Illinois Community College Board

10/27/2026

Career and Technical Education Enrollment Grows by Nearly 6 Percent at Illinois Community Colleges.

CTE programs now serve more than one in four community college students.

CHICAGO – Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) announced that enrollment in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at Illinois community colleges grew 5.9 percent this fall as more students continue to turn to career-focused training, the highest in nine years. This increase reflects Governor Pritzker’s commitment to ensuring community colleges have diverse career and training offerings that lead to good-paying jobs.

“I’m proud that our investments in career and technical education continue to open doors to for Illinoisans to build skills and find good jobs in the industries of the future,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Our 26% increase over the past four years means more students with a pathway to opportunity, a more robust workforce pipeline to help businesses grow and compete, and a stronger economy for all of Illinois.”

Statewide, total community college enrollment held steady with 271,845 students in Fall 2026 — a slight 0.7 percent decrease from Fall 2025, following four consecutive years of growth. Enrollment remains 0.2 percent above pre-pandemic levels (Fall 2019), reflecting the system’s sustained recovery and the enduring demand for accessible, affordable higher education across Illinois, according to ICCB’s annual Fall 2026 Opening Enrollment Report.

Read the full press release here: https://www.iccb.org/2026/10/27/2026-fall-enrollment/

10/19/2026

Today is the day for Feed The Need! Participate at your local community college and give to those in need.

Illinois Community Colleges are once again coming together this fall to address food insecurity and provide vital support to students and their communities. The 3rd annual Feed the Need Campus Food Drive will launch on October 19th and run through November 30th engaging campuses statewide in a friendly competition to collect non-perishable food items for local food pantries and campus-based food banks.

The statewide initiative, organized by the Illinois Community College Board (ICCB), engages campuses in friendly competition while serving a critical need. Last year, Illinois community colleges collectively donated more than 180,000 food items to support students and families across the state. That total dwarfed the 91,000 items collected in the inaugural 2024 effort.

Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/ftn2026

09/30/2026

Illinois community college student leaders are starting the year strong 🥳

This September, ICCB Student Advisory Committee (SAC) kicked off its first in-person meeting of the year with students from across Illinois connecting, electing their SAC executive team, and sharing perspectives on issues impacting community college students.

Students also learned about opportunities to engage in research with OCCRL and participated in an engaging ICSPS professional development session focused on balancing leadership, advocacy, and personal well-being.

A big thank you to College of DuPage for hosting, Office of Community College Research and Leadership for creating opportunities to elevate student voice through research, and Illinois Center for Specialized Professional Support at Illinois State for investing in our student leaders!

We’re excited for the year ahead and the opportunity to learn from and alongside these incredible students as they bring their voices, experiences, and ideas to ICCB’s work!

09/28/2026

Our staff and our community college administrators are truly the best at what they do🎉

Felita Murphy, Associate Director for CTE at ICCB, Michelle Sliczniak, Operations Manager, Career and Technical Programs Division at Harper College , and Joy Pak, Operations Manager, Business and Social Science Division at Harper College have been participating in the year-long NextLevel Postsecondary CTE Leaders Fellowship, led by the Association for Career and Technical Education. They were recently awarded for their fellowship participation at the ACTE Postsecondary CTE Summit in Arlington, VA, where they each facilitated roundtable discussions to present the Make-It-Better Plans they developed during the fellowship.

Congratulations to Felita, Michelle, and Joy 🥳 We can't wait to see what they do next!

09/25/2026

September 15 – October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month! This month, we proudly celebrate and recognize the Hispanic and Latino leaders who are making a lasting impact across the Illinois Community College System.

We extend our sincere gratitude to our board member and community college presidents for their outstanding leadership, dedication, and commitment to excellence. Your work continues to inspire our students, strengthen our institutions, and create opportunities for future generations.

ICCB Board Members
Dr. Héctor García
Dr. Teresa Garate

Illinois Community College Presidents
Juan Salgado – Chancellor, City Colleges of Chicago
Dr. Daniel López, Jr. – Harold Washington College
Dr. Isaac Zúñiga – Richard J. Daley College
Dr. Andrés A. Oroz – Wilbur Wright College
Dr. Cristobal Valdez – Richland Community College

Thank you for your leadership, service, and unwavering support of the Illinois Community College System!

09/18/2026

It's Adult Education Week 🎉 Adult education transforms lives as many adult learners achieve GEDs, new careers, or citizenship!

We want to spotlight an adult education student, Riley Rueban Jirsa, from Triton College!

