William Rainey Harper College is a comprehensive community college in Palatine, Illinois. The college was established by referendum in 1965 and opened in September 1967. It is named for Dr. William Rainey Harper, a pioneer in the junior college movement in the United States and the first president of the University of Chicago. The current president is Dr. Kenneth Ender. Harper College has a 200-acre (0.81 km) campus approximately 25 miles (40 km) northwest of downtown Chicago, Illinois in the suburb of Palatine. Harper also offers classes and services at other locations within District 512: The campus was designed to have an informal layout. The architectural concept uses scale and placement of buildings, multilevel plazas, brick, wood and concrete building materials and glass window walls to give a variety of interior and exterior views. The structures are built into the natural contours of the land, with entrances on several levels. The Avanté Center for Science, Health Careers and Emerging Technologies covers more than 6 acres (24,000 m) of learning space including 35 laboratories, nine lecture halls, a nursing lab, and a working dental clinic.