Harper College had a broad appeal from the start. For the fall of 1967, enrollment
reached 1700, and doubled that the following year. By the time the campus opened,
enrollment had swelled to 5400 students. This was an impressive achievement, as previous
studies had estimated that the college would take until 1975 to attract the same number
of applicants that it did in 1968. Many people who enrolled at Harper College were
adult learners pursuing higher education for the first time, and a low tuition rate
of $8 per semester hour also helped make the college more appealing to prospective
students. Courses were offered in a variety of subjects, including data processing,
mechanical design, accounting, nursing, and child care, marketing, and law enforcement.
Students enrolling at Harper College had a wealth of knowledge available to them as
they pursued their academic careers. The college attracted over 100 full time and
part time educators, many with several additional hours of study in their field. In
addition to the outstanding faculty, students had access to a huge counseling staff,
and a library with over 10,000 volumes. Small wonder, then that the college’s first
graduating class, nearly evenly divided between men and women, earned a combined 114
associates degrees.
In addition to academics, the college quickly began an intramural sports program that
originally consisted of four sports (baseball, basketball, track and golf), with plans
to add programs in wrestling, football, indoor track, and swimming). At the time the
college’s sports programs began, there were an estimated 1,247 students participating.