Good News Sunday: Trailblazing Advocate president faces health industry challenges head on

This is Good News Sunday, a compilation of some of the more upbeat and inspiring stories published recently by the Daily Herald:

Being the only person of color in a corporate board room isn't unusual for Dia Nichols.

For the last two years, the Inverness resident has served as president of the Central Chicagoland Patient Service Area and Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge - joining a small field of hospital executives who are people of color. The 49-year-old recently took the helm as Advocate Health Care's first Black president.

"It's exciting," said Nichols, acknowledging his trailblazing achievement.

While attending junior college, Nichols decided to pursue a career in the health care industry. After hearing about how poorly his Black grandmother was treated at a South Carolina hospital emergency room for "whites only," he aimed to change how people of color receive care.

Nichols earned a graduate degree in health administration from Indiana University. He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

"They're becoming more and more diverse, the communities that we're serving," Nichols said. "Because our employee base is becoming more and more diverse, we've got a specific focus (on) how many leaders in our hospitals are persons of color.

For the full story, click here.

Community colleges' enrollments rise again, including ECC's at 7.8%

Isabela Olivarez initially planned to attend a four-year university after high school graduation.

But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the 2020 Elgin High School graduate changed plans and decided to stay closer to home.

Now starting her third year at Elgin Community College, Olivarez wouldn't have it any other way.

"I found out I loved it here," said Olivarez, who plans to attend a four-year university to pursue a degree in accounting after graduating from ECC with her associate degree next spring.

Like Olivarez, students across the suburbs are finding value in community colleges and boosting enrollment at them.

Last fall, the Illinois Community College Board reported a systemwide increase in student enrollment of 1.5% - the first time the board reported such an increase since 2009. The board again reported gains in spring 2023.

The board's systemwide report for fall 2023 enrollments is expected in October. But early numbers indicate gains ranging from nearly 2% at McHenry County College in Crystal Lake to a 10.6% increase at Waubonsee Community College in Aurora.

"When you have gains across the industry, that's a good thing," said Bob Parzy, associate provost of enrollment services at Harper College in Palatine, which saw a 5.4% increase in enrollment compared to that in fall 2022.

"That says people are valuing education and the community college's role."

For the full story, click here.

What an artist has planned for Mundelein's next public mural

An artist with Mundelein roots will paint the village's latest public mural.

Amanda E. Gross, who grew up in Mundelein and now splits her time between Grayslake and Atlanta, envisions a piece about Mundelein's history and skateboarding - fitting subjects for artwork that will adorn the rear face of the skateboard ramp at Lions Park, 601 Noel Drive.

The village board recently approved an agreement with Gross and the Mundelein Park and Recreation District, which owns the park and the skate ramp there. The board also approved a zoning variance for the project.

The park district and the Mundelein Arts Commission, which is funded by the village, are behind the project.

The painting will face the Mundelein Heritage Museum, so organizers had been seeking an artist who would work in skateboarding and Mundelein's history. Each will get its own section, according to plans, with history on the left and images of popular skateboarding moves on the right.

"A few historical elements are personally important to me," said Gross, a 2003 Mundelein High School graduate. "I absolutely loved going to Quig's Orchard as a child, and Bill's Pizza ... is where my parents first met."

For the full story, click here.

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