ECC popularity growing while grants dwindle

As the legislative liaison for the board of trustees of Elgin Community College, I am happy to report we have a lot to be proud of these days.

ECC and other community colleges are seeing skyrocketing fall enrollments. Statewide, enrollment is up by double digits. At ECC, enrollment is at a record high of 11,705 students, a 19-percent increase over last year.

But even with these successes, funding remains a considerable challenge. In Illinois, for example, though community colleges educate more than 60 percent of the state's undergraduates, overall, we receive only 13 percent of the state's higher education dollars.

Diminished funding is hitting students hard. Not only have many institutions been forced to raise tuition, but state funding for financial aid has now been cut, with MAP grants reduced by 85 percent for fall 2009 and eliminated for spring 2010.

Community colleges are providing access to higher education to those hardest hit by the economic downturn-workers who've lost their jobs and need retraining, as well as degree-seeking students desperately in need of an affordable way to begin their studies.

Over and over again, we hear positive statements like this one from ECC graduate Andrea Andrada, who was a New Century Scholar of the Coca Cola Foundation, First Team of the USA Today All-Community College Academic Team and recipient of the Gigi Campbell Student Trustee Excellence Award in 2009. "ECC has given me the best experiences of my life," Andrada said. "It provided me with much more than I ever expected!"

Statements like these convey so much about the positive impact of Illinois' community colleges on the economy and our communities. Could anyone have a better reason to be proud?

Donna Redmer

ECC Trustee