OCC Future Plan, Updates and FAQs

OCC's Public Services' CREST facility is expanding to meet ongoing high-demand for emergency services training. Renovations and expansion continue in the design phases.

The Skilled Trades & Advanced Technology Building construction has been delayed pending State funding.

As recognized leaders in health professional education, OCC's Highland Lakes and Southfield campuses programs are preparing to move to a new state-of-the-art facility on the Orchard Ridge campus planned for 2026. The College’s priority is for the Highland Lakes property to continue to provide great community value, enhance quality of life and meet the needs of local residents. 

Nov. 5, 2024: Waterford Township voters approved a bond proposal that will be used to purchase and convert part of Oakland Community College's Highland Lakes campus into a community center. 

June 18, 2024: the Oakland Community College Board of Trustees approved a motion to apply for rezoning of the northern portion of the College’s Highland Lakes campus in Waterford from Public Land “PL” to “R-1C” Single-Family Residential. The rezoning application is consistent with the community of Waterford Township’s future master plan. OCC has not yet submitted the application as it is still determining the best use of the property for the Township and the community. It is OCC’s intent to preserve significant open space and wetlands to connect Hess Hathaway Park, the trail system and the Township Community Center. The amount of future open space will be a critical factor in the College’s selection of a developer. 

May 21, 2024: Oakland Community College's Board of Trustees approved the sale of the southern portion of the College’s Highland Lakes campus to Waterford Township. Waterford Township has expressed interest in repurposing the property for the needs of the community. The agreement was approved by the Waterford Township Board of Trustees on May 28. The College supports the Township’s efforts as they explore the feasibility of a future recreation and community center. Waterford Township currently comprises 35.3 square miles, with an abundance of lakes and recreational land. Waterford’s Parks and Recreation Department operates and maintains 16 parks and facilities spanning over 850 acres and annually provides more than 500 multigenerational programs and sponsors 40 annual events attended by more than 10,000 individuals.

State-of-the-art Health Sciences facility with collaborative learning spaces and new science labs will be coming with renovations and expansion of Building H, planned to open in Fall 2026. 

The Culinary Studies Institute on the Royal Oak campus is planning to open in 2025. 

OCC has experienced a consistent decline in the number of students using the Southfield Campus. The buildings and services are underutilized and not optimally serving students, employees or the community. OCC is committed to change this trend and envision a best use case for students and the community.

In order to shape a vision for growth at the Southfield site, OCC actively sought and listened to the feedback of community, employees and faculty. Throughout the summer and fall, meetings were held to discuss the site and solutions for its growth with Deans and members of faculty, City of Southfield officials, the State of Michigan Representative, Police and Fire Chiefs of Oakland County, OCC Employee Advisory Committee and had conversations with individual Trustees.

OCC will reimagine Southfield services to better serve current OCC students and clear the path for future growth. Moving support service staff to Royal Oak will help more students. By Fall 2025, the plan is to transition all Academic and Student Services to the Royal Oak campus. In addition, the College continues to address a high student demand for OCC Emergency Services training. Construction on a new driving pad will begin at the Southfield site in Fall 2025 with an expected completion in Fall 2026.

The Culinary Studies Institute currently housed on the Orchard Ridge campus will move to Royal Oak in 2025. The new facility will feature a 2,600 square-foot restaurant on the third-floor seating up to 200 for dinner and accommodating up to 300 for events. The first floor is designed for pop-up culinary retail and café service and features a separate charcuterie kitchen. Exceptional teaching and learning will continue with demonstration kitchens integrating instructional technology, remote access to kitchens around the world, space for conferences and national culinary competitions.

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, a new state-of-the-art Health Sciences facility is coming to the Orchard Ridge campus. Building H will feature collaborative learning spaces for Health Sciences and new science labs. Programs currently housed at OCC's Highland Lakes and Southfield campuses, including Nursing and Dental Hygiene programs, are planned to be concentrated on one campus in 2026.

Renovations and expansion to the CREST facility for police, fire and emergency service professional training is in the design phases for OCC's Auburn Hills campus. Construction on a new driving pad will begin at the Southfield campus in Fall 2025 with an expected completion in Fall 2026.

