Manchester Community College
Encyclopedia
Manchester Community College (or MCC) is a community college
in Manchester
, Hartford County
, Connecticut
, USA. Founded in 1963, it is the third-oldest of the twelve community colleges governed by the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Community-Technical Colleges and has graduated more than 23,000 students since the first class in 1965.
MCC is the largest of the state's community colleges, serving more than 15,000 students a year, with nearly 6,000 undergraduate students in credit programs, and more than 7,000 credit-free and 2,000 credit extension students each year. It has an annual budget of more than $31 million.
In 1996, MCC was named an "Honor Institution" by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
due to its "remarkable history of nurturing and encouraging students' academic and intellectual abilities and motivation." The college remains the only American community college to have been recognized as such.
MCC is the only community college to have Jack Kent Cooke Scholars in three consecutive years, and the only to have had a student named a Truman Scholar after being nominated by their community college, with MCC having accomplished that feat five times since the 1980s.
The college's president is Dr. Gena D. Glickman, Manchester's first female president, who assumed the position on July 1, 2008. She replaced the retiring Dr. Jonathan M. Daube, who was installed in fall 1987 and retired at the completion of the 2007 - 2008 academic year. MCC is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
and is a member of the Knowledge Corridor
.
, Bolton
, Columbia
, Coventry
, East Hartford
, Glastonbury
, Hebron
, Mansfield
, Marlborough
, Rockville
, South Windsor
, Storrs
, Tolland
, Union
, Vernon
, and Willington
, in addition to Manchester.
However, only 56% of the credit student population hails from the primary service area. There are multiple reasons for this, including the college's reputation in specialized programs such as the culinary arts and criminal justice
; cross-registration from students attending other colleges, such as the University of Hartford
and Saint Joseph College
in West Hartford
and Central Connecticut State University
in New Britain
; and the fact that the Town of Manchester borders Tolland County
, the only county in Connecticut not to have a community college of its own.
is situated on 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) in the southwest corner of Manchester, near the town lines with East Hartford
and Glastonbury
as well as I-384
. The campus is mostly undeveloped, with large wooded
areas and open land spaces.
The main buildings are the Learning Resource Center; the Arts, Sciences and Technologies Center; and the Frederick Lowe Building, which is the oldest building on the campus, having been dedicated in 1986. There are also six smaller single-classroom
buildings located in the center of the college's courtyard, collectively known as "The Village," which house some of the specialized programs, including manufacturing technology
and the musical arts
.
Special facilities include PC and Macintosh computer labs, a library, a television studio, the SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium, science and allied health
labs, the Hans Weiss Newspace Gallery and fine art studios, and numerous study spaces. An outdoor bandshell hosts concerts and special events periodically throughout the year, including commencement in May.
For fitness and athletics, MCC has baseball
, softball
, and soccer fields. The Town of Manchester walking trails also pass through the campus, connecting it to the East Coast Greenway
. The campus also features a large pond
behind the bandshell, which is frequented by the early childhood education
program as a sample field trip
site.
The East Campus was a group of temporary classroom buildings and faculty offices as well as other facilities that were dedicated in 1971. These single-story modular buildings were intended to be temporary and were said to have a lifespan of approximately 10 years. However, they remained in use for 31 years, until the Learning Resource Center and Arts, Sciences and Technologies Center opened in fall 2002. As of fall 2008, the East Campus buildings have been demolished and the area is undergoing redevelopment.
and Associate of Science degrees in more than 40 disciplines. Academic major
s include accounting, business, business office technology, computer information systems, computer science and technology, engineering science and industrial technology, general studies, health careers, hospitality management
, human services, humanities, and the liberal arts
and sciences. Special programs in areas such as women's studies
, African-American studies, environmental studies
, and journalism
are also available.
The college also offers programs of a shorter duration in each of the areas listed above, resulting in the awarding of a certificate
. The certificate programs range from 12 to 30 credits, and some may be completed in as little as one year. The college also hosts various seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and guest speakers each year.
The MCC Career Services and Cooperative Education department provides employment guidance and resources for students, including for the internship program. Specialized services are available for veteran
s and women, as well as people with disabilities. Additional offerings include the Child Development Center, Tech-Prep programs, and Excursions in Learning programs for youth and families.
