Independence Community College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior sec ...

Independence, Kansas Independence is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 8,548. It was named in commemoration of the Declaration of Independence. History Independence w ...

. It was formerly Independence Community Junior College.

History

Independence Community College was established in 1925 as grades 13 and 14 of the Independence public school system. In 1967, Independence Community College legally separated from the school district. Construction of the new community college on a campus, formerly the Independence Country Club, began in 1969. Classes at the new site began in September 1970. The ICC campus is now home to the Academic Building, Fine Arts Building, Student Union, Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Field House, Administration Building, William Inge Center for the Arts, fitness center, athletic practice fields, disc golf course, 96-bed multi-structure living complex, a 200-bed residence hall, and a 135-bed suite-style residence hall. In 2010, a former large retail space was donated at a location next to the local Wal-Mart. The college renovated the new West Campus, increasing the college's visibility in the community and adding much-needed space for technical programs. A capital campaign was conducted, raising $760,000 for renovation of the facility. The college has also contributed approximately $350,000 to the renovation of that building. This campus is located on the west side of Independence and is home to Allied Health, Cosmetology, Veterinary Technology, and Culinary. ICC also maintains a presence downtown through the ICC Foundation office, which is a separate organization from the college. It is the featured college in the third and fourth seasons of the

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

series

Last Chance U ''Last Chance U'' is an American documentary streaming television series that is produced and premiered by Netflix. The six-episode first season explores the football program at East Mississippi Community College, which features several colleg ...

Academics

Independence Community College is

accredited Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa ...

and offers several

associate degree An associate degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of qualification above a high school diploma, GED, or matriculation, and below a bachelor's degree. The fi ...

s along with more than 20 certificate programs in vocational occupations.

Athletics

The ICC athletic teams are called the Pirates and the official team colors are Navy Blue and Vegas Gold. The college is affiliated with the

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

and is a member of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. As of Fall of 2018, there will be nine athletic programs on campus: football, volleyball, cheer and dance, men's and women's basketball, women's softball, golf, Throughout the course of the academic year, students have the opportunity to cheer on their Pirates at over 100 home games.

Student groups

Independence Community College offers a handful of different activities for students to participate in outside of sports. There is a book club that meets once a week and decides together what books to read and discuss. ''The Buccaneer'' is the campus newspaper that is composed of articles written by students and staff alike. Open Mic Nights allow students, employees, and community members to read or perform their original or favorite literary or musical works. ICC also has a multi-cultural student organization (MSO) whose purpose is to bring together students of different cultural backgrounds and foster an attitude of acceptance.

Phi Theta Kappa Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society ( or PTK) is the international honor society of students attending open-access institutions and seeking associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, or other college credentials. Its headquarters is in Jackson, Mississippi ...

is an honor society for junior colleges and ICC's chapter was ranked in the top 100 out of 1,100 active chapters. Every few months the campus also sponsors some sort of intramural tournament that generally lasts about two days.

William Inge Center for the Arts

ICC is also home to the William Inge Center for the Arts, named after famous playwright,

William Inge William Motter Inge (; May 3, 1913 – June 10, 1973) was an American playwright and novelist, whose works typically feature solitary protagonists encumbered with strained sexual relations. In the early 1950s he had a string of memorable Broad ...

, an alumnus of the college. The center is home to the Inge Festival which is a four-day festival in which community members and students alike can participate in workshops, attend plays, and tour the historical sites around town that were part of Inge's childhood. The campus library is also home to a collection of original manuscripts, William Inge's personal book collection and his personal record collection.

Fab Lab ICC

In 2014, Fab Lab ICC was constructed in the former Cessna Learning Center on ICC main campus. Fab Lab ICC houses tools for digital fabrication, small business development, graphic design, computer aided manufacturing, and rapid prototyping. Public memberships are available, and ICC students, faculty, and staff receive a Fab Lab ICC membership for free.

Notable alumni

Armen Gilliam Armen Louis Gilliam (born Armon Louis Gilliam; May 28, 1964 – July 5, 2011) was an American professional basketball player who played 13 years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1987 to 2000. He also played one season for the Pi ...

, professional basketball player *

Harvey Grant Harvey Grant (born July 4, 1965) is an American former professional National Basketball Association basketball player. He is the identical twin brother of Horace Grant, also a former NBA player. College Grant transferred to Oklahoma after a year ...

, professional basketball player *

, American playwright and novelist *

Bobby Johnson Robert Alan Johnson (born February 8, 1951) is a retired American football coach and former player. He was most recently the head football coach at Vanderbilt University, a position he held from the 2002 season until his retirement in 2010. In ...