Donations / Giving Morton College Foundation

Morton College is the second-oldest community college in Illinois and it was founded in 1924, halfway between the end of World War I and the start of the Great Depression.

The beginnings of community colleges in Illinois and the U.S. goes back to the early years of 20th Century and to the empathy and foresight of then-University of Chicago president William Rainey Harper. Two-year colleges existed long before the establishment of the first junior—or community—college. Teachers’ colleges and technical training schools have been around since the Civil War era, but Harper’s idea was different: junior colleges would offer the first two years of a university education. Students could continue to live and work in their own communities while pursuing higher education. The colleges would offer a traditional liberal arts curriculum and, by design, would lead students into a university and a four-year degree.

As a junior college—and then a community college–Morton responded not only to the needs of students pursuing higher education but to those who sought to learn new career skills. The college offers career and technical programs, Adult Basic Education and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, as well as Continuing and Community Education programs that serve students ranging from pre-school to senior citizens.

For the first half-century of its existence, classes met on the third floor of Morton East High School and in storefronts, churches, and other locations throughout Berwyn and Cicero. In the early 1970s, the college embarked on a fundraising campaign to build its own campus, and the new campus was dedicated on November 23, 1975, just one year after the college’s 50th anniversary.

Since then, the college acquired athletic fields and received a $5 million state grant in the early 2010s to build a new classroom wing, the first major expansion since the college was built.

More recently, the college finished a major remodel that provides students with a new one-stop center for registration, financial aid, advising, and student activities and support, along with brand spaces for tutoring and a student union, as well as meeting and study rooms.

As Morton College celebrates its 100th anniversary, College President Keith McLaughlin announced a new initiative to benefit students. Working together with the Morton College Foundation, the goal is to raise $100,000 for student scholarships. These Centennial Scholarships will be awarded in May 2025 and will benefit current and in-coming students.

Please join us in celebrating Morton’s 100th anniversary and in supporting its students.