Origin of the two-year college
Two-year colleges have been a part of American higher education for only a century. William Rainey Harper, president of the University of Chicago, created the first two-year college-Joliet Junior College-in 1901, when he grew concerned about the high number of under-prepared students that were entering the university. He believed, as many did, that a different kind of institution was needed to serve these students well. Joliet Junior College provided students with the first two foundation years of a baccalaureate degree and additional academic support to ready them for transfer to the third year at a university, as well as occupational programs to prepare students for entry into the workforce. Harper's notion took hold in America, and over the next two decades two-year colleges began to proliferate around the nation.
After the Great Depression-when the nation was undergoing major economic change - the federal government funded the creation of more two-year institutions to meet an urgent national need for workforce retraining. These institutions, which were intended to provide broader access to higher education, were designed predominantly with an occupational focus, to help the nation transition from an agrarian to an industrialized economy.
More two-year institutions came on line in the post-World War II years, when the "G.I. Bill" was passed by Congress to support returning veterans who required retraining to prepare for civilian jobs. Between 1944 and 1947, as more two-year institutions were established, enrollment at two-year colleges more than doubled. This growth was fueled in part by the Truman Commission, which in 1947 called for the establishment of a network of low-cost community colleges for all who wanted a college education. It was the Truman Commission that popularized the term "community college."
The 1960's brought the biggest wave of two-year colleges, as the notion of higher education for all who aspired to go to college took root across the nation. During this decade two-year colleges were created at an average of one new college per week.
Two-year colleges today
Today, public and private two-year colleges exist in the United States. Together, they enroll 46 percent of the nation's undergraduates-representing the largest and fastest growing segment of higher education.
While most two-year institutions began with a focus on either occupational programs or transfer preparation, today, all but a few offer both career and transfer programs (thus the term "comprehensive" two-year college), with the highest credential being the associate degree. In addition, these colleges offer workforce training - playing a vital role in employee development for local business and industry-as well as credit and noncredit courses for lifelong learning and personal growth.
Two-year colleges share a philosophy and commitment to serving all segments of society through open admission, low cost, and extra academic and personal support. They are generally commuter-colleges located within 35 miles (the national average) of their student population.
The primary focus of two-year colleges is to serve and be an integral part of their local communities. It is because of this local focus (advanced by the Truman Commission) that most two-year colleges today are called community colleges. A handful are called technical-community colleges, technical colleges or junior colleges.