Reinvention7 Update for May 10th

In early April  Reinvention⁷ kicked-off, with faculty, staff and students from each of the seven colleges forming teams charged with nothing less than planning and executing the work required to ensure that all CCC students embark upon academic pathways that 1) reflect learning and growth required to meet life, career and academic goals 2) are relevant to both employers and to four-year institutions 3) meet students where they are, both in terms of their college readiness levels upon admission as well as their anticipated schedule and other life needs.

Recent Accomplishments

This week the teams completed initial drafts of semester-by-semester program maps that reflect the requirements and sequential steps needed to attain a certificate or degree, as indicated in the most recent course catalog. They also shared these maps with the owners of the curricula, the faculty, to make changes required to ensure the paths reflect the best advisable routes towards completion and learning. After faculty validation, these semester maps will represent an advising tool CCC can use to help students chart clear educational plans towards a degree. We have also begun baking-in developmental education pathways and requirements into these maps so we can meet students at their variable college readiness levels.

Upcoming events

In the coming weeks the teams will garner more faculty feedback on the semester maps and integrate it before sharing with our transfer directors, deans of instruction, vice presidents and others. We will also look towards faculty leadership to help define what new pathways will look like, how they can lead to credentials that reflect learning, match skills required for entering the workforce and align with the expectations of four-year institutions for transfer purposes.

As we proceed, please keep following us here and do not hesitate to e-mail me directly with any questions or concerns about Reinvention⁷ or, better yet, contact your college’s Director of Strategic Initiatives.

     – Charles Ansell, Center for Operational Excellence

World Bank Visit a Good Sign

Chancellor Cheryl Hyman and Mayor Rahm Emanuel host a delegation from The World Bank at Harold Washington College

City Colleges of Chicago was honored to host 17 representatives from The World Bank this week.  They were interested in learning more about Reinvention and the College to Career initative.  Their focus was on how what we’re doing here in Chicago could potentially be replicated in the countries in which The World Bank is currently operating to improve economies through education and workforce development.  After two days of meetings and tours of our colleges and partner facilities the delegation returned to Washington DC much impressed by what they experieced at City Colleges.

This visit took me back to the early days of Reinvention in January 2011.  During that first semester we sent a number of faculty, staff and students to visit colleges and universities around the country to learn from them how they were achieving thier success.  I remember at that time dreaming of a time when institutions would be asking to visit CCC for the same reasons.  In a way, this recent visit by The World Bank is a sign of that dream coming true.  We know we still have a lot of work ahead of us and that we’re always capable of further improvement but it’s exciting to think that our reputation has risen to the point that an international organization such as The World Bank would be interested enough in what we’re doing to send a large team to learn from us.

Everyone involved with CCC, Reinvention and, in particular C2C should be proud of this exciting step along our path to becoming a world class institution.  Congratulations to all.

     – Scott Martyn, Center for Operational Excellence

The Gateway Program Welcomes New Scholars

Daley College New Gateway Scholars with Families and Friends

The Gateway Scholar Welcome Events of Spring 2013 are days that I have waited for with great emotion for a long time. As the President of the Gateway Scholars’ Club (GSC) at Richard J. Daley College and a Reinvention implementation team member with the Gateway Program, I can say that these events are why we work with passion the entire semester. It is not just the event that is so important, it is what we can see and feel at the event. I am sure that the new Gateway Scholars and their families and friends that attended the events shared with each other these wonderful experiences. As a student and Gateway Scholar, it is really inspiring to see all the proud and happy faces from the students as they receive recognition certificates for the success in Adult Education courses at the City Colleges of Chicago which allows them to enter this transition program. I could feel the students’ gratitude and the students’ excitement to see their dream of getting a college degree within their reach.

Truman College GSC Welcome Event

The Gateway Scholars’ Club helped coordinate the events to welcome the new Gateway Scholars who are transitioning to college from Adult Education. The team at the District Office that is working to ensure their successful transition to college is proud of these students. To become a Gateway Scholar means to dream a bigger dream for yourself than you thought possible. I continue to see that many of our Adult Education students are achieving their dreams and reaching their goals as a result of the Gateway to the City Colleges of Chicago Program. The Gateway Scholars are really interested in participating in college activities and becoming active students on campus. While this program is not for every student, it rewards those who have excelled at their coursework and who have the desire and motivation necessary to be successful. As the Gateway Program continues to grow, I look forward to continuing to welcome an increasing number of Adult Education students making the dream of college a reality.

