Community colleges originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, although there is debate about when and where they were established. According to the National Association of Scholars, Illinois' Joliet Junior College -- founded in 1901 -- is believed to be the first true community college in the United States. The advent of junior colleges like Joliet is attributed to William Rainy Harper who, at the time of Joliet's founding, was president of the University of Chicago. Harper lectured widely about the educational and social importance of junior colleges; he was thus largely responsible for increasing public support of the idea that such institutions could serve as extensions of secondary school by preparing students for college work. In 1901, there were about nine two-year junior colleges across the United States.
After World War I, enrollment grew rapidly at junior colleges. By 1920, enrollment in junior colleges had increased to the point where the American Association of Community Colleges was founded as a way to organize the various institutions throughout the nation. These institutions included high schools with two-year collegiate programs, women's colleges, military institutes, private junior colleges and technical institutes. Some schools received federal funding. Although enrollment in community colleges fell prior to World War II, there was another boon following the war; the G.I. Bill of 1944 helped support this trend.
In the 1950s, more community colleges started receiving public funding. Such funding contributed to the establishment of various state community colleges as public educational institutions. The State University of New York, for example, founded its first community college in 1951. The establishment of community colleges spread across the U.S. and, according to the National Association of Scholars, kept pace with a significant rise in enrollment through the 1960s and 1970s.
A large wave of immigration in the 1980s propelled expansion of community college programs. Programs developed to meet the needs of immigrant students with little formal education, particularly with regard to the development of language skills. Throughout the 1980s, community colleges also expanded to provide continuing education programs and services for adults, including education for skilled trades, technical occupations, and allied professions, as well as courses for both personal and corporate development.