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About Montgomery College

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History

Over 70 years ago, the state of Maryland and the United States began to explore the idea of establishing public junior colleges to help World War II veterans adjust to postwar society. With eight faculty and a student population of 186, Montgomery College began operating an evening college in 1946 at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School. Originally the higher education division of the Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College later achieved independent accreditation.

Montgomery College has dedicated itself to serving the residents of Montgomery County, and the institution has grown to serve nearly 60,000 credit and noncredit students annually. In the fall of 1950, the College acquired the buildings and seven acres of the Bliss Electrical Society. This new home in Takoma Park/Silver Spring became the first campus of Montgomery College. A second campus in Rockville opened in September 1965. The Germantown Campus opened in September 1975, with classes in Seneca Valley High School. Since the fall of 1978, the Germantown Campus has been located in permanent College facilities in Germantown.

Chartered by the state of Maryland and governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees, Montgomery College has built a reputation in the community and around the nation for the quality and scope of its academic programs in the liberal arts, humanities, sciences, business, and technologies. In fiscal matters, the Board of Trustees is responsible to the elected officials of Montgomery County. The College must present an annual operating budget, an annual capital budget, and a biennial, long-term capital improvement plan to the County Executive and the Montgomery County Council for review and approval. Montgomery County, the state of Maryland, and student tuition comprise the major sources of funding for the College.

Over the past half-century, the College and its faculty, staff, and students have contributed enormously to the well-being, economy, and culture of the community. Today, Montgomery College is one of the oldest community colleges in Maryland and one of the largest and most diverse community colleges in the nation. In 2007, Montgomery College earned national acclaim when The New York Times named the institution one of the top 11 community colleges in the country for preparing students for transfer.

See About Montgomery Collegenew window web site for more information.

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Accreditation

The state of Maryland oversees all public higher education in the state, including community colleges. Like all community colleges in Maryland, Montgomery College and its Board of Trustees are legally accountable to the state and to the county for the operations of the College. Montgomery College operates under the authority of the Maryland Higher Education Commission. The Commission has the authority to establish minimum requirements for associate degree–granting institutions and to establish general policies for the operation of postsecondary education.

Montgomery College was first accredited on April 28, 1950. The College has remained on the accredited list of the Middle States Commission on Higher Education ever since, with accreditation reaffirmed in 1957, 1968, 1978, 1987, 1992, 1997, 2003, 2008, 2013, and 2018.

In addition, related professional societies or accrediting agencies accredit some specialized programs.

Mission, Vision, and Core Values

More than just words, our mission, vision, and values reflect, in an inspiring way, who we are as an institution and why we are so dedicated to our students and their success. These aspirational standards set our priorities and drive our actions every day.

OUR MISSION: We empower our students to change their lives, and we enrich the life of our community. We are accountable for our results.

OUR VISION: With a sense of urgency for the future, Montgomery College will be a national model of educational excellence, opportunity, and student success. Our organization will be characterized by agility and relevance as it meets the dynamic challenges facing our students and community.

OUR VALUES:  EXCELLENCE * INTEGRITY * INNOVATION * DIVERSITY * STEWARDSHIP * SUSTAINABILITY

Montgomery College has grown into an institution where radical inclusion—that is, deeply rooted values of welcoming all individuals who seek higher education or continuing education—is an essential element of our identity. By intentionally cultivating our campuses as places where equal opportunity flourishes, we have advanced our own educational mission, contributed to the aspirations of Montgomery County, and added to the vision of our nation.

We are here to ensure that every student—regardless of ability, background, economic status, race, or age—has access to higher education. One of our main challenges is to focus on equity in success. This means that we provide all students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds who typically don’t perform as well in college, with the assistance, opportunities, and tools not just to attend college but to effectively reach their goals. Our job is to ensure that everyone has the ability to achieve success by redesigning our institutions for those outcomes.

Montgomery College faculty and staff have gone to great lengths to create robust learning environments where all persons feel safe voicing their perspectives and where intellectual rigor is the basis for engaging across difference. The College will continue to affirm the rights of all persons to study and pursue opportunity through education, free from fear and distraction. Our institution will continue to be a place where diversity thrives and where difference is celebrated. 

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Montgomery College: Student Centered

“We believe student success is accomplished when students…are self-confident, independent, and active learners with critical thinking skills enabling lifelong learning.”

