General Information
Mohawk Valley Community College, a unit of the 64-campus State University of New York, is a publicly supported community college offering two-year degree programs on campuses in Utica and Rome, as well as online, that prepare students for technical and semi-professional careers in business, industry, social service, healthcare, technology, advanced manufacturing, and many other fields, and for further college study. Shorter length certificate programs and microcredentials also are offered. MVCC currently enrolls approximately 5,300 full-time and part-time students.
The Community College Concept
Community colleges are a uniquely American institution. Their mission is to provide access to higher education to everyone regardless of race, gender, social status, income, and geographic location. In support of this goal, community colleges have a tradition of open admissions and low tuition. Public support enables them to keep tuition low and quality high.
Across the U.S., more than 10 million students attend community colleges to improve their future — and that of their families. In return, they improve the country’s ability to compete with the rest of the world, and they become the educated populace on which a free nation depends. For this reason, community colleges have been referred to as “democracy’s colleges.”
Community colleges are teaching institutions. As such, their entire focus is on creating a learning environment that is student-centered. Classes are kept small and opportunities for interaction between instructor and student are frequent. Community colleges are leaders in developing new programs and new instructional techniques. They are strongly oriented toward meeting the needs of the areas they serve. They are actively involved in providing continuing education for adult students and training needed to support employers. MVCC’s comprehensive programming, broad network of support services, Center for Corporate and Community Education, and two campuses are all the result of its commitment to this orientation.
Organization and Support
Mohawk Valley Community College is sponsored by Oneida County, New York, and is governed by a 10-member Board of Trustees. All regular Board members reside within Oneida County and serve rotating terms. A Student Trustee is elected annually by the student body. The operating funds of the College come from three principal sources: Oneida County for students who are legal residents of the County (or from other New York counties in which students are legal residents), New York State, and students’ tuition. State and County support enables MVCC to offer an excellent educational value.
History
Mohawk Valley Community College was the first community college established in New York State. Founded in 1946 as the New York State Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences at Utica, it was one of five post-secondary institutions established on an experimental basis after World War II. The two-year public college offered programs leading to technical and semi-professional employment in business and industry.
In 1948, the State University of New York was created and authorized to recommend the establishment of community colleges. The College became a constituent unit of the State University in 1950. The following year, the College was authorized to grant the Associate in Applied Science degree. In 1953, Oneida County assumed the sponsorship of the College, then known as Mohawk Valley Technical Institute, under the Community College Law section of the 1948 Education Law. This section authorized the cost of operating a community college to be shared equally through student tuition, state aid, and charges to the counties of New York State. The next year, MVCC began offering classes in Rome, N.Y., to better serve the needs of northern and western Oneida County. Classes were offered at the former Griffiss Air Force Base from 1954 to 1958 and again from 1969 to 1974. In 1974, a branch campus was established in Rome at the current location on Floyd Avenue.
As a community college, MVCC saw its enrollment and facilities grow. From 1946 to 1960, the College occupied temporary quarters in New Hartford and downtown Utica. In 1960, the College moved to new buildings on an 80-acre site in southeast Utica. The Utica Campus completed a Master Plan in 2002 that included renovating virtually every building on campus and adding a building. The College’s academic offerings have continued to expand in response to community needs determined through surveys. The College now offers an exceptionally wide variety of transfer, career, and vocational programs.
The Region
The Mohawk Valley is composed of Fulton, Herkimer, Schenectady, Montgomery, and Oneida counties and boasts some of the best scenery in the nation, with near and distant mountains and hillsides and a stunning valley bisected by the Mohawk River.
The City of Utica has a population of about 60,000. Its cultural and recreational advantages are many. Munson (formerly Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute) maintains an excellent art gallery and museum, there are numerous public parks, golf courses (one of which is municipally owned and operated) as well as city swimming pools, a zoo, public tennis courts, and picnic grounds. Rome, a city of approximately 35,000, was the starting point for construction of the Erie Canal. A reconstructed Fort Stanwix, important in the American Revolution, is located in the heart of the city. Delta Lake State Park is nearby.
Utica and Rome are centrally located in New York State, and are served by the New York State Thruway, along with bus and train lines. Close to the Adirondacks, the area is rich in recreational activities, including a variety of water sports, camping, hunting, skiing, and snowmobiling.
