Building on Tradition:
The First 50 Years

Our area is fortunate that its citizens had the foresight to believe in higher education. When it was founded in 1952 as part of the Alpena K-14 system, Alpena Community College offered people who never before dreamed of an education beyond high school an opportunity to improve their lives. Post-secondary education became geographically accessible and affordable. The College was given independent status in 1979 when district voters approved a 1.5 mill property tax levy to provide operating funds, and created a seven-person governing Board of Trustees.

In 1991 the College embarked on a $1.5 million capital campaign, “Building on Tradition”—the first major campaign Alpena Community College had ever undertaken. “Building on Tradition” was an $8.2 million expansion and renovation project that provided a central campus facility to serve students, community residents and individuals from business and industry. When The Center’s doors opened in 1996, the community had a first-class facility complete with a gymnasium, wellness center, theater, student center, classrooms and offices, plus specialized business and industrial training areas.

For more information on supporting the Pathways campaign, contact Penny Boldrey, executive director of the Alpena Community College Foundation, at (989) 358-7297.

Back to the Pathways home page.