Kishwaukee College responds during the pandemic
Things at Kish, as well as the rest of the world, have changed significantly in the last few months, but there has been cause for celebration as well. We are proud of our 278 students who graduated in May. Though we did not have a traditional commencement ceremony, a virtual ceremony will be available in August and each of our graduates will be invited to walk in December.
Classes are being held exclusively online for the summer semester. We are committed to looking for creative and innovative ways to provide the best online education. All of us at Kish continue to examine how to best serve and support our students in an online environment during this time.
A number of changes were implemented at the College in response to the pandemic, in addition to changing all instruction and support services to remote delivery. With the generous support of the Kishwaukee College Foundation, a summer and fall COVID-19 scholarship is available for students impacted by the pandemic, and funds were increased for students with emergency needs. Federal CARES funding was distributed to eligible students enrolled in the spring semester. College tuition due dates were pushed back so students have more time to pay their tuition, and we eliminated the fees for the College tuition payment plan. Students were able to borrow Chromebooks and computers through a drive-up program. Pass/Fail grades were implemented so students could complete their spring coursework without worrying about the impact of their grades on their College Grade Point Average (GPA).
As the State of Illinois is beginning to re-open, we too are planning for how we begin to bring some students, faculty and staff back to campus. The current plan is to offer the majority of our classes online for Fall 2020. Some lab and CTE courses will be held on campus with enrollments in each section following CDC and Illinois Department of Public Health guidelines.
College enrollment for summer and fall have been effected by the pandemic, but we are hopeful that students interested in attending college in the fall will consider Kish. We are a great local option, whether you are getting started on a college degree or wanting to prepare for a new career.
These are unprecedented times. Through all the quick changes, we remain committed to improving lives through quality, affordable education in our local communities.
Stay safe.
Dr. Laurie Borowicz
President
Kishwaukee College