Harper College

Not to be confused with Harpur College.

For the former college in Kansas, see Harding University.

William Rainey Harper College is a public community college in Palatine, Illinois. It was established by referendum in 1965 and opened in September 1967. It is named for William Rainey Harper, a pioneer in the junior college movement in the United States and the first president of the University of Chicago.^[3]

Harper College

William Rainey Harper College
Type	Public community college
Established	1965; 60 years ago (1965)
Endowment	$25.4 million (2019)[1]
President	Avis Proctor
Academic staff	201 full-time and 437 part-time[2]
Administrative staff	810 full and part-time
Students	13,477 [2]
Location	Palatine , Illinois , United States 42.081°N 88.071°W / 42.081; -88.071
Campus	Suburban
Colors	Blue and Silver
Sporting affiliations	NJCAA Division III
Mascot	Hawk
Website	www.harpercollege.edu

Campus

Harper College's Performing Arts Center

The Avanté Center

Harper College has a 200-acre (80.9 ha) campus, approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of downtown Chicago, in the suburb of Palatine, Illinois.

Harper also offers classes and services at other locations:

• Harper College Learning and Career Center in Prospect Heights, Illinois
• The Harper Professional Center in Schaumburg, Illinois
• Harper College works in partnership with the Illinois Small Business Development Center (ISBDC), which is part of the Harper Professional Center in Schaumburg.
• Harper College works in partnership with the North Suburban Cook County American Job Center in Wheeling, Illinois^[4]

Service area

Harper College District 512 comprises these communities: Arlington Heights, Barrington, Barrington Hills, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Inverness, Lake Barrington, Mount Prospect, North Barrington, Palatine, Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows, Schaumburg, South Barrington, Tower Lakes, Wheeling and small portions of Buffalo Grove, Carpentersville, Deer Park, Des Plaines, Fox River Grove, Hanover Park and Roselle.^[5]

Athletics

Football

The football program was eliminated in January 2012.

• 2003 NJCAA Division III National Champions
• 2004 NJCAA Division III National Champions
• 2008 NJCAA Division III National Champions
• Notable coaches, John Eliasik^[6] (member of NJCAA and Region IV Halls-of-Fame) and Dragan Teonic (2008 National Champions).

Cross country

• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2011^[7]
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2012^[8]
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2013^[9]
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2014
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2015^[10]
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2016^[11]
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2017^[12]
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2018^[13]
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2023^[14]

Track and field

• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2005
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2006
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2007
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2008
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2009
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2011
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2012
• NJCAA National Division III Runners-Up 2013(M)
• NJCAA National Division III Runners-Up 2015(M)
• NJCAA National Division III Runners-Up 2017(W)
• NJCAA National Division III Champions 2023(W)

Wrestling

• Coach Dan Loprieno^[15] inducted in 2008 to the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame.
• NJCAA 2010 Wrestling Champions^[16]
• NJCAA Division III National Champions in 2006 and 2001. The 2006-07 team finished second in the nation, earned fifth consecutive district title and had 10 National qualifiers and seven All-Americans.

Women's basketball

• Julie Jestus, 2006 NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame^[15]

Women's volleyball

• NJCAA Division III National Champions 2016^[17]
• NJCAA Division III National Runners-Up 2017^[17]

Notable alumni

• Angelo Dawkins, WWE professional wrestler, One half of the tag team, The Street Profits.
• Quincy Black, linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers^[18]
• Curtis Blaydes (attended), professional Mixed Martial Artist, current UFC Heavyweight Contender^[19]
• Will Brooks, football player, MMA fighter for the PFL, formerly with the UFC and former Bellator MMA Lightweight Champion^[20]
• Mauro Fiore, class of 1984, cinematographer^[21] In 2010, Fiore won the Academy Award for Cinematography for "Avatar."^[22]
• Jason^[23] and Clay Guida,^[24] professional mixed martial arts fighters
• Dave Kingman, 1968, Major League Baseball Player - 440 Career Home Runs.
• Charlie Kirk, activist and talk show host (dropped out)^[25]
• E. E. Knight, class of 1985, science fiction and fantasy author^[26]
• Al Levine (born 1968), Major League Baseball pitcher
• John Loprieno, class of 1980:^[27] actor, writer, director^[28]
• Marlee Matlin,^[29] actress. In 1986 she won both the Academy Award for Best Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama for her role in Children of a Lesser God.^[30]
• Rosemary Mulligan, Illinois state legislator, class of 1982^[31]
• Steve Octavien, linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys
• Haley Reinhart, singer-songwriter and actress^[32]
• Mike Rio, junior college national wrestling champion at 149 lbs; current MMA fighter; formerly for the Ultimate Fighting Championship^[33]
• Christopher J. Schneider, professor of sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University.^{[34][35][36][37]}
• Rob Sherman (1953–2016), political activist, perennial candidate, and businessman