Suburban Chicago college changing its name as it starts a new semester

DES PLAINES, Ill. - A northwest suburban two-year college is changing its name as it starts a new semester.

Effective Jan. 17, Oakton Community College will be known as Oakton College. Faculty and staff celebrated the transition this week at an event on its Des Plaines campus.

College leaders say the change better encompasses the impact of an Oakton education.

"Oakton recently celebrated our 50th anniversary and as we look to the next 50 years and beyond, we really felt like this was an opportunity for us to reintroduce ourselves to the community, reminding everyone of the relevance of the life-changing educational opportunities we offer here at Oakton," said Joianne Smith, Oakton College President.

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Oakton College has campuses in Des Plaines and Skokie, and has served north suburban Cook County since 1969.