Richard J. Daley College is located on the Southwest Side of Chicago and operates a satellite campus, Arturo Velasquez Institute. Daley was first established as William J. Bogan Junior College in 1960 and changed to Southwest College in 1970. Several months after the death of Chicago mayor Richard J.Daley in December 1976, the school was renamed in his honor. The four-level building on Daley's campus opened in 1981.
In October 2012, Daley earned the distinction of being the City Colleges' College to Careers (C2C) hub for advanced manufacturing programs. Through C2C, the college worked with industry leaders to help align the curriculum with new industry standards and ensure students received hands-on training needed to succeed on the job. Daley was recognized by the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council for being a key partner in improving manufacturing education and workforce development. Daley's manufacturing program also earned the National Institute of Metalworking Skills accreditation.
To enhance its manufacturing program, Daley opened its Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Center (MTEC) in January 2019. The 57,000-square foot facility is equipped to prepare students for careers in engineering and advanced manufacturing, industries that are expected to bring more than 50,000 jobs to the region over the next 10 years.
Athletics plays an instrumental role at Daley, which is a member of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) and offers intercollegiate competion in men's basketball, women's basketball men's soccer and women's soccer. Since 2011-12, 18 Daley student-athletes have received All-Region IV honors (7 men's basketball, 6 men's soccer, 3 women's basketball 2 women's soccer) and 14 have garnered the NJCAA Academic Award. Former men's basketball standout Diante Watkins became the school's first All-American in 2009-10 and was inducted into the NJCAA Region IV Hall of Fame in 2014.