This Promise is their dream about the role Illinois community colleges should play in building a strong future for the state and its residents. The pledges and actions are neither prescriptions nor mandates but, rather, a vision of how the colleges will serve Illinois. The manner in which each college embraces the vision will be unique depending upon the needs of the communities and people each college serves. In 1965, the Illinois General Assembly established the Illinois Community College Board to create a system of public community colleges that would be within easy reach of every resident. Community colleges serve more than one million Illinois residents each year in credit and noncredit courses and many more through their public service programs.
Community colleges are similar to each other and yet each college is unique.
While this may appear to be a contradiction, it is not. Illinois community colleges share a common mission. They prepare people for college, for transfer to other colleges or universities, and for good paying jobs that demand high skills. Community colleges also provide adult, literacy, and continuing education and services. What makes each college unique is how the college responds to the communities it serves.