Students in the honors program can take special honors courses in fields such as literature
, political science
, foreign language
, mathematics
, and the physical science
s. They receive special notation on their transcripts, in addition to any Latin
or semester honors for which they may be eligible.
division, MCC also offers a wide variety of programs throughout the year, including regular credit programs during the summer aimed at working adults. Credits earned through the Continuing Education can be applied to an MCC degree or certificate.
Credit-free programs are also offered by the division during the spring, summer, fall, and winter periods. These are courses of general interest to the local population, typically on topics related to personal development
, culture, and hobbies
such as gardening and photography. Most credit-free courses meet between four and six times and do not involve the same academic requirements as credit courses.
The Continuing Education division also offers credit-free certificates, including Certified Nurse-Aide, Complete Microsoft Office, Emergency Medical Technician, Oracle Database Administrator, Precision Machining, and Principles and Practices of Real Estate certification.
MCC has joint programs with both the University of Connecticut
and Eastern Connecticut State University
that provide students with guaranteed admission to either university and dual academic counseling while pursuing their Associate's degree. MCC was the first Connecticut community college to have an articulation agreement with UConn's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. All students graduating with a 2.0/4.0 GPA or higher can attend any of the Connecticut State University System
institutions.
Recent transfers have been accepted to colleges and universities as noted as Wellesley College, Cornell University
, Yale University
, Washington University in Saint Louis, Smith College
, Trinity College
, Amherst College
, Goucher College
, Williams College
, American University
, Brown University
, Wesleyan University
, New York University
, Columbia University
, Johnson & Wales University
, Mount Holyoke College
, the University of Virginia
, and Howard University
. Amherst has set up an active transfer guidance program with MCC faculty that uses regular communication and on-site visits to encourage more students to apply, while institutions like Smith, Cornell, and Mount Holyoke regularly recruit on campus.
MCC has hosted a variety of special events and programs in recent years, including performances by artists like Chris Botti
, Katz
, and Peterson Toscano
; major campaign appearances by Ned Lamont
and John Larson
; lectures by Scott Ritter
, Barbara Masekela, Bernie Siegel
, Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
, and Ralph Nader
; and a visiting professorship by E. R. Braithwaite
.
The college has more than 35 student clubs and organizations, including business and pre-professional clubs, social groups, and cultural organizations. The college's student newspaper, the Live Wire, has received several awards from the Associated Collegiate Press
at its national conventions during the paper's history, while the college's student-run Internet radio station, ICE Internet Radio, has been broadcasting since 2007.
The college is also home to the Manchester Community College Alumni Association, the Manchester Community College Foundation, and the Manchester Community College Organization of Active Adults (formerly the Older Adult Association).
, the two-year equivalent of the Phi Beta Kappa Society
, being the largest and most active. Other notable honor societies with chapters at the college include Alpha Mu Gamma
, a national foreign language
honor society; Alpha Beta Gamma
, a national business
honor society; and Epsilon Pi Tau
, an international honor society for technology
students. In addition to holding induction ceremonies at least once a yer, most of the honor societies at Manchester Community College also hold regular events, fundraisers, and other forms of programming, both on and off campus.
for women, and soccer and baseball
for men, with plans underway for adding men's basketball. The men's soccer team and women's basketball teams are particularly noted, frequently appearing in the top ten of the national rankings. In addition, the baseball team has advanced to the NJCAA World Series in 1994, 2008, and 2009. All teams, known as the Cougars, compete in Region XXI of Division III of the National Junior College Athletic Association
.
The Fitness Center, open to all students, faculty, and staff, offers aerobics
and weight-training facilities. Specialized courses in areas such as kickboxing
, pilates
, and fencing
are also available.
s offered by campus-based groups and organizations like the Institute of Local History, part of the History Department, and the Association on Community & Inclusion, a disability rights organization, welcome interested learners from throughout the community to attend.
The Manchester campus is also frequently used by outside organizations for special events, including charity walks, club and civic organization meetings, political events, and press conferences and special information sessions conducted by other state organizations.
