Virtual Event, to be Held July 11- 15, 2022, Will Offer 45 Livestream Sessions
CHICAGO – The state's premier college access and success and career readiness event -
the 12th annual College Changes Everything® (CCE) Conference, hosted by
the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and
statewide partners, will be held July 11- 15, 2022. This free online
event will bring together a diverse audience of stakeholders from across
the state, including college access practitioners; high school leaders,
counselors, and case managers; college and university leaders and
administrators; employers and workforce development professionals;
policymakers and elected officials interested in higher education and
career readiness; and learners themselves. Participants will share
information, ideas, and best practices that promote access to
postsecondary education, help ensure degree or credential attainment,
and work to develop and promote effective career pathways. The
conference supports the state’s goal of increasing the proportion of
adults in Illinois with high quality degrees and postsecondary
credentials to 60% by the year 2025.
“We
are fortunate to have a highly collaborative and creative education
community in Illinois that came together to address myriad challenges we
have never before faced in supporting students and families,” said ISAC
Executive Director Eric Zarnikow. “The result is a lot of learning
about what works (and doesn’t work), new innovations and ways to better
engage students and families, and important steps in improving equity
and access for all our students. Those learnings, together with the
significant commitment to education from Governor Pritzker and the
General Assembly as reflected in the FY 23 budget, will be critical to
increasing opportunity and success for all our students.”
The conference will kick off on Monday, July 11 with an opening plenary session, Moving Forward Together in Support of Students,
exploring what we’ve learned and what we can expect moving forward. The
panel discussion will be led by Deputy Governor for Education Martin
Torres, with leaders from our state education agencies, including Eric
Zarnikow, Executive Director of ISAC, Dr. Carmen Ayala, State
Superintendent of Education, Illinois State Board of Education, Dr.
Brian Durham, Executive Director, Illinois Community College Board, and
Ja'Neane Minor, Chief of Staff, Illinois Board of Higher Education.
Two additional plenary sessions will cover specific learnings from the pandemic that will bring us into the future. In What’s Next? Reshaping College-Going Student Supports and Services Due to the Pandemic,
student-serving practitioners will discuss how they are rethinking the
best ways to engage and support students considering the changes they’ve
made to services, policies, and more due to the pandemic. Beyond the Pandemic: Learning Renewal and More Initiatives Supporting Our Students, will focus on learning renewal efforts and other student-centric initiatives statewide to engage and support students.
Forty-five
(45) livestream sessions will cover a wide array of topics, including
pathways programs and career supports; improving equity, access and
success for traditionally underrepresented students; equity in workforce
development; student and educator mental health and wellness; Illinois
initiatives such as the PaCE Framework and the Illinois Equity Working
Group; Public Service Loan Forgiveness; financial aid appeals; tools and
resources to support college planning and success, and much more.
Virtual speed networking table sessions will be available each day to
provide an opportunity for attendees to develop new connections and
collaborations.
The
College Changes Everything Conference is sponsored by the Illinois
Student Assistance Commission in collaboration with partners: Illinois
Board of Higher Education, Illinois Community College Board, Illinois
Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Illinois State Board of
Education, Illinois College Access Network, Federation of Independent
Illinois Colleges and Universities, Advance Illinois, Education Systems
Center at Northern Illinois University, Generations Serving Generations,
ACT Now and Women Employed.
About College Changes Everything
College
Changes Everything® (CCE) is a college access movement that recognizes
that college can be a life changing experience not only for students,
but also for families and communities. In Illinois and across the
nation, those who obtain education beyond high school not only see a
significant impact on their potential career prospects and future
salary, but also change levels of poverty, life expectancy, crime, and
obesity rates in their communities. CCE is an essential part of helping
Illinois reach its goal of increasing the proportion of adults in the
state with high quality degrees or credentials to 60% by 2025. Find out
more and join the conversation at
collegechangeseverything.org.
About ISAC
The
mission of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is to
provide Illinois students with information and assistance to help make
education beyond high school accessible and affordable. ISAC provides
comprehensive, objective, and timely information on education and
financial aid for students and their families—giving them access to the
tools they need to make the educational choices that are right for them.
Then, through the state scholarship and grant programs ISAC
administers, ISAC can help students make those choices a reality. Find
us at
isac.org or on
Facebook (@ILStudentAssistance),
Twitter and on Instagram @ISACfinaid.