted in making intelligent vocational choices and in pursuing appropriate learning tools for college work.  An effort is made to identify students capable of doing advanced work in colleges and universities.

4.  Provide community service by meeting educational, recreational, and cultural needs of College community.  Mid Michigan Community College provides a meaningful identification with the community, serving as a center for intellectual, cultural, and physical growth.  Thus, the College provides continuing educational opportunities such as community institutes, conferences, clinics, forums, workshops, seminars, concerts, exhibits, plays, and recreational activities. College facilities are available for use by community organizations and clubs.  The College works hand in hand with business and industry in furthering area economic development.  The College serves the individual's educational needs regardless of age, income, or formal educational background.  Recognizing the older population of the community, the College makes a continuous effort to fulfill that older populations educational and recreational needs.  Special projects for low income or disadvantaged families are also provided.  Through a wide variety of continuing education courses,  College area residents may seek new interests, avocations, and/or improvement of life skills.

History:

The earliest activity in providing a community college to serve the Clare County/Gladwin County area began in 1962.  Two years later the concept of the College was endorsed by the two local intermediate districts and the five area local school districts within the two counties.  As a result of the acceptance of this basic concept, a Citizens Advisory Council was formed to determine the feasibility of establishing a community college.  The report of the Council, completed in 1965, recommended the formation of a local community college to serve the residents of the two-county area.  The study report was then submitted to the Michigan Department of Public Instruction and notification of approval for the College was received in July, 1965.  In September, 1965. a special election was held to obtain community authorization for establishment of the College, to elect a governing Board of Trustees, and to approve construction and operating millage of 1.5 mills to be levied against the assessed property valuation in the voting district.  The favorable response of the voters resulted in official approval by the Michigan State Board of Education to establish Michigan's 25th community college.

During 1966-1967, and administrative staff was employed to develop the initial planning for the campus and for the instructional program.  At the same time, the architect was developing a master plan for building construction and development of the entire 560-acre site.  Construction of the initial 1.5 million instructional facility began in May, 1968.

In the Fall of 1968, the first university parallel and nontechnical classes began in temporary facilities in the Clare County Building in Harrison, the Practical Nursing program was started at the Central Michigan Community Hospital in Mt. Pleasant, and the vocational and technical courses were conducted at the Area Vocational School in Mt. Pleasant.   Temporary facilities for the library and audiovisual materials were obtained from the Harrison Public Library.  On September 15, 1969, the first classes were moved to the present campus location and on November 24, 1969, all of the remaining classes were moved.

Construction of the Food Service/Student Center was completed in 1972; the Goldberg Orientation Center, which housed the College's child care facilities, and a small engine repair building were added in 1973; the allied health facilities and the Automotive Technology Center began in the Fall of 1982 and the facility opened for classes in the Fall of 1983.  

In December of 1993, the College purchased a three story modern office building in Mt. Pleasant. The building was converted to a striking campus facility on an attractive site during 1994.  The Mt. Pleasant Campus serves the Isabella County area.

In the Fall of 1998, the College opened an extensive expansion with improvements on the Harrison Campus, adding new science and health education facilities.

In the fall of 1999, MMCC was granted funding for an M-Tec Center, one of Governor Engler's initiatives to serve business and industry and community colleges.  The Center opened its doors in the Fall of 2001, and provides open-entry/open-exit training for employees and potential employees of industrial and construction trades.

Since the College opened its doors to 196 students in the Fall of 1968, it has experienced a pattern of constant growth and is now serving more than 5,000 students annually on both a full-time and part-time basis.  All College facilities are barrier-free and accessible to handicapped persons.