William Rainey Harper

A Message from the President

William Rainey Harper, the renowned scholar, teacher and administrator from whom we take our name, was an innovator - a man of vision to be sure. As first president of the University of Chicago more than a century ago, Dr. Harper was also first to champion the idea of the two-year college. What he conceived simply as a means of increasing access to college-level learning for all, would-in time-transform the face of higher education in America.

William Rainey Harper was the true father of the community college movement. We are proud to bear his name, proud to be among the 39 public two-year community college districts in Illinois that today serve more than 1,000,000 citizens statewide. But what we at Harper College are proudest of is our continuing ability to offer a wide array of programs, classes and services designed to meet the specific educational needs of the people we serve.

Whatever your goal-to earn credits toward a degree or certificate, upgrade your skills for a changing work environment, pursue a lifelong interest or cultivate an entirely new one-Harper College has a class for you. We offer a full range of credit and non-credit courses, career training opportunities and continuing education options for professional development and personal enrichment as well as academic transfer programs. Our faculty is among the best. And because, like William Rainey Harper himself, we believe that higher education should be accessible to all, we offer a flexible schedule of daytime, nighttime and weekend classes at our main campus and at several other sites conveniently located throughout our service area. The following pages contain information about hundreds of ways you can upgrade your knowledge, acquire new skills, broaden your outlook, improve your attitude, perhaps even change your life. I hope you will take time to look them over, then take advantage of the many opportunities we have to offer.

Come to Harper College and you are sure to discover that we share more than a name with William Rainey Harper. We share his commitment to helping students of all ages, experiences, backgrounds and desires achieve success in the college classroom...and beyond.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert L. Breuder
President