Kalamazoo Valley Community College at 50

In the early 1960s, leaders in the Kalamazoo community shared a growing concern over a lack of vocational training opportunities to prepare young people for the increasingly technical jobs of the day. They were also looking for a way to improve overall access to college. Clearly, the educational needs of the community were not being fully met.

In response, a citizens committee was organized in 1964 and its findings, released in early 1966, recommended the creation of a community college to serve the Kalamazoo area. On August 1, 1966, the citizens of nine school districts in Kalamazoo and in surrounding communities voted to establish a new community college, levy a 1.5 mil tax to support it, and elect six trustees. And so began the story of Kalamazoo Valley Community College.

As Kalamazoo Valley celebrates its 50th anniversary of service to the community, it is worthwhile to look back and recall the changes that have created the multi-faceted institution of today.

A Place To Begin (1966-76)
With the selection of an official name - Kalamazoo Valley Community College - and establishment of temporary offices in the Oakwood Plaza, the work of creating a new community college began in earnest in late 1966. After electing officers and adopting bylaws, the Board of Trustees focused on its highest priority, hiring a founding president.

In a process that would take 16 weeks, trustees screened 42 applicants before picking Dr. Dale B. Lake. Dr. Lake had been the founding president of two other community colleges, so he was the ideal pick for this key position. President Lake would be guided by his personal philosophy, expressed in these words; “We believe that each person is important, is unique, is endowed with dignity, has individual needs and abilities, can make his own special contribution to good, and has the right to an opportunity to reach his highest individual potential.” President Lake then set out to create an environment to support achievement of these higher goals. He wanted to create A Place To Begin .

With a clear mission and key personnel in place, the time had come to select a location for the college. A site near the intersection of US 131 and I-94 in Texas Township was recommended by a Palo Alto, California, consulting firm that recognized the growth potential of the area. In May of 1967, this site, a 185-acre farm on O Avenue, was selected by the Board of Trustees and subsequently purchased. Renowned Midland, Michigan architect Alden Dow, a Frank Lloyd Wright protégé, was retained to design the new campus. On this fertile field where popcorn had grown, soon would grow the dreams and aspirations of generations of local citizens who would come to affectionately call that place Kalamazoo Valley or simply Valley.

For expediency, a 40,000-square-foot pre-engineered modular building, dubbed Redwood Hall was placed on the site and quickly prepared for the start of classes. At a ceremony on September 15, 1968 before 2,500 community members, Redwood Hall was dedicated and Kalamazoo Valley Community College officially became the 29th community college in Michigan.

On September 16, 1968, 1,518 students and 47 faculty started classes. Enrollees were split evenly between vocational-technical programs and four-year college transfer programs. Initial tuition was set at $10 per credit hour, and students had 300 courses from which to choose.

In March of 1969, construction began on the main permanent building of the new campus, and in the spring of 1970, the college’s iconic tower entrance was erected. The 260,500 square-foot, $8M main building was completed in January of 1971 and dedicated on May 16. The new building provided classrooms and labs, cafeteria, library, gymnasium and auditorium, pool, and athletic fields for the growing college. In its fourth year of operation, Kalamazoo Valley welcomed 3,448 students for the fall semester.

From the beginning, it was clear that something very unique was happening at Kalamazoo Valley. In the late 1960s, while college campuses boiled with anti-war and anti-establishment protests, in contrast, Kalamazoo Valley made national news when on April 15, 1969, students staged a pro-administration rally, complete with “Lake Is No Fake” and “Cool School” signs. The students cited the college’s innovative approach to education and willingness to listen to their opinions as reasons for their enthusiasm.

On June 7, 1970 the first graduation exercises took place with 132 associate degrees and six certificates awarded. Michigan’s Governor William Milliken delivered the first commencement address.

Within its first four years of operation, the college earned accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, a process that normally takes 10 years.

A Place to Start Over (1977-87)
The next era in the history of the college was one of great change and growth. In the fall of 1977 enrollment reached 6,157, and the following May, 493 students graduated with degrees or certificates. While the college enjoyed continued enrollment growth, big changes loomed on the horizon for business, industry, and society, brought about by technology. To help students navigate the changing economy, a new Financial Aid and Job Placement Center was opened in September 1977.

