In a celebration of College of Lake County’s (CLC) 55th anniversary, President Dr. Lori Suddick spoke to community members and local partners about the college’s impact and accomplishments during the annual State of the College event Sept. 25.

Held at the Advanced Technology Center in Gurnee, the event highlighted work CLC has initiated to help both students and the community during the last year and the initiatives that the college has planned for the future.

CLC is currently working on the creation of a new strategic plan. Throughout the process, opportunities will be available for community input.

“Our job is to be deeply connected to our community, to understand our community, and the solutions that we create in partnership with our community are relevant to the communities we serve,” Suddick said.

The presentation highlighted key points like CLC’s financial sustainability, record-breaking graduation rates and projects embedded in the community like the student-managed Prairie restaurant at the Brae Loch golf course in Grayslake and the Urban Farm Center that is planned and will break ground soon at the Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan.

Other major achievements include a new advising strategy, which can double a student’s chance of finishing the semester, and an increase in academic and mental health support for students.

For a more detailed look, read the Community Impact Report online.