The Maricopa County Community College District, also known as Maricopa Community Colleges, is one of the largest community college district in the United States, serving more than 220,000 students each year in Maricopa County, Arizona. The district serves Maricopa County, the county that includes and surrounds Phoenix and is the most populous of the state's counties. The district's administrative headquarters are located in Tempe, Arizona (east suburban Phoenix).
The programs offered at MCCCD include those leading to a two-year associate degree, and occupational certificates, as well as online classes, and dual enrollment programs.
MCCCD primarily serves students from the Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area and surrounding parts of Maricopa County. The cost of tuition for Maricopa County residents $86 per credit hour, as of the 2015-16 academic year.
History
Mesa Community College fighting to keep Red Mountain Campus open - A decline in enrollment at Mesa Community College's Red Mountain location has faculty fighting to keep the 15-year old campus from closing. (Video by Kendall ...
The Phoenix Union High School District established Phoenix Junior College (now Phoenix College) in 1920 as the first community college in the state of Arizona. In 1960, the state legislature provided for junior college districts in Arizona. The Maricopa County Junior College District was established in 1962 by the approval of county voters, with the new system acquiring Phoenix Junior College.
The system established branch campuses of Phoenix Junior College in the nearby suburbs of Glendale and Mesa; these would become independent campuses within the system by the end of the decade (1965). Other campuses were established in the following years:
- Southwest Skill Center (now part of GateWay Community College) in 2000;
- Maricopa Technical College (now GateWay Community College) in 1968;
- Scottsdale Community College in 1969;
- Rio Salado Community College in 1978;
- South Mountain Community College in 1980;
- the Northeast Valley Education Center (now Paradise Valley Community College) in 1985;
- the Chandler/Gilbert Education Center (now Chandler-Gilbert Community College) in 1985;
- Estrella Mountain Community College in 1990;
- the Red Mountain campus part of Mesa Community College in 2001;
- Glendale Community College North in 2008;
- Paradise Valley Community College at Black Mountain in 2009.
In 1971, the "Junior College" portion of the name was changed to "Community College".
The State Board of Directors for Community Colleges of Arizona presided over the entire statewide community college system until June 2002, when the Arizona Legislature reduced its powers and duties and transferred most oversight to individual community college districts.
Colleges
Maricopa Corporate College
Founded in 2013, the corporate college develops and implements solutions for new and existing Arizona businesses based on specifically identified needs. The corporate college provides consultative services to businesses, and continuing education to professionals, and will oversee district entrepreneurial activities and initiatives, such as the business incubator on the GateWay Community College campus. Using best practices of successful corporate colleges implemented in Ohio, North Carolina, Texas, Florida and Indiana, Maricopa's corporate college provides non-accredited training. This means it will function independently of the 10 Maricopa community colleges and two skill centers, while drawing on their faculty and facility resources when appropriate. In addition to working with employers that are moving into the Valley, it offers professional and continuing education programs to established corporations and associations.
Center for Entrepreneurial Innovation (CEI)
The result of a partnership among the City of Phoenix, the Economic Development Administration and the Maricopa County Community College District, as well as additional public and private partners, the businesses incubator helps companies grow and commercialize their businesses, championing small business job creation for the region. The center houses more than 30 office, wet lab and light manufacturing spaces, as well as state-of-the-art presentation technology, a client server room, and additional collaborative and meeting areas. Clients have access to student research teams and a vast network of mentors and partner organizations as well.
Governance And Leadership
Governing Board
The Governing Board of the Maricopa County Community College District has seven members, five elected from geographical districts within the Maricopa County, and two elected at-large positions by the voters of the entire county.[13]
- For the election in 2016, At-Large members would serve different terms initiallyâ€"the candidate receiving the largest number of votes will serve four years, the candidate receiving the next largest number of votes will serve two years. Subsequently, At-Large members will serve four-year terms
Chancellor & Provost
The Chancellor of the Maricopa Community Colleges is the CEO of the 10-college system. The Presidents at each college and 4 Vice Chancellors report to the Chancellor, who serves at the pleasure of the Governing Board.
President: (define when it changed to chancellor) Robert J. Hannelly (1947 - 1967) John Prince (1967 - 1976)
Past Chancellors: Dr. Paul Elsner (1977 - 1999) Fred Gaskin (2000 - 2003) Dr Rufus Glasper (2003â€"2016)
Chancellor : Dr. Maria Harper-Marinick
Provost: Dr. Karla Fisher
Chief of Staff: Darcy Renfro
Chief Operating Officer: J. Elliott Hibbs (Interim)
Vice Chancellor, Human Resources: LaCoya Shelton
Chief Information Officer: Edward Kelty
General Counsel: Leslie Cooper
President, Chief Executive Officer of Maricopa Colleges Foundation: Christina Schultz
College Presidents:
Chandler-Gilbert Community College: Dr. Greg Peterson
Estrella Mountain Community College: Dr. Ernie Lara
GateWay Community College: Dr. Steven Gonzales
Glendale Community College: Dr. Terry Leyba-Ruiz
Mesa Community College: Dr. Richard Haney
Paradise Valley Community College: Dr. Paul Dale
Phoenix College: Dr. Larry Johnson, Jr.
Rio Salado College and Maricopa Corporate College: Dr. Chris Bustamante
Scottsdale Community College: Dr. Jan L. Gehler
South Mountain Community College: Dr. Shari L. Olson
Awards
- In 2015 The Maricopa Community Colleges won the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting Program
- In 2015 The Maricopa Community Colleges won the Internet Advertising Competition in the category of Best Education Online Campaign
- In 2014 The Maricopa Community Colleges won the Internet Advertising Competition in the category of Best Education Online Newsletter Campaign & Best University Online Newsletter Campaign
- In 2012 The Maricopa Community Colleges Division of Business Services has been honored with an Outstanding Business Officer award by the Community College Business Officers organization (CCBO).
- In 2012 The Maricopa Community Colleges' Human Resources (HR) department has been profiled in the Fall 2012 edition of The Higher Education Workplace, a national publication of the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA/HR).
Lectureships
Honors Forum Lectures: The Honors Forum Lecture Series features local and nationally known speakers who address specific issues related to a theme selected by Phi Theta Kappa. The Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) theme is chosen to bring unity to the Honors Program and the national PTK chapters at each college.
Fischl Lecture Series at Phoenix College: The Eric Fischl Lecture Series was launched in 2005 when internationally acclaimed American painter and sculpture Eric Fischl returned to Phoenix College for the first time since the late 1960s. Fischl, then student, studied at PC under renowned Southwestern landscape artist and faculty member Merrill Mahaffey.
Name confusion
The Maricopa Community College District, or Maricopa Community Colleges for short, is also known as the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD). This is the legal entity name of the District. Some confuse the Maricopa Community Colleges abbreviation for Mesa Community College (MCC), one of the ten Maricopa colleges. The District's official initialism, therefore, is MCCCD, while Mesa's is MCC.
References
External links
- Timeline of MCCCD's history