Students at Great Path complete their high school courses at the college and are also able to take regular MCC courses for credit. Upon graduation from Great Path, the average GPA student has already earned 30 college credits, which they can then transfer to another institution or apply towards an MCC degree.
Manchester began construction during the 2007-2008 academic year
for a new wing for Great Path, which is expected to eventually increase enrollment to about 300 students. Opened in June 2009, the new Great Path wing, named for the college's president emeritus Jonathan M. Daube, added additional classroom and student space. It also houses a gym
nasium that will serve as the home court for the college's women's basketball team.
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...
in Manchester
Manchester, Connecticut
Manchester is a township and city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 58,241.- History :...
, Hartford County
Hartford County, Connecticut
Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the US state of Connecticut. The 2010 Census records show that the county population is at 894,014 making it the second most populated county in Connecticut....
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, USA. Founded in 1963, it is the third-oldest of the twelve community colleges governed by the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Community-Technical Colleges and has graduated more than 23,000 students since the first class in 1965.
MCC is the largest of the state's community colleges, serving more than 15,000 students a year, with nearly 6,000 undergraduate students in credit programs, and more than 7,000 credit-free and 2,000 credit extension students each year. It has an annual budget of more than $31 million.
In 1996, MCC was named an "Honor Institution" by the Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation
Truman Scholarship
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is a highly competitive federal scholarship granted to U.S. college juniors for demonstrated leadership potential and a commitment to public service. The scholarship is in the amount of $30,000 toward a graduate education...
due to its "remarkable history of nurturing and encouraging students' academic and intellectual abilities and motivation." The college remains the only American community college to have been recognized as such.
MCC is the only community college to have Jack Kent Cooke Scholars in three consecutive years, and the only to have had a student named a Truman Scholar after being nominated by their community college, with MCC having accomplished that feat five times since the 1980s.
The college's president is Dr. Gena D. Glickman, Manchester's first female president, who assumed the position on July 1, 2008. She replaced the retiring Dr. Jonathan M. Daube, who was installed in fall 1987 and retired at the completion of the 2007 - 2008 academic year. MCC is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. is the U.S. regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation for all levels of education, from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level, in the six-state New England region. It also provides accreditation for some...
and is a member of the Knowledge Corridor
Knowledge Corridor
The Knowledge Corridor is term for the area comprising north-central Connecticut and the south-central Connecticut River Valley in Western Massachusetts...
.
Service area
MCC has the largest service area of the Connecticut Community Colleges, being the primary community college for the towns of AndoverAndover, Connecticut
Andover is a rural town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,303 at the 2010 census.Andover was incorporated on May 18, 1848, from Hebron and Coventry.-Geography:...
, Bolton
Bolton, Connecticut
Bolton is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,017 at the 2000 census. Bolton was incorporated in October 1720 and is governed by town meeting.-History:...
, Columbia
Columbia, Connecticut
Columbia is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,971 at the 2000 census. Columbia was incorporated in May, 1804, from Lebanon. Columbia offers prekindergarten through 8th grade education in town at Horace W. Porter School, while high school students have a...
, Coventry
Coventry, Connecticut
Coventry is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 11,504 at the 2000 census. The birthplace of Captain Nathan Hale, Coventry is home to the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is now a museum open to the public....
, East Hartford
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, Glastonbury
Glastonbury, Connecticut
Glastonbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1693. The population was 31,876 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is located on the banks of the Connecticut River, 7 miles southeast of Hartford. The town...
, Hebron
Hebron, Connecticut
Hebron is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,610 at the 2000 census. Hebron was incorporated May 26, 1708....
, Mansfield
Mansfield, Connecticut
Mansfield is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,720 at the 2000 census.Mansfield was incorporated in October 1702 from the Town of Windham, in Hartford County. When Windham County was formed on 12 May 1726, Mansfield then became part of that county...
, Marlborough
Marlborough, Connecticut
Marlborough is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It contains the census-designated place of Terramuggus. The population was 5,709 at the 2000 census. Marlborough is a suburban/rural upper middle class bedroom community of Hartford...
, Rockville
Rockville, Connecticut
Rockville is a census-designated place and a village of the town of Vernon in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,708 at the 2000 census...
