Baltimore City Community College
Encyclopedia
Baltimore City Community College (BCCC) is a community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...

 in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1947 and has about 7,200 students enrolled in one of its three campuses. While BCCC primarily serves the residents and business community of Baltimore, it also offers educational opportunities on all levels to the citizens of Baltimore and the State of Maryland that enables students to obtain good jobs, transfer to four-year colleges, or take short-term training to upgrade their skills or acquire new ones.

History

Baltimore City Community College dates its origins to the Baltimore Junior College, founded as part of the Baltimore City Public School System in 1947 to provide post-high school education for returning World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 veterans and was the inspiration of Dr. Harry Bard. It was one of the earliest examples of the growing "junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...

" movement which began at the beginning of the century and has resulted in the growth of present-day "community college
Community college
A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries.-Australia:Community colleges carry on the tradition of adult education, which was established in Australia around mid 19th century when evening classes were held to help adults...

s" all across America, serving the intermediate needs between high schools and large colleges and universities. It was located on the third floor of the Baltimore City College
Baltimore City College
The Baltimore City College , also referred to as The Castle on the Hill, historically as The College, and most commonly City, is a public high school in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A. The City College curriculum includes the International Baccalaureate Programme and emphasizes study in the classics...

, third oldest public high school in America located at 33rd Street and The Alameda in the northeast city which was a specialized academic magnet school for the arts, humanities and social sciences.

By 1959 it had relocated to a park-like campus in the northwest city along Liberty Heights Avenue. In 1967, the College was renamed the Community College of Baltimore and restructured as an independent institution of the City of Baltimore government. By the middle of the 1970s, Dr. Bard's ideal of an additional campus in the revitalized downtown Inner Harbor
Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and iconic landmark of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as “the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the World.” The Inner Harbor is actually the end of the...

 was realized with the construction of two buildings along East Lombard Street named the Bard and Lockwood Buildings.

In the 1980s City and State leaders recognized that shrinking City resources made it difficult for the City to operate a quality institution of higher education. On July 1, 1990, the Maryland General Assembly
Maryland General Assembly
The Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives...

 created a new institution, New Community College of Baltimore, funded by the State of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

. The College was granted permanent status in 1992 and renamed Baltimore City Community College. In 1997, BCCC celebrated its 50th anniversary.

In the 2000s, BCCC began to experience significant difficulties. Problems began to surface in 2004 when faculty held a public protest over issues related to remedial courses and governance. In 2010, faculty gave BCCC president Williams a vote of no-confidence and the state legislature held back funding. These troubles worsened in 2011. BCCC's regional accreditor, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, placed BCCC on probation because of "concerns about the school's ability to evaluate student learning." To address these problems, Maryland governor Martin O'Malley replaced the majority of BCCC's board of trustees with new members.

Campuses

BCCC has three campuses. The main one is the Liberty campus, located in the Mondawmin section of the city. The Harbor campus, located in the downtown near the Inner Harbor, is the second largest, while additional classes are held at the third location, the Reisterstown Road Plaza. All three campuses are within a close walk of a Metro Subway station and four or more bus lines.

Radio station

The college has operated a radio station since 1951. WBJC
WBJC
WBJC is a public, non-commercial, radio station owned by Baltimore City Community College, in Baltimore, Maryland.-History:WBJC was originally on 88.1 MHz and broadcast with 250 watts effective radiated power...

 is a FM
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...

, non-commercial, station at 91.5 MHz. It broadcasts classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 nearly 24 hours daily all week. It is one of only two stations in the Baltimore-Washington, DC area that plays such music.

Notable alumni

  • Bernard C. Young
    Bernard C. Young
    Bernard C. "Jack" Young is an American politician who serves as President of the Baltimore City Council, formerly representing District 2 and District 12 on the Baltimore City Council.-Background:...

     - Baltimore City Council President
  • Stringer Bell
    Stringer Bell
    Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Idris Elba. Bell served as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second in command, assuming direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment...

     - fictional drug lord and businessman from The Wire
    The WIRE
    the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...

  • Johan Hegg - singer of the Swedish Melodic-Death metal band, Amon Amarth.
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