-Ruth Elizabeth Marquez, Teaching and Learning Task Force

Daley College Gateway Scholars’ Club Essay Contest Winner: “Creating a Better Life by Going to College”

The Gateway Scholars’ Club at Daley College sponsored an essay contest with the theme: “Creating a Better Life by Going to College”. Winners were selected by the Club’s Executive Board and received a $50 bookstore gift card and one grand prize winner received a $100 bookstore gift card. The grand prize winner was invited to read her essay at the Gateway Scholars’ Club Shared Success Recognition Dinner on December 5, 2012. Below is the grand prize winning essay:

My name is Karolina Szumal and I was born in Poland. I have four sisters and two brothers. I was born as a middle child. It was a hard place to be born. My older siblings picked on me while I had to take care of my younger siblings. I complained to my parents, but they never did something about that. Still my family is big and we had a lot of fun together. My mother was a housewife, and dad was the one who brought money to the table. The time when I was still in Poland we had a big farm. We had four cows, a few pigs, chickens and a horse. I was going to school and helping my parents with farm work. It was hard work but after a little time I got used to it. My mother was raising us strictly. Since we were little kids she was teaching us hard work and how to take care of ourselves.

I finished high school in Poland and took some of the classes to be a hair stylist. I think no one likes high school. I really liked taking my hair stylist classes and practice in the hair salon. But I had to leave all that life behind me when I was 17 years old. My journey coming to United States started in 2003. In that year my aunt decided that she wanted to help my family. Her exact words were that “We are poor and we need more money and I want to help us”. She was already in the United States and she wanted me and my sister to come to visit. When I heard her plan I did not want to come here. My sister was ok with it she was older than me and not scared at all. But since I was raised that way I did have to do as they pleased. Of course as my life was as it is now too I got a visa and my sister did not.

My drive to the airport was the worst day of my life. I was sad I knew I would lose my friends and family. Saying good bye to my animals was a really hard thing to do. They were my closest friends and my great listeners. The feeling I had was that am losing everyone I know, I love and my whole life. It was like I knew that I am not coming back home ever again, and so far this is true. I would like to say that after this going to college is easy. But I would not be saying the truth. The Gateway Program opened the world of education for me. I am so thankful every day to the people that work so hard to make this program happen. It is changing the lives of the people who enter it. It is the gateway to dreams, possibilities, hopes and goals. I want to give back by holding this gate open for those students who will come after me. I want to say that in a world where we say and hear “no” too much, the Gateway Program is a place you will hear and say “yes”.

- Karolina Szumal, Gateway Scholar, Daley College

Transition Specialists and College Advisors Collaboration: Key to the Success of the Gateway Program

In 2008, I was hired as a part-time Transition Specialist in the Adult Education department at Malcolm X.  At that time, I was one of only two part-time and one full-time Transition Specialists working with Adult Education students at two of the six colleges that offered Adult Education classes.

As a Transition Specialist my responsibilities varied from working with students enrolled in the newly created Bridge, Fast Track and online GED prep classes, identifying and referring students to off-campus resources such as child care, financial assistance and employment; and arranging graduation and homecoming activities, etc. With a total enrollment of 2,930* Adult Education students at Malcolm X, it was impossible to provide even minimal service to the majority of our students.

Fast forward to fall 2012; building on the success of the Truman College Incentive Program, Reinvention has worked with administrators, faculty, and students to pilot and expand the Gateway to the City of Chicago program to all seven colleges and two satellite sites. The Gateway program provides high-level ESL and GED students the opportunity to earn college credits toward the completion of a basic or advanced certificate and/or work toward an associate’s degree at a reduced cost while completing their Adult Education program.

A recommendation of the Adult Education Reinvention Task Force was to increase the number of Transition Specialists district-wide. In addition, their collaboration with College Advisors would be a key part of the college transition goal of the Gateway Program. As of today, there are 11 full-time and 2 part-time Transition Specialists, with at least one College Advisor assigned at each campus to work with the Transition Specialists to foster the transition to college-credit classes.

Transition Specialists are an integral part of the success of the Gateway program and are charged with recruitment and advising. Their primary focus is ensuring that academic and student services are in place to support Gateway students, known as Gateway Scholars. It is important that the Transition Specialists are able to share their success stories, creative ideas and yes, frustrations with one another.

The Transition Specialists and nine of the assigned College Advisors recently came together at the District office to receive program updates and to share best practices. This meeting was the culmination of weekly conference calls that provide the opportunity to discuss a variety of topics, including marketing efforts, current and potential roadblocks, and student successes.

Attendees received updates regarding PeopleSoft, the online application, registration business process and updates to the policy manual. They were also able to share best practices at their individual colleges.

Abdul King, a Transition Specialist at Kennedy-King, shared some of his recruitment tips that included being a self-starter, persistence and to always provide good customer service. Abdul states, “I just want the best for all of the students and I am willing to help them get there if they put the work in.”