, South Windsor
South Windsor, Connecticut
-History:In 1659, Thomas Burnham purchased the tract of land now covered by the towns of South Windsor and East Hartford from Tantinomo, chief sachem of the Podunk Indians. Burnham lived on the land and later willed it to his nine children...
, Storrs
Storrs, Connecticut
Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...
, Tolland
Tolland, Connecticut
Tolland is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,146 at the 2000 census.Tolland was named in May, 1715, and incorporated in May, 1722. According to some, the town derives its name from being a toll station on the old road between Boston and New York. ...
, Union
Union, Connecticut
Union is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 854 at the 2010 census, making it the least populous town in Connecticut and the second-least populous municipality in Connecticut; only the Borough of Fenwick has fewer people...
, Vernon
Vernon, Connecticut
Vernon is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 29,179 at the 2010 census.Vernon was incorporated in October, 1808, from Bolton. Vernon contains the former city of Rockville, incorporated in January, 1889. The town of Vernon and city of Rockville consolidated as a...
, and Willington
Willington, Connecticut
Willington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,959 at the 2000 census.The Willimantic River borders the town on the west. Willington is about 25 miles northeast of Hartford on Interstate 84, which also provides a connection to Boston, via the Massachusetts...
, in addition to Manchester.
However, only 56% of the credit student population hails from the primary service area. There are multiple reasons for this, including the college's reputation in specialized programs such as the culinary arts and criminal justice
Criminal justice
Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts...
; cross-registration from students attending other colleges, such as the University of Hartford
University of Hartford
The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
and Saint Joseph College
Saint Joseph College, West Hartford
Saint Joseph College, a Roman Catholic comprehensive institution of higher education; an undergraduate women's college with a coeducational graduate program. It is located in West Hartford, Connecticut and was founded in 1932 by the Sisters of Mercy of Connecticut.-History:Saint Joseph College is a...
in West Hartford
West Hartford, Connecticut
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford....
and Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University is a state university in New Britain, Connecticut, United States.The school was moved to its present campus in 1922...
in New Britain
New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 71,254....
; and the fact that the Town of Manchester borders Tolland County
Tolland County, Connecticut
Tolland County is a county located in the northeastern part of Connecticut. As of 2010, the population was 152,691.Counties in Connecticut have no governmental function: all legal power is vested in the state, city, and town governments...
, the only county in Connecticut not to have a community college of its own.
Campus
The MCC campusCampus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
is situated on 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) in the southwest corner of Manchester, near the town lines with East Hartford
East Hartford, Connecticut
East Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 51,252 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
and Glastonbury
Glastonbury, Connecticut
Glastonbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, founded in 1693. The population was 31,876 at the 2000 census. The town was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is located on the banks of the Connecticut River, 7 miles southeast of Hartford. The town...
as well as I-384
Interstate 384
Interstate 384 is an Interstate Highway located entirely within the state of Connecticut. It runs east to west, going from Interstate 84 in East Hartford to U.S. Route 6/U.S...
. The campus is mostly undeveloped, with large wooded
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
areas and open land spaces.
The main buildings are the Learning Resource Center; the Arts, Sciences and Technologies Center; and the Frederick Lowe Building, which is the oldest building on the campus, having been dedicated in 1986. There are also six smaller single-classroom
Classroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
buildings located in the center of the college's courtyard, collectively known as "The Village," which house some of the specialized programs, including manufacturing technology
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
and the musical arts
Performance
A performance, in performing arts, generally comprises an event in which a performer or group of performers behave in a particular way for another group of people, the audience. Choral music and ballet are examples. Usually the performers participate in rehearsals beforehand. Afterwards audience...
.
Special facilities include PC and Macintosh computer labs, a library, a television studio, the SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium, science and allied health
Allied health professions
Allied health professions are clinical health care professions distinct from dentistry, nursing and medicine. One estimate reported allied health professionals make up 60 percent of the total health workforce...
labs, the Hans Weiss Newspace Gallery and fine art studios, and numerous study spaces. An outdoor bandshell hosts concerts and special events periodically throughout the year, including commencement in May.
