A Brief History of Community Colleges

The American community college originated in the early 20th century due to social forces such as industry growth, lengthened adolescence, and drive for social equality. The colleges were expected to solve various societal problems, including racial integration, unemployment, drug abuse, and more. Private junior colleges peaked in 1949 but declined over time, while public community colleges continued to grow. The development of community colleges was driven by ideas such as science-enhanced progress, individual mobility, and open access to diverse populations.

Reflective study of its history, evolution,
The American community college dates from the early years of the twentieth century. Several
social forces contributed to its rise. Most prominent were the need for workers trained to operate
the nation's expanding industries; the lengthened period of adolescence, which mandated
custodial care of the young for a longer time; and the drive for social equality, which supposedly
would be enhanced if more people had access to higher education. Community colleges seemed
also to reflect the growing power of external authority over everyone's life, the peculiarly
American belief that people cannot be legitimately educated, employed, religiously observant,
ill, or healthy unless some institution sanctions that aspect of their being. Social institutions of
practical value to society were being formed. Probably the simplest overarching reason for the
growth of community colleges was that an increasing number of demands were king placed on
schools at every level. Whatever the social or personal problem, schools were supposed to solve
it. As a society we have looked to the schools for racial integration. The courts and legislatures
have insisted that schools mitigate discrimination by merging students across ethnic lines in their
various programs. The schools are expected to solve problems of unemployment by preparing
students for jobs. Subsidies awarded to businesses that train their own workers might he a more
direct approach, hut we have preferred paying public funds to support career education in the
schools. The list could he extended to show that the responsibility for doing something about
drug abuse, alcoholism, teenage pregnancy, inequitable incomes, and other individual and
societal ills has been assigned to schools soon after the problems have been Background 3
identified. Schools were even supposed to ameliorate the longstanding problem of highway
deaths. Instead of reducing speed limits and requiring seat belts in the 1960s, many states
enacted laws requiring schools to provide driver education courses.

The high point for the private junior colleges came in 1949, when there were 322 privately
controlled two-year colleges, 180 of them affiliated with churches, 108 independent nonprofit,
and .34 proprietary. As Table 1.1 shows, they began a steady decline, merging with senior
institutions or closing their doors. No new Ones have been organized since the mid 1970s
(Woodroof, 1990). Never large, by the latter 1980s the median-sized private, nonprofit college
had fewer than 500 students. By contrast, the median public college enrolled nearly 3,000
students.
context and leadership, including the study of the vision.
The ideas permeating higher education early in the century fostered the development of these
new colleges across the country. Science was seen as enhancing progress; the more people who
would learn its principles, the more rapid the development of the society. New technologies
demanded skilled operators, and training them could be done by the schools. Individual mobility
was held in the highest esteem, and the notion was widespread that those people who applied
themselves most diligently would advance most rapidly.
This includes understanding local environments,
Open access to diverse populations,
These sources of information on the number of colleges vary because they may or may not
include some of the two-year branch campuses of public universities, schools accredited by the
National Association of Trade and Technical Schools but not by the regional accrediting
associations, and various categories of technical institutes. Not only do the data vary among the
directories, but because of revised survey procedures or definitions they are not consistent from
year to year within the same directories.

The nature of associate degrees, certificates, occupational education and community service
Examining the nature of its national network,
The nature of this uniquely American contribution to higher education,
Its governance, administrative, curricular,
Professional, and programmatic dimensions, including best practices, concepts and trends.