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The North Central Association was formed (now the Higher Learning Commission), an accrediting agency for colleges. This was a critical step for all universities, both four-year and community college. It allows for transfer for national recognition of the quality of an institution and the possibility of transferring coursework from one institution to another. Early community college accreditation was done by local agreement. In our global society, regional accreditation is critical.
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The first community college in the country, Joliet Junior College was originally formed as an experimental post-high school educational program with six students. Many programs like this one began around the country in the years after, eventually leading to Phoenix College and the other Maricopa County community colleges. Joliet, like other community colleges, opened their doors to a wide range of students with educational choices that were affordable.
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Locally, a date of great importance was the start of Phoenix Junior College (now Phoenix College). It started as an extension of Phoenix Union High School. Whereas many elementary and high schools in Arizona were segregated, Phoenix College has always opened its doors to people of all races. While only nine subjects were taught initially, PC has widely expanded its offerings to provide workforce training and transfer educational opportunities for Phoenix students.
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In 1975, the National Science Foundation chose Northern Virginia Community College and Phoenix College to host pilot programs to teach students English and Math through asynchronous programs on special computers. This served as the grandfather, if you will, of modern online education. With computer-aided instruction, not only is education available to a wider range of students, it also knocks down previous geographic barriers, allowing students to take classes from around the world.
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In 2010, beginning with a Convocation address by Terry O'Banion, Phoenix College began its Learning College focus, shifting from a culture of instruction to a culture of learning. This philosophy would expand beyond the class to include decisions made at the college level based on the Learning College principles of evaluation, communication, collaboration, and responsibility.
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Community colleges continue to expand and adapt to address issues such as low graduation rates and a gap between workforce needs and workforce-ready graduates. One current program addressing this issue is Lincoln Land Community College's Workforce Equity Initiative. 100 students are given free tuition, textbooks, housing, child care, and other resources to train them in high-paying fields such as Dental Assistant, Pharmacy Technician, and Welding.
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Phoenix College continues to expand its academic offerings to better serve the local community. This has recently been embodied by the launch of the Internet Technology Institute. Its mission says it well: "To create an entrepreneurial, innovative, and collaborative IT learning environment that will prepare our students to compete in the diverse Information Technology workforce."
