Lane Community College was founded on October 19, 1964, when the voters of Lane County approved the formation of the college. The college was a successor to the Eugene Technical-Vocational School that was founded in 1938. The founding of Lane was the culmination of efforts on both the state and local levels to establish community colleges in Oregon based on the concept of comprehensive community colleges which offered vocational training, college transfer courses and adult education.

The first Board of Directors (later renamed the Lane Community College Board of Education) met on November 4, 1964, to begin the task of establishing a college. The first president was Dale Parnell, former principal of Springfield High School and superintendent of Lane Intermediate Education District. The first classes were held on September 20, 1965, at facilities at 200 North Monroe in Eugene. The main campus, located on East 30th Avenue in Eugene, opened for classes in the fall of 1968.

A narrative history of the college can be found at: Lane Community College Narrative History