By the early 1980s, the average age of a Kalamazoo Valley student had increased to 29, from 22 in the late 1960s. This upward trend reflected more working people returning to school to help them advance in their current field, or to seek new skills to enter emerging careers. The evolution of traditional work methods toward higher technology content was also beginning to displace many workers, who then found it hard to find new employment without the necessary skills those jobs required.

President Lake understood that the coming digital age would radically transform society and the world of work, and would require an evolution in the mission of Kalamazoo Valley. To continue to serve the changing needs of the community, the college would have to become not just A Place to Begin, but also A Place To Start Over. In time, more and more classes and programs would be introduced to serve the non-traditional student.

The KVCC Foundation was formed in the fall of 1980 to deepen the college’s community roots and base of support. With an endowment that has since grown to $14.5M, the foundation has eased the route to higher education and training for thousands of students, aided faculty in their instructional innovations, and supported capital-improvement projects on campus.

Another significant change during this era was the resignation of President Lake in April 1982, who concluded 15 years of service at the end of September. Dr. Marilyn Schlack was chosen from among six finalists to be the college’s second president. Dr. Schlack had joined the administration as an assistant dean in 1974 and risen to the position of Executive Dean/Dean of Instruction. On October 1, she became the first female college president in Michigan, again demonstrating that something truly unique was happening at Kalamazoo Valley. In the summer of 1983, President Schlack announced plans to establish a presence for the college in downtown Kalamazoo. A site on South Street was chosen later that summer, and classes were held in the new Downtown Center beginning in January 1984.

In 1986, a cooperative effort involving the college, the Kalamazoo Intermediate School District and individual school districts in the county gave rise to the Education for Employment program that provides early post-secondary training to high school students.

Late in 1987, a facilities master plan developed by local architects was presented to the college leadership team, outlining further expansion plans for the college in the years ahead. The next era in the college’s history would be characterized by outreach beyond the traditional boundaries of a community college.

Branching Out (1988-98)
In February 1988, the college established the Career Planning and Assessment Center, to offer aptitude, interest, personality and skills testing to incoming students. Semester enrollment exceeded 10,000 for the first time in fall 1989. Several building additions on the Texas Township Campus were undertaken in 1988, most notably the addition of a Technical Wing and Instructional Wing to the main building which added more than 100,000 square-feet.

To help African Americans, Hispanics and other minority students gain a solid academic footing to guarantee success upon transferring to Western Michigan University, Project Focus was created in 1989. The project was funded by the Michigan Department of Education Office of Minority Equity. The Focus Program continues today and has assisted hundreds of Kalamazoo Valley graduates make a seamless transfer to WMU.

At the community’s request, the college agreed to take over governance of the Kalamazoo Public Museum in early 1991. Voters approved a separate millage to fund operation of the museum, which remained on the second floor of the Kalamazoo Public Library. In early 1992, a $20M public campaign to build a new museum kicked off, and in the fall of the next year construction of what was called the New Museum began. Renamed the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, the new facility opened in February of 1996. More than two million visitors have enjoyed the museum in the intervening 20 years.

A groundbreaking ceremony on August 28, 1992, marked the start of construction on a new 55,000 square-foot downtown Kalamazoo Campus to be built on the corner of Rose and Water Streets to replace the original Downtown Center. The project is an integral part of the city’s Arcadia Creek redevelopment plan to revitalize the near-north-side downtown area. The new building, along with the Kalamazoo Valley Museum, was designated the Arcadia Commons Campus and was dedicated on September 29, 1994. The original Kalamazoo Valley campus was also renamed the Texas Township Campus that year.

Construction of the Technical Applications Center (TAC) on the Texas Township Campus began in the spring of 1993 with a dedication and opening in April 1995. The TAC would become the new home for technical careers programs including: welding, auto mechanics, electrical engineering, CNC operator, machine tool automation, and other in-demand careers.

In March 1998, Fortune 500 company Dana Corporation become the first entity to commit to building a facility in the college’s business-education-technology park being developed on a 248-acre parcel owned by the college north of the main campus, at the intersection of I-94 and 9th Street. Future construction would include Bronson Lifestyle Improvement and Research Center and headquarters for Consumers Credit Union. The property became the third campus associated with the college and was named The Groves Campus.

As the decades passed, Kalamazoo Valley continued to live up to its reputation as a comprehensive community college, meeting the diverse needs of the community. The average age of a Kalamazoo Valley student reached 30 during this era. But whether traveling an alternative path to a four-year degree, seeking practical training in a technical field, or on a journey of personal exploration, students could always find what they needed at the college.

