History

1973 – College joins the state system and is renamed Morgan Community College.

1976 – MCC becomes the target of political maneuvering meant to force its closing. An investigation shows outstanding records and performance in every department and the college survives.

1977 – Dr. Robert W. Johnson resigns; Robert Datteri becomes second MCC President.

1978 – Phi Beta Lambda, national business fraternity wins eight first-place awards and chapter of the year at the Colorado State Leadership Conference and then is named National PBL Chapter of the year. Betty Smith of Burlington graduates; Smith is the first student to earn a degree without setting foot on the main campus at MCC. August 1978, groundbreaking ceremonies take place at the permanent site on Barlow Road.

1979 – “Art in Public Places” program commissions artist John Young to render exterior sculpture, “The Victory of Olaf M” on the west lawn of Cottonwood Hall.

1980 – Faculty and staff move to the permanent campus located on Barlow Road just south of I-76.

1982 – Dr. Larry Carter becomes MCC president. H.B. Bloedorn and Helen Williams are honored at first Founders’ Day event. Alternative High School established. “Learning at a Distance” technology developed.

1987 – Dr. Harold Deselms assumes fourth MCC presidency. First coordinator of student activities hired and the modular classroom building is redesigned to serve as the student center. Community Access Cable network, MCC Channel 10 adds to methods of class delivery.

1988 – Bennett, Wray, Burlington, Woodlin, Seibert, and Hugo high schools hold MCC courses delivered by television or Op-Tel.

1989 – First “distance learner”, Barbara Kershaw of Wray, graduates. Phi Theta Kappa National Honor Society chartered.

1990 – Associate Degree in Nursing approved. MCC’s Small Business Development Center helps administer disaster relief funds to the victims of a tornado in Limon.

1991 – Dr. Richard Bond takes the reins as fifth president at MCC.

1992 – MCC signs an agreement for an exchange program with Yamagata Prefectural College of Agriculture in Yamagata, Japan. MCC is granted an unconditional re-accreditation by North Central Association.

1996 – Dr. John McKay becomes the sixth president of MCC. Expansion of Learning Resource Center begins.

1999 – Groundbreaking for Student Center; furnishings provided by the Jack Petteys Memorial Foundation of Brush as a memorial to Anna C. Petteys.

2000 – MCC serves seven counties in Eastern Colorado Morgan, Washington, Yuma, Lincoln, Kit Carson, Adams and Arapahoe. More than 3,000 students enroll each year and more than 330 instructors and staff are employed. Renovation begins for Aspen, Cottonwood and Spruce Halls.

2001 – Ground is broken for the Automotive Technology building to be called Elm Hall.

2003 – MCC’s seventh president, Dr. C. Michele Haney, stabilizes the college after imposed state budget cuts and initiates new accreditation process. Wray Center moves to new building.

2004 – MCC offers 50 academic and vocation programs and has enrolled 16,000 students since Summer semester of 1987. The college service area includes 11,500 square miles of eastern Colorado with regional centers in Bennett, Burlington, Limon, Wray, and Yuma. Nursing program expands to 83 students.

2005 – MCC is one of four colleges in the state community college system to experience increased enrollment. Thirty-fifth Anniversary Celebrations includes Annual Gala and reunion for founders and first students. $2 million capital gifts campaign, “Dream Connections” is announced to Brush and Fort Morgan Chambers of Commerce and the business people of Wiggins. Nursing program courses offered in Wray.

2006 – Burlington Center moves into the newly built Burlington Community Education Center. MCC achieves 1000 FTE.

2007 – MCC Foundation plans a new Adult Basic Education building to be built on the Fort Morgan Campus. MCC/Cargill Meat Solutions Workplace Education program receives national recognition.

2008 – Dr. Kerry Hart becomes the eighth college president. Leadership Academy graduates first class.

2009 – MCC Foundation funds a new building on campus, Cedar Hall, for Adult Basic Education, GED and ESL. MCC Nursing Program received national accreditation by NLNAC. MCC Jazz Ensemble created. 2009 – Morgan Community College was selected as Business of the Year by the Fort Morgan Chamber of Commerce – based on customer service and partnerships with local industry/businesses.

2010 – 40th Anniversary of MCC. New nursing, health science and technology addition and renovation completed. MCC ranked one of America’s Top 50 Community Colleges by the Washington Monthly. MCC partnered with Morgan County non-profit organizations to create a community garden. 2010 – MCC’s Workplace Literacy Program (a partnership with Cargill Meats – the largest employer in Fort Morgan) received national recognition as a best practice (published in Business Champions), Washington, D.C.

2011 – Received endowed chair gift from the Williams Family Foundation for Radiologic Technology Coordinator. Established the MCC Center for Arts and Community Enrichment. Received the Morgan County Economic Development Committee (MCEDC) Partnership Award. MCC is named a “Great College to Work For” by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

2012 – 100 students completed their GED with ABE program. MCC received the highest quality climate survey ratings at the AQIP accreditation Strategy Forum, and for the second year in a row was rated a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

2013 – MCC named one of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Great Colleges to Work For” for third consecutive year. El Pomar Foundation awarded MCC a $50,000 grant to implement the college’s second entrepreneurial business plan class and competition. The Morgan County Economic Development Corporation presented MCC with the “2013 Investor of the Year Award.”

