Mesa Community College Timeline By facebooker_1426797055 Sep 26, 1901 First community college - Joliet Community College Aug 1, 1913 First 2 postgraduate students at Phoenix Union High School Aug 1, 1920 Start of Phoenix Junior College Period: Sep 26, 1930 to Sep 26, 1939 Community Colleges begin to offer job training programs Aug 1, 1947 Creation of Maricopa County Community College District Sep 26, 1962 Mesa campus set up as extension of Phoenix College Period: Aug 9, 1963 to Sep 26, 1970 Increase in CC enrollment Baby boomers enter college Sep 11, 1963 Mesa Extension opens Site is now the Landmark Restaurant 330 students registered Aug 26, 1964 Land is purchased for Mesa Community College at Southern and Dobson Sep 26, 1964 MCC enrollment is 814 students Jan 26, 1965 MCC enrollment is now 1,369 students Apr 12, 1965 MCC is officially made separate entity and named Jun 10, 1965 MCC's first graduation Oct 15, 1965 MCC ground breaking ceremony Sep 26, 1966 MCC opens Southern & Dobson campus Apr 10, 1967 Groundbreaking for library & physical sciences building Sep 26, 1967 MCC enrollment is 2717 for day students Sep 26, 1969 SCC opens as extension of MCC Sep 26, 1974 MCC mascot changed from Hokam to Thunderbird Sep 26, 1974 Helena Howe becomes president of MCC First woman president in MCCD Sep 26, 1976 Grounbreaking for the Outback Theater Sep 26, 1980 55% of CC students are women Oct 24, 1987 MCC's Children's Center opens Sep 26, 1997 MCC Red Mountain campus opens Jan 15, 1998 Groundbreaking for Eisner Library Oct 3, 2001 Grand Opening of MCC Red Mountain campus Aug 26, 2008 New Physical Sciences building and Planetarium opens at MCC