Waubonsee and its graduates look toward the future

Civil Rights Activist Malcolm X said, "Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today." This advice seems especially appropriate this time of year, as millions of high school and college students graduate and head off in new directions in pursuit of their dreams and bright futures.

We can't help but wonder what the future will hold for these graduates. Of the 1,035 members of Waubonsee Community College's Class of 2015, we know that nearly 800 plan to transfer to four-year schools across the country, possibly living away from home for the first time and taking their education to the next level. More than 200 others will use their new credentials to start or change their career.

But even if we know their immediate plans upon graduating, the rest is hard to predict. Will they complete their four-year degree? Will they change their major? Will they stay on the same career track or at the same company for decades, create a new business venture or discover a new nonprofit passion? Not only will these graduates change as the years go by, but so too will the world around them, as technology and culture continue to advance.

Such unpredictability is inevitable when looking ahead to the future, so the best plan is to be informed and educated and prepare. Just as our graduates have done that on an individual basis, Waubonsee has launched an initiative that allows us to do that on a larger-scale institutional and community level.

The Waubonsee Vision 2050 project seeks to bring together students, faculty, staff, community members, business leaders, local leaders and others in an effort to anticipate, imagine and elevate our collective futures. As Waubonsee "graduated" from its 2020 College Master Plan earlier this year, completing that plan ahead of schedule and on budget, we were already thinking about the "next big things." With the face of education changing rapidly in light of technological advances, students' shifting wants and needs, and evolving workforce skill requirements, we knew it was important to engage in meaningful dialogue with the college community and with our college district about what the future may hold for Waubonsee and its surrounding communities.

This dialogue will take center stage at the Waubonsee Vision 2050 Futures Summit on Tuesday, June 23, at the Sugar Grove Campus. Everyone is invited to this free event to share their ideas and be inspired by world-renowned business futurist Nicholas J. Webb, author of "The Innovation Playbook" and the summit's keynote speaker. You can learn more about the day's agenda and reserve your spot at www.waubonsee.edu/vision2050.

There's already a healthy discussion going on in Waubonsee's online Idea Lab, and I encourage you to log on and join in. You can submit your own idea, vote/comment on other ideas, or simply be better informed about what's trending in higher education and other industries. The Idea Lab can also be found at the link above.

Looking 35 years into the future is certainly a challenging, but ultimately worthwhile endeavor, especially if we all tackle it together. As English writer John Galsworthy said, "If you do not think about your future, you cannot have one."