For fitness and athletics, MCC has baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, and soccer fields. The Town of Manchester walking trails also pass through the campus, connecting it to the East Coast Greenway
East Coast Greenway
The East Coast Greenway, or ECG, is a project to create a nearly urban path linking the major cities of the Atlantic coast of the United States, from Calais, Maine, to Key West, Florida, for non-motorized human transportation...
. The campus also features a large pond
Pond
A pond is a body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is usually smaller than a lake. A wide variety of man-made bodies of water are classified as ponds, including water gardens, water features and koi ponds; all designed for aesthetic ornamentation as landscape or architectural...
behind the bandshell, which is frequented by the early childhood education
Early childhood education
Early childhood education is the formal teaching and care of young children by people other than their family or in settings outside of the home. 'Early childhood' is usually defined as before the age of normal schooling - five years in most nations, though the U.S...
program as a sample field trip
Field trip
A field trip or excursion, known as school trip in the UK and school tour in Ireland, is a journey by a group of people to a place away from their normal environment...
site.
The East Campus was a group of temporary classroom buildings and faculty offices as well as other facilities that were dedicated in 1971. These single-story modular buildings were intended to be temporary and were said to have a lifespan of approximately 10 years. However, they remained in use for 31 years, until the Learning Resource Center and Arts, Sciences and Technologies Center opened in fall 2002. As of fall 2008, the East Campus buildings have been demolished and the area is undergoing redevelopment.
Academic programs
MCC offers Associate of ArtsAssociate's degree
An associate degree is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by community colleges, junior colleges, technical colleges, and bachelor's degree-granting colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study usually lasting two years...
and Associate of Science degrees in more than 40 disciplines. Academic major
Academic major
In the United States and Canada, an academic major or major concentration is the academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits....
s include accounting, business, business office technology, computer information systems, computer science and technology, engineering science and industrial technology, general studies, health careers, hospitality management
Hospitality management
Hospitality management is the academic study of the hospitality industry. A degree in Hospitality management is often conferred from either a university college dedicated to the studies of hospitality management or a business school with a department in hospitality management studies...
, human services, humanities, and the liberal arts
Liberal arts
The term liberal arts refers to those subjects which in classical antiquity were considered essential for a free citizen to study. Grammar, Rhetoric and Logic were the core liberal arts. In medieval times these subjects were extended to include mathematics, geometry, music and astronomy...
and sciences. Special programs in areas such as women's studies
Women's studies
Women's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
, African-American studies, environmental studies
Environmental studies
Environmental studies is the academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. It is a broad interdisciplinary field of study that includes the natural environment, built environment, and the sets of relationships between them...
, and journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
are also available.
The college also offers programs of a shorter duration in each of the areas listed above, resulting in the awarding of a certificate
Academic certificate
An academic certificate is a document that certifies that a person has received specific education or has passed a test or series of tests.In many countries, certificate is a qualification attained in secondary education. For instance, students in the Republic of Ireland sit the Junior Certificate...
. The certificate programs range from 12 to 30 credits, and some may be completed in as little as one year. The college also hosts various seminars, workshops, exhibitions, and guest speakers each year.
Student support services
The Center for Student Development offers support services for students with disabilities and those needing additional academic help, including counseling, advising, tutoring, transitional programs, and services for international and minority students. In addition to traditional tutoring, the Writing Center serves as a place where students can receive drop-in assistance with essay development and structure.The MCC Career Services and Cooperative Education department provides employment guidance and resources for students, including for the internship program. Specialized services are available for veteran
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
s and women, as well as people with disabilities. Additional offerings include the Child Development Center, Tech-Prep programs, and Excursions in Learning programs for youth and families.
Honors program
Since 1992, MCC has also offered a highly active honors program for students pursuing a more challenging curriculum. The honors program allows students to conduct specialized research, pursue topics of personal interest, write papers to be submitted for publication, and otherwise engage in activities not typically undertaken by MCC students. A minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.4/4.0 must be maintained to remain in the program.Students in the honors program can take special honors courses in fields such as literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, political science
Political science
Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...
, foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, and the physical science
Physical science
Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science and science that study non-living systems, in contrast to the life sciences...
s. They receive special notation on their transcripts, in addition to any Latin
Latin honors
Latin honors are Latin phrases used to indicate the level of academic distinction with which an academic degree was earned. This system is primarily used in the United States, Canada, and in many countries of continental Europe, though some institutions also use the English translation of these...
or semester honors for which they may be eligible.
Continuing education
Through its Continuing EducationContinuing education
Continuing education is an all-encompassing term within a broad spectrum of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada...
division, MCC also offers a wide variety of programs throughout the year, including regular credit programs during the summer aimed at working adults. Credits earned through the Continuing Education can be applied to an MCC degree or certificate.
Credit-free programs are also offered by the division during the spring, summer, fall, and winter periods. These are courses of general interest to the local population, typically on topics related to personal development
Self-help
Self-help, or self-improvement, is a self-guided improvement—economically, intellectually, or emotionally—often with a substantial psychological basis. There are many different self-help movements and each has its own focus, techniques, associated beliefs, proponents and in some cases, leaders...
, culture, and hobbies
Hobby
A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.- Etymology :A hobby horse is a wooden or wickerwork toy made to be ridden just like a real horse...
such as gardening and photography. Most credit-free courses meet between four and six times and do not involve the same academic requirements as credit courses.
The Continuing Education division also offers credit-free certificates, including Certified Nurse-Aide, Complete Microsoft Office, Emergency Medical Technician, Oracle Database Administrator, Precision Machining, and Principles and Practices of Real Estate certification.
Transferring
MCC students have successfully transferred to more than 100 public and private universities, both in Connecticut and throughout the country.MCC has joint programs with both the University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
and Eastern Connecticut State University
Eastern Connecticut State University
Eastern Connecticut State University is a public, coeducational liberal arts university and is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. Eastern is located in Willimantic, Connecticut on . Founded in 1889, it is the second-oldest campus in the Connecticut State University System...
that provide students with guaranteed admission to either university and dual academic counseling while pursuing their Associate's degree. MCC was the first Connecticut community college to have an articulation agreement with UConn's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. All students graduating with a 2.0/4.0 GPA or higher can attend any of the Connecticut State University System
Connecticut State University System
The Connecticut State University System is a public university system in Connecticut. CSUS consists of four comprehensive universities with more than 36,500 students and 180,000 alumni. It is the largest university system in the state. The system dates back to the founding Central Connecticut...
institutions.
Recent transfers have been accepted to colleges and universities as noted as Wellesley College, Cornell University
Cornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, Washington University in Saint Louis, Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, Trinity College
Trinity College (Connecticut)
Trinity College is a private, liberal arts college in Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1823, it is the second-oldest college in the state of Connecticut after Yale University. The college enrolls 2,300 students and has been coeducational since 1969. Trinity offers 38 majors and 26 minors, and has...
, Amherst College
Amherst College
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college located in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Amherst is an exclusively undergraduate four-year institution and enrolled 1,744 students in the fall of 2009...
, Goucher College
Goucher College
Goucher College is a private, co-educational, liberal arts college located in the northern Baltimore suburb of Towson in unincorporated Baltimore County, Maryland, on a 287 acre campus. The school has approximately 1,475 undergraduate students studying in 31 majors and six interdisciplinary...
, Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
, Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University
Wesleyan University is a private liberal arts college founded in 1831 and located in Middletown, Connecticut. According to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Wesleyan is the only Baccalaureate College in the nation that emphasizes undergraduate instruction in the arts and...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University
Johnson & Wales University is a private, nonprofit, co-educational, career-oriented university with four campuses located throughout the United States. Providence, Rhode Island, USA, is home to JWU's first and largest of four currently operating campuses. Founded as a business school in 1914, by...
, Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
, the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
, and Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
. Amherst has set up an active transfer guidance program with MCC faculty that uses regular communication and on-site visits to encourage more students to apply, while institutions like Smith, Cornell, and Mount Holyoke regularly recruit on campus.
