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The First Community College
Joliet Community College (JCC) in Illinois became the first junior college in the United States, adding a fifth and sixth year high school curriculum (Kasper, 2003). Now, the college offers more than 180 degrees and program certificates in the small town of Joliet, Illinios. -
Small Growth
In the 1920's, only a few community colleges existed and commonly only offered general liberal arts programs (Kasper, 2003). Despite initial low enrollment rates, the need for job training programs in the upcoming years paved way to an increase of community colleges and student enrollment rates. -
The Beginning of Phoenix College
On Sept.13, 1920 Phoenix Junior College (PJC) opened its doors, teaching only nine subjects which included: Chemistry, English, Home Economics, Mathematics, Mechanical Arts, Military Training, Physical Training and Spanish. -
The Great Depression
In the 1930's, community colleges began to offer job training programs to combat unemployment (Kasper, 2003). -
Enrollments Soared
In the 1960's when the baby boomers reached college age, the number of community colleges and enrollment rates soared (Kasper, 2003). Enrollments at community colleges increased 413 percent from 1965 to 1999; increasing from approximately 1 million to
5.3 million (Kasper, 2003). -
1 Million and Counting
From 1970to 1980, community college enrollments almost doubled from 2.2 million to 4.3 million due to baby boomers coming of age, parents wanting an education for their children, and students seeking deferment from the Vietnam War draft (Kasper, 2003). -
Minorities Take a Stand
Between 1976 and 1999, racial and ethnic
minorities made up 20 percent of community college enrollments
nationally (Kasper, 2003). By 1999, total minority enrollment
reached 33 percent, enrollment of Asians
and Pacific Islanders increased the fastest followed by Hispanics (Kasper, 2003). Hispanic enrollment increased 240 percent from 1976 to 1999, reaching 13 percent of total community college
enrollments (Kasper, 2003). -
Part of the Statistics
In 2013, I became a first-generation, bilingual Hispanic college graduate; earning my associate's degree from a community college. Furthermore, my drive to become a role model for the Hispanic community pushed me to obtain a master's degree. "Between 2000 and 2015, the college-going rate among Hispanic high school graduates grew from 22 to 37 percent" (Field, 2018). Now more than a quarter of young Hispanics (28 percent) hold at least an associate degree (Field, 2018). -
References
Field, K. (2018). More Hispanics are going to college. The bad news? They’re still behind. Retrieved from https://hechingerreport.org/rising-college-rates-spur-hispanic-progress-in-higher-education/. Kasper, H. (2003). The changing role of community college. Retrieved from file:///C:/Users/Grecia/Downloads/The%20changing%20role%20of%20community%20College%20(2).pdf Phoenix College - Historical Timeline - 1920 - 2015
