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Larry Christiansen
President of MCC |
Future looks bright
for MCC &students
This year, MCC proudly celebrates 40 years of educational partnership with the citizens of the East Valley. There is gratification to look back over four decades (including my own tenure as president the last 17 years) and know that MCC has kept pace with the vibrant, talented and extraordinarily fast growing community we serve.
The growth and change has been amazing. In 1965, 27 students graduated from MCC. Currently, there are 1,800 students that comprise MCC’s graduating Class of 2005.
In 1963, the first bond election for the Maricopa County Community College District was defeated. A year later, a $4.9 million bond was passed. Last November, Maricopa voters overwhelming approved a $951 million bond. In August 1967, MCC received accreditation from the North Central Association (NCA). This spring an accreditation team visited MCC for our 10-year accreditation evaluation. I am proud of the tremendous gains we have made in the last decade.
From our early days when we were a small college of 300 students holding classes in the Landmark Restaurant in Mesa, to a college with two comprehensive campuses, five sites, and an escalating distance learning program, our focus has always been on providing excellence in teaching and learning.
MCC’s exceptional faculty provides an exciting and progressive learning experience for all students, including MCC’s transfer students; our adult students returning to college to upgrade their skills or work towards a new career; and our seniors who keep vital because of their own commitment to life-long learning.
We continue to push the envelope to meet the needs of the businesses and industries in our community. For example, MCC was the first to implement a biotechnology program. We also continually stretch to fulfill the escalating workforce demands in arenas such as nursing, fire science and mortuary science.
To serve our fast growing community, we must be ready by 2020 for an estimated 50,000 students at MCC. New capital dollars from the recent bond election will enable us to respond to facility needs.
We plan to add buildings with classrooms and labs at our Southern and Dobson Campus, and construction of the second phase of the Red Mountain Campus, simultaneously.
We will increase parking and security, advance technology for distance learning and academic programs, renovate older facilities, and move forward in a partnership with the City of Mesa to create a MCC Downtown Campus.
MCC is committed to our community beyond excellence in our classrooms.
We are proud to be a community partner in such ways as Empty Bowls, Water Safety Days, our Minority Small Business Center, our Latino Town Hall and our nationally recognized Rose Garden and our new nature walk/botanic garden at Red Mountain.
To be a great institution, you must continually grow. With our vibrant 40-year foundation, MCC is prepared to meet the future needs of our community.
The MCC community — faculty, administrators, staff, our alumni, Commission on Excellence and students — are ready and excited about the challenges ahead.
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