Anne Arundel Community College, founded in 1961, is located in Arnold, Maryland. The college was named "Community College of the Year" by National Business Alliance in 2000. AACC also has received many other in recent years. For 2011-2012, AACC Athletics won the Dr. Jack Cistriano Sportsmanship Award, presented annually by the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference to the member school whose teams have demonstrated the best sportsmanship in the academic year. The college also is the first higher education institution in Maryland to earn a rating from the Association for the Advancement of Stability in Higher Education. AACC achieved a Silver ranking as the result of a three-year process. AACC offers courses for people of all ages. Apart from the regular curriculum, there are many Continuing Education, Gifted and Talented, home school, Kids in College, Jump Start, online, and weekend classes offered. They also offer a variety of camps for kids during the summer.
History
The college started holding classes in September 1961. There were 270 students enrolled and the classes were held at Severna Park High School in the late afternoon and evening. Dr. Andrew G. Truxal was the first president as the college moved to a campus in Arnold, Maryland in September 1967. The school was awarded full accreditation by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in April 1968. Dr. Robert P. Ludlum became the second president in August 1968, when Dr. Truxal retired. During his 8-year term, he oversaw the expansion of the campus. In 1976, Dr. Justus D. Sundermann became the third president but only served for a short time. Dr. Thomas E. Florestano became the fourth president in 1979 and served until 1994. In that period the campus expanded to and increased in enrollment, programs, and services. The college's accreditation was reaffirmed by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools in 1994, 2004, and 2014. They were also awarded approval of the college's programs and services from the Maryland Higher Education Commission, and the National League for Nursing and the Maryland Board of Nursing granted accreditation to their nursing sequence. In 2008 the college's Department of Public Safety was accredited through the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and was the first two-year institution in the United States to receive accredited status through IACLEA. In 2011 the Department of Public Safety was also accredited through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and was the first Public Safety department at a two-year institution in the United States to achieve this status through CALEA. On Aug. 1, 1994, Dr. Martha A. Smith became AACC's fifth president, calling for student success through higher expectations and new ideas on how to educate students. She retired Aug. 1, 2012. A native of Maryland, Dr. Dawn Lindsay is the sixth president of Anne Arundel Community College. She is known for her ability to develop mutually beneficial community partnerships. Dr. Lindsay has served in the role of staff, faculty and administrator at various community colleges and is aware of the unique needs of both instructional and student service programs. Her unique and diverse background provides a multifaceted understanding of the needs of various stakeholders. Dr. Lindsay earned a doctorate in Organizational Leadership from Pepperdine University, a master's in Educational Counseling, a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Social Work in Social Work from Western Maryland College.
