City Colleges of Chicago

City Colleges of Chicago

City Colleges of Chicago Logo
Motto Education that Works
Type Community
Established 1911
Chancellor Cheryl L. Hyman
Undergraduates 114,255 (as of 2013)
Location Chicago, Illinois, USA
Campus Large City
Website www.ccc.edu

The City Colleges of Chicago District No. 508 is a system of seven community colleges and six satellite sites that provide learning opportunities for residents of the Chicago area. Programs range from two-year associate degrees to several weeks long occupational certificates, free courses for the GED and free English as a second language (ESL) courses.

The district has its administrative offices in the Chicago Loop.[1] As of 2013 the system has a yearly count of 114,255 students and 5,800 faculty members. As of 2014, Cheryl Hyman is the chancellor of the system.[2] Hyman is a Chicago native and began her post-secondary education at Olive-Harvey College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago.[3]

History

Crane Junior College opened on September 11, 1911. The first class held by the college had 30 students. By 1929 the enrollment increased to 4,000 students, and Crane was the largest community college in the United States. As a result of the Great Depression, Crane J.C. closed. A public campaign against the closure involved famous national lawyer Clarence Darrow and several former students and faculty. Less than one year after Crane closed, the community college reopened with additional public and private support as Herzl Junior College (originally named in honor of the Jewish Zionist movement founder, Theodor Herzl, (1860–1904)). Later two new campuses of Herzl J.C. opened—Wilson Junior College established on the South Side, and Wright Junior College opened in northwestern Chicago. After the United States entered World War II the U.S. military began using the junior colleges as training locations. After the war concluded, new students entered using the financial aid provided by the GI Bill of 1944.[4]

The Junior College system in the post-war years opened Bogan Junior College in southwest Chicago, Fenger College, Southeast College, and Truman College (for 33rd President Harry S Truman, 1884–1972), in the 1950s; originally Truman was an evening program located at the city's Amundsen High School. Although it caused a lot of controversy, Wilson J.C. was later renamed Kennedy-King College in 1969 (for Robert F. Kennedy (1925–1968), and Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968)), and Herzl J.C. was later renamed Malcolm X College (for Malcolm X, 1925–1965). In the 1970s, the former Fenger and Southeast Colleges were consolidated and renamed into Olive-Harvey College.[4] In 1988, Dr. Nelvia M. Brady was appointed Chancellor of the unified system and was the first African-American and the first female to serve as Chancellor. Prior to her appointment as Chancellor, she served as a member of the Board of Trustees. When she stepped into the post the system was beset with problems; a demoralized staff and a troubled reputation. Brady attacked all of these problems with energy and creativity. Her accomplishments include the initiation of innovative outreach, enrollment and tracking programs; major staff and purchasing practices reorganization; a successful program to bring Chicago Housing Authority residents into the colleges; the appointment of the first Hispanic Vice Chancellor; and the establishment of a comprehensive "Women Minority Business Program". She served until 1992.

In 2012, it was announced that the City Colleges of Chicago are partnering with companies in the Chicago region to help write curriculum, teach, and place students in jobs. Recently established Richard J. Daley College (1902–1976, former Mayor of Chicago), is the system's center for advanced manufacturing, Kennedy-King College trains students for job openings in the culinary and hospitality industry, and Wilbur Wright College (1867–1912), trains students for jobs in the information technology field. Olive-Harvey College focuses on transportation and logistics, and Malcolm X College trains students for careers in the healthcare field.[5] Harold Washington College functions as the center of business, entrepreneurship and professional services for all of the City Colleges of Chicago.[6] According to the Office of the Mayor of Chicago, these six sectors are projected to provide more than 200,000 job openings in the Chicago metropolitan area over the next ten years.[7]

Reinvention and College to Careers

In 2010, City Colleges of Chicago launched "Reinvention", an overhaul program/initiative designed to assess and recommend improvements to all City Colleges programs and operations. Its four goals are to increase the number of students earning degrees, increase the transfer rate to four-year institutions, improve outcomes for students needing remediation and increase the number of adult education and English as a second language students advancing to college-level courses.[8]

The Chicago Tribune editorial board stated that this was a manner to address "a chronic mismatch between public education and what employers need" through aligning its each of its campuses with a specific job sector so that students can be prepared for specific careers upon graduation.[9]

Launched in 2011 by Rahm Emanuel, Mayor of Chicago, College to Careers partners the colleges with industry leaders in high-growth fields to address the skills gap in Chicago's workforce. The initiative draws industry partners to work with faculty and staff in redesigning occupational program curricula and facilities to better match the needs of employers.[10] College to Careers has initially focused on fast-growing industries in the Chicago region, including healthcare and transportation, distribution and logistics.

