We The People: This Day in History, November 17
McLennan Community College, A Legacy of Growth and Innovation in Waco
Published: Nov. 17, 2025 at 7:47 AM CST
WACO, Texas (KWTX) - On November 17, 1966, McLennan Community College opened.
Despite Waco’s rich history of higher education, the city lacked a junior college.
MCC was the first institution in Texas to officially incorporate “community” into it’s name.
In its first year, it welcomed 858 students and 22 faculty at the deactivated James Connally Air Force Base.
MCC quickly found its permanent home on the historic William Cameron property, with construction completed by 1969.
The college continued to grow, establishing Texas’s first community college police academy in 1977 and expanding its campus by acquiring the old Waco High School in 1987.
By 1990, enrollment reached 5,750 students.
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