Campus Facilities

With the completion of the initial buildings, the Harper campus was opened to approximately 5,400 students in September, 1969. Additional facilities were needed in order to keep up with the increasing enrollment which eventually led to a complex of 18 informal contemporary buildings totaling 833,130 square feet nestled in the rolling terrain of 200 rural acres. On-time delivery of the buildings marked Harper as the first Illinois public community college to complete its entire Phase I project, which was formally dedicated on May 3, 1970.

Campus structures include a comprehensive library and Learning Resources Center; a science and technology laboratory and classroom complex; a lecture-demonstration center; a fine and applied arts complex; a vocational-technical center; a park management and greenhouse facility; a College Center for student-related activities; an administrative and data processing center; and a central utility facility serving the entire campus.

In 1975 the College opened an extension campus to provide additional classrooms. The Northeast Center moved to its current location in Prospect Heights in 1982.

Since the first phase of the campus was completed, additions to the science complex, fine arts wing, and central utility facility have been made. The Engineering and Applied Technology Center was completed in 1977, and the Wellness and Sports Center and the Business and Social Science Center were opened in 1980. In 1975 the College opened an extension campus to provide additional classrooms. The Northeast Center moved to its current location in Prospect Heights in 1982.

In 1990, a 784 square foot observatory was completed. Privately funded, the observatory houses a 12" diameter Newtonian reflecting telescope and can be used by school and community organizations.

The two additional facilities, the Marketing Services Center and the Liberal Arts Center, were completed in 1993 and 1994 respectively. The Marketing Services Center is the campus publication building, and the Liberal Arts Center houses the bookstore and Liberal Arts Division. Of special note in the Liberal Arts Center are the theatre and applied arts.

In 2002, the College opened two new facilities, the Performing Arts Center and the Instructional Conference Center, which was renamed the Wojcik Conference Center in honor of Illinois State Representative Kay Wojcik.

Also in 2002, construction began on the new Science, Emerging Technology and Health Careers Center after Harper College District voters passed an $88.8 million referendum.

A hub of the campus, the Student and Administration Center, provides a natural meeting place for students and faculty — and includes a lounge, food service facilities, various student activity offices and student services offices, community meeting rooms and provisions for almost any activity the multi-purpose design might embrace.

The informal layout of the campus was designed to have a “village street” atmosphere. The architectural concept uses scale and placement of buildings, multi-level plazas, picturesque pedestrian streets, “earthtone” building materials (brick, wood and concrete), and glass window walls to give a variety of interior and exterior views, producing a stimulating and pleasing environment for learning and working.

The structures are built into the natural contours of the land, with entrances on several levels. Panoramic vistas from several buildings embrace a small scenic lake to the north of the buildings, with a foot bridge connecting the campus to the parking lot on a hill across the lake.

The Harper campus is an exciting environment for learning, complete with the latest educational tools. Students, alumni and community residents find pride in a local campus which provides educational and cultural opportunities as well as a conference center for businesses and civic organizations.