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The community college has survived and thrived since its early inception in the 1800s and has become the center of educational opportunity providing access to all. Today, the influence of the community college system in the United States is impressive with 46% of all undergraduates attending community college. Although the community college boom has stabilized in recent years, enrollment continues to grow at a faster rate than that of 4-year institutions. The history of the community college provides a remarkable account of an essential component of higher education in the United States and abroad.
The public community college is an extension of a comprehensive evolutionary process. Sometimes referred to in the United States as junior college, technical institute, and regional or district college, and in Europe as short-cycle higher education (SCHE), the community college has developed and expanded impressively since its inception in the 1800s (Kintzer & Bryant, 1998; U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Winter 2002/2003). From its antecedent, the Industrial Revolution, to its future challenges, the history of the community college provides a fascinating account of a fundamental component of higher education in the United States and abroad.
Impact of the Industrial Revolution on the Evolution of Community Colleges
The Industrial Revolution was perhaps one of the most noteworthy precursors of the education movement in the United States. With the introduction of power-driven machinery leading to the creation of factories, rapid industrialization took root resulting in overcrowded cities and horrendous working conditions. This distressing environment motivated a number of remarkable scientists to examine human behavior and individual differences leading to the development of vocational guidance and the goal of creating the "educated craftsman" (Duggan & Jürgens, 2007). As will be described later, the flood of technical institutes and community colleges that took root in the early 1900s provided a means for practical and technical training which led to work for a multitude of returning veterans and others hoping to benefit from all the industrial revolution had to offer (Milliron, de los Santos, & Browning, 2003).
The Roots of the Community College
As early as the mid-1 800s, proposals were made to create junior colleges in order to lessen the responsibility of universities to provide general education to qualified high school...