LLCC History

The family of students, faculty and staff known as Lincoln Land Community College (LLCC) began as an idea from visionaries who opened the doors of the college on September 23, 1968. The founding members of the LLCC Board of Trustees, administrators and faculty, along with local citizens, built a legacy upon which we continue to grow today.

Those visionaries, who were primarily farmers, took advantage of the Public Community College Act of 1965 to provide high-quality, accessible and cost-effective educational opportunities in the central Illinois area. The founding president, two administrators and seven trustees recruited a team of fewer than 30 faculty and staff members to a temporary facility on the southern edge of Springfield. About 850 students registered for the college's first class offerings. Those first students were offered a choice of 13 EDP courses at a time when electronic data processing was on the cutting edge of career choices. Those students also were offered 115 courses under the umbrella of Arts and Sciences and an additional group of 103 subjects labeled Vocational and Technical courses.

By the time Lincoln Land Community College moved to its current main campus site at 5250 Shepherd Road in 1974, the college had truly earned the reputation of being the "community's college" for District 526. The district comprises all or part of 15 counties in central and central southern Illinois and covers 4,115 square miles. Classes are offered during days, evenings and weekends on the main campus, at the regional centers and the Springfield East Campus, Aviation Center and Capital City Training Center in Springfield.

In order to bring the courses to the students, regional education centers throughout the district offer convenient access to a variety of courses and services.

LLCC partners with other institutions of higher education in the Illinois Virtual Campus, an online clearinghouse of courses leading to degree completion from which LLCC students can choose.