Join Dr. Kristy Howell to learn about her research on the origins of JCCC and a discussion of creating community colleges in "white-flight" towns.  

In her dissertation, "OPEN DOORS AND CLOSED COMMUNITIES: CREATING COMMUNITY COLLEGES IN WHITE-FLIGHT TOWNS," Dr. Howell examines how the College of DuPage (CoD), in suburban DuPage County, Illinois, and Johnson County Community College (JCCC), in suburban Johnson County, Kansas, offer an interesting lens through which to examine topics of institutional history and culture, community relationships, and the leadership decisions of first presidents and their boards. The histories of CoD and JCCC, founded in restricted-residency, affluent, and rapidly expanding suburbs in the 1960s, also provide telling examples of campus/community interactions around the question of who could be a part of the community – and therefore the campus. Comparing these two campuses illustrates 1960s-era protests in the community colleges, describes how campus unrest occurred, and examines its management on nonresidential campuses.  

Find out more about the special exhibit, Redlined: Cities, Suburbs and Segregation Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center, a year-long deep dive into the history of redlining in Kansas City and practices that followed. You can learn more about the exhibit here.