Rapid Expansion (1999-2009)
This period in the history of Kalamazoo Valley saw major additions to the college’s presence in our community, continued expansion of existing facilities, and development of innovative new programs.

Boosted by a $5M grant from the state of Michigan and an additional $6M from the private sector, construction began on the $11M Michigan Technical Education Center (M-TEC) on The Groves Campus in June 1999. The new M-TEC training center was dedicated in March 2001 and became one of 17 such centers in Michigan. The center brings additional focus on training workers for high-tech fields.

Also in 1999, ground is broken for an addition to the Texas Township building to add a Student Commons with areas for quiet study and a wellness and fitness center. Student Services at the Texas Township Campus were consolidated in the Student Services wing, including the Student Success Center. A new Dental Hygiene Clinic is opened for the fall 2000 semester with labs equipped with leading-edge technologies.

Ten years after its dedication, the original Arcadia Commons Campus building is renamed Anna Whitten Hall, in honor of longtime Trustee Anna Whitten. Whitten served on the Board of Trustees from 1968 until her death in May 2016. The college and the Greenleaf Companies, owner of the historic W.S. Dewing Building downtown, agree in January 2004 to a redevelopment project to renovate, upgrade and expand the building to house the Center for New Media. First classes were held in fall 2004. The Center for New Media offers career-based, industry-standard instruction for all aspects of digital design and web development. Students continue to prepare for careers including animation, graphic design, video editing and web development. With a growing focus on health, the college announces in early 2005 that it will no longer hire anyone who uses tobacco products. Since that time, all campus locations have become tobacco free.

In a first for the nation, a group of anonymous donors pledge to pay up to 100-percent of tuition for Kalamazoo public high school graduates to attend a Michigan college or university. The November 2005 Kalamazoo Promise announcement makes national headlines, and 90 high school seniors plan to attend Kalamazoo Valley as Promise scholars in the fall. Kalamazoo Promise students make up approximately five-percent of the Valley student population. Congressman Fred Upton visits the campus on October 30, 2008 to celebrate the launch of the college’s new wind-energy technology program. In January 2009, the college completes installation of the first 50-kilowatt wind turbine erected in Michigan and receives the Innovation Michigan Award for leading the way for wind-energy research and education.

In 2009, the college becomes a pioneer partner of the Southwest Michigan Regional Sustainability Covenant, an umbrella organization dedicated to improving quality of life by promoting environmental, economic and social responsibility. This commitment was reflective of another major societal change, increasing focus on the health of our citizens and our environment, which would again change the educational needs of our community in the coming years.

Making It Better (2010 to Present)
The first class of the Wind Turbine Technician Academy graduated on April 9, 2010. Since then, graduates with these high-demand skills typically secure employment prior to graduation, and have assumed positions all over the world.

In May 2013 Kalamazoo Valley Community College announced a partnership with Bronson Healthcare and Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to develop a campus focused on wellness and food sustainability. The new campus was developed on 14 acres of unused land donated by Bronson Healthcare. Bronson Healthy Living Campus, the fourth for the college, houses Kalamazoo Valley’s Culinary and Allied Health Building and its Food Innovation Center. Kalamazoo Community Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Integrated Health Clinic is the third structure.

With an eye toward preparing students for emerging careers in sustainability, healthcare and nutrition, the trademarked Menus That Matter culinary curriculum encompasses sustainability, nutrition, and local food sourcing. The sustainable craft-beer brewing program was one of the first in the country.

With a finger on the pulse of the changing needs of students and employers, in 2015 Kalamazoo Valley formed an Early Middle College partnership with the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Services Agency and area high schools. This program allows students to graduate with an associate degree suitable for immediate employment or transfer to a four-year college or university by taking technical training or rigorous college courses while still attending high school.

To simplify the degree completion process for its students, Kalamazoo Valley Community College also created a University Center which combines the degree completion opportunities of four-year schools with the local convenience and services offered at the community college campus.

Since the founding of Kalamazoo Valley Community College in 1966, more than 300,000 students have experienced the transformative power of post-secondary education. Lives have been changed and the community made better by the presence of Kalamazoo Valley.

The next 50 years will bring more dramatic change at an ever-increasing rate, which will continue to transform the college. But amidst perpetual change over half a century, one thing has remained constant at Kalamazoo Valley - the determination to serve the needs of the community. As those needs have evolved, the college has evolved, but it has always stayed true to its mission to serve.