In October 1970, a public vote established MCC as a county college and elected its first board of governors.

In June 1971, J. Leonard and Grace Neal donated 160 acres of land north of Kingman where the college's first facilities were developed,[1] and in October 1972, McCulloch Properties donated a parcel of land located in Lake Havasu City.

In 1981, the college started offering nursing classes [3] and was accredited in 1982 – eventually partnering with Allied Health.

In the late 1980s, MCC became the primary provider of Adult Education/GED program services in Mohave County.

In the late 1980s MCC began delivering instruction by videotape and connected the campuses by telecommunication links.