Baltimore City Community College

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Baltimore City Community College dates its origins to the Baltimore Junior College, founded as part of the Baltimore City Public Schools System in 1947 to provide post-high school education for returning World War II veterans and was the inspiration of Dr. Harry Bard. It was one of the earliest examples of the growing "junior college" movement which began at the beginning of the century and has resulted in the growth of present-day "community colleges" 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, 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 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 created a new institution, New Community College of Baltimore, funded by the State of Maryland. The College was granted permanent status in 1992 and renamed Baltimore City Community College. In 1997, BCCC celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Baltimore City Community College primarily serves the residents and business community of Baltimore, BCCC 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.

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.

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