Community Colleges: Past, Present and Opportunities for Cooperation

Community Colleges: Past, Present and Opportunities for Cooperation 06.04.14

Topics for Discussion • Basics of the American education system • A look at the American higher education system • What is a community college? • Elgin Community College: • Overview • Facts • Figures • Questions

American Education System • Public and private schools; homeschooling • Public school funding comes from local, state and federal government. • State governments have control over public school systems within their state boundaries. • Education is compulsory; age varies based on state (5-8 years old to 16 -18 years old)

American Education System

American Education SystemDistrict 509 Corron Elementary School (Primary) Central Middle School (Junior High) Jacobs High School (Senior High School)

American Higher Education System • Public and private institutions • Non-for-profit and profit • Higher education is not compulsory. • There are roughly 4500 institutions of higher learning in the U.S. • Funding comes from various sources: tuition, endowments, public (government) support and outside grants, etc.

American Higher Education System

What is a Community College? A community college, also known as a two-year or junior college, offers the first two years of a bachelor’s degree. Community colleges also offer career-technical programs, certificate programs, and non-credit community programming. Many students choose to complete an associate degree at a community college and then “transfer” to a four-year university/college. Approximately 40% of all undergraduates in the U.S. study in community colleges.

What is a Community College? 2 years = Associate degree

Elgin Community CollegeMission: To improve people’s lives through learning • Founded in 1949 in Elgin, Illinois, northwest of Chicago • Governed by the seven-member Board of Trustees of Community College District 509 • Hired David A. Sam, PhD, JD, as the eighth CEO of the college in February 2007 • Fully accredited through 2015-2016 • $34.2 million in unrestricted net assets; $20.3 million in restricted • Passed a $178 million capital referendum in April 2009

Elgin Community College • Area: 360 square miles • Residential population: 480,000 • Businesses in district: 10,500 • Serves 33 municipalities in five counties • The U.S. Department of Education designated ECC an Hispanic-Serving Institution. • ECC was named an Achieving the Dream Leader College in 2012, the first in Illinois.

Elgin Community College • Degrees: Associate in Arts, Associate in Engineering Science, Associate in Fine Arts, Associate in Liberal Studies, Associate in Science, Associate in Applied Science • Certificates: Basic Vocational Specialist Certificate, Vocational Specialist Certificate • Popular majors: Business, Science, Health Careers, English, Education, Engineering

Elgin Community College ECC is growing! Credit enrollment since 1977

Elgin Community College The Achieving the Dream initiative • Elgin Community College is one of only five community colleges in Illinois selected to participate in the nationally recognized Achieving the Dream initiative. • Achieving the Dream colleges commit to reducing barriers to success for historically underrepresented groups, increasing access and the percentage of students who: • Successfully complete the courses they take; • Advance from remedial to credit courses; • Enroll in and successfully complete gateway courses; • Enroll from one semester to the next; and • Earn degrees and/or certificate.

Elgin Community CollegeFiscally Responsible • ECC receives clean audits annually. • ECC has earned an AAA credit rating from Moody’s Investors Service and an +AA rating from Standard & Poor’s. • ECC has received the Excellence in Financial Reporting Award from Government Finance officers Association (GFOA) 10 years in a row. • ECC has received the Distinguished Budget Presentation Award from the GFOA for the past four years.

Community Colleges- Opportunities for International Cooperation • Faculty and Student Exchange • Hosting international students • Cooperation in areas of technical, career, and business programs • Conferences and expos • Working on building bridges between European and American education • “Buddy programs”

Becoming an American student - why choose community college? • The academic and social benefits of a major college plus the small class size, personal attention and friendliness usually associated with a private college. • Degrees that transfer seamlessly to virtually all U.S. colleges or universities. • Partnerships with a number of colleges and universities to provide greater and more immediate access to upper-level, baccalaureate degrees. • Affordable tuition that is half the cost of a four-year public university and a fraction of charges at private universities • Diverse student population and friendly campus

A Genius Commercial Genius

Questions?

Bright Choice. Bright Future. Elgin Community College 20

Community Colleges: Past, Present and Opportunities for Cooperation