Help us celebrate 50 years!

50th Anniversary Tribute Video

A Visual History of Southern State Community College

1975

• When it all began!

  The college opened its first academic year and program offerings in September 1975. At this time, the college did not own any buildings, so classes were held at a rented space inside Eastern High School in Brown County.

  In Clinton County, the college leased facilities from Great Oaks Joint Vocational School District (formerly Clinton County Air Force Base) for classroom space. Between the Clinton County and Brown County facilities, the college realized a combined total enrollment of 677 students for the first academic term.

  A recommendation to begin intercollegiate athletics was approved by the Board of Trustees. Basketball and baseball were the first sports introduced, and then golf and tennis were added. The athletic teams acquired the nickname "The Patriots" which was derived from the bicentennial theme of 1976.

  

  1975

• The First College Logo and Mascot

  

  1975

• The "College Connection"

  

  1975

• Construction of the South Campus

  

  1975

• College Aquires First Campus

  A 34,000-square-foot facility, known as the South Campus of Southern State General and Technical College, opened its doors in September 1976 for classes in Fincastle. This was the first physical campus owned by the college.

  

  1975-76

• The First North Campus

  

  1977

• Officially Named Southern State Community College

  A new charter was subsequently issued to the college on October 21, 1977, in which the official name became Southern State Community College.

  

  1977

• Request for funds for a central office building in Hillsboro

  A request for funds was made to construct a central office building in Hillsboro, the geographic center of the five counties in the service region. An appropriation of $200,000 was received for this 4,000-square-foot building, and a five-acre tract of land was purchased from the city of Hillsboro for the building location.

  

  1978

1980

• Construction of a Central Campus building for Hillsboro

  An appropriation of 2.5 million was received for the construction of a Central Campus building for Hillsboro. An additional 15 acres adjacent to the central office location was purchased from the city for the new building. It was believed that this building could provide a central location to house expensive technical programs rather than duplicating costs in two or more locations.

  1980-81

• Addition to the Central Office Building

  A 1500-square-foot addition was constructed to the Central Office Building to accommodate continual growth.

  1983

• Ground-breaking for the new Central Campus

  The ground-breaking process started for the new Central Campus in Hillsboro.

  

  1984

• Central Campus Grand Opening

  Central Campus in Hillsboro celebrated a grand opening for the college's second campus. Central Campus opened its doors for fall classes.

  

  1985

• Aid Disbursment

  During the 1986-87 academic year, $1,342,203 total aid was disbursed.

  

  1986

1990

• Expanding into Fayette County

  During the fall term, nearly 360 credit hours were completed in Fayette County at facilities owned by Washington City Schools. These buildings were used for Southern State's first Fayette County program offerings

  

  1990

• Patri-Tots Learning Center

  An on-campus childcare center was established to provide assistance for students, staff, and community members. The center would later be named the Patri-Tots Learning Center to align with the college's Patriot nickname.

  Serving a dual purpose of offering childcare services and serving as a lab for Southern State students majoring in education, the Patri-Tots Learning Center became a major auxiliary service for the college.

  

  1993

• Still growing in Fayette County

  The college renovated an old auto parts store on Draper Street in Washington Court House and began offering classes there shortly afterward.

  Southern State expanded its academic offerings to include continuing education.

  

  1994

• Annex built at Central Campus

  The Central Campus in Hillsboro accommodates growth by adding a new wing which included classrooms and lab spaces for biology and chemistry as well as administrative offices.

  

  1995

• Cultural Resource Center

  Southern State was awarded a grant for $542,311 to construct a facility on South Campus to serve as a cultural resource center for the Appalachian region of southern Ohio.

  

  1996

• SSCC Foundation

  The Southern State Community College Foundation was officially established as a tax-exempt organization. The foundation continues to be governed by board members from each of the five counties who volunteer their time in fundraising efforts.

  1996

• Fayette County Campus

  A 19,000-square-foot facility, owned by the Great Oaks Joint Vocational School District, became available for purchase. An appropriation of $2.2 million was received from the state of Ohio to purchase and renovate the building for the Fayette County Campus.

  

  1998

• A Third Campus Opens!

  Fayette Campus in Washington C.H. opened as the third campus of Southern State Community College

  

  1999

• Appalachian Gateway Center

  The Appalachian Gateway Center was added to South Campus in Fincastle, and focused its mission on cultural and educational programs related to the Appalachian culture.

  

  1999

2000

• Construction of a Fourth Campus

  Southern State began construction on a fourth campus: a 35,000-square-foot facility located in Wilmington.

  

  2000

• Construction of a Fourth Campus

  

  2000

• North Campus

  Students are welcomed to 1850 Davids Drive in Wilmington, also known as the college's North Campus.

  

  2001

• Tremendous Growth Experienced

  Total headcount enrollment rose to 2,262 by 2002, a 234-percent increase from 1975 when the college first opened with only 677 enrolled.

