MC History
The Bliss Electrical School in Takoma Park becomes the site of Montgomery College’s first campus.
Montgomery College at 75: Anniversary Live Stream
On February 9, 2022, in celebration of the college’s 75 years, a diverse panel of Montgomery College alumni told their MC stories about learning, inclusion, equity and building careers and composing lives in Montgomery County. MC’s origins began with 175 students, mostly WWII veterans, in 1946. Today, more than 55,000 students from about 160 countries attend the college.
MC History
On September 16, 1946, the first Montgomery College classes were held in the evenings at a local high school with a student body of 186 men and women.
Today, the College has grown to a multi-campus institution and serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 100 areas of study.
Learn more about the College's beginnings in "Veterans Welcome at 'First Junior College in the State,'" part one of a two-part series published in the College's alumni magazine celebrating the College's 70th Anniversary.
1946
On September 16, Montgomery Junior College opens at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School,
offering classes in the evenings and on Saturdays. Hugh Price becomes the College's
administrator, heading a full-time faculty of eight and a handful of staff.
1950
The College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary
Schools.
1954
The undefeated Fightin' Knights play in a national bowl game in North Carolina.
1960
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.
1970
There are now 8,000 students and nearly 500 full- and part-time faculty.
1978
The Germantown Campus opens, reflecting an even farther shift to the north by Montgomery
County residents.
1986
18,000 students are taught by more than 900 full- and part-time faculty. Cable Channel
51, the College's station on Montgomery County Cable, begins broadcasting.
1992
Presidential candidate Bill Clinton delivers an educational address at the College.
1994
Enrollment tops 22,300 students. More than 445 full-time and 725 part-time faculty
members teach collegewide.
2000
In partnership with University System of Maryland, Montgomery College helps to launch
"The Universities at Shady Grove," offering upper-level courses for transferring Montgomery
College students.
2009
Montgomery College’s Montgomery Scholars honors program is named one of the nation’s
top educational programs that make a difference in the achievement of Latino students.
2014
Montgomery College President Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard and the College’s Board of Trustees
dedicated the new Bioscience Education Center on September 10, 2014. The three-story
building represents an $87.9 million investment in STEM education and workforce development.
2015
In June, the College’s second community engagement center, the Silver Spring/East County Community Engagement Center, opens in the Briggs Chaney Community Center.
2016
On September 16, 2016, Montgomery College marks 70 years of enriching lives in Montgomery County with celebrations in September on all three campuses.
2019
In November, construction began for The Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math and Science Building, on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College, which will create instructional spaces to prepare students for careers in competitive, in-demand fields that fuel the economic vitality of the County. This green building will create an environment that provides access to the future for our students and the County. The facility is expected to be fully operational and open for classes in the fall semester of 2023.
2020
In June, the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology (PIC MC) signed a development agreement to add a state-of-the-art life sciences office building to the Montgomery College Germantown Campus. The $40 million, 120,000-square-foot life sciences office building is designed to house biotech and pharmaceutical industry tenants.
2021
On October 28, 2021, Montgomery College held a ceremony formally dedicating The Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Student Service Center.
In December, after an extensive nationwide search, MC was proud to announce that Dr. Jermaine F. Williams has been selected to be the next College president.
2022
On February 9, 2022, in celebration of the college’s 75 years, a diverse panel of Montgomery College alumni told their MC stories about learning, inclusion, equity and building careers and composing lives in Montgomery County.