Mayland Community College was first chartered as Mayland Technical Institute in February 1970 by the General Assembly of North Carolina upon recommendations by the State Board of Education, the Advisory Budget Commission, and Governor Robert W. Scott.
At that time, the unique name Mayland was created from the first letters of the three individual counties the school was chosen to serve: Mitchell, Avery, and Yancey.
Operations began in September 1971 in the Board Room of the Northwestern Bank in Spruce Pine.
From September 1971 to August 1972, the institute offered its first courses in continuing education and basic skills. In the fall of 1972, 102 students enrolled in four curriculum programs.
In August 1973, the first graduation ceremonies were held, honoring 24 curriculum graduates and 40 GED recipients.
Between 1980 and 1999, Mayland Community College grew exponentially, adding 23 new programs. And part of the growth included the establishment of the Mayland Technical College Foundation in April 1982.
In 1986, the school opened the Small Business Center. And in the following year, effective January 1, 1988, Mayland Technical College formally renames itself Mayland Community College.
In 1988, the campus added the Learning Resources Center and Student Commons, a $1.7 million complex comprising 19,000 square feet. In addition, that same year the Yancey Learning Center opened in Burnsville, the Mitchell Learning Center in Spruce Pine, and the Avery Learning Center in Newland.
The following year, Mayland Community College purchased the 5 acre tract adjacent to the college campus.
In the spring of 1997, Mayland opened with ceremony the Samuel Phillips Center, a $3 million, 26,796 square foot, 3 story facility, housing offices, classrooms, an auditorium, and a bookstore.
On April 9, 1998, 25 years since beginning the GED program, Mayland Community College surpassed its 4,000 GED recipients.
The new Yancey County Learning Center opened in Burnsville in 2001 and the new Avery County Learning Center opened in Newland in 2002.
Today Mayland Community College includes the original campus outside Spruce Pine, as well as the two learning centers. Through all its educational programs, it now serves more than 10,000 students each year.
