Greetings, this is Iris Bryan with another moment in the history of McHenry County College!
Have you ever wondered about the origin of the term community college?
William Rainey Harper, the first president of the University of Chicago, envisioned a need to offer local community residents college classes as an extension of the four years of high school.
William Harper and Joliet school superintendent J. Stanley Brown were the originators of the community college movement in Illinois, with the first institution opening in 1901 in Joliet. Efforts by others in the state brought more districts and today there are 39 comprised of 48 colleges—and they encompass the entire state.
McHenry County joined the movement in 1967. Citizens from eight high school districts began working toward the formation of district 528 in 1962. At several points, it seemed the effort might fail, but determined individuals overcame the difficulties. Later, new challenges arose…more on that next time.
Join us in the celebration! Save this date — Sunday, April 15, 2007 — when we’ll kick-off a series of events to celebrate the 40th birthday of McHenry County College.
We are also searching for those of you who attended or worked at the college in the 1960s, seventies, and eighties. Please share with us your memories from the College’s early days, and help us identify people featured in our archival photos.
Please call toll free 866-788-9911 or e-mail 40years@mchenry.edu if you would like to become involved with this project.
This is Iris Bryan, the voice of MCC history. I’ll have another audio moment for you real soon.
8/11/06