2014 – Viaero Wireless donates $10,000 to support MCC’s Business Partnership Program in addition to technology upgrades for the College. MCC Nursing program received national accreditation by ACEN. The Center for Arts and Community Enrichment hosts dedication ceremony for the Dahms-Talton Band Shell. Fourth year named one of The Chronicle of Higher Education’s “Great Colleges to Work For.” The Educational Opportunity Council (EOC) was implemented to help minority high school students overcome cultural and financial barriers to college.

2015 – MCC opens its new welding & storage facility, Birch Hall. FMS Bank donates $10,000 to support MCC’s Business Partnership Program. MCC added an Associate of Science Degree in Industrial Maintenance Electrical/Mechanical. Named a “Great Colleges to Work For” for fifth consecutive year.

2016 – MCC recognized for sixth year in a row as a “Great Colleges to Work For.” Ranked #1 community college in Colorado, and 125th in the United States by WalletHub, published in the Denver Business Journal. Aviation Technology Program adopted. The college debuted its first documentary, “Glenn Miller: The Birthplace of His Music.”

2017 – Dr. Curt Freed becomes the ninth college president.

2018 – Morgan Community College obtains official Hispanic-Serving Institution status. MCC launches a Precision Agriculture program. For the eighth consecutive year, MCC is named a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education. MCC makes Bestcolleges.com’s 2018 “Best Colleges Colorado” list, ranking No. 2 among 15 community and technical colleges across the state. The State Board of Community Colleges and Occupational Education gives its approval for MCC to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. The Williams Family Foundation pledges $2,275,000 to fund an endowed faculty chair position for the BSN program.

2019 – MCC receives $300,000 grant from National Science Foundation to develop an Industrial Controls Technician Certificate. The Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program receives full accreditation status from the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE). The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) approved MCC’s request to offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).  Morgan Community College receives $3.0 million U.S. Department of Education Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) grant. MCC and the Fort Morgan Area Chamber of Commerce collaborate to create a Director of Community/Business Development and Fort Morgan Area Chamber of Commerce position. MCC hosts groundbreaking for Poplar Hall Agriculture Center for Innovation. WalletHub ranks MCC the 19th best community college in the country. The College is ranked No. 2 in the 2019 Real Work Matters (RWM)’s study of the Best Vocational and Trade Schools in Colorado. The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program selects MCC as one of 150 community colleges eligible to compete for the $1 million Aspen Prize.

2020 – Morgan Community College (MCC) receives $614,418 grant from The Colorado Health Foundation to launch a Multicultural Entrepreneurship Program. The first cohort of Bachelor of Science in Nursing students starts in January. MCC celebrates its 50th anniversary. MCC is ranked in the country’s top ten community colleges by Smartasset. Poplar Hall Agriculture Center for Innovation is completed. MCC adapts quickly to continue instruction and college services despite the global COVID-19 pandemic. The College holds its first virtual commencement.

2021 – Morgan Community College (MCC) receives $450,000 to launch Return to Earn Program. MCC Foundation holds 22nd Annual Gala in virtual format, adapting to COVID-19 pandemic. MCC restructures GED/ESL program to offer Hyflex (combined in-person and virtual class delivery) and virtual formats. The College receives $4.7 Million a Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Program Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) grant to improve and expand the capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students. MCC receives $1.1 million Talent Pipeline grant to construct a building for the growing Electromechanical Technology (ELMT) program. MCC was approved accreditation fall 2021 for its Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) Program. The first graduating class, May 2021, are considered to have graduated from an accredited program.

2022 – MCC held its 23rd Annual Gala in all five MCC Center regions across northeast Colorado. MCC developed Weekend College for students who need a more flexible schedule, including Friday evening and Saturday classes. MCC received $438,090 in Care Forward Colorado funding to provide financial support to students to attend one of the eligible certificate programs at no cost: Nurse Aide, Phlebotomy Technician, Medical Assistant, and Emergency Medical Technician. MCC was ranked No. 1 Trade School in Colorado the ranking of Best Value Schools in Colorado. Bestvalueschools.org’s ranking of the top trade schools in the state was generated using a point system from two categories: affordability and the enrollment class size.

2023 – MCC received $2.5 million from Dr. Alan and Polli Dahms and a $1.1 million Colorado Talent Pipeline grant to expand facilities for the Electromechanical Technology (ELMT) program. On December 14, MCC broke ground on the Dahms-Talton Center for Skilled Trades and Technology. MCC acquired property located at 300 Dexter Street in Wray, Colorado. The purchase will be the site of a new MCC Wray Center.

2024 – Morgan Community College received $2.9 million in grant funding from the United States Department of Education through the Title V Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) program (Grant Award #P031S230272). The grant program, referred to as MCC Innovating Careers, Access, and Student Achievement, or MI CASA for short, provides additional staff and services to help students improve their readiness for careers and/or heighten their success in transferring to a four-year institution. This is MCC’s second Title V grant since achieving Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) status in 2018. Dr. Marlon Escamilla Rodriguez, a distinguished archaeologist and academic leader from El Salvador, was appointed to MCC as the 2024-25 Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence. MCC received final approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) on October 11, 2024, to offer a Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) degree in Business Administration and Management. This is MCC’s second bachelor’s degree program. MCC received final approval from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) on November 8, 2024, to offer a Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Education. This is MCC’s third bachelor’s degree program. MCC was awarded an Opportunity Now grant in the amount of $739,917, providing vital resources for curriculum development and student support services of the newly approved Bachelor of Applied Science in Education program.