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 “We need to remodel education,” said James
Applegate, Ph.D., executive director of the Illinois Board of Higher
Education. Achievement gaps are growing for low income and minority
students, and 70% of college students are balancing jobs and
families, yet the system doesn’t effectively support these students,
he said. “Remodeling education isn’t about heroes and miracles,”
said Applegate, “it’s about us.”
The primary theme of the conference this year
focused on using collective impact—truly collaborative
efforts among communities, local government, non-profits and state
agencies—to advance towards Goal 2025. Keynote Nancy Zimpher, Ph.D.,
chancellor of the State University of New York, focused much of her
presentation on her work with
StriveTogether, a national network that
utilizes a collective impact approach to
help support education from cradle to career.
Zimpher, Applegate,
and a panel of business and government experts highlighted the
importance of partnerships between business and educational
institutions that build education to career pathways and align
academic content with real world applications. These partnerships
also provide opportunities for applied learning and work experience
during college, which may increase persistence in college, and lead
to higher employment rates post-college.
Other conference topics included, among others,
sessions on STEM learning exchanges, innovative ways to improve
college and career readiness, and the impact of afterschool programs
on truancy and college readiness. See the full conference agenda
here.
The conference, sponsored by ISAC, is a
collaborative effort in itself. ISAC, the
Office of the Lieutenant Governor, Illinois Board of Higher
Education, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois State Board of
Education, Women Employed, Illinois College Access Network,
Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities, Voices
for Illinois Children, and Advance Illinois work together each year
to produce the important event.
ISAC executive director Eric Zarnikow presented
the College Changes Everything™ champion award to former state
senator Miguel del Valle, recognizing del Valle for his decades of
work as a champion for education and for the disenfranchised in the
state. Del Valle, who served in the Illinois General Assembly for
twenty years and also as Chicago city clerk, is now the chair of the
Illinois P-20 Council and vice-chair of the Illinois Student
Assistance Commission, among his many roles.
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“While Illinois does face challenges in college
readiness, access, persistence, and heavy student loan debt,” said
del Valle, “the good news is that we have passionate communities and
a diverse group of committed and experienced leaders who are already
collaborating to build solutions.”
[Text received; LYNNE BAKER, ILLINOIS
STUDENT ASSISTANCE COMMISSION ]
About
College Changes Everything
College Changes
Everything™ is a college access movement that recognizes that
college can be a life changing experience not only for students, but
also for families and communities. In Illinois and across the
nation, those who obtain education beyond high school not only see a
significant impact on their potential career prospects and future
salary, but also change levels of poverty, life expectancy, crime
and obesity rates in their communities. Join the conversation and
help make college relevant and possible for everyone by sharing your
story about how college changed, is changing or can change
everything for you. Find out more and share your story at
www.collegechangeseverything.org.
About the
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
The
mission of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is to
help make college accessible and affordable for students throughout
Illinois. ISAC provides comprehensive, objective, and timely
information on education and financial aid for students and their
families--giving them access to the tools they need to make the
educational choices that are right for them. Then, through the
state’s flagship Monetary Award Program and other scholarship and
grant programs ISAC administers—totaling more than $380 million in
academic year 2013-14—ISAC can help students make those choices a
reality.
www.isac.org
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