Congratulations

You made it! You’ve already shown the perseverance and dedication necessary to get into college. Maybe your path here from high school was short, or maybe you’ve had many life experiences since your time in high school. Either way, welcome to Monroe Community College. We’re so glad you’ve chosen MCC!

MCC History

Established in 1961 as a unit of the State University of New York, Monroe Community College was a vision shared by a handful of industrious and determined business people, community leaders, and government officials. Local physician, Dr. Samuel J. Stabins, wanted to prepare students to work in local hospitals and health care facilities, so the first Board of Trustees was comprised of Rochester’s finest professionals in medicine, business, education, and law. Building 10, where the gym is located, is named after Dr. Stabins.

During the early months of 1962, Dr. Leroy Good was hired by the board as MCC’s founding president. Good, who already had successfully established community colleges in three other states, would make his mark in Rochester as well. Building 3, the MCC Library, is named after Dr. Good.

On Sept. 19, 1962, the doors of MCC’s original campus in the former East High School at 410 Alexander Street swung open and welcomed 720 students. Three years later, in June 1965, MCC became the first college in the nation to receive accreditation within three years of its founding. In 1968, the College responded to increasing enrollment by moving to a new campus on East Henrietta Road in Brighton on what used to be a dairy farm.

Over the years, MCC became the fastest growing community college in the state, increasing enrollment during the 1980s by more than 41 percent. In 1991, the College announced plans for a second campus to serve a steady influx of students. The Damon City Campus, named in honor of longtime Trustee E. Kent Damon, opened its doors the following year in downtown Rochester to educate students in law, criminal justice, human services and K-12 teaching. To meet the needs of students to juggle college and family, the MCC Child Care Center opened in May of 1991 and was named after trustee Richard M. Guon.

In 1997, MCC opened the Applied Technologies Center, a 53,000-square-foot, $6.4-million facility on West Henrietta Road, serving some of the fastest-growing industries in the nation. About 1,000 full-time and part-time students, many of whom are employed in local industry, learn the latest methods in optical fabrication, precision machining, automotive technology, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning.

In 2002, MCC began comprehensively training the region’s first responders in a new 49,000-square-foot, $26-million regional emergency responder training complex. The Public Safety Training Facility on Scottsville Road, across from the airport, was created through a collaboration of regional emergency response organizations and Monroe County.

In 2003, MCC’s Housing and Residence Life program was launched with the dedication of the Alice Holloway Young Commons, named in honor of our distinguished founding trustee, board chair, and chair emerita. A prominent and active African-American woman now in her 90’s, Dr. Young continues to be engaged in the MCC community and attends key events on campus. In Fall 2007, Canal Hall was added to the commons, which is located on the north side of the Brighton Campus.

In December 2003, responding to the tragedy of Sept. 11th, the College launched its Homeland Security Training Institute to address the educational needs of those across the region faced with responding to natural and intentional disasters. Three years later, the College answered the county’s call to provide education, training, and resource development in the agriculture industry, and MCC’s Agriculture and Life Sciences Institute was launched in January of 2007.

Rooted in its history, MCC will continue to respond to the changing requirements of the local community. Today, the College has served more than a quarter of a million people. In the last several years, MCC welcomed the new Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Center for Excellence in Nursing, the PAC fitness and recreational facility, and a new downtown campus to meet evolving educational needs of people throughout our region. The Forward Center in the downtown campus is scheduled to open in Fall 2022.

Transitioning to MCC

Most students feel a sense of excitement and enthusiasm, along with a bit of anxiety, as they begin classes, especially in their first semester. In many ways the beginning of each semester is a fresh start. It is an opportunity to learn and grow. You’ll meet new people, have new experiences, and be inspired to attain high standards. The transition to college is full of exciting opportunities and challenges.

This book, just like this course, is intended to be a resource for you as you navigate your transition to college. Each chapter is designed to help you think about important issues in college life. Some of the ideas will be relevant immediately, and others will be of use to you as you move through your educational career. You may want to keep this text to use as a resource throughout your time at MCC.

Please keep in mind that there are both print and online versions of this book. As the required text for this class, all students can purchase the book in the MCC Bookstore as well as access it online via Blackboard.

This College Success textbook is organized so that each chapter focuses on two or more related issues important to college students, and most chapters have four separate sections. Here’s an overview:

Chapter 1: Starting Smart

encourages you to value class time, learn about how you learn, and think through your communication as it introduces you to some of the technology you’ll use in college.

Chapter 2: Goal Setting

gives you the opportunity to find out more about yourself and set some short-, mid-, and long-term goals.

Chapter 3: Managing Time & Study Space

helps you achieve your goals by giving tips for time management and organization.

Chapter 4: Career Exploration & Pathways

offers you an opportunity to think about who you are and where you are going within and beyond Monroe Community College.

Chapter 5: Learning & Studying Effectively

explores deep learning, taking notes from readings and lecture, and preparing for and taking tests.

Chapter 6: Diversity & Inclusion

focuses on topics that help diverse learners create a positive learning environment by honoring the similarities and differences between unique individuals.

Chapter 7: Personal & Financial Responsibility

examines personal responsibility and managing finances.

Chapter 8: Thinking & Analysis

explores critical and creative thinking and how to use them to solve problems.

Chapter 9: Health & Wellness

examines personal wellness issues, such as eating well, exercising, managing stress, and maintaining mental health.

Chapter 10: College Policies

discusses some of the policy issues in college and strategies for staying safe on and off campus.

This College Success course is one step along your journey through higher education. It is the hope that this text and course will offer you a solid foundation for future opportunities and challenges. By being open to hard work and new experiences, collaborating with classmates, and accessing college resources, you are on your way to a successful college experience.

Again, welcome to MCC. We are glad you are here.