The History of KVCC


Kennebec Valley Community College, one of the seven colleges in the Maine Community College System, is a commuter college located on a sixty-acre campus in central Maine.

  • KVCC was established in 1969 by the 104th Maine Legislature and located in the Regional Vocational Center at Waterville High School. Known as Kennebec Valley Vocational Technical Institute (KVVTI), the College embraced the dual mission of providing continuing education for Maine citizens and responding to the workforce needs of area employers and industries. Upon approval by the Maine Board of Education, the first class was admitted in the fall of 1970.
  • In September of 1989, the Maine Legislature separated the six Vocational Technical Institutes from the Department of Education and formed the Maine Technical College System changing our name to Kennebec Valley Technical College (KVTC). Spurred by the need to open higher educational opportunities to all Maine citizens, KVTC initiated its Associate in Science and Associate in Arts degrees specifically aimed at providing programs that would transfer to four-year baccalaureate degrees. In May of 1999, the mission of the College was revised to embrace the goals of the new transfer programs while preserving its traditional mission to respond to both the educational and economic needs of this region.
  • In early 1999, the College embarked on a process to gain accreditation by the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education as a consequence of the expansion of its degree offerings. In 2003, the College was renamed as Kennebec Valley Community College.

The College currently offers twenty-five full-time associate degree, diploma, and certificate programs. In addition, a comprehensive schedule of continuing education courses and business and industry outreach programs is offered. Upon completion of an associate degree from KVCC, students may continue studies to complete a bachelor’s degree at many four- year institutions in the State of Maine.


KVCC Archives

One of our librarians, David Smith, maintains the KVCC Archives Exhibit website. The site contains documents related to the history of KVCC! Feel free to visit the site and explore!

Click here to visit the KVCC Archives Exhibit