MC History
The Bliss Electrical School in Takoma Park becomes the site of Montgomery College’s first campus.
Dr. Jermaine F. Williams became the president of Montgomery College on February 28, 2022.
See all MC Past Presidents.
MC Timeline Highlights
In September 1946, Montgomery College’s first classes were held at a local high school with a student body of 186 men and women.
Today, the College has grown to a multi-campus institution serving nearly 47,000 students a year in more than 140 areas of study.
1946
Montgomery Junior College opens on September 16 at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, offering classes in the evenings and on Saturdays. Hugh Price leads eight full-time faculty and a small number of staff as the College’s first administrator.
1950
The College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.
1954
George Washington Carver High School and Junior College merges with Montgomery Junior College.
1960
Carver becomes Montgomery Junior College’s Rockville Branch.
The College purchases the Spitz Co. Planetarium. The College is the only area college that has a planetarium used in conjunction with teaching.
1965
The Rockville Campus opens.
1978
The Germantown Campus opens.
1986
Cable Channel 51, the College's station on Montgomery County Cable, begins broadcasting.
1992
Presidential candidate Bill Clinton speaks to students and supporters at Montgomery College to call for increased education funding in the U.S.
2000
In partnership with the University System of Maryland, Montgomery College helps launch The Universities at Shady Grove, offering upper-level courses for transferring Montgomery College students.
2009
The Montgomery Scholars honors program is named one of the nation’s top educational programs making a difference in Latino student achievement.
2014
The Bioscience Education Center opens in September. The three-story building represents an $87.9 million investment in STEM education and workforce development.
2020
The Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology at Montgomery College (PIC MC) signs a development agreement to add a state-of-the-art life sciences office building to the Germantown Campus. The $40 million, 120,000 square-foot site is designed to house biotech and pharmaceutical industry tenants.
2021
The Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Student Services Center opens on the Rockville Campus.
2024
The East County Education Center (ECEC) opens in Silver Spring.
The Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math and Science Building opens on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus.
Previous MC Presidents
Presidents are listed by year of service at Montgomery College:
- Hugh G. Price | 1946-1953
- Dr. Donald E. Deyo | 1953-1965
- Dr. George A. Hodson, Jr. | 1965-1966
- Dr. William C. Strasser | 1966 - 1979
- Dr. Robert E. Parilla | 1979 - 1999
- Dr. Charlene R. Nunley (Gold Medallion) | 1999 - 2007
- Dr. Brian K. Johnson | 2007 - 2009
- Dr. Hercules Pinkney (Gold Medallion) | 2009 - 2010
- Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard (Gold Medallion) | 2010–2021
- Dr. Charlene Dukes (Interim) | 2021-2022
(Awarded by the Board of the Trustees, the Gold Medallion recognizes exceptional service and nationally recognized presidential leadership in higher education.)