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Nazneen Hashmi: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Nazneen Hashmi

City: Streamwood

Office sought: Elgin Community College - District 509 Board of Trustee

Age (on election day): 58

Family: Children

Occupation: Auditor and Adjunct Professor

Education: Masters

Civic involvement: Village of Streamwood "Community Relations Commission", YMCA, ApnaGhar - Certified Domestic Violence Advocate, WorknetNCC, Election Judge, Door Knocking, and Phone Banking.

Previous elected offices held: None

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected?

Website:

Facebook: @NazneenHashmi4ECC

Twitter:

Issue questions

· Describe your vision for the primary role of a community college.

My vision for community college aligns with the Mission of Elgin Community College is to improve people's lives through learning. Focusing our efforts on making Elgin Community College a national leader in promoting success for all students.

This Vision will be attained through a commitment to provide innovative and affordable learning opportunities for all constituencies and to promote cultural competence and community partnership in our decisions and actions.

I believe that School boards must focus on student learning and organizational effectiveness by providing the entire system with clarity of purpose, clear direction, priorities, and desired outcome

· How well is your community college fulfilling that role? What changes, if any, need to be made?

ECC is doing a decent job in fulfilling the college vision. I see there is always an opportunity for improvement in few areas, namely:

- Increase admissions and graduation rate.

- Buildings can be better utilized with evening and weekend engagements of classes and other events.

- Community and local business surveys should be conducted.

- Creative programs are needed to engage community.

- Bring corporate training programs and conferences that will increase the visibility and bring revenue.

- Revisit the traditional marketing to reach out the community at large.

· Are you currently employed by or retired from a school district, if so, which one? Is any member of your direct family -- spouse, child or child-in-law -- employed by the school district where you are seeking a school board seat?

No, Neither I nor any of my direct or extended family member ever worked for Elgin Community College, District 509.

· Is a tax rate increase needed and, if so, how do you justify it?

I am not in favor of burdening the community with increased taxes. I would prefer that the college look at the alternative options like grants, creative programs, strategic partnerships, and maximum utilization of the facilities to increase revenue.

· 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?

Some of the greatest benefits of the diverse community involvements are that we as a society are more prosperous with skills and processes that are learned and perfected over hundreds and thousands of years by these diverse communities.

As a ECC board member, I would like to create engagement opportunities to bring out programs that help college and diverse community benefitted by each other. Some examples of such programs are:

- Providing Technical Classes with Certification program.

- Partnering with Corporations to provide skill improvement classes.

- Veterans' rehabilitation program that transition them to civilian life.

- Provide evening and weekend language classes.

- Women focused programs like taking care of child bearing, raising families and navigating career.

- Additional Certification programs like: Teacher Education, Pharmacy Technician, Airplane Mechanics, Aesthetician and such other trainings.

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