State Officials Tour College of DuPage Construction Site, Talk Completion Rates

Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon is cruising around the state visiting every community college in Illinois.

On Wednesday, Simon stopped off at the as part of a statewide tour targeted at finding innovative ways to improve community college completion rates.

“It’s really exciting to see this building. I’ve heard about it, I’ve read about it but to see it really gives you an idea of how useful a tool it’s going to be in terms of education,” said Simon.

Simon walked through a construction site, which will be home to the college’s Homeland Security Education Center. The new 65,000 square-foot facility will provide practical applications for criminal justice training and fire science programs. The new facility will house an emergency operations command post and 4-D tactical village.

The center is set up to simulate scenarios students will face in the field after graduation. And increasing graduation rates at community colleges is exactly what Simon is after. Leading a discussion with trustees, faculty and students, Simon wanted to identify barriers that keep students from obtaining a degree, particularly among working-age adults.

"A lot of students won’t stay in a class if they don’t feel like they can succeed there," said Gabriel Gardner, student body president.

Gardner pointed out that most students hold down jobs while attending school, making it hard to balance school work, which sometimes leads to students dropping out. Gardner added that one way to improve a community college like COD would be to push students to seek academic counseling sooner and more often. That way, students know exactly what classes to take before getting off-course which results in more money spent and time lost.

Simon says community colleges like COD offer a significant cost-savings opportunity for degree-seekers and a real benefit to communities, especially with a facility like the Homeland Security Education Center.   

“This new building is one of the great examples of how a community college can respond so quickly to a need in a community in terms of local industry, local job opportunities. This is a building that went from start to finish in 24-months and it’s going to serve a lot of people in terms of career development and a whole lot more in terms of public safety,” explained Simon.

After her statewide tour, Simon will take her findings to the governor and public assembly to offer up ways the legislature can help community colleges overcome these barriers.