Campus life
There are students from more than 70 countries attending MCC, with about 50 languages being spoken among them. In fall 2007, 52% of the student body was 21 years of age or younger.MCC has hosted a variety of special events and programs in recent years, including performances by artists like Chris Botti
Chris Botti
Christopher Stephen "Chris" Botti , is an American trumpeter and composer. In 2007, Botti was nominated for two Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album. On December 4, 2009, he was nominated for three more Grammy Awards including Best Pop Instrumental Album and Best Long Form Music Video...
, Katz
Athens Boys Choir
Athens Boys Choir is a transgender spoken word performer based in Athens, Georgia. Athens Boys Choir signed with Daemon Records in 2004 and subsequently released the debut album Rhapsody in T...
, and Peterson Toscano
Peterson Toscano
Peterson Toscano is a playwright, an actor, a blogger, a stand-up comedian, and a gay activist. Before accepting his gay orientation, he spent nearly two decades submitting to ex-gay treatment and conversion therapy designed to alter his gay orientation and gender differences...
; major campaign appearances by Ned Lamont
Ned Lamont
Edward Miner "Ned" Lamont, Jr. is a businessman and heir and most recently an unsuccessful candidate for the 2010 Democratic nomination for Governor of Connecticut. On May 22, 2010, Lamont received more than fifteen percent of the vote at the state Democratic convention, and appeared on the...
and John Larson
John Larson
John Barry Larson is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the a Democratic Party. The district is based in the state capital, Hartford.Larson is the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus....
; lectures by Scott Ritter
Scott Ritter
William Scott Ritter, Jr. was an important United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998, and later a critic of United States foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Ritter stated that Iraq possessed no significant weapons of mass...
, Barbara Masekela, Bernie Siegel
Bernie Siegel
Dr. Bernie Siegel MD was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended Colgate University and graduated with honors from Cornell University Medical College. He practiced general medicine and pediatric surgery until his retirement in 1989. He is the author of several books on the relationship between the...
, Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr., is an American literary critic, educator, scholar, writer, editor, and public intellectual. He was the first African American to receive the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowship. He has received numerous honorary degrees and awards for his teaching, research, and...
, and Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader is an American political activist, as well as an author, lecturer, and attorney. Areas of particular concern to Nader include consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and democratic government....
; and a visiting professorship by E. R. Braithwaite
E. R. Braithwaite
Edward Ricardo Braithwaite is a Guyanese novelist, writer, teacher, and diplomat, best known for his stories of social conditions and racial discrimination against black people...
.
Cocurricular activities
MCC has the largest student activities budget within the Connecticut Community Colleges and also receives separate institutional funding for its athletics teams. All registered student organizations operate under the supervision of the Manchester Community College Student Senate, the college's student government association, which provides each active organization with an annual budget of up to $800, not including additional travel and event special funding opportunities.The college has more than 35 student clubs and organizations, including business and pre-professional clubs, social groups, and cultural organizations. The college's student newspaper, the Live Wire, has received several awards from the Associated Collegiate Press
Associated Collegiate Press
The Associated Collegiate Press is the largest and oldest national membership organization for college student media in the United States. The ACP is a division of the National Scholastic Press Association...
at its national conventions during the paper's history, while the college's student-run Internet radio station, ICE Internet Radio, has been broadcasting since 2007.
The college is also home to the Manchester Community College Alumni Association, the Manchester Community College Foundation, and the Manchester Community College Organization of Active Adults (formerly the Older Adult Association).
Honor societies
MCC has chapters of several honor societies, with the college's chapter of Phi Theta KappaPhi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa, also ΦΘΚ or sometimes PTK , is the international honor society of two-year colleges and academic programs, particularly community colleges and junior colleges. It also includes Associate's degree-granting programs offered by four-year colleges...
, the two-year equivalent of the Phi Beta Kappa Society
Phi Beta Kappa Society
The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an academic honor society. Its mission is to "celebrate and advocate excellence in the liberal arts and sciences"; and induct "the most outstanding students of arts and sciences at America’s leading colleges and universities." Founded at The College of William and...
, being the largest and most active. Other notable honor societies with chapters at the college include Alpha Mu Gamma
Alpha Mu Gamma
Alpha Mu Gamma is a national collegiate foreign language honor society founded at Los Angeles City College in 1931. More than three hundred charters have been granted to chapters in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands...
