Joliet Junior College (JJC) 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 ...

Joliet, Illinois Joliet ( ) is a city in Will County, Illinois, Will and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the cit ...

. Founded in 1901, it was the first public community college founded in the United States. In Spring 2014, the college enrolled 16,375 students. Every year, 48,000 students enroll in the college's academic programs and in non-credit programs.

History

Joliet Junior College was founded in 1901 by J. Stanley Brown, Superintendent of

Joliet Township High School Joliet Central High School is a public secondary school located in Joliet, Illinois. Central is part of Joliet Township High Schools, along with Joliet West and Joliet East (now defunct). Before the opening of Joliet East and West, the school wa ...

, and

William Rainey Harper William Rainey Harper (July 24, 1856 – January 10, 1906) was an American academic leader, an accomplished semiticist, and Baptist clergyman. Harper helped to establish both the University of Chicago and Bradley University and served as the fi ...

, President of the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. Brown, who came to Joliet in 1893, first served as the principal of the high school. Throughout his time in Joliet, Brown became a well-known supporter of higher education, and would often encourage his students to attend college after graduation. Many students did not attend college because it was too expensive. Brown consulted his friend, Harper, and together they created Joliet Junior College. Classes took place at Joliet Township High School. The first class was made up of six students in 1901. In 1916, the name of the institution was formalized. In 1917, Joliet Junior College received accreditation from the

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, was a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states engaged in educational accreditation. It w ...

. Joliet Junior College's student newspaper, ''The Blazer'', was first published in October 1929. Before ''The Blazer'', college bulletins were reported in the high school paper. Joliet Junior College moved to its current location, at 1215 Houbolt Road in Joliet, in September 1969. The building at this location became fully operational in 1974. Joliet Junior College's first president, Elmer Rowley, was instrumental in establishing this new building and location. Today, Joliet Junior College has additional sites in

Romeoville Romeoville is a village in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village is located southwest of Chicago on the Des Plaines River. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,863. It is located in the southwest suburban area of Chicago near I ...

Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia *St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Manitob ...

, and Frankfort, all in Illinois.

Campus locations

The college has three campuses and three centers: * Main Campus, 1215 Houbolt, Joliet, IL 60431 * City Center Campus, 235 North Chicago Street, Joliet, IL 60432 * Romeoville Campus, 1125 W. Romeo Road, Romeoville, IL 60446 * Morris Education Center, 725 School Street, Morris, IL 60450 * Frankfort Education Center, 201 Colorado Avenue, Frankfort, IL 60423 * Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center, 17840 W. Laraway Road, Joliet, IL 60433

Athletics

Joliet Junior College is a member of both 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 ...

(NJCAA) and the

North Central Community College Conference The North Central Community College Conference, commonly known as the N4C, is part of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Conference championships are held and individuals can be named to All-Conference and All-Academic teams ...

. The school currently sponsors the following sports:
Men's:

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

, cross-country, and

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

Women's:

, cross-country,

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

, and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

. The

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

program was eliminated in 2011 after 62 years of play due to budget cuts and to allow the school to be in compliance with

Title IX Title IX is the most commonly used name for the federal civil rights law in the United States that was enacted as part (Title IX) of the Education Amendments of 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other educat ...

National championships

NJCAA National Football Championship National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national football champions: Champions Single Division (1956–2021) For the 2021 season, the NJCAA announced the creation of Division I and Division III, along with implementing a Divisi ...

, 2002 *

NJCAA Men's Division III Basketball Championship The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Men's Division III Basketball Championships consists of eight teams playing over a three-day period (Thursday-Saturday) in March to determine a National Champion. The tournament field is made ...

, 2010, 1994 * NJCAA Division III Baseball National Championship, 2012, 2008, 1994 In 2017 JJC opened a new facility called the Event Center which is home to the athletic department and is used for special events and graduation ceremonies.

Notable alumni

Katherine Dunham Katherine Mary Dunham (June 22, 1909 – May 21, 2006) was an American dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and social activist. Dunham had one of the most successful dance careers of the 20th century, and directed her own dance company for ma ...

, 1928 - American dancer, choreography, author, educator and social activist * Dr. John C. Houbolt, 1938 - NASA scientist * George Sangmeister, 1951 - former Illinois Congressman * Phyllis Reynolds Tedesco Naylor, 1953 - author of children’s books, including Shiloh. 1992 Newbery Medal Winner *

Harry Geris Harry Geris (November 22, 1947 – April 24, 2008) was a Canadian Olympic wrestler who represented Canada in the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Olympics, 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and 1975 Pan American Games. Early life Geris was bo ...

, 1969 - Canadian Olympic wrestler * Curtis J. Crawford, 1971 - CEO, Xceo Inc. *

Arnette Hallman Arnette Lamar Hallman (born October 19, 1958) is an American former professional basketball player. College career Hallman began his collegiate career at Joliet Junior College before transferring to play for the Purdue Boilermakers men's baske ...

, 1978 - Professional basketball player *

Kelvin Hayden Kelvin Darnell Hayden Jr. (born July 23, 1983) is a former American football cornerback. He played college football at Illinois and was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. In Super Bowl XLI he returned ...

, 2003 - Professional Football Player with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

Rob Ninkovich Robert Michael Ninkovich (born February 1, 1984) is a former American football outside linebacker who played eleven seasons in National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Purdue as a defensive end and was drafted by the New Orle ...

, 2004 - American football defensive end for the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

* Jeris Pendleton, 2008- Professional Football Player with the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

* Mary K. O'Brien - Illinois state legislator and judge

References

External links

* {{authority control 1901 establishments in Illinois Community colleges in Illinois Education in Joliet, Illinois Educational institutions established in 1901 Buildings and structures in Joliet, Illinois NJCAA athletics