"Community Colleges--initially known as junior colleges--are institutions of higher education whose history can be traced to American roots in contrast to the European traditions associated with four-year colleges and universities in this country. The first junior college can be attributed to the ideas of William Rainey Harper, president of the University of Chicago, and J. Stanley Brown, principal of the public high school in Joliet, Illinois. Harper believed the first two years of college could be provided by secondary schools and that the universities should concentrate on the junior and senior years. Inspired by Harper, Brown created Joliet Junior College in 1902 by adding a fifth and sixth year of courses to the high school curriculum. Joliet Junior College is the oldest continuously operating public two-year college. From the very beginning, the primary mission of junior colleges was to provide access to higher education for students who otherwise would have been denied the opportunity (A Policy Analysis of Community College Funding in Texas, Don. C. Hudson, 2008)."
The Texas Association of Community Colleges was formally organized in 1947 with its core value firmly centered around improving educational opportunities within Texas community colleges. The organization, earlier known as Texas Public Community/Junior College Association, was created in 1924 by community college deans and presidents.
Today, it has evolved into a comprehensive association focused on facilitating communication between participating colleges and institutions, lobbying for favorable legislation, and providing important information about the current status of community and junior colleges within Texas.
TACC builds and maintains relationships with legislators to promote its primary mission of advocacy.