College of Lake County strengthens its commitment to student success as part of Achieving the Dream national network

Four colleges from four states have strengthened their commitment to improving student success by becoming among the first institutions to join the 2019 Cohort of the Achieving the Dream (ATD) National Network.

Achieving the Dream leads a growing network of community colleges across America committed to helping their students, particularly low-income students and students of color achieve their goals for academic success, personal growth and economic opportunity.

The following colleges are among the first to join the ATD Network for 2019:

• College of Lake County (Illinois)

• Hudson County Community College (New Jersey)

• Pitt Community College (North Carolina)

• Sacramento City College (California)

"We are pleased to welcome these four outstanding institutions into our Network. Colleges like these that join the ATD Network show an exceptional commitment to becoming the kind of institution that will lead the nation into the future," said Dr. Karen A. Stout, president and CEO of Achieving the Dream. "We look forward to having other colleges join them as we continue to build a strong 2019 Cohort."

CLC President Dr. Lori Suddick said, "We are honored to join the strong learning community provided through the ATD network and appreciate the support of the Board of Trustees in our necessary endeavor to reframe, reimagine and reengineer the CLC student success framework. CLC is committed to the imperative of equity in access and success for every student in degree attainment. Achieving the Dream provides resources, accountability and access to a national network of peers forging ahead in this transformative work. Engaging in ATD builds upon CLC's regional commitment to the Illinois Equity in Attainment (ILEA) initiative through the Partnership for College Completion (PCC). Our team is excited to begin this next phase of building CLC's culture for student success."

Teams from each of the four colleges will join the 2019 cohort at the annual three-day ATD Kickoff Institute in the summer. The event includes an introduction to ATD's capacity-building framework and companion Institutional Capacity Assessment Tool (ICAT), which enables colleges to pinpoint their strengths and areas for improvement.

During the Kickoff event, college teams will begin to organize their student success work for the year, including preparing for their on-campus launch in the fall. They will receive an in-depth orientation to ATD and how to leverage the power of ATD's national Network. Each college team will also meet their Leadership Coach and Data Coach. Coaches are community college leaders who are carefully matched with each institution to provide personalized advice and guidance to build needed capacities, align student success efforts and to support change where it is needed.

Achieving the Dream will announce groups of colleges throughout the spring and will announce the full 2019 Cohort in advance of the Kickoff Institute in June.

About Achieving the Dream:

Achieving the Dream (ATD) leads a growing network of more than 220 community colleges committed to helping their students, particularly low-income students and students of color, achieve their goals for academic success, personal growth, and economic opportunity. ATD is making progress in closing academic achievement gaps and accelerating student success through a unique change process that builds each college's institutional capacities in seven essential areas. ATD, along with nearly 75 experienced coaches and advisors, works closely with Network colleges in 41 states and the District of Columbia to reach more than 4 million community college students. Follow ATD on Twitter @achievethedream.

About College of Lake County:

College of Lake County is an innovative community college in Lake County, Ill. that transforms lives with its variety of accessible, quality education options. Offered at three campuses in Grayslake, Vernon Hills and Waukegan or online, College of Lake County provides affordable options in a state-of-the-art setting close to home. A large student network, with small class sizes, provides advantages to our students on a career-related program or a path toward a transfer degree. We're proud to serve the diverse needs of our community and student body. Connect to your future today at College of Lake County. For more information, visit www.clcillinois.edu.