Southern Maine Community College is celebrating its 75th anniversary to honor its proud past and aspire to an even stronger future.
To commemorate its founding in 1946, SMCC is inviting current and former students, faculty and staff, community and business partners, and others to join in our 75th anniversary celebration. We invite all to share their stories and are planning a series of special events for the months ahead, culminating with a 75th anniversary gala in the fall.
“As our mission reads, SMCC has been transforming lives and communities through education and training since 1946,” said SMCC President Joe Cassidy. “We are no stranger to meeting the challenges of uncertain times, from training veterans returning from World War II to the difficult circumstances during the pandemic. We are proud of our storied history and are putting our legacy at the forefront of our anniversary celebration. We’re all in, always.”
Founded in 1946, SMCC was originally located in Augusta and called the Maine Vocational Technical Institute. The school opened with 80 students, 10 faculty and staff, and four programs: Automotive, Electrical, Machine, and Radio.
Today, SMCC serves nearly 6,000 students from around the state and around the globe, and offers more than 40 degree and certificate programs at our campuses in South Portland, Brunswick and online, and at satellite locations throughout southern Maine.
Through the decades, SMCC has provided training and education to tens of thousands of students. Among them is Chomba Kaluba, who at the age of 18 arrived at SMCC as an international student from Zambia. He earned a Liberal Studies degree and transferred to Bates College for his bachelor’s degree before returning to SMCC and teaching for five years.
Kaluba, who now owns an active lifestyle fashion and mindset company called Energy Iz Everything in Portland, Ore., said SMCC has shaped the lives of countless people who have gone on to become community and business leaders, entrepreneurs and change-makers.
“SMCC has an extraordinary mission and an outstanding community of faculty and staff whose focus is clear: student success,” he said. “SMCC transformed my life, and I’m very proud of the students I taught whose lives were also transformed at SMCC.”
Lacy McMoarn, who earned a business degree at SMCC, said she is forever grateful to SMCC for providing the opportunity to discover her passion and change her career track to accounting.
“Congratulations to SMCC on your 75th anniversary,” she said. “You are such a vital asset to the southern Maine community, and here’s to another 75 years and beyond. I am just one of many whose time spent at SMCC was invaluable, and I consistently aim to pay tribute to this truly treasured resource.”
The college has adapted throughout its history to best serve students and the community, said English Department Chair Kevin Sweeney, who has taught at SMCC for close to 38 years.
“I have spent more than half my life as a faculty member at SMCC, and now that I’m almost as old as the institution itself, I understand what a blessing it has been to be part of a school that has served so many so well for so long,” Sweeney said. “The people who teach or otherwise work here and the people who come here to learn have always been a joy.”
For more information, please visit SMCC’s 75th anniversary celebration webpage,
www.smccME.edu/75. The celebration is now in the planning stages, and SMCC will update the webpage with a schedule of events, photos, videos and more as they become available.