Welcome to Truman College. You've made an excellent choice!

Community colleges are the only uniquely American form of higher education. In fact, the first two-year college in the nation, Joliet Junior College, was founded in Illinois in 1901.Community colleges offer affordable, accessible higher education at a time when it's more important than ever to have a college degree. You'll pay a fifth as much per year as you would at a private two-year school and only a tenth of what you would at a private four-year college or university. The courses are not only the same, but through the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI), they transfer to most Illinois colleges and universities. In fact, Truman has transfer agreements and even bridge programs with several four-year schools, DePaul University and Northeastern Illinois University among them.

At Truman College, we are dedicated to your success. Our instructors are among the best in the city. All must have at least a master's degree to teach here; many hold doctorates. Several are artists, writers, and academicians whose work is well known outside Truman's walls. In addition to our faculty, the college offers a range of student support services, including a Student Success Institute, academic advising, career counseling, a tutoring center, an Office of Special Needs, a student and cultural club center and, o course, a Financial Aid Office. Each year, Truman College awards more than $6 million in state and federal scholarships, grants, and tax deferments.

Truman is always working to improve both its facilities and service. In March of 2008, we will begin construction on a new parking deck and Student Services Center, which will not only give us more than 1,100 clean, well-lighted parking spaces, but allow us to consolidate student services and open up more classroom space in the main building as well. We remain on the forefront of technology in Chicago by offering the new Studio Classroom model in which all students in a class are connected to the Internet via laptops. The model appeals to visual, auditory, and tactile learning styles, bestows critical computer skills, and encourages working in groups.

Finally, by choosing Truman you have chosen a college dedicated to diversity and service. Our students come from more than 144 countries and speak more than 56 languages, a fact we celebrate throughout the year with academic programs and cultural events. All the City Colleges of Chicago are dedicated to the philosophy of Service Excellence, that we provide a clean, safe environment and accurate information and that we treat students with courtesy and respect.

We are, after all, here to ensure that you succeed ... in college and for many years afterward.

President Lynn M. Walker
Truman College