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.
Timeline
1955 State survey completed by the University of Illinois showed Freeport, Illinois was a logical location for a junior college. A legal requirement in preparation for a referendum was satisfied.
1957-1959 State legislation passed allowing public junior colleges to charge tuition.
1959 Public defeated a referendum that would have included space for the college in the remodeled high school.
1961 Referendum passed by a 3-1 margin calling for the establishment of a comprehensive community college.
1964 $150,000 was raised for the Acres of Education campaign to purchase the Taft farm land.
1966 Referendum held in 15 districts established an area college district. Facilities were rented and classes were held on Stephenson, Main, Locust, and West Ave. The first board was elected.
1967 District 519 was officially established. Ken Borland was hired as the first president. A contact was held to name the college. "Highland" was chosen over another entry "Farmers' Cash Crop College".
1968 Voters approved a plan for the current campus.
1970 Five temporary buildings were occupied on the permanent campus.
1971 The first permanent facilities were occupied on the current campus.
1973 Foundation approves $45,000 grant to the college for the Festival of Arts.
1976 Phase III of the building program approved. Work began on the physical fitness education facility to be used jointly by Highland and the YMCA.
Campus
Main campus
Highland is located in Freeport, Illinois on 140 acres. 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 who are carrying 12 or more credit hours a semester can receive a free membership at the YWCA.
Highland West
Highland Community College had a campus in Elizabeth, Illinois, which closed in 2014. On Route 20, Highland West offered residents of Jo Daviess county an easy 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 course.
Academics
Highland offers associates degrees 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. An Associate of Engineering Science degree can be obtained with appropriate course choice and a minimum of 67 credit hours. 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 Registered Nurse or Licensed Practical Nurse degree. In recent years, nursing students have completed the NCLEX-RNboard exam with a 99% or above pass rate.
Athletics
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.
Students and faculty
The college is home to about 6,000 students and 190 faculty members, of which only 49 are full-time. Highland is technologically advanced, and it is one of the pioneers in Distance Learning Programming, in which a partnership between the college and Sauk Valley Community College exists.
Clubs and organizations
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 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.
