William Rainey Harper College |
|
Type | Public |
---|---|
Established | 1965 |
President | Dr. Kenneth Ender |
Academic staff
|
200 full-time, approximately 653 part-time |
Administrative staff
|
606 full and part-time |
Students | 56,441 students enrolled in credit courses |
Location |
Palatine, IL, USA 42°04′52″N 88°04′16″W / 42.081°N 88.071°WCoordinates: 42°04′52″N 88°04′16″W / 42.081°N 88.071°W |
Campus | Urban |
Colors | Blue and Silver |
Athletics | Men's baseball, wrestling, basketball, cross country, soccer, track and field. Women's basketball, cross country, soccer, softball, track and field, volleyball. |
Mascot | Hawk |
Website | |
Harper College Fact Book |
William Rainey Harper College
William Rainey Harper College is a comprehensive community college in Palatine, Illinois, United States. The college was established by referendum in 1965 and opened in September 1967. It is named for Dr. William Rainey Harper, a pioneer in the junior college movement in the United States and the first president of the University of Chicago.
Harper College has a 200-acre (80.9 ha) campus approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of downtown Chicago, Illinois in the suburb of Palatine.
Harper also offers classes and services at other locations within Community College District 512:
The campus was designed to have an informal layout. The architectural concept uses scale and placement of buildings, multilevel plazas, brick, wood and concrete building materials and glass window walls to give a variety of interior and exterior views. The structures are built into the natural contours of the land, with entrances on several levels. The Avanté Center for Science, Health Careers and Emerging Technologies covers more than 6 acres (2.428 ha) of learning space including 35 laboratories, nine lecture halls, a nursing lab, and a working dental clinic. According to the architects Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK), Avanté incorporates energy-saving elements using a holistic approach.
Harper College offers more than 50 transfer options, allowing students to earn their associate degree before transferring to a four-year college or university to complete their bachelor's degree. The college also offers more than 40 career programs which grant an associate degree or certificate and provide the skills necessary to enter the work force. These programs range in length from sixteen weeks to two years.
All courses, educational programs, counseling services and distance learning programs are fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of College and Secondary Schools. Harper is currently seeking permission to offer two bachelor's degree programs on a pilot basis: a bachelor's degree in Public Safety Administration/Homeland Security and a bachelor's degree in Technology Management. These programs are designed for working adult students who already have their associate degree. Offering two vocational bachelor's degrees on a pilot basis will not turn Harper College into a four-year university. As in other states, Harper would remain an open-door community college that would offer a few bachelor's degree programs in addition to its current offerings.