Kishwaukee College announced it will join #CCMonth, a month-long grassroots education and stigma-busting campaign coordinated by the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT). The primary goals of #CCmonth are to improve awareness of the economic, academic and equity advantages of attending community colleges, and to bust longtime stigmas wrongly associated with public two-year colleges.
“Kishwaukee College helps change lives. We transform them and help people find their career goals and aspirations,” said Dr. Laurie Borowicz, President of Kishwaukee College. “We can really help individualize a student’s needs. It’s just a great place to start and figure out what you want to do and where you want to go from here.”
Public community colleges are a uniquely American educational model designed to guarantee access to higher education for all people, reflecting Kishwaukee College’s mission statement to improve lives through quality, affordable education.
Kish and other community colleges work to serve the needs of the local community communities. They are the primary educators of life-saving health care professionals and many other in-demand professions. They also serve as an onramp to bachelor’s, master’s and higher-level degrees for many students — particularly for the most demographically and socioeconomically diverse students. They guarantee fair admissions for all students. They offer support for adult students who have to work to support their families. And without community colleges, many American students would not be able to access higher education.
Despite all this, some may perceive community colleges as inferior institutions. In most states, universities receive significantly more per-student state support than community colleges. These negative attitudes and disparities support and encourage ongoing socioeconomic and demographic disadvantages and inequities in the United States.
“Community colleges are engines of diversity, equity and inclusion,” said ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. “They give opportunities to all students, and they support all students throughout their educations, whether they attend to attain an associate degree or certificate, intend to transfer on for a bachelor’s or higher degree, or they take one or a few courses to learn a new skill or expand their horizons.”
Last year’s #CCMonth campaign made millions of impressions across social media platforms, and this year, organizers are encouraging students and others to expand the message to platforms like TikTok.
Learn more about Kish’s impact on the local community. #CCMonth