Jennifer Rakow: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: St. CharlesWebsite: www.rakowduffy4ecc.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: Elgin Community College School Board Age: 49Family: Granddaughter of Melvin E. "Pete" May Rakow (Elgin), daughter of Tom Sue Rakow (Elgin), sister of Stephanie Doran (Huntley) and Amanda VanLue (St. Charles), mother of Julien (26) and Daniel (24) Vitale.Occupation: HR Director for IHC Construction Companies, LLCEducation: 1985 Graduate of Larkin High School, B.A. from Boston University, Liberal Arts, with major in International Relations.Civic involvement: United Way of Elgin board member since 2010, serving on both the Resource Development and Governance Committee; 2013 Campaign Chair; Employee Campaign Manager at IHC for 5 years. Annually organize Day of Caring with AID volunteer for AID's telethon fundraiser. Graduate of Elgin Area Leadership Academy (EALA), class of 2010-2011; currently part of EALA Alumni steering committee. Enrolled in Bible Study Fellowship, serving in leadership role. Serve in Children's ministry at my local church.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions Answers Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is it?This is my first time running. The rising cost of 4 year colleges and diminished funding from the State of IL creates a tremendous stress on family pockets and on the budgets our local schools have to work with. It is imperative that ECC continue to explore grow opportunities that save students time"circ;brvbar; which ultimately translates into money saved. We can all be very proud of the strong 60+ year history of cooperation and collaboration between ECC and the community it serves. Many efforts are underway with local high schools, such as the Alliance for College Readiness, the Transition Academy, the Alliance Math Team, and the Dual Credit program (making sure students are college ready and providing the opportunity to earn credits while still in HS, with tuition covered by the School District). Another great example is transfer agreements with 4 year schools, like the one ECC has with UIC, ensuring ECC student admission transfer of credits and guaranteeing tuition rate equal to ECC's). Or the example of reverse transfer agreements with schools like NIU where students who started at ECC but never completed their 4 year degree at NIU can transfer credits earned back to ECC so they can obtain their Associates Degree and become more employable. I'd like to help encourage those discussions and achievements.In tough economic times, many students (and working professionals) turn to a community college for its educational value. How do you ensure that a person's financial sacrifice results in an educational benefit?Money spent on an education from ECC is well invested. ECC is committed to the professional development of its faculty. The frequent national honors faculty members receive for leadership and excellence attest to the quality of their instruction. Also, the low 20:1 faculty-student ratio allows faculty to develop a closer relationship with and better understanding of their students, what their goals are and how to better assist them. The recent capital improvements project approved by voters in 2009, resulted in the enhancement and expansion of the ECC college campus, in terms of both buildings and curricula, providing students with a rich, state-of-the-art learning environment where students are poised for success. For instance, many ECC health professions students exceeded state and national pass rates on 2016 exams. Recent data shows that in terms of employment rates job satisfaction, ECC Career Tech grads are ahead of other IL community college grads by 10%. The number of degrees and certificates earned by ECC students in 2015-2016 is the highest in its history. And this is excellent timing given 65% of all jobs in the economy will require a degree or certificate beyond high school by 2020, according to Georgetown University. ECC provides numerous opportunities for its students to obtain a valuable education which is a healthy return on one's investment of time and money.From the college's point of view, what budget issues will your district have to confront and what measures do you support to address them? If you believe cuts are necessary, what programs and expenses should be reduced or eliminated? On the income side, do you support any tax or fee increases?Down approximately 7% since 2013, the decrease in funding from the State of IL remains an ongoing challenge for ECC. Talk of a real-estate freeze would also impact the budget. ECC has done a commendable job of defraying its costs without compromising student success. Some tactics have been the recent reduction in forces and implementation of a hiring freeze. ECC has been resourceful and pro-active by applying for Federal Grants, resulting in $3 million to help fund existing programs that assist lower income students pursuing higher education and those participating in programs leading to technical jobs in areas such as HVACR and welding, as well as providing for English as a Second Language initiatives. ECC is committed to keeping the quality education it offers affordable for its students. Currently tuition is $125 per credit hour, which is one of the lowest tuition rates among community colleges in our surrounding area. I believe that prior to any discussion about a tax or fee increase, the college should continue, as it has diligently been doing, to thoroughly research and review any possible money saving opportunities at the college that don't impact student programming. An increase in online enrollment and an increase in on-campus class size, while not ideal long term solutions, are two examples that could help weather the financial storm. A focus on improving current enrollment numbers (which are currently down) would also help by boosting revenue from tuition.Community colleges provide many services to a diverse population. Is there a service your college should be providing that it is not, or reaching a segment of the population that it is not?ECC provides an equal learning opportunity to all students, and the configuration of its student body population closely reflects the demographics of District 509 as a whole. ECC has a strong Student Life program made up of numerous clubs and associations that meet the needs of a culturally diverse student body. There are some services that could be improved, however. Students requiring tutoring services or an adequate place to study would benefit from extended library and tutoring center hours. Also, ECC has made great strides in closing the achievement gap among its Latino students but there needs to be an improvement in graduation rates for its African-American population.If you are a newcomer, what prompted you to run for the community college board? If you're an incumbent, list your accomplishments or key initiatives in which you played a leadership role.I am 3rd generation, born and raised in Elgin. My 2 sons received their education at ECC. I have a strong desire to serve and give back to the community. I hold the college in high esteem for the work and progress it has accomplished in our community and the countless opportunities it provides to enhance learning and improve lives. To serve on the ECC board of trustees would be an honor and privilege.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?More often than not, the transition from high school to college can be overwhelming, wrought with financial concerns and uncertainties about what career path to take. As a mother of 2 sons, I clearly recall many anxious "what next?" moments as their high school years rapidly zoomed to an end. I am grateful that ECC was a viable option. Close to home with high quality instruction at an affordable cost, ECC's 2-year Associates Degree program was a fantastic starting point for my children. ECC helped them move forward on the higher education path while they discovered their answer to the big life question "what next?" along the way. Recently ECC has made efforts to enhance its academic advising services assigning an academic advisor to each student. There has also been discussion about using a guided pathway model to help structure student choices so they don't waste time and money on credits that don't align well with future goals. I believe increasing student exposure to academic advising services, online planning tools, and clearly presented pathways is needed to increase the impact and efficiency of a student's time and money.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Melinda GatesWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Treat ALL others like you would like to be treated, always with much consideration and kindness.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would have gone straight into law school after receiving my bachelor's degree.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Spanish. Understanding a foreign language opens your world up to a whole new culture perspective. It did mine!If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?No matter what you do, always give it your BEST.