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In the mid 1960’s, the landscape of Illinois higher education was about to change forever. The passage of the state’s landmark Comprehensive Community College Act on July 15, 1965, triggered the development of new institutions across Illinois, including Waubonsee Community College.
Waubonsee was established from this wave in August 1966, when the electorate of 12 school districts voted to establish Community College District 516. As Waubonsee first opened its doors on the Sugar Grove Campus, a 17-year-old Morton East High School senior named Bill Marzano, now Dr. Marzano, was enrolled in dual-credit courses at Morton Junior College (known today as Morton College) in Cicero, Illinois.
As Waubonsee prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary this fall, Dr. Marzano reflects on his six-decade journey in Illinois community colleges. His journey serves as a living testament to how community colleges transform lives.
"The community college is the greatest innovation in higher education in the last 100+ years," said Dr. Marzano. "It had a profound impact on my life, and it continues to do that for countless others every single day. That is the paramount message as we celebrate Waubonsee’s 60th year: community college is a special institution which transforms lives."
Dr. Marzano’s journey commenced on the third floor of the Morton High School East building, which shared space with Morton Junior College (MJC), where he studied college algebra and trigonometry. The following fall, he enrolled as a full-time student at MJC. Growing up in an Italian immigrant family which greatly valued higher education and having “chalk in the blood” (his father was a teacher), he planned to attend MJC then transfer to Northern Illinois University with the goal of becoming a high school social studies teacher.
But transformations lay ahead. “Morton Junior College catalyzed my growth from adolescence to adulthood,” said Dr. Marzano. “The highly competent faculty inspired me to work hard in every course. They treated us as adults. I admired them and wanted to be like them.” This very positive experience as a community college student caused him to change his goal to become a community college psychology instructor.
Finally, a unique and impactful event would end his experience at MJC. At the May 1969 graduation, Dr. Marzano listened to the commencement speaker unaware of his own success and accomplishments. “I wondered who they were talking about. It turned out to be me—I was the valedictorian!” said Dr. Marzano. “That recognition set the bar for the rest of my life and instilled a permanent commitment to excellence.”
Marzano continued his education at Northern Illinois University (where he met his future wife Mary), earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1971 with the help of an academic scholarship. Knowing he needed a master's degree to teach at the community college level, he immediately applied to graduate school. He was awarded a full university fellowship at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he completed his Master’s degree in Educational Psychology in 1973.
Now qualified to teach, he applied for full-time faculty positions and was very fortunate to be hired at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Illinois. For the next 10+ years, he was fully immersed as a faculty member: teaching, creating new courses, mentoring students, and serving on committees. Very positive mentoring and support from his Dean, Dr. Hans A. Andrews, influenced Dr. Marzano to choose community college administration for a future career. To that end, and with the assistance of a sabbatical leave, he enrolled in a doctoral program at Illinois State University and completed an Ed. D. in Post-secondary Curriculum and Instruction in 1984.
But that next career move did not happen. With his father having passed earlier in 1984, Dr. Marzano and his family wanted to return to the Chicago suburbs to be closer to their families. A unique opportunity was presented by his father-in-law, Mr. John F. Hudetz, who invited him to join his now rapidly growing printing company in Naperville. Over the next 15 years, Marzano utilized his psychology and teaching background to first manage the company’s human resources department and then its corporate training function. Over those years, he helped scale the business from 100 employees to a global operation with more than 600 employees across four American plants and one European location. There, he learned how to be a “business partner” with community colleges, utilizing educational and training resources both from the College of DuPage and Waubonsee.
Drawn back to his true passion for higher education, Dr. Marzano joined Waubonsee Community College in August 2000 as the institution’s first Associate Dean for Continuing Education. Over the next 15 years, Dr. Marzano became a cornerstone of Waubonsee’s administrative team, serving in three dean positions and two assistant vice president roles. Among his many contributions, Dr. Marzano is especially proud of the College’s partnership with the then Dunham Foundation, securing their very first grant to establish Waubonsee’s early college, dual-credit program with Aurora East and West High Schools. Upon his formal retirement in December, 2015, The Dunham Fund contributed $50,000 for an endowed scholarship in Dr. Bill and Mary Marzano names for Waubonsee students pursuing teaching careers. Dr. Marzano shares that this great act of generosity by the Dunham Fund still brings tears to his eyes.
Recently, Dr. Marzano answered the call to serve as an interim, part-time administrator during college division-level transitions. He continues to write articles, mentor staff, and advocate for institutional excellence. Dr. Marzano says, “I am so blessed and fulfilled to have this unique opportunity to serve.” As Waubonsee President Dr. Brian Knetl proclaims, ‘We are all here to help our students succeed and our communities thrive.’ I’m glad I can continue contributing to Illinois community colleges, which have so significantly transformed my life.”
Dr. Marzano’s story reflects the millions of lives changed by the community college system over the last century. Founded in August 1966, Waubonsee has served as a vital economic and educational driver for District 516 for six decades. Supporting one out of every 60 local jobs, Waubonsee generates a $285.1 million regional impact, surpassing the region’s entire arts, entertainment, and recreation industries. To date, 46,193 people have graduated from Waubonsee since the college was established, earning 26,132 certificates and 32,621 degrees.
In honor of six decades of institutional excellence, Waubonsee is hosting a series of anniversary events and community activities. The celebration officially kicks off with the family-friendly “Back-to-School, Back-to-Cool!” 60th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, August 22, 2026, from 4 to 8 p.m. on the Sugar Grove Campus. This event marks the exact historic date of the very first Waubonsee Community College Board of Trustees meeting, held on August 22, 1966. For event details and ongoing anniversary updates, visit waubonsee.edu/60.
Above: Dr. Bill Marzano, Interim Assistant Dean, stands with his Morton College diploma. A proud community college graduate, Dr. Marzano has dedicated six decades of his career to community college leadership—a remarkable milestone as Waubonsee Community College prepares for its 60th Anniversary.
