Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges

History of the Commission

From the inception of community colleges in 1963 through the early 1970s, the community college presidents served as a Presidents Council under the Secretary of Education.

In the early 1970s, the presidents organized the Commission to give them a collective voice outside the Department of Education, especially regarding financing and operation. A few years later, the Commission became an affiliate of the Pennsylvania Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU).

Around the same time, the Pennsylvania Federation of Community College Trustees (PFCCT) was established to give those who govern the community colleges a voice in Harrisburg. The main purpose of both the Commission and the PFCCT was to advocate the collective needs of community colleges at the state level.

The organizations merged in 1994 to become the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges. The Commission continues to represent the collective interests of the colleges and the nearly 400,000 Pennsylvania residents who annually avail themselves of the educational and cultural opportunities provided by the 14 community colleges.

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Featured Member College

Community College of Allegheny County
With an annual enrollment of about 80,000 credit and noncredit students, the Community College of Allegheny College (CCAC) is the largest provider of educational services in western Pennsylvania. To meet the workforce needs of the region and the educational goals of its citizens, CCAC offers more than 170 academic programs and a host of professional development, public safety, community services and community education courses for lifelong learning.

Click here to learn more.

Focus! Student Stories Issue

Pennsylvania community colleges responded to record joblessness with tuition waivers for local unemployed workers. 3,100 Pennsylvanians have received workforce training or vocational education since the Spring 2009 semester under this program.