Current OCC students

We are implementing these changes over the next few years and some major changes such as the closing of the Highland Lakes campus is not planned until 2026, to avoid impacting current students who take classes at this location. Our future plan focuses on improvements that will help us stay focused on our mission and enhance our current students’ experience. 

Future OCC students 

The changes we are making ensure we stay current as a healthy, valuable institution and remain the college of choice for all future students. 

Employees

Please visit InsideOCC for more information as we work together to implement this plan. 

Community members 

A stronger OCC also benefits our community members who partner with us and use our services. 

Changes in the future plan include:  

1. Centralizing growing programs and simplifying students’ pursuit of career education.  

We are investing heavily in our programs. This includes:  

• Skilled Trades & Industrial Technology Building: Construction on the Auburn Hills campus has been delayed pending State funding. 
• Culinary Studies Institute: Planned opening on the Royal Oak campus in 2025. 
• Combined Regional Emergency Services Training (CREST) facility renovation and expansion for police, fire and emergency service professional training is in the design phases.
  

Health Sciences concentrated on one campus planned for 2026

In the coming years, it is widely expected that there will be career opportunity growth in the health care field. To meet this demand, we are making several changes, including:  

• Health Sciences programs: These programs are planned to move from the Highland Lakes and Southfield campuses to the Orchard Ridge in 2026. Our goal is to make health care education more convenient for students and invest in these growing programs with state-of-the-art learning spaces. 
• Orchard Ridge campus buildings: These will be renovated. 
• Highland Lakes campus: This is planned to close in 2026. Health Science courses are planned to move to Orchard Ridge in 2026. OCC leadership is working closely with faculty, staff and our unions on specific details and decisions. Our goal is that any employee changes will be made through attrition. We are also working closely with local officials to ensure the property continues to benefit the people of Waterford and the surrounding communities.

2. Additional consolidation and renovations 

This will include:  

Renovation of general education spaces: Ongoing renovation will continue over the next 10 years to keep our learning spaces fresh and state-of-the-art. 

Declining college enrollments 

This is a national trend affecting both community colleges and 4-year universities. OCC’s enrollment has declined by 15,000 students in the past 10 years. 

Fewer college-age students locally 

There are fewer college-age students now than there were when Millennials – the children of Baby Boomers and a much larger segment of the population – were attending college in large numbers. Oakland County follows this national trend.  

Job market factors 

A strong job market and high cost tend to provide disincentives to pursue college degrees and certifications. Some people are skeptical about the value of investing time and money in higher education.  

Student choice 

There is expanded interest in online classes, and many of our students now pursue a mixed-schedule model combining online and in-person classes. This allows for maximum flexibility and convenience, as well as the ability to take more credits. More than 50% of OCC enrollments are in online courses. 

OCC’s campus footprint 

At the same time, OCC has the largest square footage of all 28 Michigan community colleges. This existing infrastructure requires updates and renovations to maintain state-of-the-art learning environments for our students and faculty. 

Focus on student success 

With fewer people seeking to go to college, we need to do everything we can to ensure OCC is the college of choice for new students, retain our current students, enhance their experience, and ensure their success.    

In Fall 2022, OCC set a strategic goal to double our 6-year graduation rate of 13%. By 2023, that rate had increased to 14%. OCC is now pursuing several key strategies and tracking early momentum metrics toward achieving our goal.  

Our current graduation rate is not sustainable. As a top transfer institution, OCC’s 14% graduation rate does not apply to transfer students. This goal focuses on those who intend to complete an associate’s degree or certificate.  

Our students need to be able to attain the degrees and certificates that match their skill sets and start successful careers in their field of choice. Individuals with college degrees and certificates earn more money over time, contributing to a stronger community for all. 

We also strongly support both statewide and regional goals to increase graduation rates:  

• State of Michigan “Sixty by 30” plan: Goal for 60 percent of working-age adults in the state to earn a degree or certificate by 2030. 
• Oakland County’s “Oakland80” initiative: This also holds our community to a higher standard. We must operate more nimbly and efficiently to significantly increase our county’s postsecondary completion rate to 80%, for the benefit of our students, our community and our state. 
  

Identifying and resolving collegewide barriers to student equity and program completion will improve the success of our students and the prosperity of our county in fulfillment of OCC’s mission.