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CLC joins Achieving the Dream to pursue transformative change, improve student success

The College of Lake County announced that it has joined Achieving the Dream (ATD), a network of more than 220 colleges in 43 states dedicated to improving student success. As a Network institution, CLC will innovate to implement, align and scale cutting edge reforms, work with ATD coaches to build institutional capacity and connect with peers to foster learning and share information.

"Furthering student success is at the core of our college's mission," said CLC President Lori Suddick, Ed.D. "Joining ATD gives us access to excellent tools, expertise and best practices. Moving forward, it will be exciting to harness the great energy and commitment we already have for student success as we work to re-imagine, reframe and re-engineer our work at CLC to best serve our students."

Dr. Karen A. Stout, president and CEO of Achieving the Dream, said, "The strength of local and regional economies, our ability to rebuild the middle class and the possibility that a new generation will achieve their goals depends on community colleges. Colleges that join the ATD Network show an exceptional commitment to becoming the kind of institution that will lead the nation into the future."

ATD offers a capacity-building framework and companion self-assessment that allow colleges to pinpoint strengths and areas for improvement across seven institutional capacities in areas such as leadership and vision, teaching and learning and data and technology. ATD's approach integrates and aligns existing college success efforts. It also offers valuable support in preparing for accreditation, fostering conversation about goals and making bold, holistic institution-wide changes because initiatives that don't reach most of a college's student body have not shown strong results.

CLC will formally begin its partnership with Achieving the Dream at a Kickoff Institute, June 18th - 20th. A team of faculty and staff along with President Suddick will attend the institute to reflect on current student success efforts, identify areas for improvement, and begin to develop plans for next steps. As part of the Kickoff Institute, CLC's team will meet a leadership coach and a data coach provided through Achieving the Dream. These coaches will be assigned to CLC over the three-year initial commitment to Achieving the Dream and will provide guidance to build institutional

capacities to analyze and use data, effectively implement change and develop internal and external partnerships to advance student success.

ATD Network colleges report data using metrics that answer critical questions about who attends college, who succeeds in and after college and how college is financed. To advance goals of social mobility and equity, the metrics provide information on how low income and other underserved students fare. These metrics are categorized into performance metrics, efficiency metrics and equity metrics at points during the student experience from access through post-college outcomes.

As colleges in the new cohort progress, they may apply to participate in initiatives supported by philanthropic funding and managed by ATD. These initiatives help incubate new ideas that help colleges refine practices based on evidence of what works and allow ATD to disseminate knowledge to the broader network and the field. New initiatives address the challenge of engaging adjunct faculty more deeply as key members of colleges' workforces and implementing degree programs using only open educational resources (OER).

About Achieving the Dream, Inc.

Achieving the Dream (ATD) leads a growing network of more than 200 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 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 more than 100 experienced coaches and advisors, works closely with Network colleges in 43 states and the District of Columbia to reach more than 4 million community college students.

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.

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