Phd Universities

There over 100 junior colleges in over 70 districts in the California junior college system which was created in 1967 by the California legislature. Commensurate with the size of California which as a single US state has a larger GDP than most countries, the California junior college system is the largest higher education system in the entire world with total enrollments approaching 2.5 million annually.

The central offices for the California junior college system are located in Sacramento. It's is charge with allocating state funding, providing technical assistance, and leadership to all the junior colleges spread through the state of California. Along with the University of California which is geared toward research and the California State University which is more geared to teaching, they comprised the California higher education system.

The Board of Governors sets the policies and guidelines for the entire California Junior College system in accordance with state laws. The Board of Governors consists of 17 members representing diverse interests such as the student body, the faculty, and the public. The 17 member of the Board of Governors are selected by the Governor of California in accordance with the California code. In addition to state laws, the Board of Governors is regulated by the Education Code which aims to provide the maximum degree of local authority and control to the community colleges without creating mass chaos throughout the California junior college system. In the 1970s a consultation council was formed to ensure the Board of Governors and the Chancellor's office were working in cooperation towards common goals for the California junior college system.

As far back as 1907, the California legislature had the foresight to see the benefits of providing education beyond high school but also realized the state college and university system would not be able to handle the extra load. As such, the California legislature granted authorization to high schools to offer courses of study similar what was offered at California's traditional 4 year colleges and universities.

The Junior College Act passed a vote in 1917 and the postsecondary education mission was increased by adding more courses of study. By 1930 there were 38 California junior colleges. In the 1940's the GI Bill drastically increased the number of students and by 1950 there were 50 California junior colleges. With continued growth, nearly 60 junior college districts existed by 1960 and classes for nearly half of those districts were held in building specifically build to teach junior college students as the state moved away from using existing high schools.

The turning point came in 1960 when a master plan was hatched to restrict enrollments at California's 4 year universities while still enabling every citizen who wanted to pursue higher education the opportunity to do so. The role of California junior colleges was to fill that gap and provide educational opportunities to all qualified students. Despite it's size, the California junior college system has the lowest enrollment fees in the nation.