Rita Canning stepping off Harper College board as Nancy Robb steps up

Rita Canning and Nancy Robb believe empowering students who face barriers to higher education sometimes takes a mentor.

That credo explains Canning's support of Harper College's Women's Program, where survivors of domestic violence and single moms get one-on-one counseling on their way to a degree, a job and a better life for their families.

It also explains why Robb has spent much of her retirement launching a nonprofit that pairs mentors with college-bound students from low-income families.

"She's going to do really well," Canning says of Robb's new role.

Canning is stepping down after nearly a decade on Harper's board of trustees, and Robb is stepping in. The race for three seats on the board is uncontested, so Robb, former superintendent of Palatine-Schaumburg High School District 211, automatically wins a six-year term.

Canning says it's time for "new, fresh ideas." But she also has decided not to seek re-election because of her work helping women in or recovering from abusive relationships, a mission that is "taking a tremendous amount of time."

"I've given it a great deal of time, and I've loved every minute of it. I really have," Canning says of her tenure at Harper. "It's truly very bittersweet for me."

Canning's decision comes as Women in Need Growing Stronger expands from the Northwest suburbs to Chicago. As chairman of the WINGS board, the Inverness philanthropist is diving into fundraising for a nearly $7 million, 40-bed shelter on the city's Southwest Side.

The Palatine nonprofit has received about $5 million so far and expects to open the shelter this fall.

She's also helping handpick the business and community leaders who will join her on a board - Canning chairs that one, too - overseeing the whole project, called WINGs Metro.

The job, though, won't keep Canning removed from Harper. Many WINGS clients enroll in the Women's Program at the Palatine-based community college, receiving funding for tuition and books and the support to stay in school.

"I don't want to say goodbye and let all that go," she says.

Canning and her husband, John, have already cemented the program's future. Last spring, the couple announced a $1 million donation to their namesake program - the first seven-figure donation in Harper's history. It's also a significant gift given that similar programs have shut down at Illinois community colleges because of state budget cuts.

When she first joined the board in 2007, Canning says she had a steep learning curve. With her resume and ties to Harper, Robb will seamlessly transition to the board, Canning says.

Last July, Robb, who lives in Barrington, retired after more than 30 years in District 211, a so-called "feeder" district into Harper. Since, she's been getting Excel Beyond 211 Dollars for Scholars off the ground with nine others. The affiliate of Scholarship America links mentors with District 211 graduates - who are the first to go to college in their families - based on similar career interests.

Students with at least a 2.5 GPA apply in their high school senior year. They start off meeting with their mentors monthly, planning the leap from high school to college. Then, the mentors stay in touch at least once a week, coaching them through the next four years, or however long it takes to earn a college degree.

Robb has kept up-to-date on Harper's admissions and curriculum and takes back what she learns from meetings with administrators to the rest of EB211's volunteers.

"It's a real commitment from the mentors," says Robb, who is one to a Harper student who plans to become a nurse.

Twenty of the 31 students in EB211's inaugural class attend Harper.

"I find the students to be very resilient. Many have had to deal with many issues in their life," and many work multiple jobs in college, she said.

One of the immediate tasks before Robb and the rest of the Harper board is preparing the college's next strategic plan, a long-term blueprint that shapes where the college spends its resources.

The last plan focused on increasing the number of students who complete a skill certificate or associate degree or transfer on to a four-year college. The next one will still address how to improve the dropout rate - currently at about 50 percent - but will center on "pathways," making sure students have a defined plan to meet their education and career goals from day one, says Harper spokesman Phil Burdick.

Serving as a Harper trustee naturally fits with Robb's aim to boost graduation rates for disadvantaged students.

"The major conversation is about student success," Robb said. "The goals are really focused toward helping students be successful."

The two incumbents returning to Harper's board are Diane Hill and William Kelley.