Anne Arundel Community College (AACC) is a public community college in Arnold, Maryland. The college was founded in 1961 and is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. The community college offers letters of recognition, 46 associate degree programs, and 62 certificate programs through its five schools. AACC's athletic teams compete in the Maryland Junior College Athletic Conference (MDJUCO) of the NJCAA. They are collectively known as the Riverhawks and have won four national championships. AACC Athletics has won the Dr. Jack Cistriano Sportsmanship Award six times. The award is presented annually by the MDJUCO to the member school whose teams have demonstrated the best sportsmanship throughout an academic year. AACC was ranked #1 Community College in the Country by Academic Influence in 2021. It was previously named "Community College of the Year" by National Business Alliance in 2001, and has continued to receive accolades since then. It is the first higher education institution in Maryland to earn a rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education and achieved a silver rating in 2012. History Anne Arundel Community College was founded as Anne Arundel Junior College on January 2, 1961, by the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. Classes commenced in September 1961 at Severna Park High School with 270 students enrolled. Dr. Andrew G. Truxal served as the first president during the school's transition to a campus in Arnold, Maryland, in September 1967. The school was awarded full accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) in 1968. In August 1968, Dr. Robert P. Ludlum was appointed AACC's second president. During his eight-year term, AACC began offering transfer, career and continuing education programs as well as tuition waivers and programs for senior citizens. Additionally, Dr. Ludlum attained voting representation for students serving on the AACC's board of trustees and founded the Servicemember's Opportunity College at Fort George G. Meade. Upon Dr. Ludlum's retirement in 1976, his successor, Dr. Justus D. Sundermann, served until 1979. He is credited with the establishment of AACC's Weekend College, cable television (media production) courses and contract education services. AACC's first off-site location in Glen Burnie and the Child Development Center in Arnold were opened during Dr. Sundermann's administration. Also under Dr. Sundermann, there were staff factions in contention with one another and enrollment was in decline. In 1978, some of AACC's female faculty members filed lawsuits