Our Future Plan: One OCC
In order to continue to deliver on our long-standing commitment to access, inclusion,
equity, innovation and collaboration, we must adapt to changing realities by moving
resources to meet student needs.
Transformation across academic programs, support services and educational spaces will
ensure we can further enhance the student experience, increase student success and
be responsive to our community, while improving financial operations.
Career opportunity growth is widely expected in health care in the coming years. To
make health care education more convenient for students and invest in these growing
programs, Health Sciences will be concentrated on one campus beginning in 2026.
Health Sciences programs are planned to be moved from the Highland and Southfield
campuses to the Orchard Ridge campus by Fall 2026. Orchard Ridge campus buildings will be renovated into state-of-the-art learning spaces.
General Education classes will move from Highland Lakes to other campuses in Fall
2024, and the entire Highland Lakes campus is planned to close in Fall 2026. OCC will
work closely with local officials to ensure the property continues to benefit the
people of Waterford. The Southfield campus will continue to offer general education
classes.
We will continue investing heavily in our programs.
- The Culinary Studies Institute on the Royal Oak campus is planning to open in 2025.
- The Skilled Trades & Advanced Technology Building construction on the Auburn Hills
campus is on hold pending state funding approval.
- Renovations and expansion to the CREST facility for police, fire and emergency service
professional training is in the design phases.
- Ongoing renovation of general education spaces will continue over the next 10 years
to keep spaces fresh and state-of-the-art.
OCC’s District Office in Bloomfield Hills is currently listed on the real estate market.
Administration staff are relocating to the campuses to be closer to our students,
faculty and staff. OCC will work closely with local officials to help ensure a new
owner will develop the site in the best interest of the neighborhood.
While specific locations and areas at OCC will be affected more than others, everyone
at the College will be impacted by this future plan.
In order to create more vibrancy and energy across the college for our students, we
need to reduce our footprint and focus activity in fewer spaces. Students and community
members will experience us as one college, with both on-campus and online experiences,
rather than just a collection of individual campuses.
The core of the work we do remains the same, but it is clear that how we do it must
change. As we continue to focus on student success and shift to becoming a student-ready
college, OCC will continue to smooth the path for our students. The changes we make
will enhance the student experience by:
- Increasing student retention and graduation rates
- Making student services more convenient
- Consolidating buildings and learning spaces to create more vibrant, well-maintained
and safer, state-of-the-art teaching spaces
These and other strategic decisions in our future plan will allow us to provide our
students with a consistent high-quality experience – and ensure that we remain the
college of choice, the partner of choice and the employer of choice for decades to
come.