, a national foreign language
Foreign language
A foreign language is a language indigenous to another country. It is also a language not spoken in the native country of the person referred to, i.e. an English speaker living in Japan can say that Japanese is a foreign language to him or her...
honor society; Alpha Beta Gamma
Alpha Beta Gamma
Alpha Beta Gamma is an international business honor society established in 1970 to recognize and encourage scholarship among two-year college students in business curricula. Alpha Beta Gamma provides leadership opportunities, forums for the exchange of ideas and the stimulation of interest in...
, a national business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
honor society; and Epsilon Pi Tau
Epsilon Pi Tau
Epsilon Pi Tau is an international honor society for professions in technology.Membership in Epsilon Pi Tau may be at one of three levels: General Member, Laureate Member, and Distinguished Service Member. The latter two levels are attained through professional performance and accomplishment...
, an international honor society for technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
students. In addition to holding induction ceremonies at least once a yer, most of the honor societies at Manchester Community College also hold regular events, fundraisers, and other forms of programming, both on and off campus.
Athletics
The only Connecticut community college with an intercollegiate athletics program, MCC hosts four sports teams – soccer and basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
for women, and soccer and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
for men, with plans underway for adding men's basketball. The men's soccer team and women's basketball teams are particularly noted, frequently appearing in the top ten of the national rankings. In addition, the baseball team has advanced to the NJCAA World Series in 1994, 2008, and 2009. All teams, known as the Cougars, compete in Region XXI of Division III of the National Junior College Athletic Association
National Junior College Athletic Association
The National Junior College Athletic Association , founded in 1938, is an association of community college and junior college athletic departments throughout the United States. It is held as Divisions and Regions. The current NJCAA holds 24 separate regions.-History:The idea for the NJCAA was...
.
The Fitness Center, open to all students, faculty, and staff, offers aerobics
Aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
and weight-training facilities. Specialized courses in areas such as kickboxing
Kickboxing
Kickboxing refers to a group of martial arts and stand-up combat sports based on kicking and punching, historically developed from karate, Muay Thai and western boxing....
, pilates
Pilates
Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany, the UK and the USA. As of 2005, there were 11 million people practicing the discipline regularly and 14,000 instructors in the United States....
, and fencing
Fencing
Fencing, which is also known as modern fencing to distinguish it from historical fencing, is a family of combat sports using bladed weapons.Fencing is one of four sports which have been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games...
are also available.
Community programs
Although most cocurricular events are restricted to enrolled credit students, many other programs are available to the Greater Manchester community as a whole. The MCC International Film Series showcases one foreign film per month in the SBM Charitable Foundation Auditorium; there is no admission charge. Special lectureLecture
thumb|A lecture on [[linear algebra]] at the [[Helsinki University of Technology]]A lecture is an oral presentation intended to present information or teach people about a particular subject, for example by a university or college teacher. Lectures are used to convey critical information, history,...
s offered by campus-based groups and organizations like the Institute of Local History, part of the History Department, and the Association on Community & Inclusion, a disability rights organization, welcome interested learners from throughout the community to attend.
The Manchester campus is also frequently used by outside organizations for special events, including charity walks, club and civic organization meetings, political events, and press conferences and special information sessions conducted by other state organizations.
Great Path Academy
MCC is home to Great Path Academy, a middle college high school housed at the college that has an enrollment of more than 100 students. Great Path (or GPA) is a collaborative effort between Manchester Community College, the Connecticut Community-Technical Colleges, and the Capitol Region Education Council.Students at Great Path complete their high school courses at the college and are also able to take regular MCC courses for credit. Upon graduation from Great Path, the average GPA student has already earned 30 college credits, which they can then transfer to another institution or apply towards an MCC degree.
Manchester began construction during the 2007-2008 academic year
Academic term
An academic term is a division of an academic year, the time during which a school, college or university holds classes. These divisions may be called terms...
for a new wing for Great Path, which is expected to eventually increase enrollment to about 300 students. Opened in June 2009, the new Great Path wing, named for the college's president emeritus Jonathan M. Daube, added additional classroom and student space. It also houses a gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasium that will serve as the home court for the college's women's basketball team.