11.6.2009
The College of Lake County (CLC) and Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) have won a cooperative $3.5 million grant awarded under the U.S. Department of Education’s Title V: Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program. Title V grants are awarded to enhance and expand an institution’s capacity to serve Hispanic and low-income students.
On Oct. 28, CLC President Jerry Weber and NEIU President Sharon Hahs and key staff members met to kick off the project implementation plan and discuss the roles and responsibilities of each partner.
These grants provide funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional stability, management and fiscal capabilities of the institution.
The funds will be awarded over five years, and CLC’s portion over that period will total $1.3 million. The highly competitive grant is one of only five awarded across the nation in the “cooperative grant” category.
The goals of the partnership between NEIU and CLC are to increase student services functions at both institutions and assist students with attaining two-year and four-year degrees by improving the transfer pipeline between the two institutions, according to Nick Kallieris, CLC director of resource development.
The grant will fund a range of activities designed to increase student academic success, enhance services for veterans and improve retention, graduation and transfer rates at both colleges.
CLC President Jerry Weber said he was very happy the colleges chose to celebrate the partnership by exchanging information and getting to know one another’s institutions through a face-to-face meeting.
“I’m very excited about what we’re doing on behalf of students,” said NEIU President Sharon Hahs. “Our number one goal is student success, and this partnership certainly helps us achieve that goal.”
NEIU has been recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution for many years, and the grant will be used to improve retention rates and ease of transfer between the two institutions, according to Lawrence Frank, provost and vice president for academic affairs at NEIU. Currently 19 percent of CLC students and more than 30 percent of NEIU undergraduate students are of Hispanic origin.
Frank said that NEIU had its largest ever group of new transfer students from CLC this fall, 73 new transfers compared to 56 in fall 2008, a 30 percent increase over last year. NEIU offers a psychology degree at the University Center of Lake County, a consortium of 18 public and private colleges and universities, located on the CLC campus.
The cooperative project, titled “Partnership for Lasting Impact on Retention, Transfer and Graduation,” will include such initiatives as:
• Engaging students in the classroom through hands-on “active learning,” group projects and multi-media technology.
• Creating online systems and discipline-specific articulation agreements to streamline the transfer process from CLC to NEIU.
• Establishing an NEIU transfer center to provide mentoring, advising, orientation and financial aid information.
• Providing a veterans services coordinator to meet the specific transfer needs of military veterans.
• Expanding the number of NEIU bachelor’s degree completion programs offered in Lake County.
Addressing high college drop-out and low graduation rates has been identified as a national priority by President Barack Obama. Speaking at a joint session of Congress in February, he called for all Americans to commit to pursuing at least one year of college, calling the nation’s growing high school and college drop-out rates as a “prescription for economic decline.”
About Our Institutions
The College of Lake County is a comprehensive community college located in Grayslake, Ill., with campuses in Waukegan and Vernon Hills. Fall 2009 enrollment was 18,092. Located in the far northeastern suburbs of Chicago, our district has a population of almost 650,000 residents, living in more than 50 demographically diverse communities. CLC is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The Web site is
Founded in 1867, Northeastern Illinois University continues to meet the demand for quality, affordable education, serving 12,000 students at the 67-acre main campus on Chicago’s North Side and three additional campuses in the metropolitan area. NEIU is the most diverse university in the Midwest (according to U.S. News and World Report) and a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution.
CLC and NEIU presidents meet to sign off on $3.5 million cooperative grant
NEIU President Sharon Hahs and CLC President Jerry Weber discuss the new cooperative Title V grant.
On Oct. 28, CLC President Jerry Weber and NEIU President Sharon Hahs and key staff members met to kick off the project implementation plan and discuss the roles and responsibilities of each partner.
These grants provide funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional stability, management and fiscal capabilities of the institution.
The funds will be awarded over five years, and CLC’s portion over that period will total $1.3 million. The highly competitive grant is one of only five awarded across the nation in the “cooperative grant” category.
The goals of the partnership between NEIU and CLC are to increase student services functions at both institutions and assist students with attaining two-year and four-year degrees by improving the transfer pipeline between the two institutions, according to Nick Kallieris, CLC director of resource development.
The grant will fund a range of activities designed to increase student academic success, enhance services for veterans and improve retention, graduation and transfer rates at both colleges.
CLC President Jerry Weber said he was very happy the colleges chose to celebrate the partnership by exchanging information and getting to know one another’s institutions through a face-to-face meeting.
“I’m very excited about what we’re doing on behalf of students,” said NEIU President Sharon Hahs. “Our number one goal is student success, and this partnership certainly helps us achieve that goal.”
NEIU has been recognized as a Hispanic Serving Institution for many years, and the grant will be used to improve retention rates and ease of transfer between the two institutions, according to Lawrence Frank, provost and vice president for academic affairs at NEIU. Currently 19 percent of CLC students and more than 30 percent of NEIU undergraduate students are of Hispanic origin.
Frank said that NEIU had its largest ever group of new transfer students from CLC this fall, 73 new transfers compared to 56 in fall 2008, a 30 percent increase over last year. NEIU offers a psychology degree at the University Center of Lake County, a consortium of 18 public and private colleges and universities, located on the CLC campus.
The cooperative project, titled “Partnership for Lasting Impact on Retention, Transfer and Graduation,” will include such initiatives as:
• Engaging students in the classroom through hands-on “active learning,” group projects and multi-media technology.
• Creating online systems and discipline-specific articulation agreements to streamline the transfer process from CLC to NEIU.
• Establishing an NEIU transfer center to provide mentoring, advising, orientation and financial aid information.
• Providing a veterans services coordinator to meet the specific transfer needs of military veterans.
• Expanding the number of NEIU bachelor’s degree completion programs offered in Lake County.
Addressing high college drop-out and low graduation rates has been identified as a national priority by President Barack Obama. Speaking at a joint session of Congress in February, he called for all Americans to commit to pursuing at least one year of college, calling the nation’s growing high school and college drop-out rates as a “prescription for economic decline.”
About Our Institutions
The College of Lake County is a comprehensive community college located in Grayslake, Ill., with campuses in Waukegan and Vernon Hills. Fall 2009 enrollment was 18,092. Located in the far northeastern suburbs of Chicago, our district has a population of almost 650,000 residents, living in more than 50 demographically diverse communities. CLC is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The Web site is
Founded in 1867, Northeastern Illinois University continues to meet the demand for quality, affordable education, serving 12,000 students at the 67-acre main campus on Chicago’s North Side and three additional campuses in the metropolitan area. NEIU is the most diverse university in the Midwest (according to U.S. News and World Report) and a federally-designated Hispanic Serving Institution.