The $27 Million is the Largest Amount of State Funds for Capital Outlay Ever Allocated to a Michigan Community College

Oakland Community College will receive $27 million in capital outlay funds from the State of Michigan as part of the recent passage of the State’s balanced and bipartisan budget for fiscal year 2027.   
 
The $27 million is part of the State budget’s $1.3 billion in total capital outlay project authorizations for 27 of the state’s higher education institutions and is the largest amount ever received by a Michigan community college.   
 
According to OCC Chancellor Peter Provenzano, Jr., the funds will be used for the renovation of the College’s skilled trades and industrial building on the Auburn Hills campus. He said the total enrollment in OCC’s Engineering, Manufacturing and Industrial Technology (EMIT) courses have grown 40% since 2023, and the growth exceeds the current facility’s capacity. 

“We are grateful to Governor Whitmer and the State Legislature for a balanced, bi-partisan budget that continues to expand opportunities for Michigan students with the Community College Guarantee and Michigan Reconnect, while also investing in the facilities that prepare students for the future," said Peter Provenzano, Jr., Chancellor, Oakland Community College. "The transformational investment of $27 million in capital funding for OCC will modernize our skilled trades and industrial building, creating a state-of-the-art, hands-on learning environment that supports both academic and workforce training, prepares students for high-demand, high-wage careers, strengthens Michigan's workforce and enhances the state's long-term economic competitiveness." 

According to an announcement from Whitmer, the balanced budget totals $75.2 billion, including a general fund total of $14.1 billion and a school aid budget totaling $19.8 billion. In addition to the $1.3 billion in total capital outlay project authorizations for 27 of the state’s higher education institutions, the other higher education allocations include:   

  • $2.2 billion to sustain university and community college operations—advancing Michigan’s Sixty by 30 goal of having 60% of working adults with a degree or skills certificate by 2030.    
  • $532 million, and more than $1.7 billion to date, for the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which provides a tuition free pathway for full-time community college students through the Community College Guarantee, and up to $27,500 for full-time students at public or private 4-year universities. Since Governor Whitmer took office, state scholarship investment has increased by 512%. Last school year, nearly 90,000 students from all 83 counties received a Michigan Achievement Scholarship.  
  • $25 million to support expanding Michigan Reconnect to adult learners ages 21 and older, giving adult learners a tuition-free pathway to earn an associate degree or skills certificate. More than 66,500 students have enrolled in community college with Michigan Reconnect since it was created in 2021.   

For more information on OCC’s EMIT programs, visit Skilled Trades.   

 
About OCC       
Oakland Community College (OCC) has educated over one million students since 1965. OCC offers more than 80 degree and certificate programs and is committed to student success with affordable tuition, support services, flexible class options and top transfer opportunities. The College serves more than 20,000 students annually while advancing our community through education, training and career support. OCC is nationally recognized as Michigan’s top online college, and seventh in the U.S., by Newsweek’s  America’s Top Online Colleges 2025. Learn more at  oaklandcc.edu.    

    
 
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