Montgomery County Community College is celebrating its 60th anniversary

BLUE BELL/POTTSTOWN — This year is the 60th anniversary of the establishment of Montgomery County Community College. Montgomery County Community College is celebrating its 60 years of making a positive impact on the lives and communities in Montgomery County with a year-long event.

“This is a celebration,” according to Dr. Victoria L. Bastecki-Perez, MCCC president. “It’s a celebration of the 90,000 alumni over the last six decades whose lives have been transformed from their time at the college. Montco continues to change lives to this day.

“The college brings economic, social and cultural value to the communities it serves and is a key resource in the county and region for educational, workforce and cultural opportunities for all individuals of all ages and stages of life,” she said.

To honor the diamond jubilee, MCCC students, employees and alumni will be encouraged to volunteer in their communities for 60 minutes each month this year. Participants will share their good work with the MCCC community by submitting a photo through the 60th anniversary’s landing page at mc3.edu/60years.

Also, each month in 2024, MCCC’s “Montco on the Move” podcast will celebrate the 60th anniversary by interviewing past and present members of the “Montco Family” who have been an integral part of some of the college’s milestones over the last 60 years.

Guests will include members of MCCC’s inaugural graduating class of 1968, Dan and Marie McCartney; Dr. Celeste Schwartz, vice president of Pottstown Campus, IT and Institutional Effectiveness, an alumna who has worked at MCCC for more than five decades; and Brian Brendlinger, a former employee and the son of founding President LeRoy Brendlinger. Listen to their intriguing stories and more at mc3.edu/podcast.

In the fall, MCCC will host an official 60th birthday celebration culminating a year of activities.

Meeting the needs of the community

Established on December 8, 1964, with the selection of the first Board of Trustees, MCCC has expanded and transformed over the last six decades to become a center for education and community that meets the needs of students and residents in Montgomery County.

From its early days at the former Conshohocken High School at the corner of 7th and Fayette streets in Conshohocken, MCCC now offers over 100 flexible associate degree and certificate programs, as well as customized workforce training and certifications from its campuses in Blue Bell, established in 1972 at 340 DeKalb Pike, and Pottstown, established in 1996 at 101 College Drive, and also online.

MCCC is currently in a period of change and expansion. The college has completed a series of construction projects in recent years under the leadership of Dr. Bastecki-Perez.

Innovation at the Pottstown campus

Beginning in 2022, the Pottstown Campus witnessed the launch of the Challenger Learning Center at Montco Pottstown, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania, inspiring a passion for STEM and exploration of the universe among students in grades 5-8.

Then in December 2022, the MCCC introduced the advanced Wellness Center inside its North Hall building at the Pottstown Campus — a centralized system of wellness resources to assist students with the essential support they need to succeed, such as access to mental health resources, an on-campus food pantry, and other programs.

Shortly after, in April 2023, the newly renovated South Hall at the Pottstown Campus reopened. The first floor of the building was redesigned to comprehensively support students by consolidating student services in one area and offering adaptable spaces for study, collaboration, and engagement, enabling students to succeed academically and personally.

Furthermore, the college’s Hanover Street building is being renovated, thanks to a recent allocation of $1.5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program funding through the support of state Rep. Joe Ciresi, for the Pottstown Children’s Discovery Center, one of the college’s newest community partners.

Additionally, in October 2023, MCCC initiated the conversion of the North Hall parking lot into a green space for students and the community. The approximately one-acre lot will feature grass-covered space with a new retaining wall, site lighting, and drainage along the Manatawny Creek. Students will be able to gather informally or as part of an outdoor classroom, and community members can gather for events or to relax by the creek. The new space will add to the recreational areas located nearby, including Pottstown Riverfront Park, the Schuylkill River Trail, and Memorial Park.

State-of-the-art Blue Bell campus

At the Blue Bell Campus, MCCC completed the renovation of the Science Center in September 2023. It includes the state-of-the-art 563-seat theater, the central feature of the Montco Cultural Center, which encompasses all of MCCC’s arts and culture programming. The Science Center also offers hands-on access to the latest science and engineering technology, including robotic arms and 3D printers. The incorporation of the arts with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics within the building truly makes it a STEAM center.

The Hospitality Institute will open in fall 2024 at the Blue Bell Campus. The 20,400-square-foot learning center, which used to be the campus bookstore, will be transformed into an innovative facility. It will offer new programs to prepare students for careers in the growing hospitality and restaurant industries.

The Hospitality Institute will have a student-operated educational restaurant for the campus and community. The building will also house a pastry and bakery retail shop showcasing student creations, as well as pasta and chocolate laboratories. These spaces will provide practical learning experiences for students to study various aspects of running a culinary business.

Engine of economic growth

MCCC plays a crucial role in driving economic growth in Montgomery County and the region. For every $1 invested in MCCC, students gain $4.70 in lifetime earnings, with an average rate of return of 18.7 percent. Taxpayers gain $2.30 in added tax revenue and public sector savings, with an average rate of return of 5.5 percent. Society gains $9.30 in added income and social savings. In 2021-22, MCCC contributed $817.1 million in total income and supported 9,139 total jobs in the region based on an economic impact study by Lightcast (formerly Emsi and Burning Glass Technologies) for MCCC.

In addition, MCCC has emphasized its dedication to equity, diversity and belonging. Dr. Bastecki-Perez helped launch 11 Presidential Scholarships for first-generation students in 2020 to make college more affordable.

As an Achieving the Dream Leader College of Distinction, MCCC is at the forefront of national efforts to remove barriers to access, improve learning outcomes, and increase completion for all students.

MCCC has been recognized for seven years as one of the Most Promising Places to Work in Community Colleges in the nation for its commitment to diversity by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development.

MCCC was acknowledged as a “Voter Friendly Campus” by Fair Elections Center’s Campus Vote Project and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. It was also designated a Hunger-Free Campus by the Pennsylvania Department of Education for its work in addressing food insecurity on its campuses.

To find out more about the 60th anniversary celebration, go to mc3.edu/60years This year marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of Montgomery County Community College (MCCC), initiating a year-long celebration of the College’s 60 years of impacting lives and communities in Montgomery County..