McLennan Community College (MCC) is a public
community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...
in
McLennan County, Texas
McLennan County is a county located on the Edwards Plateau in Central Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 260,579 . Its county seat and largest city is Waco. The U.S. census 2021 county population estimate is 263,115. The county is ...
. Located in
Waco, Texas
Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...
, it opened in 1965. MCC now serves about 9,000 students and has more than 700 employees. It is governed by a Board of Trustees elected from
single-member districts in the county.
History
The college opened in 1965.
Campus
McLennan is one of three colleges in Waco along with
Baylor University
Baylor University is a private Baptist Christian research university in Waco, Texas. Baylor was chartered in 1845 by the last Congress of the Republic of Texas. Baylor is the oldest continuously operating university in Texas and one of the ...
and
Texas State Technical College
Texas State Technical College (TSTC) is a public community college with 10 campuses throughout Texas. TSTC is the State of Texas's only public multicampus technical college, offering associate degrees and certificates in technical skills and trade ...
. McLennan Community College is located on on the north side of town near the
Bosque River
The Bosque River ( ) is a long river in Central Texas fed by four primary branches. The longest branch, the North Bosque, forms near Stephenville, and flows toward Waco through Hamilton, Bosque and McLennan counties. It is subsequently joined ...
and Cameron Park. The College also owns Highlander Ranch, a farm about from the main campus.
The campus was recently expanded to include three new buildings, which were built with funding from a bond passed by voters in November 2006: the Michaelis Academic Center, New Science Building and Emergency Services Education Center.
MCC’s campus also includes the Bosque River Stage, a 530-seat amphitheater located along the banks of the Bosque River. This outdoor venue was renovated in 2001 to expand the stage and update the lighting, sound and concessions area.
Organization and administration
As defined by the
Texas Legislature
The Texas Legislature is the state legislature of the US state of Texas. It is a bicameral body composed of a 31-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The state legislature meets at the Capitol in Austin. It is a powerful ar ...
, the official service area of McLennan Community College consists of the following:
*all of
McLennan and
Falls Counties, and
*the
Calvert and
Bremond school districts.
Academics
MCC offers two-year associate degrees in arts and sciences for students who want to transfer to four-year schools. The school also has training programs—-two-year associate degrees in applied science and one-year certificates—-for students who want to enter the workforce. The school also offers continuing education courses for community members.
In addition, the University Center at MCC is a partnership with several four-year state universities that offer degree programs on MCC’s campus. It offers students the opportunity to earn affordable bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees without leaving Central Texas. Partner universities are
Midwestern State University
Midwestern State University (MSU Texas) is a public liberal arts university in Wichita Falls, Texas. In 2020 it had 5,141 undergraduate students. It is the state's only public institution focused on the liberal arts.
History
Founded in 1922 as ...
,
Tarleton State University
Tarleton State University is a public university with its main campus in Stephenville, Texas. It is a founding member of the Texas A&M University System and enrolled over 14,000 students in the fall of 2020.
History
John Tarleton Agricultura ...
,
University of Texas Medical Branch
The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a public academic health science center in Galveston, Texas. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the oldest medical school in Texas, and has about 11,000 employees. In Febr ...
,
The University of Texas at Brownsville, and
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sy ...
.
Student life
Through the McLennan Distinguished Lecture Series MCC brings nationally known figures to Waco to give free lectures to the community. Started in 2004, the program has attracted such notable speakers as author
Tamim Ansary, Nobel prize-winner
James Watson,
Bill Nye “The Science Guy,” former U.S. Secretary of Labor
Robert Reich
Robert Bernard Reich (; born June 24, 1946) is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator. He worked in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, and served as Secretary of Labor from 1993 to 1997 in ...
,
John Maxwell,
Ben Carson
Benjamin Solomon Carson Sr. (born September 18, 1951) is an American retired neurosurgeon and politician who served as the 17th United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 2017 to 2021. A pioneer in the field of neurosurgery, he ...
, and current Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court of the United States Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas (born June 23, 1948) is an American jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. He was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall and has served since 1 ...
.
Sports
The school has several student organizations and athletic teams. The mascot is a Scottish Highlander; the men's athletic teams are referred as the Highlanders, and the women's teams are the Highlassies. MCC's athletics program includes men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball, and men's and women's golf. There is also a dance team
Notable alumni
*
Jay Buhner
Jay Campbell Buhner (born August 13, 1964), nicknamed "Bone", is an American former professional baseball right fielder. At and , he was among the most recognizable players of his day, noted for his shaved head, thick goatee, and patch of pine ...
, former
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
(MLB) player
*
Ruthie Foster
Ruthie Cecelia Foster (born February 10, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter of blues and folk music. She mixes a wide palette of American song forms, from gospel and blues to jazz, folk and soul. She has often been compared to Bonnie Raitt ...
, singer-songwriter of blues and folk music
*
Emily Gimble, 2020
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
State musician
*
Sean Henn
Sean Michael Henn (born April 23, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Henn attended McLennan Community College in Texas, and was drafted in the 26th round in 2000 by the New York Yankees. He played in Major League Baseball
...
, former MLB player
*
Vinnie Johnson
Vincent Johnson (born September 1, 1956), is an American former professional basketball player and a key player as sixth man for the Detroit Pistons during the team's National Basketball Association (NBA) championships of 1989 and 1990. He was n ...
, former NBA player
*
Danny Kaspar, former head basketball coach at
Texas State University
Texas State University is a public research university in San Marcos, Texas. Since its establishment in 1899, the university has grown to the second largest university in the Greater Austin metropolitan area and the fifth largest university ...
*
Pat Listach
Patrick Alan Listach (born September 12, 1967) is the former Manager of the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League and a former Major League Baseball shortstop, minor league manager, and major league third base coach.
Amateur career ...
, former MLB player
*
Sean Lowe, former MLB player
*
Chris Martin
Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist, pianist, rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Devon, he went to Uni ...
, MLB player
*
Craig McMurtry, former MLB player
*
Ryan Merritt, former MLB player
*
Rodrick Monroe, former NFL player
*
Logan Ondrusek
Logan Jared Ondrusek (born February 13, 1985) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Uni-President Lions of the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL). He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds and Ba ...
, former MLB player
*
Ken Patterson, former MLB player
*
Leonard Perry, college basketball coach
*
Richie Ramsay
}
Richie Ramsay (born 15 June 1983) is a Scottish professional golfer who plays on the European Tour.
Ramsay played in the 2005 Walker Cup and, in 2006, became the first British golfer in almost a century to win the U.S. Amateur.
Ramsay turned ...
,
European Tour
The European Tour (currently known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons), legally the PGA European Tour is the leading men's professional golf tour in Europe. The organisation also operates the European Senior Tour (for players aged fi ...
professional golfer
*
Jason Scobie, former professional baseball player
*
Sons of the Desert, the late 1990s
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
group
*
Dave van Horn
David Kevin Van Horn (born September 17, 1960) is an American baseball coach and former infielder, who is the current head baseball coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Playing career
Born in Stanton, California, Van Horn graduated from Winneto ...
, former professional baseball player and
college baseball
College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional p ...
coach
*
Sam Worthen, former NBA player
References
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Community colleges in Texas
Education in McLennan County, Texas
Education in Waco, Texas
Educational institutions established in 1965
Two-year colleges in the United States
Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
NJCAA athletics
1965 establishments in Texas