  

  2002

• The Patriot Center

  Breaking ground for the athletic facility. The Patriot Center

  

  2004

• Patriot Center Opens!

  The college added a new 25,000-square-foot multipurpose center to the Central Campus landscape. Appropriately named, The Patriot Center has allowed the college to host not only its athletic contests, but also its commencements, expos, concerts, guest speakers, college fairs, and numerous other activities.

  

  2005

• Enrollment Continues to Climb

  The college experienced strong overall growth, but most markedly on its Fayette Campus where 3,000-plus credit hours were completed, a 733-percent increase from 18 years prior.

  2008

• Expanding Existing Facilities

  A 17,000-square-foot expansion to the Fayette Campus allowed the facility to house six additional classrooms, a community room, a new student services area, and a new bookstore to meet the growing demands of students within Fayette County.

  

  2009

• Expanding Existing Facilities

  

  2009

2010

• Relocation of Services

  The Patri-tots Learning Center was relocated from the main campus facility to the Central Office Building as it was known in the 1980s. The relocation allowed for the center to also serve as a learning lab for students enrolled in the Early Childhood Education Program.

  2010

• Conversion from Quarters to Semesters

  The conversion process from quarters to semesters took place allowing Southern State to better align its academic calendar with surrounding four-year colleges to allow for a smoother transfer process. In the same year, a rebranding campaign was executed and a new institution image was launched: CONNECT.

  2012

• New Campus in Mt. Orab

  Southern State celebrated a groundbreaking for its newest campus in Mt. Orab, conveniently located on the State Route 32 corridor in Brown County.

  

  2013

• Brown County Campus

  A 50,000-square-foot facility, SSCC's Brown County Campus, was opened in Mt. Orab as a replacement for the college's South Campus in Fincastle. The new campus was designed to meet the needs of existing programs while also introducing state-of-the-art science labs and technical labs to accommodate new programs.

  

  2014

• Celebrated 40 years

  

  2015

• College Credit Plus

  More than 52,000 Ohio high school students took college classes during the 2015-16 academic year, earning college credit while meeting their high school graduation requirements and collectively saving more than $110 million on college tuition. Southern State Community College served 1,152 of those high school students in the 2015-16 academic year, which translates to $2.1 million in tuition savings for their families. Under College Credit Plus, there is little or no cost to the families of participating students.

  2016

• New Ag Facility

  New ag facility opens in Wilmington - a 3,648-square-foot state-of-the-art building, which includes a learning lab and greenhouse, allowing for an experiential learning environment.

  2017

2020

• COVID-19

  Southern State moves to virtual service in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  

  2020

• New Health Science Center Opens

  

  2021

• SSCC & UC Dual-Admission Agreement

  Southern State Community College (SSCC) and the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Nursing are signing a dual-admission agreement that will allow nursing graduates to seamlessly transition to UC's RN to BSN Online Program.

  2021

• Virtual Reality

  The use of virtual reality is bringing about many new ways of learning at Southern State Community College.

  

  2022

• Choose Ohio First Initiative

  The College joins the Choose Ohio First Initiative, promoted and administered by the Ohio Department of Higher Education to bolster support for the next generation of Ohio science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) scholars and industry leaders. Participating colleges and universities and their business partners recruit, retain, and help connect students to work-based learning experiences and careers in STEM. Southern State is proud to be joining this initiative, which provides scholarships to students desiring a certificate, associate degree, baccalaureate degree, or graduate degree in eligible STEM and STEM teaching fields through Ohio's two-year and four-year public and independent colleges and universities.

  

  More Info

  2023

• SSCC Named Best Local Community College

  Southern State named best local community college by Cincy Magazine's Family Choice Awards.

  

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  2024

• Agriculture Concentration

  Southern State's Associate of Applied Business degree with an agriculture concentration is slated to begin in August. This initiative has been designed with local high schools that offer an agriculture program aligned with College Credit Plus. Students who may be interested in this pathway are encouraged to start planning now. Through the addition of key agricultural courses to the foundational curriculum of Southern State's business program, students will gain a comprehensive understanding of agricultural practices, resource management, and business principles. The program fosters critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication that will empower students to thrive in the dynamic and evolving field of agricultural business.

  2024

• Information Technology Center of Excellence

  Wilkin Announces Millions for Southern State Community College - State Senator Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) announced that Southern State Community College will receive $2,575,000 from the state capital budget process to establish the Information Technology Center of Excellence. Southern State is receiving $1,000,000 in capital budget funds and an additional allocation of $1,575,000 from redirected older capital projects that cannot move forward. The funds will be utilized to renovate the space, labs, and classrooms that will make this new center a hub for students studying information technology and cybersecurity.

  2024

• Celebrating 50 years!

  

  2025