Yanet Diaz, an Academic Advisor at Wright has a caseload of more than 600 college credit students, but realizes the importance of advising students in the Gateway program. Yanet shared the following with the group, “Academic Advisors must cater to the needs of Adult Education students as they transition into credit classes because they have different needs from credit students. As an advisor, we must make an extra effort to ensure that they know our names and contact information, schedules and where our offices are located.”

Gateway Scholars are well on their way to securing a quality education and training that can lead to an advanced degree or employment or both. Transition Specialists are now in place to provide the assistance and guidance to help make our students’ dreams of obtaining a certificate or degree a reality.

For additional information on the Gateway program or to contact a Transition Specialist, click on http://www.ccc.edu/departments/Pages/Gateway.aspx

*October 31, 2008 – ICCB Headcount enrollment includes on-campus, off-campus, and satellite sites.

-Brenda Baker, Student Support and Services Task Force

Gateway Scholars’ Club Welcome Event at Daley College on 10/17/12

The day was gloomy, and the weather was horrible. But that didn’t stop the Gateway Scholars’ Club from hosting an event. It was six o’clock and the event was supposed to take place. No one was showing up and most of the tables were empty. The faces of the coordinators seemed to say that nothing including such a day would ruin their plans for the event. It seemed that the program was going to have a total setback, due to the bad weather. By 6:15 PM people suddenly started to arrive in small groups. Before long the room began to fill.

All of the Gateway Scholars and their guests were invited to eat from the variety of food that was provided by the Gateway Scholars’ Club. After a delicious dinner reception and conversation, the program for the evening began. The ceremony was opened with a welcome speech given by Elizabeth Marquez, the founder and President of the Daley College Gateway Scholars’ Club. She introduced the entire Gateway Scholar’s Club Executive Board. Elizabeth also spoke about her previous experience as a Gateway Scholar and the many benefits that the Gateway Program has given her.

Next it was Mr. Kevin Scavuzzo’s turn, or as we students call him, Mr. Kevin, to deliver the keynote address. Mr. Kevin spoke about the five most important things that he learned from the teachers in his life in and out of school. He shared stories from the first grade through his own college experience and connected these stories to us and our goals. The entire room was silent. Some Gateway Scholars and their family members cried. He offered encouragement to all Gateway Scholars to continue their education and to make their dreams real. Thank you, Mr. Kevin; you are an inspiration to all students.

Then a very special part of the program began. Ms. Janice Mejia, a leader at Reinvention, gave certificates to the Gateway Scholars. After speaking about the Gateway Program and Reinvention, she presented each one of us with our certificate and the opportunity to give a few words of our own and share them with the audience. Thank you, Ms. Mejia for giving us the opportunity to express our thoughts and gratitude. Ms. Mejia closed the event by inviting and encouraging us, as well as the student guests to take advantage of this wonderful program. The room was filled with applause.

At the end of the evening, staff and students took pictures and congratulated one another. There was plenty of food left for everyone and most of us decided to take advantage of that opportunity as well. Despite all the rain that was pouring outside that day, even after the event, nothing could stop the Gateway Scholars’ Club Welcome Event from taking its course. It was a success in every way and we really had a blast! I was excited to learn that in the coming semesters there will be a Gateway Scholars’ Club at all of the colleges with the Gateway Program. The club is an important part of the program because it allows students to share their experiences, connect with other Gateway Scholars, and learn from each other.

-Angel Burgos, Gateway Scholar, Daley College

Gateway Scholars and Mr. Kevin Scavuzzo

Reflections from a Student Task Force Member and New Gateway Scholar Club President

My family and I moved to Chicago six years ago. We moved to a new different world where the culture and the language are completely different. I hardly understood English. Therefore, three years ago, I started to learn English as a second language at Richard J. Daley College. Two semesters ago, I had a wonderful opportunity to continue my education. Thanks to a new Reinvention Initiative, I was able to take college credit courses while completing my English studies in the Adult Education Program. This initiative is called the Gateway to the City Colleges of Chicago Program. The program helps ESL and GED students to transition to college. I could not be thankful enough for such a wonderful opportunity. This program has allowed me to drastically change the way I view myself and education.

​I quickly became passionate about the Gateway Program and wanted to help other students make the decision to continue their education. During my College Success Seminar for Gateway Scholars this summer my instructor, Kevin Scavuzzo, mentioned that the Gateway Program was a Reinvention initiative and students could get involved by becoming Task Force members. This fall semester I became a Task Force member to help develop the program. My first project was to create a student club for Gateway Scholars at Daley College to provide student support current and former Adult Education students that are transitioning to college credit courses.

