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Nation's 1st Junior College Established
In 1901, Joliet Community College was established in Illinois as the nation's first junior college. This school extended high school by adding 5th and 6th year courses to a high school curriuclum. Enrollment was low, but it was the first step toward the successful community college environment we see today. -
Arizona's 1st Community College
The Phoenix Junior College (now Phoenix College) was Arizona's first community college, established in 1920. The first graduating class in 1922 had only 5 students. Today, however, Phoenix College is the flagship school of the Maricopa County Community College District and has an annual attendance of 28,000 students. -
Formal Accreditation
Phoenix College receives formal accreditation from the North Central Association. This accreditation was seen as a forward step in the scholastic standing of the school. Accreditation ensures that education provided by institutions of higher education meets acceptable levels of quality (US Department of Education). Receiving this standing promoted enrollment and campus growth at Phoenix College as the community recognized its value. -
District Established
The Maricopa County Junior College District was established in 1962 by a vote of the citizens. It was decided that this new district would be run by an elected, local governing board and the Arizona State Board of Directors for Community Colleges. This established community colleges as a viable alternative to a traditional 4 year school in the Phoenix metro area, especially for baby boomers who were at that time reaching college age. -
Maricopa Junior College District Grows!
The Phoenix Union High School District voted to transfer Phoenix College to the jurisdiction of the Maricopa Junior College District Governing Board. At this same time, campuses in Mesa and Glendale were set up as extensions of Phoenix College. This would be only the beginning of a sprawling network of community colleges that we see today under the MCCD banner. -
Name Change
The district changed its name to Maricopa Community College District as a way to emphasize the general public and best reflect the constituencies being served (www.maricopa.edu/about/vision-history). -
New Opportunities for Community Colleges
The Nationwide Commission on the Future of Community Colleges recommends that colleges help build up their communities by creating partnerships with employers and making facilities available for workforce training (Kasper, "The changing role of community college," Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Winter 2002-03). This type of partnership has been seen in Arizona through a partnership between MCC and a nonprofit genetics research group in Maryland (Kasper). -
Where We Are At Today
In 1999, total enrollment in community colleges was 5.3 million and in the 2000-01 academic year, there were 1,076 community colleges in the US. For the 2016-17 academic year, there were 214,380 students enrolled in a Maricopa Community College, with 18,096 of those being at Phoenix College. Community Colleges continue to prove their worth as institutions of higher learning in today's society.