In April 2013, delegates from the World Bank visited Mayor Rahm Emanuel and City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl Hyman at Harold Washington College to learn more about how the colleges partner with industries in the College to Careers program. The purpose of the initiative was to determine whether the program could be duplicated around the world.[11]

Partnerships

The City Colleges of Chicago have more than 70 corporate partners who work with faculty and staff at six of the City Colleges to develop contemporary curriculum and train students for careers in high-demand and high-growth fields. The partners also exist to help students secure jobs after graduation.[7]

The system has also partnered with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) to form the City Colleges of Chicago Dual Credit program in 17 high schools during the 2012–13 academic year. The program allows high school students to earn both high school and college credit and gain advanced math or English skills. CPS students also have the option to enroll in City Colleges' dual enrollment program, which offers them the opportunity to take college-level courses at CCC campuses.[7] In the Spring of 2013, 500 students are expected to enroll in the Dual Credit program—double the number of students enrolled in the Spring of 2012.[12]

Governance

Officially named Community College District No. 508, CCC is a separate (“sister”) agency of the city of Chicago. Its governing body is a board of trustees appointed by the mayor of Chicago and approved by the City Council of Chicago.[13]

In 1976 the trustees of the college system established a residency requirement, requiring employees to live within the city limits of Chicago. Current employees were told that they were required to move to Chicago before July 1, 1980. Employees who did not make the move would face dismissal from their jobs.[14]

Accreditation

City College of Chicago is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. This is the same accreditation body used by peer institutions such as the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, Washington University in St. Louis, and the University of Illinois System.[15]

Facilities and locations

The system has seven colleges and six satellite sites all across the city of Chicago.[2] Satellite sites include facilities that host GED preparation classes, English as a second language (ESL) classes and more.

The seven colleges are:

The six satellite sites are:

Notable alumnus

References

  1. ↑ "Procurement FAQs". City Colleges of Chicago. Retrieved on December 14, 2011. "District Office 226 W. Jackson Boulevard Chicago, IL 60606"
  2. 1 2 "About City Colleges". City Colleges of Chicago. Retrieved on September 11, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Cheryl Hyman '06 Showing others they have the tools to succeed". I Have a Kellogg MBA, Alumni Profiles. Retrieved on February 9, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "History". City Colleges of Chicago. Retrieved on September 11, 2012.
  5. ↑ "3 City Colleges to prepare students for jobs in growth industries". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved on February 9, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Is City Colleges doing the right thing?". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved on February 12, 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 "Mayor Emanuel Announces Expansion of City Colleges Dual Credit Program that Allows CPS Students to Earn College Credit". City of Chicago. Retrieved on February 19, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Reinvention". City Colleges of Chicago. Retrieved on October 24, 2013.
  9. ↑ "". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on October 24, 2013.
  10. ↑ "". ABC News. Retrieved on October 24, 2013.
  11. ↑ "World Bank Delegates in Chicago to Review College to Careers Program". NBC Chicago. Retrieved on October 24, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Chicago City Colleges expands dual credit program". abc7chicago.com. Retrieved on February 19, 2013.
  13. ↑ "". City Colleges of Chicago Board of Trustees. Retrieved on October 24, 2012.
  14. ↑ "City Colleges' residency rule". Chicago Tribune. July 29, 1976. p. A2. Retrieved on September 11, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Database of Institutions Accredited by Recognized U.S. Accrediting Organizations". Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  16. ↑ Lakeview Learning Center
  17. ↑ Dawson Technical Institute
  18. ↑ West Side Learning Center
  19. ↑ South Chicago Learning Center
  20. ↑ Arturo Velasquez Institute
  21. ↑ Humboldt Park Vocational Education Center

External links

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