Allegany College of Maryland

Allegany College of Maryland was founded in August of 1961 by a resolution passed by the Allegany County Board of Education and approved by the Allegany County Commissioners. The College, which now has separate governance under a Board of Trustees, is an example of the rapid growth in the development of Maryland's community college system. Allegany College of Maryland was established to provide low-cost, high quality, higher education for the residents of the area. Its accessibility to the county's center of population permits students to live at home, thus saving a substantial part of out-of-pocket costs for a college education. The 316-acre campus includes thirteen buildings, which provide modern facilities for over 3,000 full-time and part time students. Facilities and equipment are consistent with and designed to maintain the high academic standards of the College. In addition to the Library, Humanities, and Science buildings, there is a College Center which houses the student lounge, dining facilities, a 400-seat theatre, Admissions and Registration, Financial Aid, Institutional Research, and the Business Office. The campus also includes a Physical Education Building, which houses a large gymnasium and indoor swimming pool. The Technologies building houses instructional and laboratory facilities for several of the career technology programs in addition to the Computer Center and the Distance Learning and Media Center. The Continuing Education building houses classrooms and meeting rooms for conferences, workshops, and seminars. All of the College's credit and non-credit health programs are centrally located in the Allied Health Building. The Automotive Technology building houses the Automotive Technology program. Behind the Automotive building are the services building, the welding lab building, and a storage facility. The Advancement/College Store houses information services, public relations, the advancement office, and bookstore. Although heavy emphasis was placed on liberal arts transfer programs in the College's early development, in recent years the College has developed highly specialized curricula, including those in the technological and pre-professional areas, as career programs to satisfy identified needs of the region. Ever cognizant of its responsibility to an industrial area pocketed in Appalachian Western Maryland, Allegany College of Maryland has accepted a mission to make tangible contributions through higher education to the economic and cultural growth of the area. Through its Board of Trustees, the College presents a dimension of learning that prepares men and women for the excitement and satisfaction of creative lives. Allegany College of Maryland is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.