Southern Maine Community College has grown and evolved over the years, but our mission remains unchanged: to empower students to respond to a changing world and to enhance economic and cultural development in Maine.Our mission is as vital today as it was in 1946, when the college first opened under the name Maine Vocational Technical Institute (MVTI), a day school in Augusta created to serve returning World War II veterans who needed to learn new skills in a post-war economy. By 1952 MVTI and its 156 students had outgrown their space in Augusta and moved to the site of decommissioned Fort Preble, overlooking beautiful Casco Bay in South Portland. During the 1960s the name was changed to Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute (SMVTI) and authorization was received to award associate in applied science degrees.