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In 1901, Joliet Community College began as an experimental postgraduate high school program. In the beginning, only six students were enrolled.
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Although there are a few community colleges by the 1920s, enrollment is low. Programs of study focus on liberal arts.
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In the 1930s, the Great Depression was causing high unemployment. Community Colleges stepped in by creating job training programs in hopes of easing unemployment.
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In the 1960s, the Baby Boomers reached college age. Both the number of community colleges and enrollment at those colleges began to skyrocket. Enrollment doubled from 1960-1970 and almost doubled again from 1970 to 1980. Part of this was also during the Vietnam War when many enrolled in Community Colleges to escape the draft. Community Colleges became a major part of the education system.
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By 1965, a little over a quarter of students at degree-granting colleges were attending community college.
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Community Colleges start to offer dual enrollment, where high school students can take college courses.
Click here for more information on the history of dual enrollment -
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The proportion of college students enrolled part-time increases from 49% to 64%, making part-timers the majority of the students at community colleges.
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Tution at 4-year colleges during this time was $617
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Between 1970 and 1980, the gender in the majority at community colleges shifts from men to women.
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Although dual enrollment in high school and community colleges simultaneously started in the 1970s, it gained popularity in the mid-1980s.
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Based on recommendations from the Nationwide Commission on the Future of Community Colleges in 1988, community colleges begin to form partnerships with local employers to be able to teach people job skills that the local employers needed.
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Community colleges were already offering 1 year certificates which focused on job training. The number of students earning certificates almost doubles between 1989 and 2000. During this same time period, the number of students earning associate degrees increased by 21%. Degrees in the computing field increased by 93%.
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Funding from the government, private sources, and corporate sources all increase in the 1990s allowing community colleges to employ more part-time staff.
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By 1992, the percentage of students attending degree-granting institutions has increased to 48%.
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This very successful program has allowed Maricopa Community Colleges to decrease their energy expenditures by 5% despite gaining 60% more building space.
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SCC also partners with NAU to create a program for getting a B.S. in hotel in restaurant management. For more information, click here
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Although growth in community colleges slowed after the Baby Boomers graduated, enrollment continued to grow. It reached 5.3 million students by 1999
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The proportion of students in minority groups steadily increased since 1976. The proportion of Hispanic students shows the most growth since 1976.
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The number of community colleges reaches 1,076.
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Tuition at 4-year colleges was $3506
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In 2007, The U.S. Department of State sponsored the Community College Initiative Program. This allows international students to come to community colleges and stay with a family briefly before they attend classes. SCC participated in this program from the beginning.
For more information, click here.
