Ryan Carl Weiss: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Ryan Carl Weiss

City: Elgin, IL

Office sought: Trustee, Elgin Community College, District 509

Age: 42

Family: My wife Rebecca and I have 4 children, ages 16, 16, 12, and 4

Occupation: President of SEAM Strategies

Education: Elgin Community College Associate in Science, University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana Bachelors in Chemistry, University of Kansas Masters in Business Administration

Civic involvement: Former Student Member of the Board of Trustees at Elgin Community College, Current Trustee at Elgin Community College

Previous elected offices held: Former Student Member of the Board of Trustees at Elgin Community College, Current Trustee at Elgin Community College

Incumbent? If yes, when were you first elected? Yes. Appointed to fill a vacated role in December 2017

Website: trusteeweiss.info

Facebook: n/a -

Twitter: n/a

Issue questions

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

As an alumnus of Elgin Community College, I am very passionate about the role of both community colleges in general, and ECC specifically. The rapidly increasing costs of universities are driving unsustainable debt loads for both college students and graduates. Community colleges are playing an increasingly important role enabling both traditional and non-traditional students to obtain great educations, at a reasonable cost. Community colleges should be open to all students who wish to pursue a further education. It provides an important role in the community for a variety of reasons, including individuals looking to take classes on a specific topic, students wishing to transfer to a four year university, and others who may want to obtain a specific certificate or degree for career development. It also creates an important role for local employers to ensure our community work force is capable of meeting future industry needs.

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

I believe ECC is doing an excellent job of fulfilling many of these roles, and continues leading innovative ways to serve our community needs.

With a tuition cost of $129/credit hour, students are able to save 70%+ compared to many public universities, which often cost over $15,000/year in tuition alone.

ECC also provides a variety of resources to enable student success, including everything from free tutoring, to a Phi Theta Kappa sponsored food pantry. Nearly 20% of the students at ECC receive Pell grants to support their ability to afford college.

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

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

No. In fact, I voted against the proposed tax levy increase at the December 2018 board meeting.

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?

As a community college, ECC serves a very diverse community of students. Some key statistics that people should consider when understanding the level of diversity of the college can be found in some key statistics of our student population, such as: 42% hispanic, 53% female, 25% over age 30, 62% preparing for university transfer, 13% enrolled in ESL, and 35% identifying as first generation college students. We serve a wide variety of students of different ages, ethnic backgrounds, and with different intentions for learning. I believe one potential area of exploration may be found in the rising demand for nurses, especially with BSN degrees. Some community colleges have been exploring the opportunity to support students who are making the transition from RN to BSN.