During her recent visit to Prairie State College in Chicago Heights, Ill., Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon (left) met with PSC student Aslener Taylor (right), who interviewed Simon for an article for the PSC student newspaper. (SUPPLIED) Chicago Heights, IL-(ENEWSPF)- Illinois Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon visited Prairie State College (PSC) Wednesday to learn about PSC’s various programs and initiatives aimed at helping the community’s students earn a degree or certificate.
The visit was a continuation of Simon’s Complete College tour of the state’s 48 community colleges to see college completion efforts at each campus. She is on a fact finding mission to gather information on barriers to each college’s completion goals, and to learn about completion efforts.
While at PSC, Simon spoke with faculty, students, staff, and administrators about the school’s responsibility to help students succeed in meeting the goals they set forth when entering as a student at PSC, whether that be earning an associate degree, a certificate, or preparing to transfer to a four-year college or university and earn a bachelor’s or graduate degree.
Simon has set a goal to increase the percentage of working-age adults in Illinois with college degrees or certificates from 41 to 60 by 2025.
One of her strategies in that effort is to focus on students as they transition from high school to community college and from community college to a four year college or university, calling to task community colleges, saying “there are areas where we can make some improvements for students along the way.”
“Community colleges’ roles have changed,” Simon stressed. “There is no longer a perception that that’s where you go if you can’t get in anywhere else… Many people are looking at the value of their educational dollar,” she said, adding that, from that perspective, community colleges have become a very appealing option.
“Community college connects students who want more opportunities with employers who want a more-skilled work force,” she said. “An educated workforce is something [community colleges] have the opportunity to make happen.”
PSC President Eric Radtke echoed her sentiments and acknowledged the important role PSC plays in reaching that goal, stating, “we are trying to help our students in their educational journeys and help them make it to that finish line.” He illustrated that commitment by presenting to Simon a copy of the American Association of Community Colleges “Accepting the College Completion Challenge: A Call to Action” document, signed by every member of the PSC Board of Trustees, as well as himself.
In addition to addressing the faculty, staff, and students of PSC, Simon participated in a tour of the school to witness first-hand some of PSC’s efforts in action. The tour included visits to the Learning Achievement Center and the Student Success Center, two hubs of student success-focused programs at PSC, as well as the English Lab, the Hawkes Learning Systems Lab, and the Nursing Lab. She ended her tour visiting the Tech Wing, which houses PSC’s automotive, welding, and HVAC labs, as well as the campus fitness center, and gymnasium, giving Simon a cursory glance at the wide spectrum of programs PSC offers.