—Montgomery College Student Success Credo

BUILDING A VISION ON A LEGACY OF LEARNING

For more than 70 years, Montgomery College has dedicated time, resources, and countless hours of professional development to improve and refine the quality of instructional and support services for our students. Faculty-developed initiatives and the vast and dynamic offerings of the Office of E-Learning, Innovation, and Teaching Excellence have helped to create a rigorous and learning-centered academic culture. The creativity, dedication, and high expectations of our faculty have provided the leadership to embed a student-oriented, dynamic, learning-centered culture. Strong general education courses and substantive curricula in the arts, sciences, and humanities promote both liberal learning and practical skills for success. Career and workforce development, as well as continuing education, are solidly integrated into our local community.

Learning changes lives at Montgomery College. As a community, we dedicate ourselves to assuring that every individual learner is changed and enriched with new life skills. Every learner will have a broader, deeper, and more compassionate community perspective, and a more acute sense of self. Facilitating learning is the responsibility of every member of the College community, including support and professional staff, faculty, administrators, and members of the Board of Trustees.

As a community, we base our decision making and our resource allocations on the enhancement of learning.

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An Equal Opportunity Employer

With students enrolled from every continent and from nearly 160 different countries around the globe, Montgomery College is a community of diverse students, faculty, staff, and alumni that are citizens of the world. As a community open to all, the College embraces its extraordinary diversity and it is committed to creating learning environments and opportunities that prepare our students to contribute to and participate in a global society and marketplace.

At Montgomery College, we demonstrate our commitment to diversity in several ways, which includes ensuring an environment where all persons are provided opportunities for employment and/ or participation in academic programs and other College activities. The Montgomery College Board of Trustees has established policies to assure that College maintains educational and employment environments free from ethnic, cultural, and racial hostility, violence, or harassment. It is the policy and practice of the College to prohibit discrimination against an individual with a disability or on the basis of age, citizenship status, color, covered veteran status, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, national origin, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation. This policy is consistent with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act of 1972; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504; the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA 2008); and other applicable laws and regulations. Inquiries regarding compliance with these laws may be directed to the Director of Employee and Labor Relations, Heather Pratt, 9221 Corporate Boulevard, CT/E101, Rockville, MD 20850, 240-567- 5276 or to the Office for Civil Rights, Department of Education, Washington, DC 20201. Under provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act, this material is available in alternative formats by contacting the Disability Support Services Office at 240-567-5058.

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Student Population

STUDENTS IN CREDIT COURSES

In fall 2023 there were 17,780 students enrolled in credit programs at Montgomery College—the largest credit enrollment of any community college in Maryland, and the largest undergraduate enrollment among all colleges and universities in Maryland. Montgomery College is a popular choice among local residents, as approximately 60 percent of Montgomery County public high school graduates who stay in-state for college choose to attend Montgomery College. The College also has great international appeal, as approximately 150 countries are represented in Montgomery College’s diverse student body. See the Office of Institutional Research & Effectivenessnew window web site fore more information. 

STUDENTS IN NONCREDIT COURSES

The College’s Workforce Development & Continuing Education (WD&CE) programs are offered year-round at campus, community, and business locations. Courses are not conducted on a “semester” basis, so enrollments are reported by month or by academic year. During Fiscal Year 2023, WD&CE had an enrollment of 17,780. See the Office of Institutional Research & Effectivenessnew window web site fore more information.

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Montgomery College Board of Trustees

The Board of Trusteesnew window of Montgomery College is the institution’s legal governing body and is composed of citizens of Montgomery County who volunteer their time. The Board derives its authority from Title 16 of the Education Article of The Annotated Code of the Public General Laws of Maryland, which provides the legal basis for the control and administration of Maryland’s community colleges. The Board conducts its meetings in accordance with the Maryland Open Meetings Act using Robert’s Rules of Order.

The Board of Trusteesnew window exercises general control over the College. It is empowered to establish the salaries and tenure of the president, faculty, and other employees; to acquire and dispose of property; to arrange for cooperative use of facilities with the Board of Education; to apply for and receive gifts and grants; to establish entrance requirements and approve offerings consisting of two-year transfer programs, career/technical programs, and continuing education programs; to set student tuition and fees; to sue and be sued; and to solicit bids and make contracts. The Board is also authorized to enter into a collective bargaining agreement with duly elected bargaining agents of College faculty and staff.

The Board consists of 10 members, all of whom, except for the student member, are appointed to staggered six-year terms. The student representative fills a one-year position on the Board. The College president serves as secretary-treasurer of the Board.

A nominating committee of five Montgomery County residents—with two people appointed by the county executive, two by the County Council, and one by the Montgomery College Alumni Association—solicits recommendations to fill vacancies on the Board of Trustees. The committee forwards the names of at least two, but not more than four, selected candidates for each vacancy to the governor, who then officially appoints someone to occupy that seat. With the exception of the student Board member, all of the governor’s appointments must be confirmed by the State Senate.

For more information, please visit the Board of Trusteesnew window web site.

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