Washtenaw Community College

Last updated
Washtenaw Community College
Washtenaw Community College.JPG
TypePublic community college
Established1965
President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca
Students20,000
Location, ,
United States

42°15′51″N83°39′54″W / 42.2641°N 83.6650°W / 42.2641; -83.6650
CampusSuburban, 291 acres
Colours Green and yellow
MascotAlpha
Website www.wccnet.edu
Washtenaw Community College.svg

Washtenaw Community College (WCC) is a public community college in Ann Arbor Charter Township, Michigan. [1] [2] Founded in 1965, WCC enrolls more than 20,000 students from over 100 countries to study each year and grants certificates and degrees to over 2,600 students annually. [3]

Contents

Academics

The college offers approximately 137 credit programs in business, health, advanced manufacturing and skilled trades, public service, humanities, social science, math, natural sciences, art, and technology. WCC has comprehensive training partnerships with local and national businesses and organizations, and has transfer agreements with many higher education institutions, including the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan University. The college has extension centers in Brighton and Hartland. WCC offers programming through the Harriet Street Center and Parkridge Community Center, which are both in Ypsilanti, Michigan.

Washtenaw Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). [4]

Campus life

The Health & Fitness Center Washtenaw Community College Health & Fitness Center.jpg
The Health & Fitness Center

The Washtenaw Community College core campus includes 14 instructional and auxiliary buildings and is surrounded by 291 acres of woods and naturalized spaces in the heart of Washtenaw County and southeast Michigan. [3]

The student headcount for the 2016–2017 academic year was 20,718. Of that, 2,170 were first generation students; 1,013 were single parents; and 643 were veterans. The 2,667 students who graduated during the academic year were awarded 2,568 academic certificates and 1,287 academic degrees. [3]

Adults age 18–24 years represent almost 48 percent of the WCC student body. According to data for the Fall 2017 semester, 812 international students attended Washtenaw Community College. These students receive additional support through the on-campus International Student Center. [5]

Many students receive financial aid in part because of the WCC Foundation. According to 2016–2017 school year data, the Foundation awarded approximately 1,000 scholarships, totaling more than $700,000. The Foundation oversees the Student Emergency Fund, a project that assists students with unexpected financial strains, including shutoff notices, car repairs, medical expenses and food. The Student Resource Center runs a food pantry that is free to WCC students.

The college's Advanced Transportation Center was established to help build the talent pipeline for the mobility industry as well as meet the needs of incumbent workers to stay up-to-date on rapidly developing advanced manufacturing, intelligent transportation, and automotive technology. [6] Since 2015, WCC has spent more than $8 million in equipment and facility upgrades for the center to outfit the college with state-of-the-art equipment to train the next generation of welders, technicians and engineers. This includes $4.4 million in funding awarded through the Michigan Community College Skilled Trades Equipment Program.

Washtenaw Community College is publicly funded, with an annual operating budget in excess of $100 million; the college employs nearly 1,500 people in full- and part-time positions. WCC is one of the largest employers in Washtenaw County. [7]

The Washtenaw Voice is the student-run newspaper. Started in December 1966, they publish in the fall and winter semesters. [8]

Orchard Radio broadcasts live on the web and is one of the first internet-based radio formats produced by a college.

The campus is home to the Washtenaw Technical Middle College, a charter high school whose graduates earn college degrees and certificates by taking classes alongside WCC students.

Washtenaw Community College provides a nationally accredited and licensed child care facility in the Family Education Building for children age 18 months to 5 years. The service center was established in 1968 for WCC students, staff and faculty. The center offers a comprehensive child development program which emphasizes the child's self-identity and feeling of worth. Children are supported in strengthening learning in key areas through active learning, discovery, and problem solving. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Family Education Building was temporarily closed in March of 2020, which was announced to be permanent in April of 2021. [9] [10]

The college claims ownership of the largest fossiliferous limestone rock (55 tons and roughly 400 million years old) ever unearthed in the region.

Veteran Assistance

WCC opened a veterans' center in 2012 to centralize the work done to help veterans and active duty members transition to college. The center unveiled its new name – Wadhams Veterans Center – in November 2015, honoring Tim and Laurie Wadhams for their ongoing financial support of WCC, particularly student veterans. [11]

The Wadhams Veterans Center serves veterans and current military personnel, spouses and dependents of veterans, and students in the National Guard or reserves. The center seeks to integrate veterans into the college community by helping with their transition and offering any assistance veterans may need. [11]

History

Washtenaw Community College welcomed students for its first semester in September 1966. Since there was no central campus at the time, the 1,200 students who enrolled in more than 30 occupational areas took classes at various sites throughout the county, including an elementary school, dairy farm, in a church basement as well as at a former fire station and the abandoned Willow Run bomber plant. [12]

The college purchased an apple orchard in December 1965 and began construction in the summer of 1967. WCC operations moved to the new campus (and former apple orchard) on Huron River Drive in September 1970. [8]

Presidents

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Arbor, Michigan</span> City in Michigan, United States

Ann Arbor is a college town and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the fifth-most populous city in Michigan. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor metropolitan area, which encompasses all of Washtenaw County and had 372,258 residents in 2020. Ann Arbor is also included in the Metro Detroit combined statistical area and the Great Lakes megalopolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kettering University</span> Private university in Flint, Michigan, US

Kettering University is a private university in Flint, Michigan. It offers bachelor of science and master’s degrees in STEM and business. Kettering University undergraduate students must complete at least five co-op terms to graduate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spring Arbor University</span> Free Methodist university in Spring Arbor, Michigan, US

Spring Arbor University (SAU) is a private Free Methodist university in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Developing from an earlier academy and junior college, in 1963 it began offering bachelor's degrees. Attaining university status in 1994, it is the second-largest evangelical Christian university in Michigan. The university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport University</span> Private university in Michigan, US

Davenport University is a private university with campuses throughout Michigan and online. It was founded in 1866 by Conrad Swensburg and currently offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees; diplomas; and post-grad certification programs in business, technology, health professions, and graduate studies (MBA).

