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In the three years since President Barack Obama announced his American Graduation Initiative, many local, state and national projects have been undertaken to help increase college completion. Given that the key to a successful finish is often a strong start, many of these projects and efforts have focused on students’ preparation and readiness for higher education. January 2014 will mark the implementation of one such initiative — a new edition of the General Educational Development (GED) exam designed to ensure that this first step toward a higher education is truly a step up. 

Making dreams come true. That's what we do at Waubonsee Community College. Many students come here looking for an education that will lead to a satisfying career. Others come for college credit they can transfer to a four-year college or university. Still others come to develop a specific job skill, to improve their ability to speak and write the English language, to continue the process of lifelong learning, or simply to obtain help in deciding their future path. By offering classes that meet a wide variety of learner needs, Waubonsee is helping community members fulfill their educational and career dreams.

In recent years, it has been difficult to miss the emphasis placed on the importance of college degree or certificate completion. Many statistics and studies have been quoted outlining the benefits to individual students, society and the economy. It is the benefits to the economy that have garnered the attention of federal and state officials who are exploring new financial incentives and penalties to encourage completion. 

While students at Waubonsee Community College and elsewhere are busy worrying about fitting in, finding just the right classes or finishing homework on time, there’s another group paying attention to an entirely different set of priorities. For the most part, the work of this group remains invisible to students, but, when done well, it ensures that success at school is all students need to be thinking about.

Waubonsee Community College is about to start the fourth year of a five-year National Science Foundation (NSF) funded STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) scholarship grant. Disciplines include biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering science, physics, mathematics and the geosciences (earth science, geology, oceanography, astronomy, meteorology and geography). Scholarship recipients are recruited from local high schools and from among current Waubonsee students. New and returning STEM scholars form a learning community nurtured by 12 faculty mentors and counselors. Selection criteria include high grades in STEM courses, high overall grade point average, recommendations from faculty and personal essays. 

Education has embraced the three “Rs” since at least the late 1700s. While Waubonsee Community College remains committed to teaching students to excel in reading, writing and arithmetic (along with other vital academic skills), this year we’re focusing on the three “Cs”: connect, collaborate and cultivate. 

For all of the ways he has strengthened the ties between the students, staff and faculty of local high schools and colleges, as well as local businesses, Waubonsee is proud to recognize Bernie Looney as its 2013 Distinguished Contributor. 

District Manager of the Fox Metro Water Reclamation District Tom Muth has been named Waubonsee's 2013 Distinguished Alumnus. 

Safety is among the many priorities addressed by Waubonsee Community College. There are some exciting new projects the college is working on to further enhance the health and safety of our students and college community. 

The American anthropologist Ruth Benedict wrote that “we grow in time to trust the future for our answers,” and nowhere is the truth of those words more apparent than in the dynamic field of higher education. As an institution that demands quality, relevancy and value for its students, Waubonsee Community College faces strategically forward, courts innovation, keeps its finger firmly on the pulse of the community, and embraces change. In my 28 years of employment in at least six different roles at Waubonsee, I, too, focused my vision on the future and welcomed the progress that is the lifeblood of the college.