Rock Valley College (RVC), located in Rockford, Illinois, is one of 48 two-year, open-admission colleges of the Illinois Community College System (ICCS), organized under the Illinois Public Community College Act. RVC’s district comprises Winnebago County and Boone County and parts of Stephenson County, Ogle County, McHenry County and DeKalb County counties. Since opening for classes in 1965, RVC has grown to an institution of 140 faculty members, 500 part-time lecturers and more than 10,000 students. Rock Valley College was founded in 1964 to allow students from the region in and around Rockford Public School District No. 205 the opportunity to receive post-secondary education similar to university curriculum. RVC’s district comprises all of Winnebago and Boone County and parts of Stephenson, Ogle, McHenry and DeKalb counties. Authorized by the Illinois General Assembly and signed by Illinois Governor Otto Kerner, Jr. in 1961, legislation was enacted that created the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE). The IBHE was tasked by statute with formulating a Master Plan for Higher Education in the state of Illinois.