Utica Campus
The Utica Campus of Mohawk Valley Community College is at 1101 Sherman Drive. The campus is on level ground and all buildings are accessible to persons with disabilities. Buildings include:
Francis A. Wilcox Hall
This building includes a 500-seat theater. It is wheelchair-accessible and offers headsets for the hearing impaired. The 58-foot-high proscenium features a hydraulic orchestra lift and computer-operated lights and sound. The facility hosts College and community events, and is home to specialized instruction related to theater and the arts. The building also houses an art gallery, a 120-seat lecture hall, “smart” classrooms, computer laboratories, Office of Accessibility Resources, College-Community Connection (C3), a food pantry, the Learning Commons (tutorial services) and the Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Conference and Training Center.
Academic Building
The Academic Building houses classrooms, computer laboratories, fine arts studios, and laboratories for nursing, respiratory care, biology, physics, and graphic arts. The Center for Corporate & Community Education (CCED), offices for Public Safety, high school services, and Information Technology also are located here.
Science and Technology Building
The Science and Technology Building features a variety of laboratories, including those for chemistry, welding, heating, refrigeration, FABLab, air conditioning, metallurgy, electricity, and machine tools courses.
Payne Hall
Payne Hall, named for MVCC’s late President Emeritus Albert V. Payne, houses a comprehensive Student Service Center, including Admissions, Holistic Student Support Office (Advisement), high school services, Business Office, Foundation Scholarships, Financial Aid, Veterans Education Services, and Office of Records and Registration, as well as a special Help Desk. Many faculty members and administrators have their offices in Payne Hall. Human Resources is on the third floor, and the main library is located on the second floor.
Alumni College Center
The Alumni College Center serves as the hub of the Student Engagement program. This facility contains recreation rooms, a snack bar (“MV Commons”), dining halls for resident and commuter students, conference facilities, the Bookstore, Student Congress offices, Student Engagement Office, Career Development Center, Counseling, and the Student Health and Wellness Center.
Robert R. Jorgensen Athletic/Events Center
The Robert R. Jorgensen Athletic/Events Center houses a main gymnasium, which accommodates more than 750 spectators for athletic events, and the 27,000-square-foot Field House featuring an indoor track, three athletic courts, and a fitness center with free weights and aerobic and strength equipment. Both the gymnasium and Field House serve as instructional facilities for physical education classes and team practices. Special activity areas include two handball-racquetball courts, swimming pool, multi-purpose rooms, and classrooms. Adjoining fields include an all-weather track, soccer and softball fields, and six lighted tennis courts.
Residence Halls
The residence hall complexes on the Utica Campus provide housing for up to 450 students. Modified rooms for students with disabilities and gender-neutral rooms are available. The Willis V. Daugherty Residence Hall is named for an MVCC Trustee Emeritus. The others are named for New York State historical figures: Thomas D. Penfield, Edward Huntington, John Butterfield and Francis Bellamy, author of the “Pledge of Allegiance.”
Rome Campus
MVCC’s Rome Campus is located at 1101 Floyd Avenue, and consists of the John D. Plumley Science and Technology Complex. MVCC also operates an Aviation Training Center located nearby at Griffiss International Airport. The Rome Campus offers all services available on the Utica Campus with the exception of housing. The Rome Campus Student Services Center is a one-stop-shop for services including admissions, advisement, financial aid, counseling, disability accommodations, payments, student activities, and more.
John D. Plumley Science and Technology Complex
The Plumley Complex houses a full-service library, Learning Commons, classrooms, specialized laboratories, and administrative and student services offices. The building also features a 100-seat auditorium and conference facilities, as well as a fitness center, faculty offices, campus cupboard, and College Store. Hospitality and Culinary Arts students prepare for their futures in the building’s instructional kitchens, baking lab, and 100-seat restaurant-style dining room. Surgical Technology students can experience hands-on learning in a fully equipped laboratory. The Rome Campus offers a wide range of credit-bearing courses and non-credit workshops. Some of MVCC’s associate degree programs are available in Rome in their entirety. The Cultural Series brings films, lectures, and performances to Rome Campus audiences.