Middlesex Community College (Middlesex and MxCC) is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

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 sec ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settler ...

. It is part of the

Connecticut State Colleges & Universities The Board of Regents for Higher Education (BOR) is a government body in the U.S. state of Connecticut that oversees the Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (CSCU). CSCU and the BOR were created on July 1, 2011, consolidating the governance of ...

system (CSCU). The college has an open admissions policy. MxCC has about 4,400 full- and part-time students enrolled. It is a commuter school with no dormitories. MxCC offers associate degrees, certificates, and specialist programs.

History

Middlesex Community College was founded in 1966 as a branch campus of Manchester Community College. MxCC became an independent community college in 1968. Initially the college operated in space rented from the Middletown Public School district and loaned by the Connecticut Valley Hospital. In 1973 the college moved to its present campus overlooking the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

valley in Middletown. Over the years, numerous signature programs were established such as precision manufacturing, business and industry, new media production, and early childhood education. In 2022, following a request for substantive change from the CSCU system, it was announced that all of the community-technical colleges in Connecticut will consolidate into one institution, named CT State Community College. MxCC is committed to continuing its signature programs and initiatives following the merger.

Campus

Middlesex Community College has three distinct locations and offers courses at a variety of locations across Middlesex County.

Main Campus (Middletown)

The college's main campus is in Middletown at 100 Training Hill Road (approximately a mile and a half from the center of Middletown) and includes four main buildings: Snow, Wheaton, Founder's, and Chapman Hall. The buildings are air conditioned and accessible. The campus is located on a scenic hillside overlooking the Connecticut River valley, about a mile and a half from the center of Middletown. The campus features general purpose classrooms, computer classrooms, arts and media studios, and special purpose laboratories. Faculty and administrative offices, a cafeteria, bookstore, and multipurpose halls are also featured. New facilities such as the Pavilion, deck, solar patio, as well as the collaborative Learning Commons space offer a variety of places for students to study, socialize, and participate in activities. In addition to ample free student parking, a municipal bus route stops at the campus twice hourly.

MxCC at Platt

In 2004, Middlesex opened a new learning site at 55 West Main Street, in

Meriden, Connecticut Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.New England Association of Schools and Colleges The New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc. (NEASC) is a United States' regional accreditation association providing educational accreditation. NEASC serves over 1500 public, independent schools, and technical/career institution ...

as an "additional instructional location". With this new recognition, students can now complete a degree or certificate program at the Meriden Center. Prior to this, students could only complete fifty percent or less of a degree program at the center before finishing their degree at the Middletown campus. Following the renovation of Orville H. Platt High School, the leaders of MxCC and the Meriden Public School System started offering courses at the new location. Student support services, access to the Magic Food Bus, and other unique amenities are available to students at both campuses.

Shoreline

Credit and non-credit courses are also offered in Old Saybrook and Clinton. In Old Saybrook the high school at 1111

Boston Post Road The Boston Post Road was a system of mail-delivery routes between New York City and Boston, Massachusetts that evolved into one of the first major highways in the United States. The three major alignments were the Lower Post Road (now U.S. Ro ...

is often used to hold classes.

Student life

The Beta Gamma Xi chapter of the

Phi Theta Kappa Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society ( or PTK) is the international honor society of students attending open-access institutions and seeking associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, or other college credentials. Its headquarters is in Jackson, Mississippi ...

(the academic honor society for two-year colleges) is active at MxCC. Active clubs on campus include the Human Services Student Association (HSSA), Students Promoting Equality, Acceptance and Knowledge (S.P.E.A.K.), the Computer Club, and the Math Club. There is also an active student government body, the MxCC Student Senate. In 2013, MxCC was the first community college to offer a chapter of

Mu Alpha Theta Mu Alpha Theta () is the United States mathematics honor society for high school and two-year college students. In June 2015, it served over 108,000 student members in over 2,200 chapters in the United States and in 20 foreign countries. Its main ...

, a math honor society. Middlesex also operates a low power radio station, Hacker Airwaves FM 87.7, under a local marketing agreement. As a component of the Center for New Media, the partnership provides students with the opportunity to create original audio programming, to learn about the hands-on skills and requirements of running a college radio station, and to organize student activities related to radio, podcasting, and audio media. Student producers have had great success broadcasting music from the 60s, 70s, and 80s, local high school sports, and other noncommercial programming.

References

External links

Official websiteHacker Airwaves FM 87.7
{{authority control Community colleges in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Middletown, Connecticut Educational institutions established in 1966 Universities and colleges in Middlesex County, Connecticut 1966 establishments in Connecticut