William Rainey Harper College 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 sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

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 s ...

Palatine, Illinois Palatine () is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a northwestern residential suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 67,908. As of the 2010 Census, it was the seventh-largest community in Cook Coun ...

. It was established by

referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a Representative democr ...

in 1965 and opened in September 1967. It is named for

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 ...

, a pioneer in the junior college movement in the United States and the first 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 ...

Campus

Location

Performing Arts Center tower - Harper College

Harper College has a campus, approximately northwest of downtown Chicago, in the suburb of

. Harper also offers classes and services at other locations: * Harper College Learning and Career Center in

Prospect Heights, Illinois Prospect Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States and is a suburb of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 16,058. Geography According to the 2021 census gazetteer files, Prospect Heights has a total area of , of whi ...

* The Harper Professional Center in

Schaumburg, Illinois Schaumburg ( ) is a village mostly in Cook County and partly in DuPage County in northeastern Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 Census, the population was 78,723. Schaumburg is around northwest of the Chicago Loop and northwest of O'Har ...

* Harper College works in partnership with the Illinois Small Business Development Center (ISBDC), which is part of the Harper Professional Center in Schaumburg. * Harper College works in partnership with the North Suburban Cook County American Job Center in

Wheeling, Illinois Wheeling is a village in Cook and Lake counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it is primarily in Cook County, approximately northwest of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 39,137. Wheeling is named f ...

Architecture

The campus was designed to have an informal layout. The architectural concept uses scale and placement of buildings, multilevel plazas, brick, wood and concrete building materials and glass window walls to give a variety of interior and exterior views. The structures are built into the natural contours of the land, with entrances on several levels. The Avanté Center for Science, Health Careers and Emerging Technologies covers more than of learning space including 35 laboratories, nine lecture halls, a nursing lab, and a working dental clinic. According to the architects Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum Inc. (HOK), Avanté incorporates energy-saving elements using a holistic approach.

Academics

Harper College offers more than 50 transfer options, allowing students to earn an associate degree before transferring to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor's degree. The college also offers more than 40 career programs which grant an associate degree or certificate and provide the skills necessary to enter the workforce. These programs range in length from sixteen weeks to two years. All courses, educational programs, counseling services, and distance learning programs are accredited by the

Higher Learning Commission The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an institutional accreditor in the United States. It has historically accredited post-secondary education institutions in the central United States: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Io ...

. The college is also home to an award-winning Speech & Debate team. In the past 16 years, the team has won the Illinois Intercollegiate Speech and Debate Tournament on 7 occasions. Harper offers 15 Study Abroad programs spread amongst Central America, Europe, and Asia. A few programs (3) are directly administered by the College; on the other hand, most are in conjunction with the Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs (ICISP).

Service area

Harper College District 512 comprises these communities: Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Lake Barrington, Mount Prospect, North Barrington, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows,

Schaumburg Schaumburg is a district (''Landkreis'') of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is bounded by (clockwise from the north) the districts of Nienburg, Hanover and Hamelin-Pyrmont, and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (districts of Lippe and Minden-Lüb ...

, South Barrington, Tower Lakes, Wheeling and small portions of Buffalo Grove, Carpentersville, Deer Park, Des Plaines, Fox River Grove, Hanover Park and Roselle.

College sports

Football

The football program was eliminated in January 2012. * 2003 NJCAA Division III National Champions * 2004 NJCAA Division III National Champions * 2008 NJCAA Division III National Champions * Notable coaches, John Eliasik (member of NJCAA and Region IV Halls-of-Fame) and Dragan Teonic (2008 National Champions).

Cross country

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 ...

National Division III Champions 2011 *

National Division III Champions 2012 *

National Division III Champions 2013 *

National Division III Champions 2014 *

National Division III Champions 2015 *

National Division III Champions 2016 *

National Division III Champions 2017 *

National Division III Champions 2018

Track and field

National Division III Champions 2005 *

National Division III Champions 2006 *

National Division III Champions 2007 *

National Division III Champions 2008 *

National Division III Champions 2009 *

National Division III Champions 2011 *

National Division III Champions 2012 *

National Division III Runners-Up 2013

Wrestling

*Coach Dan Loprieno inducted in 2008 to the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame. *NJCAA 2010 Wrestling Champions *NJCAA Division III National Champions in 2006 and 2001. The 2006-07 team finished second in the nation, earned fifth consecutive district title and had 10 National qualifiers and seven All-Americans.

