South Mountain Community College


South Mountain Community College is a public community college in Phoenix, Arizona. It is one of the ten colleges in the Maricopa County Community College District.

History

South Mountain Community College was established by the governing board of the Maricopa County Community College District on April 18, 1978, opening its doors in 1980. Serving Phoenix, Ahwatukee, Guadalupe and Laveen, South Mountain Community College offers associate degrees, certificates of completion, courses that transfer to universities and technology training to 7,500 students each year. The college takes its name from South Mountain, which is a few kilometers to the south of campus. The main campus is located at 7050 South 24th Street, Phoenix, Arizona. Two additional locations are the Guadalupe Center, 9233 South Avenida del Yaqui in Guadalupe, Arizona, and the Laveen Center, 5001 West Dobbins Road in Laveen, Arizona. South Mountain Community College carries the maximum 10-year accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. A member of the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, SMCC is also a federally designated Hispanic Serving Institution.

Community library

A new Library was constructed and opened in the beginning of the fall semester of 2011. This library is not only for student use, but doubles as a branch of the Phoenix Public Library, and as such, open to the general public. Within the of the library there is a cyber cafe, a teen space, a collection with over 110,000 pieces, a dedicated children's area/story time, as well as quiet reading/study areas. This new library was designed by Richard Bauer.

Northern Arizona University at South Mountain Community College

Northern Arizona University and South Mountain Community College have teamed up to create a program that allows students to complete their bachelor's degree on the SMCC campus after finishing their associate degree.
NAU maintains a building on the SMCC campus, offering bachelor's degree programs in elementary education and interdisciplinary studies. More bachelor's degrees will be offered at the SMCC campus in the future, based on local interest and enrollment.

Notable alumni