College of DuPage named finalist for excellence award for Business Incubator Innovation DuPage
The American Association of Community Colleges has named College of DuPage one of five finalists for the 2021 Award of Excellence for Outstanding College/Corporate Partnership for its proven success in advancing economic prosperity in the COD community through Innovation DuPage.
Since its inception in 2019, the business incubator has formed nearly 50 partnerships with organizations from industry, government, academia and two Department of Energy national laboratories; hosted three business pitch competitions for high school and college students; incubated 70 companies; conducted five, three-month accelerator cohorts graduating 62 companies; and created more than 400 mentorship opportunities for students.
College of DuPage President Dr. Brian Caputo said the recognition by the association reflects the hard work that has made Innovation DuPage the success that it is today.
"Innovation DuPage is the connective tissue between entrepreneurs, services and programs in DuPage County and throughout the region," he said. "By bringing these sectors together, Innovation DuPage has created a formula for success that is becoming a model for others within the state and, indeed, within the nation."
COD Assistant Vice President of Economic Development Joe Cassidy said that demonstrating institutional impact to the total community is more important than ever.
"The partnerships we've created in the community continue to place the College at the forefront of workforce development and economic sustainability throughout the DuPage County," he said. "Business incubation and acceleration programs offer institutions a meaningful mechanism to demonstrate their ROI and relevance while positively impacting the regional economy."
AACC will announce the winners on May 27 during its virtual conference, AACC Digital. View the list of finalists at www.ccdaily.com.
College of DuPage is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Serving approximately 21,000 students each term, College of DuPage is the largest public community college in the state of Illinois. The college grants seven associate degrees and offers more than 170 career and technical certificates in over 50 areas of study.