According to Riley, “During my formative years, an under-resourced homeschool education left me nine grades behind my peers. The day after my 17th birthday, I enrolled in Triton College’s Adult Education’s GED program, which offered me the chance to catch up in an environment that nurtured my academic drive. After only two semesters, I passed all four GED tests within a single week. In June 2024, I crossed the stage as a recipient of the National Adult Education Honor Society Certificate, which served as a milestone that fueled my desire to return to Triton as a credit-seeking student.”

“Triton College has made a lasting impact on my life by allowing me to find my footing in an environment that prioritized my individual journey. It has shaped me into the person I am today – a leader and scholar dedicated to supporting my peers.”

You can read more here: https://www.triton.edu/news/2026/statewide-essay-contest-news-release.html

If you start or complete an adult education class during the month of September, you can earn your high school diploma for free! Go to www.yourpathyourfuture.org to find a class near you.

09/16/2026

It's Adult Education Week 🎉 Adult learners are diverse: parents, immigrants, returning citizens, older workers. Anyone can be an adult learner!

We want to spotlight an adult education student, Madison Flannery, from Lewis and Clark Community College!

Madison Flannery's journey is a powerful example of resilience, perseverance, and the life-changing impact of adult education. After personal and educational challenges interrupted her path to a traditional high school diploma, Madison made the decision to pursue her Illinois High School Diploma, opening the door to new opportunities for herself and her family. Throughout her educational journey, she balanced the demands of working full-time while raising two young children. Although she began working toward her diploma in 2019, personal challenges required her to step away for a period of time. When she returned in March 2022, she was determined to achieve her goal, completing her remaining three tests in just two months and earning her Illinois High School Diploma in June 2022.

Madison's achievement marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter. The following year, she was selected as the annual graduate speaker, where she proudly shared that she was honored not only to address her fellow graduates but also to serve as a role model for her children, who were in attendance. Building on that success, Madison earned her Associate of Science degree with an emphasis in Paralegal Studies from Lewis and Clark Community College in May 2026. She continues to work full-time, and her dedication and strong work ethic have made her such a valued employee that her employer has provided housing for her family. Reflecting on her journey, Madison shares, "I hope my story inspires you to keep going. No matter the circumstances, it's never too late. You have options. You have people here at Lewis and Clark who believe in you and support whatever dream you have." Her story demonstrates that with determination, support, and access to adult education, it is never too late to achieve your goals and create a brighter future.

If you start or complete an adult education class during the month of September, you can earn your high school diploma for free! Go to www.yourpathyourfuture.org to find a class near you.

09/14/2026

Such great news! Illinois is building the workforce in manufacturing ⚒️

“Community colleges are uniquely positioned to connect students with the skills employers need and the careers that can change lives,” said Illinois Community College Board (ICCB) Executive Director Brian Durham. “These Manufacturing Training Academies will give more Illinoisans access to state-of-the-art training close to home while helping manufacturers build the skilled workforce they need to grow and compete.”

Congrats to Illinois Central College, Kaskaskia College, Lake Land College, Lewis and Clark Community College, and Parkland College for receiving funding and helping students learn new skills!

Today, Governor JB Pritzker and DCEO announced grant funding for five new manufacturing training academies at Illinois community colleges.

These academies will prepare Illinoisans for good-paying careers in high-demand fields including automation, robotics, industrial maintenance, machining, metal fabrication, and biomanufacturing. 🛠️

Learn more - https://bit.ly/3T3NNyY

09/14/2026

It's Adult Education Week 🎉 Adult education covers so many things: literacy, numeracy, digital skills, English language acquisition, high school equivalency, career pathways...so many things under one umbrella!

We want to spotlight an adult education student, Luisa Campo Londono, from College of Lake County!

From CLC Connects Magazine: "In April 2024, Campo Londono achieved a major milestone by earning her high school diploma. Her proudest moment was seeing her own narrative published in Prairie Voices, CLC’s award-winning literary magazine that features students’ writing. 'It reminded me how far I’ve come,' she said. 'Studying opens doors. It opens opportunities. Step by step, stay motivated, with a positive attitude and gratitude'." Go to this URL to learn more! https://tinyurl.com/clc-ae-transforms

If you start or complete an adult education class during the month of September, you can earn your high school diploma for free! Go to www.yourpathyourfuture.org to find a class near you.

09/11/2026

Our last day at the DuQuoin State Fair was a blast 🥳 Here are some memorable moments from the fair this year!

Thank you so much to the community colleges, partners, and volunteers who came out to help visitors find their futures and to YOU 🫵 for stopping by!

We can't wait to see you again in 2027! Mark your calendars for the next state fairs:

Illinois State Fair: August 12 - August 22
Du Quoin State Fair: August 27 - September 6

See you soon at the next state fairs 👋