Huntington Junior College

Huntington Junior College

Type	Privatefor-profitjunior college
Established	1936; 88 years ago(1936)
Accreditation	HLC
President	Frederic Fransen
Chief Academic Officer	James Bennett
Undergraduates	151 (fall 2022)
Location	Huntington , West Virginia , United States 38°25′11″N82°26′36″W / 38.419722°N 82.443333°W /38.419722; -82.443333
Campus	Carnegie Public Library Building(alternatively known as the former Cabell County Public Library building)
Website	www.hjc.edu

Huntington Junior College(HJC) is aprivatefor-profitjunior collegeinHuntington, West Virginia. It was founded in 1936 and its campus is currently located in the formerCabell County Public Librarybuilding. The college offers sixassociate degreeprograms^[1]as well as stackable certificates and micro-credentials. It isaccreditedby theHigher Learning Commission.^[2]

During the mid-1930s,Huntingtonresident Chester A. Riley Jr. identified the need for an institution to prepare the city's workforce for the skilled manufacturing and office positions that were available as a result of the area's economic growth.^[3]Riley and his wife, Peggy, established Huntington Junior College in 1936 in downtown Huntington.^[3][4][5]On its opening day, the college's faculty consisted of two teachers and its student population consisted of five secretarial students.^[3][4]Its initial curriculum consisted of courses inshorthand,typing, andbookkeeping.^[5]For its first two years in operation, HJC was located at 920 Fifth Avenue, above the present location of Jim's Steak & Spaghetti House.^[6]Chester A. Riley Jr., served as the college's president for over 60 years.^[5]

Around 1980, HJC relocated to the formerCabell County Public Librarybuilding in downtown Huntington at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street.^[5]The college renovated the library building to accommodate its academic programs while preserving the structure's historic integrity.^[5]On November 14, 1997, HJC wasaccreditedby theHigher Learning Commissionof theNorth Central Association of Colleges and Schools.^[7]HJC commemorated the 75th anniversary of its establishment on August 31, 2011.^[3]From its foundation in 1936 until 2011, more than approximately 5,200 people graduated from HJC.^[4]In September 2022, the college was re-accredited through the 2031–2032 school year by The Higher Learning Commission.^[8]The college was granted non-profit status in March 2023.^[9]

Carolyn Smith served as president and director of HJC^[10]until March 2022 when it was acquired by SensibleSchool, Inc.^[11]Frederic J. Fransen, the CEO of Certell, Inc. became president of HJC. Kiko Suarez was appointed Chief Academic Officer in June of that year.^[12]

According to theCarnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, HJC is classified as an "exclusively undergraduate two-year"associate's college.^[13]

HJC is accredited by theHigher Learning Commission.^[7][14][15]The college's Medical Assisting Program is accredited by theCommission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs.^[14][16]

As of March 2022^[update], Fred Fransen is the college's president. The college is also advised by a governing board consisting of community business and academic leaders.^[5]The Governing Board provides guidance on the college's curricula and general operations.^[5]

In the 2021–2022 academic year, HJC offered six associate degree programs in administrative technology,business management,dental assisting,medical assisting,medical coding, and substance use counseling.^[1]Most of these programs are offered throughhybrid learning.

HJC utilizes theacademic quartercalendar consisting of four three-month quarters of classes.^[3]

HJC has anopen admissionspolicy.^[15]

Full-time tuition during the 2021–2022 academic year was $10,050.^[17]In fall 2022, the college announced that it had frozen tuition for the third year in a row.^[18]The college has a 95% retention rate.

In 2019, HJC students had a student loan default rate of 6%,^[19]below the national average of 15.2% for similar schools.^[20]

Demographics of the student body ^[15]
(fall 2012)

Demographic	Percentage
American Indian or Alaska Native	1%
Asian	0%
Black or African American	11%
Hispanic/Latino	0%
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander	0%
White	82%
Two or more races	5%
Race/ethnicity unknown	1%
Non resident alien	0%

As of fall 2022, the student body totaled 151 students, according to theNational Center for Education Statistics. The college has 6 full-time total faculty and 5 part-time faculty and a student-to-faculty ratio of 18 to 1.^[15]According to fall 2021 data on undergraduate student age, 15% of the college's students were aged 24 and under and 85% of students were aged 25 and over.^[15]Regarding the residence of the school's undergraduate students, 80% of students were in-state and 20% of students were out-of-state.^[15]The majority (86%) of the students enrolled at HJC are enrolled indistance education, with 56% enrolled only in distance education, and 13% not enrolled in distance education.^[15]

HJC is located in the formerCabell County Public Librarybuilding in downtownHuntington.^[5]TheBeaux-Arts styleCarnegie librarybuilding was constructed between 1902 and 1903, with $35,000 of its funds donated byAndrew Carnegie.^[21]Cabell County Public Library vacated the building in 1980, after which, the edifice was listed on theNational Register of Historic Placeson April 3, 1980.^[22]

According to the United States Department of Education Institute of Education Sciences, HJC is classified as having a small city campus setting.^[15]There is no campus housing for the college's student population.^[15]

• List of colleges and universities in West Virginia
• List of junior colleges in the United States

• Official website