MT. HOOD COMMUNITY COLLEGE CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF IMPACT AND A FUTURE ON THE RISE

A Sept. 17 event will kick off a year of activities, new scholarships and community partnerships

Gresham, Ore. — As the first day of fall term approaches, Mt. Hood Community College is kicking off its 60th anniversary celebration — a year of honoring the college’s place in the community and its legacy of learning while setting a course for reaching new heights in the years ahead.

The yearlong celebration will officially kick off at the Historic Downtown Gresham Association’s Third Thursday Street Fair in downtown Gresham from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 17.

“As Mt. Hood Community College turns 60, we have so much to celebrate,” said Lisa Skari, president of MHCC. “Sixty years of reaching new heights together, lifting each other up to achieve our goals and being a part of something special: a legacy of learning that elevates individual lives and our entire community.”

Originally founded in 1966, Mt. Hood Community College has grown over the decades into one of the most significant institutions in East Multnomah County. Today, the college serves thousands of credit and non-credit students each year and offers 120 associate degrees, certificate programs and transfer options across three campuses.

And the college’s impact extends well beyond its classrooms.
An economic impact analysis published in April 2026 by Lightcast found that MHCC and its students generate $543.1 million in annual added income for the regional economy and support 5,651 jobs. That means approximately one out of every 27 jobs in the MHCC District is supported by the activities of the college and its students.

The impact also reaches individual graduates. The analysis found that the average MHCC associate degree graduate earns approximately $10,000 more each year than someone with a high school diploma working in Oregon, representing the long-term economic value of education and career preparation.
“Those numbers tell an important part of the MHCC story,” Skari said. “For 60 years, this college has helped people build careers, businesses and lives — and in doing so, strengthened the economic vitality of our entire region. Our anniversary is a chance to celebrate that legacy while imagining what is possible when we continue investing in people and opportunity.”

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, MHCC will honor its past while strengthening relationships for the future. Guided by the themes of pride, legacy, connection and momentum, MHCC’s goals for the anniversary year include:

• Expanding access and opportunity for future students with 60 new scholarships or scholarship commitments.
• Capturing at least 60 stories from students, alumni, employees, retirees, donors, partners and community members that preserve MHCC’s history while highlighting its ongoing value and impact.
• Recognizing 60 partnerships — including organizations, businesses, schools, nonprofits, government agencies and community leaders — that have helped shape MHCC over the past 60 years.