The First Junior College in Maryland Opened in 1946

Maryland Governor Herbert R. O’Conor (Governor from 1939-1947) appointed a Commission of Higher Education to establish two-year public institutions in Maryland- “a chain of junior colleges throughout the state.” An ad hoc committee identified a need for a junior college in Montgomery County and Montgomery College became the first junior in the state of Maryland.

Montgomery County’s Board of Education opened Montgomery College just months after receiving a $10,000 grant from Maryland’s Department of Education (and matching funds from the county). On September 16, 1946, the first Montgomery College classes were held in the evenings Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School with 186 total students. Today, the College has grown to a multi-campus institution and serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 100 areas of study.

Though Montgomery College didn’t officially get started until 1946, the Takoma Park campus goes back to the Bliss Electrical School. The Bliss Electrical School was founded on October 15, 1893, by Dr. Louis D. Bliss, and started with 26 students. During World War II, the Bliss building was sold to the county for $350,000 and was absorbed by Montgomery College, who used the building as part of its Takoma Park campus in 1950.

Montgomery College used the “Knights” moniker for its athletic teams and newspaper, known as the Knights Quest and the school colors were burgundy and gold. Extracurricular activities that first year included Drama Club, Variety Club, “M” Club, Swimming Club, varsity basketball, varsity football, and cheering squad. Tuition in 1946 was $150 per semester for county residents and $175 for out-of-county students.

1946: On September 16, Montgomery Junior College opens at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, offering classes in the evenings and on Saturdays. Hugh Price becomes the College’s administrator, heading a full-time faculty of eight and a handful of staff.

1950: The College is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

1954: The undefeated Fightin’ Knights football team play in a national bowl game in North Carolina.

1955: Maryland Board of Education abolishes segregation in its 5 teachers’ colleges. Montgomery Junior College begins to accept black students (per Montgomery History)

1960: The College purchases the Spitz Co. Planetarium. The College is the only area college that has a planetarium used in conjunction with teaching.

1965: The Rockville Campus opens.

1970: There are now 8,000 students and nearly 500 full- and part-time faculty.

1978: The Germantown Campus opens, reflecting an even farther shift to the north by Montgomery County residents.

1986: 18,000 students are taught by more than 900 full- and part-time faculty. Cable Channel 51, the College’s station on Montgomery County Cable, begins broadcasting.

1992: Presidential candidate Bill Clinton delivers an educational address at the College.

1994: Enrollment tops 22,300 students. More than 445 full-time and 725 part-time faculty members teach collegewide.

2000: In partnership with University System of Maryland, Montgomery College helps to launch “The Universities at Shady Grove,” offering upper-level courses for transferring Montgomery College students.

2009: Montgomery College’s Montgomery Scholars honors program is named one of the nation’s top educational programs that make a difference in the achievement of Latino students.

2014: Montgomery College President Dr. DeRionne P. Pollard and the College’s Board of Trustees dedicated the new Bioscience Education Center on September 10, 2014. The three-story building represents an $87.9 million investment in STEM education and workforce development.

2015: In June, the College’s second community engagement center, the Silver Spring/East County Community Engagement Center, opens in the Briggs Chaney Community Center.

2016: On September 16, 2016, Montgomery College marks 70 years of enriching lives in Montgomery County with celebrations in September on all three campuses.

2019: In November, construction began for The Catherine and Isiah Leggett Math and Science Building, on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College, which will create instructional spaces to prepare students for careers in competitive, in-demand fields that fuel the economic vitality of the County. This green building will create an environment that provides access to the future for our students and the County. The facility is expected to be fully operational and open for classes in the fall semester of 2023.

2020: In June, the Pinkney Innovation Complex for Science and Technology (PIC MC) signed a development agreement to add a state-of-the-art life sciences office building to the Montgomery College Germantown Campus. The $40 million, 120,000-square-foot life sciences office building is designed to house biotech and pharmaceutical industry tenants.

2021: On October 28, 2021, Montgomery College held a ceremony formally dedicating The Long Nguyen and Kimmy Duong Student Service Center.

In December, after an extensive nationwide search, MC was proud to announce that Dr. Jermaine F. Williams has been selected to be the next College president.

2022: On February 9, 2022, in celebration of the college’s 75 years, a diverse panel of Montgomery College alumni told their MC stories about learning, inclusion, equity and building careers and composing lives in Montgomery County.

Learn more about the College’s beginnings in “Veterans Welcome at ‘First Junior College in the State,’” part one of a two-part series published in the College’s alumni magazine celebrating the College’s 70th Anniversary.