Whereas the first public community college, known today as Joliet Junior College in Illinois, opened its doors to 6 students in 1901 as an experiment to accommodate those who wanted to pursue a college education without leaving their community; Whereas the term community college was popularized by the President’s Commission on Higher Education in 1947 in recognition of the community-centered nature of the emerging sector of institutions; Whereas local community and educational leaders throughout the Nation developed community colleges at a dramatic pace over several decades to instill civic pride and meet their people’s needs for educational and economic opportunity; Whereas, today, 1,038 community colleges, 932 public, 35 Tribal, and 71 independent, serve 10,200,000 credit and noncredit students; Whereas public community colleges are an affordable option, charging average annual tuition and fees for in-district students of $3,860, have an average student age of 27, and serve students who often are working, low income, parents, veterans, or the first in their family to go to college; Whereas community colleges are the primary educational institution serving workforce development needs in the United States, and are responding to current economic conditions by educating professionals in fields ranging from the semiconductor and construction industries to nursing and other health care professions; Whereas 49 percent of all students completing a bachelor’s degree at a 4-year college in 2016 had been enrolled at a 2-year public college in the previous decade; Whereas community college graduates typically reside close to their college, with 61 percent living within 50 miles of the campus they attended; Whereas 82 percent of public high schools offer dual enrollment programs allowing their students to take college classes, usually at their local community college, offering opportunity to save time and money in college and jumpstart career exploration