| Highland Community College | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1962 |
| Type | Community college |
| Endowment | $600,000 |
| President | Dr. Joe Kanosky |
| Academic staff | 190 |
| Students | 6,043 |
| Postgraduates | none |
| Doctoral students | none |
| Location | Freeport, Illinois, United States |
| Campus | Rural, 140 acres/346 ha |
| Colors | Orange |
| Mascot | Cougar |
| Affiliations | Higher Learning Commission |
| Website | http://www.highland.cc.il.us/ |
Highland Community College ("HCC" or Highland) is a public two-year community college. Its main campus is located in Freeport, Illinois. The college is recognized by the Illinois Community College Board, and accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, and a member of the North Central Association.
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Highland was first established in 1962 on the land purchased from the Taft family. The Highland Community college foundation was the first community college foundation established in the State of Illinois and only the second in the nation. The foundation was established by Dr. Howard D. Sims, president of Highland Community College from 1975 to 1980.
Highland is located in Freeport, Illinois on 140 acres (or 346 ha). There are seven buildings on the campus, which are mainly used for classes. The college's sports complex is also the local YMCA, to which Highland's students carrying more than six credit hours per semester receive a free membership.
Highland Community College has a campus in Elizabeth, Illinois. On Route 20, Highland West offers a great opportunity to residents of Jo Daviess county to easily commute to classes. Several classes can also be taken in Savanna, Illinois. Currently, the off-site campuses mainly offer general education courses. In 2007, the Elizabeth campus started offering a Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) course.
Highland offers the Associates degree to its students. After about 60 college-level credit hours have been completed, students can pursue either an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts degree. Other non-degree seeking students may complete a certification in one of the many vocational skills. A wide variety of majors and vocational programs are offered. Highland's Nursing Program is especially worth mentioning for its excellence and night program, which is popular among students who have jobs during the daytime. Nursing students may choose to graduate with their RN (a two-year program) or LPN (one-year program). In recent years, nursing students have completed the NCLEX-RN board exam with a 99% or above pass rate.
Highland Community College is most famous for its basketball program, which is in the top 10 among the nation's junior colleges. The Highland Cougars Basketball team is a member of the NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship. The following sports are played on campus:
Altogether five Highland student-athletes have been named Academic All Americans, and 11 have been named All Americans by the NJCAA.
Highland Community College has the lowest tuition in the tri-state area. On its website, it is stated that "You will spend about $3,200 a year for tuition, books and fees when you start at Highland... or you can go somewhere else and pay at least $7,000 a year for tuition alone." This affordability has attracted many students from the Illinois-Iowa-Wisconsin Tri-State area.
The college is home to about 6,000 students and 190 faculty members, most of which are full-time. Highland is technologically advanced, and it is one of the pioneers in Distance Learning Program, in which a partnership between the college and Sauk Valley Community College exists.
Highland has a big variety of interesting clubs and organizations. Some of the most active ones include:
The H.C. Mitchell library is located on campus in Building M. The library has recently (Summer 2007) become involved in the PrairieCat program, which is a cooperation of 130 libraries in Northern Illinois and Eastern Iowa. This allows the student body and local residents to search over millions of books, videos, and other archives.