City Colleges of Chicago

City Colleges of Chicago

City Colleges of Chicago Logo
Motto	Education that Works
Type	Community
Established	1911
Budget	$723,114,957
Chancellor	Cheryl Hyman
Academic staff	5,800 (2013)
Undergraduates	100,444 (2015)
Location	Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Campus	Urban
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 colleges have its administrative offices in the Chicago Loop. As of 2015 the system has a yearly count of 100,444 students and 5,800 faculty members. As of 2016, Cheryl Hyman is the chancellor of the system. Hyman is a Chicago native and began her post-secondary education at Olive-Harvey College, one of the City Colleges of Chicago.

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 closed. A public campaign against the closure involved nationally famous 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 Theodor Herzl Junior College (named in honor of the Jewish Zionist movement founder, Theodor Herzl). 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.