Jackson College is a public college in Jackson County, Michigan. Originally established as Jackson Junior College in 1928, Jackson County electors voted to reincorporate the institution as a community college district under the "Public Act 188 of 1955" in 1962. In 1964 voters approved a charter millage that continues to indefinitely fund the college. In June 2013, the board of trustees approved an official name change from Jackson Community College to Jackson College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Concordia University Ann Arbor</span> University in Michigan

Concordia University Ann Arbor (CUAA) is the Ann Arbor, Michigan, campus of Concordia University Wisconsin, a private Lutheran university in Mequon, Wisconsin. As part of Concordia University, it is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority</span>

The Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA), branded as TheRide, is the public transit system serving the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti area in the U.S. state of Michigan. In fiscal year 2021, the system had a ridership of 1,725,797.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northland College (Wisconsin)</span> Private college in Ashland, Wisconsin, US

Northland College is a private college in Ashland, Wisconsin. It enrolls 526 full-time undergraduates and employs 60 faculty members and 99 staff members. Northland College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Shore Community College</span> Community college in Scottville, Michigan, U.S.

West Shore Community College is a public community college in Scottville, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Markley Hall</span> Residence hall at the University of Michigan, USA

Mary Markley Hall (Markley) is a residence hall operated by the University of Michigan University Housing in Ann Arbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleary University</span> Private business university with multiple locations in Michigan, United States

Cleary University is a private university focused on business education with its main campus in Livingston County, Michigan. It also has an education center located in Detroit. Cleary University offers certificate, ABA, BBA, MS, and MBA programs.

Washtenaw Technical Middle College (WTMC) is a Michigan Public School Academy chartered by and located on the campus of Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The school allows students to obtain an associate's degree or Technical Certificate from Washtenaw Community College while earning their high school diploma.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oakland Community College</span> Public college in Oakland County, Michigan, US

Oakland Community College (OCC) is a public community college with five campuses in Oakland County, Michigan. Established in 1964, OCC is the largest community college in Michigan, with the state's third-largest undergraduate enrollment. Enrollment at the college for the Spring 2022 semester was 14,511. Oakland Community College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1971. The college offers 57 Associate degrees and 41 different programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whatcom Community College</span> Public college in Bellingham, Washington, US

Whatcom Community College is a public community college in Bellingham, Washington, in Whatcom County. Established in 1967, Whatcom has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Martin</span> American academic administrator

Susan Work Martin is an American academic administrator who was most recently the interim president of San José State University. Previously, Martin served as president of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan from 2008 to 2015. She was the first female president in the university’s 160-year history. She held a simultaneous appointment as Professor of Accounting in the College of Business during her tenure at Eastern.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ann Arbor Public Schools</span> School district in Michigan

Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) serves the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan and parts of eight surrounding townships covering 125 square miles (320 km2). The district operates 20 elementary schools, 2 K-8 schools, 6 middle schools, 4 comprehensive high schools, 1 alternative high school, 3 preschools and 1 adult education program; the district maintains 640 acres (2.6 km2) of real estate and 3,300,000 square feet (310,000 m2) of building space. The Ann Arbor Public Schools is the 8th largest school district among 555 districts in Michigan. The district is one of the best in Michigan, and it has a statewide reputation for academic excellence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">University of Michigan Detroit Center</span> Community outreach center

The University of Michigan Detroit Center is a community outreach center, meeting/events facility, and academic home base for University of Michigan units, located in Midtown Detroit.

Ypsilanti Community Schools (YCS) is a K-12 school district headquartered in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washtenaw Intermediate School District</span> Intermediate school district in Michigan

The Washtenaw Intermediate School District is an intermediate school district in Michigan, headquartered in Ann Arbor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Morgan (politician)</span> American politician (born 1989)

Jason Morgan is a politician who represents the 23rd District in the Michigan House of Representatives. He previously served as a Washtenaw County commissioner representing the board's 8th district. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

References

  1. "Visiting." Washtenaw Community College. Retrieved on July 5, 2015.
  2. "Zoning Map." (Archive) Ann Arbor Township, Michigan. Retrieved on December 7, 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 "WCC Annual Report 2016/2017" (PDF).
  4. "About Accreditation | Higher Learning Commission Self-Study | Washtenaw Community College". Nca.wccnet.edu. Retrieved 2012-09-15.
  5. "International Student Center at WCC".
  6. "Advanced Transportation Center". Washtenaw Community College. Ann Arbor, Michigan. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  7. Freed, Ben (February 25, 2013). "Ann Arbor area's 25 largest companies employ a quarter of the region's workforce". Ann Arbor News archive. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "WCC 50th Anniversary".
  9. "WCC Children's Center".
  10. smarowski@mlive.com, Steve Marowski | (2021-04-21). "On-campus children's center closes after 53 years at Washtenaw Community College". mlive. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  11. 1 2 "Wadhams Veterans Center".
  12. "WCC 50th Anniversary".