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Harold Washington College is a
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 ...
, part of the
City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago is the public community college system of the Chicago area. Its colleges offer associate degrees, certificates, free courses for the GED, and free English as a second language (ESL) courses. The City Colleges system ...
system of the City of Chicago, in
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, United States. It is located in the downtown "Loop" area of the City, near the series of parks along the lakefront of
Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that ...
, centered at 30 East Lake Street. Founded in 1962 as Loop College, the college was renamed for the first
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...
to be elected
Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and ...
,
Harold Washington Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st Mayor of Chicago. Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city's mayor in April 1983. He served as ma ...
, (1922–1987), after his sudden death in office in November 1987.


History

Harold Washington College was dedicated to Mayor Washington's memory in a ceremony on April 19, 1988, five months after his passing. Elements of the City-Wide College were joined to the Harold Washington College when the former was closed in 1993. The Dawson Technical Institute was under the auspices of HWC from 1993 to 1995, at which point it became part of Kennedy-King College, another of the City Colleges of Chicago. From 1987 to 1993, one of its buildings by the El train (albeit with its sign still reading Loop College) was visible in the opening credits of the ABC sitcom '' Perfect Strangers''.


Mission

Harold Washington College is a learning-centered, urban institution of higher education offering accessible and affordable opportunities for academic advancement, career development and personal enrichment. The College is committed to upholding high institutional and academic standards and to understanding and improving student learning.


Programs

HWC as a
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 ...
offers two year "Associates" degrees in a wide variety of majors and provides transfer assistance to local four-year upper division colleges and universities. In 2005, it finished a series of substantial renovations with the help of a City bond initiative to be approved by the voters that was the first of its kind in support of a City Colleges institution. Harold Washington College was the only site in the City of Chicago for
taxicab A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choic ...
driver certification but now functions as the center of business, entrepreneurship and professional services for all of the
City Colleges of Chicago The City Colleges of Chicago is the public community college system of the Chicago area. Its colleges offer associate degrees, certificates, free courses for the GED, and free English as a second language (ESL) courses. The City Colleges system ...
.
" Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved on February 12, 2013.
Harold Washington College is also the Chicago site for the investment/financial firm
Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs () is an American multinational investment bank and financial services company. Founded in 1869, Goldman Sachs is headquartered at 200 West Street in Lower Manhattan, with regional headquarters in London, Warsaw, Bangalore, Hon ...
"10,000 Small Businesses" program, which provides Chicago area small business owners with greater access to business education, financial capital and business support services. In 2004, Harold Washington College established a '
Great Books A classic is a book accepted as being exemplary or particularly noteworthy. What makes a book "classic" is a concern that has occurred to various authors ranging from Italo Calvino to Mark Twain and the related questions of "Why Read the Cla ...
" program. The school also has an agreement with private institution,
Shimer College Shimer Great Books School (pronounced ) is a Great Books college that is part of North Central College in Naperville, Illinois. Prior to 2017, Shimer was an independent, accredited college on the south side of Chicago, with a history of being ...
, another "Great Books" curriculum college in Chicago, to allow Harold Washington students to take classes at Shimer while paying City Colleges level of tuition. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Harold Washington College is also approved by the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois State Board of Education. In 2013, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognized Harold Washington College's assessments of student learning outcomes, which have influenced course sequencing, pre-requisites, teaching strategies, faculty development and institutional policies, with the 2013 CHEA Award for Outstanding Institutional Practice in Student Learning Outcomes.
." Council for Higher Education. Retrieved on October 31, 2014.


Notable alumni

*
Minnie Riperton Minnie Julia Riperton Rudolph (November 8, 1947 – July 12, 1979) was an American singer-songwriter best known for her 1975 single " Lovin' You" and her four octave D3 to F7 coloratura soprano range. She is also widely known for her use ...
, attended Loop College for less than 21 days * Walid Shoebat * Darling Squire


References


External links


HWC website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington College, Harold City Colleges of Chicago Central Chicago Community colleges in Illinois Educational institutions established in 1962