Harry S Truman College or Truman College, formerly called Mayfair College, is a part of

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 sys ...

. It offers multiple 2-year associate degrees, as well as occupational training in a number of fields. Located at 1145 West Wilson Avenue in the Uptown

neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...

, the school was named in honor of

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

, 33rd

U.S. President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

and a proponent of public colleges and universities. Truman is the largest of the City Colleges of Chicago with a yearly enrollment of over 23,000 students, and has the largest English as a second language and GED program in Illinois.

History

Amundsen High School hosted a night school offering two-year college programming for the North Side of Chicago in 1956. This was the result of community outcry for a two-year college for the economically ailing community areas north of downtown Chicago. Interested in a more permanent situation for the program, community leaders acquired a former elementary school campus in 1961 and enrolled 4,000 students in day and night classes. Further growth led to the construction of its present campus on West Wilson Avenue, opening its doors in 1976, naming the school after U.S. President Truman. In 2014, Truman College was named

's hub for education, human and natural sciences. The designation makes Truman College the final City College to have a College to Careers focus. College to Careers is an initiative to partner the colleges with industry leaders in high-growth fields to address the skills gap in Chicago's workforce. The city of Chicago expects nearly 40,000 job openings in education in the Chicago area over the next decade. This includes positions in child development and teaching subjects including foreign languages, special education, math and sciences.

Accreditation

Harry S Truman College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and approved by the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Office of Education Department of Adult, Vocational, and Technical Education. 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, Iowa ...

of 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 ...

, Truman College is also approved by the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Illinois State Board of Education. Truman'
Nursing Program
is accredited by th
State of Illinois, Department of Professional Regulation
and the

National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission The National League for Nursing (NLN) is a national organization for faculty nurses and leaders in nurse education. It offers faculty development, networking opportunities, testing services, nursing research grants, and public policy initiativ ...

. Th
Automotive Technology Program
is accredited by th
National Automotive Technicians' Education Foundation, Inc./Automotive Service Excellence (NATEF)
Th
Cosmetology
program is accredited by th
State of Illinois, Department of Professional Regulation
Th
Social Science Child Development Program
has receive
NAEYC Early Childhood Associate Degree Accreditation.
Truman College offers credit classes towards the

Associate's degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree. ...

: Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Arts in Teaching, and Associate in Fine Arts. The school also hosts adult education programs,

English as a Second Language English as a second or foreign language refers to the use of English by individuals whose native language is different, commonly among students learning to speak and write English. Variably known as English as a foreign language (EFL), Engli ...

curriculum, as well as the General Educational Development program towards the equivalent of a high school diploma.

Continuing Education Continuing education is the education undertaken after initial education for either personal or professional reasons. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. Recognized forms of post-secondary learning activities within the d ...

courses for professionals are offered at Truman College.

Academics

Harry S Truman College offers many associate degree programs for students seeking direct entry into a career and those seeking to transfer to a school offering a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

. Many vocational certificates are also offered.

Northeastern Illinois University partnership

In response to the shortage of math and science teachers in Illinois, Truman College partnered with

Northeastern Illinois University Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) is a public university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. NEIU serves approximately 5,000 students in the region and is both a federally designated Hispanic-serving institution and Asian American and Nat ...

to offer the opportunity of studying towards an Associate of Arts in a teacher preparation program on the Truman College campus.

Pop culture

Truman College was featured in the 2002 Academy Award nominated

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film, ''

My Big Fat Greek Wedding ''My Big Fat Greek Wedding'' is a 2002 romantic comedy film directed by Joel Zwick and written by Nia Vardalos. The film stars Vardalos, John Corbett, Lainie Kazan, Michael Constantine, Gia Carides, Louis Mandylor, Andrea Martin, and Joey Faton ...

'' written by and starring Nia Vardalos, but the scene was not filmed there. In Season 1 of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

television drama '' Chicago Fire'', Leon Cruz (played by Jeff Lima) enrolls at Truman College. In Tracy Letts' play " Superior Donuts" the character Franco attends Truman College.

Notes

External links

Truman College homepage

Truman College Library homepage

Google Maps – get directions
{{authority control Universities and colleges established in 1956 City Colleges of Chicago Community colleges in Illinois 1956 establishments in Illinois Two-year colleges in the United States Universities and colleges in Chicago