![]() Southeast Campus System expansion įrom OCC's inception, the campuses' locations spurred controversy: their placement in the outer suburbs to the north and west made them inaccessible to the more densely populated areas in the southeast of Oakland County. The campus opened in phases from 1967 to 1968. Designed by a consortium of Perkins & Will and Detroit-based Giffels and Rosetti, the Brutalist campus was inspired by similar colleges in California, and reportedly won a 1966 award from the American Association of Architects. That December, ground was broken on OCC's third campus, named Orchard Ridge, in Farmington Township. 3,860 students attended OCC during its first semester, exceeding projections, and setting a record for the largest opening enrollment of any community college in the United States. Opening įollowing two days of orientations, classes commenced at both campuses, dubbed Auburn Hills and Highland Lakes, on September 11, 1965. Amid public concerns that the former hospital's use for classes could pose a health risk to students, Tirrell commissioned the county's health department to inspect it once it was cleared, he famously declared that the campus would be "as safe as your living room." Renovations to both campuses were completed in time for OCC to welcome its first students in September 1965. With a similar plan, the Board then purchased a second site, the disused Oakland County Tuberculosis Sanitarium in Waterford, and promptly began renovations. Though the surroundings were sparsely populated, the site was chosen for its proximity to I-75 and M-59, as well as its existing barracks, which could easily be converted to house classrooms. ![]() The first site was a disused Nike missile base in Pontiac Township (now Auburn Hills), purchased from the National Bank of Detroit for $247,000. Louis Junior College District, as OCC's first president. With revenue secured, the newly established Board of Trustees acquired three campus sites, and hired John Tirrell, of the St. The three issues appeared on ballots again a year later in June 1964, when all three were approved. A proposed 1-mill tax appeared on the June 1963 ballot, along with referenda to establish OCC and a board of trustees the latter two were approved by voters, but the tax to fund the college was not. A similar commission of Oakland County residents echoed this need in a June 1962 report, which recommended the construction of three campuses across the county, funded by a millage. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, published a report calling for the establishment of five community colleges across the six-county region. In August 1960, an advisory council, consisting of 85 citizens from Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. The college offers 57 Associate degrees and 41 different programs. ![]() Oakland Community College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1971. Enrollment at the college for the Spring 2022 semester was 14,511. Established in 1964, OCC is the largest community college in Michigan, with the state's third-largest undergraduate enrollment. Oakland Community College ( OCC) is a public community college with five campuses in Oakland County, Michigan. Suburban (Auburn Hills, Highland Lakes, Orchard Ridge, Southfield)
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