Women's basketball

*Julie Jestus, 2006 NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame

Women's volleyball

*NJCAA Division III National Champions 2016http://www.harperhawks.net *NJCAA Division III National Runners-Up 2017

Notable alumni

* Angelo Dawkins, WWE professional wrestler, One half of the tag team, The Street Profits. * Quincy Black, linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers *

Curtis Blaydes Curtis Lionell Blaydes (born February 18, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2014, Blaydes formerly competed ...

(attended), professional

Mixed Martial Artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, current UFC Heavyweight Contender *

Will Brooks Willie Love Brooks (born October 8, 1986) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional competitor since 2011, he is the former Bellator MMA Lightweight World Champion, and has also competed for DRE ...

, football player,

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

fighter for the PFL, formerly with the UFC and former

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...

Lightweight Champion *

Mauro Fiore Mauro Fiore (born November 15, 1964) is an Italian-American cinematographer. He was born in Marzi, Calabria and moved to the US with his family in 1971. He attended Palatine High School in Palatine, Illinois, and graduated in 1982. He started o ...

, class of 1984,

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...

In 2010, Fiore won the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Cinematography for "Avatar." *

Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...

and Clay Guida, professional

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

fighters *

Dave Kingman David Arthur Kingman (born December 21, 1948), nicknamed "Kong," "King Kong," and "Sky King", is a former Major League Baseball left fielder, first baseman, third baseman, and designated hitter who was a three-time MLB All-Star with 442 caree ...

, 1968, Major League Baseball Player - 440 Career Home Runs. *

Charlie Kirk Charles J. Kirk (born 1993) is an American conservative activist and radio talk show host. He founded Turning Point USA with Bill Montgomery in 2012, and has served as its executive director since. He is the CEO of Turning Point Action, Stud ...

, 2015, activist and talk show host (attended) * E. E. Knight, class of 1985,

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

and

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

author *

Al Levine Alan Brian Levine (born May 22, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who pitched 234 games in the minor leagues, and 416 games in the major leagues. Early and personal life Levine, who is Jewish, was born in Park Ri ...

(born 1968), Major League Baseball pitcher *

John Loprieno John A. Loprieno (born October 7, 1960) is an American actor and writer. He has appeared on the soap operas ''Search for Tomorrow'' and ''As the World Turns'', but is perhaps best known for his role as Cord Roberts on the ABC soap opera ''One Lif ...

, class of 1980: actor, writer, director *

Marlee Matlin Marlee Beth Matlin (born August 24, 1965) is an American actress, author, and activist. She is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, in addition to nominations for a ...

, actress. In 1986 she won both the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

and the

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...

for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in '' Children of a Lesser God''. * Rosemary Mulligan, Illinois state legislator, class of 1982 * Steve Octavien, linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys *

Haley Reinhart Haley Elizabeth Reinhart (born September 9, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter and actress from Wheeling, Illinois. She first rose to prominence after placing third in the American Idol (season 10), 10th season of ''American Idol''. In July ...

, singer-songwriter and actress * Mike Rio, junior college national wrestling champion at 149 lbs; current

fighter; formerly for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Christopher J. Schneider Christopher J. Schneider (born April 16, 1979) is an American sociologist and professor of sociology at Brandon University.Christopher J. SchneiderArts Profile Brandon University. Retrieved July 8, 2016. Educational background Schneider received ...

, professor of sociology at

Wilfrid Laurier University Wilfrid Laurier University (commonly referred to as WLU or simply Laurier) is a public university in Ontario, Canada, with campuses in Waterloo, Brantford and Milton. The newer Brantford and Milton campuses are not considered satellite campuses ...

. * Rob Sherman (1953–2016), political activist, perennial candidate, and businessman

References

External links

*
Harper College Athletics
{{authority control Community colleges in Illinois Palatine, Illinois Universities and colleges in Cook County, Illinois Educational institutions established in 1965 1965 establishments in Illinois NJCAA athletics