Moraine Valley Community College
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Moraine Valley Community College is a public
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 se ...
in
Palos Hills, Illinois Palos Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago. The city was established in 1958 and had reached a population of 18,530 in the 2020 census. It is the home of Moraine Valley Community College as ...
. Founded in 1967, it is surrounded by the
Cook County Forest Preserves The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages a network of open spaces, containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes, that are mostly set aside as natural areas ...
. The college also operates satellite centers in Blue Island and
Tinley Park, Illinois Tinley Park (formerly Bremen) is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Will County. The village is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 55,971. It is one of the fastest growing suburbs ...
.


History

In 1967, the college was officially created after two years of effort led by the Oak Lawn Rotary Club that included proposals, approval and planning. It opened its first temporary office in
Oak Lawn, Illinois Oak Lawn is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 58,362 at the 2020 census. Oak Lawn is a suburb of Chicago, located southwest of the city. It shares borders with the city in two areas but is surrounded mostly by ...
. A year later, a contest was held to give the college its name, Moraine Valley Community College. The name was chosen because of its location: "where the Valparaiso and Tinley moraines meet to form a valley." Since a campus was not yet established, the first classes began Sept. 16, 1968 in leased warehouses in
Alsip, IL Alsip is a village in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Alsip was settled in the 1830s by German and Dutch farmers. The village ...
. A year later in 1969, seven temporary buildings opened on the Palos Hills campus, 9000 W. College Parkway. In 1970, with enrollment at 4,089, construction began on the first permanent building on the campus, which opened two years later in 1972. From that point on, buildings have been continually added to the campus until as recently as 2014. The last temporary building was torn down in 1994. The first extension site, the Education Center at Blue Island, opened in 2004. On Oct. 6, 2010, the second extension site, the Southwest Education Center, opened in Tinley Park, IL. The U.S. Green Building Council awarded that facility LEED Platinum certification for its high level of "green" performance.


Presidents

*Dr. Robert E. Turner: 1968–1975 *Dr. James D. Koeller: 1975–1982 *Dr. Fred Gaskin: 1982–1991 *Dr. Vernon O. Crawley: 1991–2012 *Dr. Sylvia Jenkins: 2012–Present


International students

Moraine Valley has grown its international student interest over the years. In the late 1970s, the college had about 40 international students. By 1984, no international students were enrolled in the college. In 1989, the college started a program to appeal to students of other countries and to aid them in their academic endeavors, and as a result, the international student population has grown to over 200 in the present day. Many accommodations are now made for international students at Moraine Valley, including: *Intensive English Program *Airport Arrival Service *Housing Assistance through the Host Home Program *Cross Cultural Counseling *International Student Ambassadors


Campus activities


Athletics

As a member of the
NJCAA 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 ...
, the Moraine Valley Cyclones participate in 12 intercollegiate sports, including men's baseball, cross-country, basketball, golf and soccer, and women's basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball and volleyball. Moraine Valley is a member of the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference, which consists of seven other junior colleges in the surrounding area. The athletics program is housed in the Health, Fitness & Recreation Center (Building H) on campus and is quite successful with many teams advancing to national competitions. In 1998, the mascot for the college was changed from the Marauders to the Cyclones.


Student life

Moraine Valley offers its students many opportunities to get involved on campus. There are about 40 clubs and organizations in which students can participate. The focus of these groups include, but are not limited to, special academic interests, religion, diversity and awareness, service and student government. Additionally, Moraine Valley provides various facilities for its students to spend their free time, such as the library, Fine and Performing Arts Center, Student Union, the Health, Fitness & Recreation Center, a 1.45-mile jogging path, and the Jack G. Bradley observation deck.


See also

* Ben Skora


References


External links

*
Student newspaper
{{authority control Community colleges in Illinois Universities and colleges in Chicago Universities and colleges in Cook County, Illinois Educational institutions established in 1967 NJCAA athletics