Oakland Community College

Oakland Community College (OCC) is a public community college with five campuses in Oakland County, Michigan. Established in 1964, OCC is the largest community college in Michigan, with the state's third-largest undergraduate enrollment. Enrollment at the college for the Spring 2022 semester was 14,511. Oakland Community College has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 1971. The college offers 57 Associate degrees and 41 different programs. History Planning and development In August 1960, an advisory council, consisting of 85 citizens from Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties, published a report calling for the establishment of five community colleges across the six-county region. 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. 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. The three issues appeared on ballots again a year later in June 1964, when all three were approved. With revenue secured, the newly established Board of Trustees acquired three campus sites, and hired John Tirrell, of the St. Louis Junior College District, as OCC's first president. 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. 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. With a similar plan, the Board then purchased a second site, the disused Oakland County Tuberculosis Sanitarium in Waterford, and promptly began renovations. 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.