Initiatives
Montgomery County Community College has been designated a Regional Center of Excellence for the states of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, by the National Partnership for Careers in Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security. The College has been a leader in Pennsylvania and the Greater Delaware Valley area and is a prime mover in developing linkages with secondary schools to help enhance the secondary career programs and support the transitions into college from high school. The College presently administers six articulation agreements with various technical/preparatory high schools in its region, offering secondary education programs in public safety and protective services. The College is also presently pursuing dual-enrollment programs with an additional number of high schools in its region with College-administered, college-level, “for-credit” introductory courses in criminal justice as part of its offerings.
The College is a member of several regional partnerships and consortia, including the Greater Delaware Valley Collegiate Consortium for Workforce and Economic Development, and was one of the first institutions in its region to institute a new curriculum in Emergency Management & Planning (EMP) to complement its longstanding curricular offerings in Criminal Justice Studies (CJS) and Fire Science (FSC).
The College’s Fire Science AAS degree program is internationally-accredited by the International Fire Service Accreditation Congress (IFSAC). It is the only Fire Science degree program in the two-state region that is so accredited.
The College has a long history of administering the County’s Act 120 state-mandated municipal police training academy, which also fulfills an expansive role in continuing education for in-service law enforcement practitioners under the state’s Act 180 mandate, as well as advanced law enforcement training and education in supervisory, management, and various technical areas.
The College also has a long history of administering the County’s state-accredited fire training academy which offers a full range of both basic and advanced state and National Fire Protection Services (NFPA) certifications for volunteer and salaried professional members of the County’s and region’s fire services.
The College is presently completing the construction of a new “Advanced Technology Center” (ATC) intended to provide state-of-the-art classroom and laboratory facilities for training in 21st century technology-based “high-priority” career paths, including the forensic sciences and other homeland security-related fields. The ATC will begin service with the Fall 2007 term.
