Celebrate Illinois Community College Month
Published March 29, 2024
A proclamation from Illinois governor J.B. Pritzker officially made April Illinois Community College Month. Learn about what College of Lake County (CLC) has to offer during Open House from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 13 at all campuses.
CLC first opened for classes 55 years ago. CLC has grown its student body from 2,360 students to serving over 20,000 students enrolled in credit classes and over 35,000 community members every year. Recognized for its commitment to student success, CLC was named a Leader College in the Achieving the Dream network. Last year, CLC celebrated the highest graduation rate in 20 years!
Public community colleges are a uniquely American educational model that was designed to guarantee access to affordable, high-quality higher education for all people. They are the primary educators of life-saving nursing and other healthcare professionals among many others. They also serve as an onramp to bachelor’s, master’s and higher-level degrees for many students, and particularly for the most demographically and socioeconomically diverse students.
Illinois is home to 48 community colleges and 39 college districts. According to the Illinois Community College Board, Illinois community colleges educate 65% of students enrolled in Illinois public higher education. Illinois community colleges also rank first in the nation for bachelor’s degree completion rates among community college students who transfer.
In addition to the grand opening of the student-managed Prairie at Brae Loch restaurant on Saturday, April 13, CLC also hosts the community at Maker Faire Lake County. Witness what some of the brightest local minds came up with during the free event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
As a leader in sustainability, CLC recognizes April is also Earth Month. The public is invited to attend a performance by AY Young, a musician who performs using only renewable energy, for his Battery Tour at 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 4.
Feeling inspired? Watch this video where CLC students share their journeys: https://youtu.be/ocuUOjg0qKQ?si=X4GepRPRr1Ke57d8