Mt. Hood Community College (MHCC) is a public

community college A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city in the Willamette Valley, Located in Multnomah County in the U.S. state of Oregon, bordered by Portland to the northwest and partially in the southwest. It was first settled in the early 1850s by the Powell brothers. It ...

, United States, named after

Mount Hood Mount Hood, also known as Wy'east, is an active stratovolcano in the Cascade Range and is a member of the Cascade Volcanic Arc. It was formed by a subduction zone on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast and rests in the Pacific N ...

. Opened in 1966, MHCC enrolls around 30,000 students each year and offers classes at the main campus in Gresham, as well as the Maywood Park Center in

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: *Portland, Oregon, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon *Portland, Maine, the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine *Isle of Portland, a tied island in the English Channel Portland may also r ...

, the Bruning Center for Allied Health Education (also in Gresham), and at area public schools. The college's sports teams, the Saints, compete in the

Northwest Athletic Conference The Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC), formerly the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC), is a sports association for community colleges in the U.S. states of Oregon, Washington, and along with the Canadian province ...

. The college also owns and oversees KMHD, a non-profit FM broadcast radio station based in Portland.

Campus

The main campus occupies in Gresham. Other facilities include the Maywood Park campus in

, the Bruning Center for Allied Health Education and area public schools. The college is within relatively short distance from the nearby communities

Sandy Sandy may refer to: People and fictional characters *Sandy (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or nickname * Sandy (surname), a list of people * Sandy (Iranian music band), Iranian singer, comp ...

and Clackamas, and is roughly from downtown Portland.

Academics

MHCC enrolls roughly 30,000 students each year and is accredited by the

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is an independent, non-profit membership organization recognized by the United States Department of Education since 1952 as an institutional accreditor for colleges and universities. ...

. The college's programs include nursing, funeral science, integrated media, automotive technology and transfer opportunities to local universities toward

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degrees in

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and science programs. The college is financed by local property tax funds, state reimbursement funds and student tuition. Local voters established the college tax base in 1968 and approved tax base increases in 1970 and 1980. The campus is also home to the Oregon Center for Cybersecurity and offers both associate and bachelor degrees in Cybersecurity.

Student life

The college has historically been known for its jazz performance program, and is the home of jazz radio station KMHD and was the site of the Mt. Hood Jazz Festival each summer from 1982 through 2002 and from 2008 through 2010. The college has an active student government, almost 30 student clubs, and a student newspaper, ''The Advocate''. The college also annually hosts the Portland Highland Games.

Athletics

Mt. Hood Community College competes in the

(NWAC). The college nickname is the Saints in reference to the St. Bernard mascot. There are four men's teams including baseball, basketball, track and field, and cross country. There are five women's teams including volleyball, softball, basketball, track and field, and cross country. The college features a large aquatics center, which includes an indoor

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming and associated activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built abo ...

Notable people

Alumni

Chris Botti Christopher Stephen Botti ( ; born October 12, 1962) is an American trumpeter and composer. In 2013, Botti won the Grammy Award in the Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album, Best Pop Instrumental Album category, for the album Impressions ...

, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter *

Brian Burres Brian Burres (born April 8, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Burres' best pitch is his changeup. He also has a high 80s-low 90 MPH fastball and a curveball. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Ori ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher * Dan Carlson, Major League Baseball pitcher *

Marco Eneidi Marco Eneidi (November 1, 1956 – May 24, 2016) was an American jazz alto saxophonist. He was primarily associated with free jazz. Early life Eneidi was born in Portland, Oregon. His father worked for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ...

, free jazz saxophonist * Essiet Essiet, jazz bassist *

Todd Field William Todd Field (born February 24, 1964) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is known for directing '' In the Bedroom'' (2001), '' Little Children'' (2006), and '' Tár'' (2022), which were nominated for a combined fourteen Academy Award ...

, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker * Nick Kahl, politician *

Stafford Mays Stafford Earl Mays (born March 13, 1958) is a former American football defensive tackle. Life and career Mays was born in Lawrence, Kansas. He went to Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Washington. Mays played junior college football at Mount Hoo ...

, NFL player *

Joel David Moore Joel David Moore (born September 25, 1977) is an American character actor and director. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, Moore studied acting in college before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a film career. His first major role was as Owen ...

, actor and director * Lillian Pitt, Native American artist *

Patti Smith Patricia Lee Smith (born December 30, 1946) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, painter, author, and photographer. Her 1975 debut album '' Horses'' made her an influential member of the New York City-based punk rock movement. Smith has fu ...

, politician *

Dave Veres David Scott Veres (born October 19, 1966) is an American former professional baseball player who pitched in Major League Baseball from 1994 to 2003. Career On January 4, 2007, Veres signed a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies. However, ...

, Major League Baseball pitcher * Lindsay Wagner, actress * Paul Wenner, creator of the Gardenburger vegetarian patty

Presidents

*1966–1976: Earl Klapstein *1976–1985: R. Stephen Nicholson *1985–1996: Paul E. Kreider *1996–2000: Joel E. Vela *2001–2007: Robert Silverman *2008–2011: John J. "Ski" Sygielski *2011-2013: Michael Hay *2013-2018: Debra Derr *2018-present: Lisa Skari

References

External links

Official website
{{authority control 1966 establishments in Oregon Education in Multnomah County, Oregon Education in Gresham, Oregon Universities and colleges established in 1966 Community colleges in Oregon Universities and colleges accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities Two-year colleges in the United States