{{Short description|Community college in Hagerstown, Maryland, U.S.}} {{Use American English|date=August 2025}} {{Infobox university |name=Hagerstown Community College |image=HagerstownCCLogo.PNG |type=Public community college |academic_affiliations = Space-grant |president=James S. Klauber, Ph.D. |established=1946 |city=Hagerstown |state=Maryland |country=United States |mascot=Hawks |website={{official|http://www.hagerstowncc.edu}} |coordinates = {{Coord|39|37|49|N|77|40|6|W|display=title, inline}} }} {{mdy|date=October 2019}}
''' Hagerstown Community College''' ('''HCC''') is a public community college in Hagerstown, Maryland. It was founded in 1946 as Maryland’s first community college. The campus encompassed eighteen buildings on {{convert|319|acres}}. The college hosts a business incubator, outdoor gardens, and an amphitheater.
==Background== Hagerstown Community College was founded in September 1946 as Hagerstown Junior College. It was the first community college in Maryland.<ref name="MHEC">{{cite web |title=Hagerstown Community College |url=https://mhec.maryland.gov/institutions_training/Pages/collegeinfodetails.aspx?SIC=112100 |website=Maryland Higher Education Commission |access-date=2023-05-27}}</ref> At first, all of its classes were held in the evening at Hagerstown High School, with the majority of the students veterans of World War II studying on the G.I. Bill.<ref name="About HCC"/>
In 1956, the college expanded to a new facility on the campus of South Hagerstown High School. This location, nicknamed the "Cracker Box" would prove too small for the expanding enrollment of the school. In 1965, construction started on a new campus on Robinwood Drive, with classes starting there in 1966. At this time enrollment had grown to 782 students.<ref name="About HCC"/>
In 1998, the name of the school changed to Hagerstown Community College. Currently, 5000 students are enrolled on the {{convert|319|acre}}.<ref name="About HCC"/>
Atlee Kepler was appointed dean of the college in 1953 and president in 1961. Norman Shea served as president from 1986 to 2002; Guy Altieri served from 2003 through 2017.<ref name="Cox">{{cite news |last1=Cox |first1=Art |title=HCC names Warner as interim president |url=https://www.journal-news.net/news/business/hcc-names-warner-as-interim-president/article_e3fb7774-1069-5392-bb57-4d23abcaf786.html |work=The Journal |location =Martinsville, WV |date=2017-11-25}}</ref> Jim Klauber became the fourth president in June 2018.<ref name="HHM">{{cite news |title=Klauber to earn $230K as next Hagerstown Community President |url=https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/story/news/2018/04/24/klauber-to-earn-230k-as-next-hagerstown-community-college-preside/44477753/&usg=AOvVaw01VFxOIuU8_Ou19bqg9qRH |work=Hagerstown Herald-Mail |date=2018-04-24}}</ref>
Along with USM Hagerstown, one of HCC's goals is to promote the economic development of Hagerstown and the surrounding community.<ref name="USMH Mission">{{cite web |title=Summary Mission Statement |url=https://www.usmd.edu/BORPortal/Materials/2014/EP/20140603/USMH-MissionStatement.pdf |website=University System of Maryland at Hagerstown}}</ref><ref name="USDOC">{{cite web |title=U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $5.8 Million in American Rescue Plan Funds to Support Transportation and Construction Trades Workforce Development in Hagerstown, Maryland |url=https://www.eda.gov/news/press-release/2022/08/09/us-department-commerce-invests-58-million-american-rescue-plan-funds |website=Economic Development Administration |publisher=U.S. Department of Commerce |date=2022-08-09}}</ref>
==Academics== The school a two-year public community college offering both transfer and career-oriented programs, as well as continuing education classes. Its accreditation is through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and has maintained that status since 1968.<ref name="MSCHE">{{cite web |title=Hagerstown Community College |url=https://www.msche.org/institution/0165 |website=Middle States Commission On Higher Education |access-date=2023-05-25}}</ref> The college is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges.<ref name="About HCC"/>
HCC offers more than one hundred programs of study and awards associate degrees, certificates and letters of recognition.<ref name="About HCC"/> The college's incubator is meant to spur investment in the local community.<ref name="Daily Record">{{cite news |title=F&M Trust donates $50K to Hagerstown Community College scholarship campaign, business incubator |url=https://thedailyrecord.com/2022/04/25/fm-trust-donates-50k-to-hagerstown-community-college-scholarship-campaign-business-incubator/ |work=The Daily Record |date=2022-04-25}}</ref>
The school held its first graduation in 1948 awarding twenty-five degrees. Since then, the school has had more than 175,000 students.<ref name="About HCC">{{cite web |title=About HCC |url=https://www.hagerstowncc.edu/about-hcc |website=Hagerstown Community College |access-date=2023-05-25}}</ref> == See also== * University System of Maryland at Hagerstown
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{official|http://www.hagerstowncc.edu}} * [https://mdacc.org/the-colleges/hagerstown-community-college MACC] * {{cite news |last1=Lewis |first1=Mike |title=Bowman named Person of the Year |url=https://www.heraldmailmedia.com/story/news/local/2018/01/01/bowman-named-person-of-the-year/44605735 |work=Herald Mail |date=2018-01-01}} * [https://collections.digitalmaryland.org/digital/collection/htcn Hagerstown Junior College Student Newspapers from Enoch Pratt Free Library] at Digital Maryland
{{Colleges and Universities in Maryland}}
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Category:Two-year colleges in the United States Category:Community and junior colleges in Maryland Category:Universities and colleges in Washington County, Maryland Category:Buildings and structures in Hagerstown, Maryland Category:Universities and colleges in the United States established in 1946 Category:1946 establishments in Maryland Category:NJCAA schools Category:Education in Hagerstown, Maryland