After completing the application process, the Student Government Association (SGA) officially recognized the Gateway Scholars’ Club (GSC) at Daley College on September 11, 2012. I am honored to serve as the first club president. The GSC’s mission is to provide Gateway Scholars peer support to successfully transition to college programs, graduate with their associates degree, and transfer to 4-year institutions to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree. The club will provide a support system for Scholars to get together and discuss and address the challenges of college transition and find ways to encourage other potential Gateway Scholars. We will host events to inform Adult Education students about the Gateway Program and student support services available at CCC. We hope that by sharing our stories, we can motivate and demonstrate to ourselves and to others that Adult Education students can break the barriers of going to college, and achieve academic success in higher education.

As a Gateway Scholar, and a Reinvention Task Force Member, I want to work to share the necessity of a college education, and the life changing experience that college has to offer. Moving forward with this project, I will be assisting other Gateway Scholars to establish the Gateway Scholars’ Club at their respective colleges across the District. It is our goal to have an active club at each of the 6 colleges offering Adult Education by next fall. The club will allow other Adult Education students like me who are completing their ESL and GED classes to have the support system to go on to college.

-Ruth Elizabeth Marquez, Teaching and Learning Task Force

Wright College Welcomes Gateway Scholars

The Gateway to City Colleges of Chicago Program, a Reinvention Initiative, got its official start at Wright College on Friday, August 27, 2012. Twenty students were welcomed by President Jim Palos, Vice President Cynthia Cordes, Dean of Adult Education Magxima Wageman, Associate Dean of Student Instruction Nancy Koll, Janice Mejia from the Center of Operational Excellence at the District Office, and others.

Gateway Scholars at Wright College Welcome Event

Students enrolled in the Gateway Program are in various phases of their academic careers. Several students are recent GED recipients, with one student receiving her scores just one week before classed started. Others in the class are students from our Salvation Army Adult Rehabilitation Center off-site location that offers GED classes. These students have overcome various struggles to pursue their GEDs and college careers. They will often be carpooling together using the Salvation Army van. Several students are in ESL classes, while the rest are studying for their GEDs.

Gateway Scholars at Wright College Welcome Event

As their first credit class, Gateway Scholars are enrolled in an English 299 (E299), Special Topics in English, course that is being taught by Kathy Calabrese. She has set forth a challenging syllabus. Students will be exploring approaches to writing and reading, while studying from various disciplines. The assignments will connect the students to the college, community, and other resources. Students will earn three college credits upon completion of the class.

Once Gateway Scholars complete E299, they will be able take other credit classes within the City Colleges of Chicago system based on their academic and career interests. During this semester, students will be meeting with a designated college advisor to help them determine their future college credit career.

     - Laura Nitanda, Transition Specialist, Wilbur Wright College

Left to Right: Transition Specialist Laura Nitanda, President Jim Palos, Vice President Cynthia Cordes, E299 Instructor Kathy Calabrese, and Dean of Adult Education Magxima Wageman

Living the Dream through Education

People now more than ever are in need of an education. The job market is a very competitive place and the only way to stay ahead and “stand out” is by getting the additional skills that meet the ever-changing demands. The Gateway to the City Colleges of Chicago Program, a Reinvention initiative, is a program which serves ESL and GED students wishing to successfully transition to college credit, and obtain a degree.  Gateway, along with other initiatives at CCC, will help students by providing academic and other support services to obtain the credentials they need to further their careers. Not having a college degree is the difference between an hourly job and a salary job.

Working with the Gateway Program serving a large population of ESL and GED students, I was able to attend the Dream Relief Day on Wednesday August 15^th 2012 at Navy Pier that was hosted by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR ). At first glance upon arrival to Navy Pier, I was quickly filled by mixed feelings.

Waiting line to obtain a number to enter the Grand Ball Room at Navy Pier.

It was roughly 7:30a.m. and the front lawn of Navy Pier was crowded with thousands of people all waiting for the golden opportunity to talk to immigration experts. I knew to expect some people, but not as many as 13,000! Numbers vary by media channels. To my eyes, it felt as if the whole city was congregating at Navy Pier. It was overwhelming to see people flooding the boardwalk of Navy Pier, all hoping to get a golden ticket to get inside where the details about the Obama Administration Deferred Action Process were announced.

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) at the Dream Relief Event

A strong presence of public figures was noted.  Mayor Rahm Emanuel along with Senator Dick Durbin and Congressman Luis Gutierrez all gave inspirational speeches. “This is what History looks like” Senator Durbin, D-IL, stated in his remarks.

People from as far as Iowa came to Chicago to fill out their deferred action documents.  The Obama administration is implementing a deferred action plan that offers two years of protection from deportation and allows individuals to apply for a work permit. To be eligible, applicants must:

1. Have come to the United States under the age of sixteen;
2. Have continuously resided in the United States for at least five years preceding the date of this memorandum and be present in the United States on the date of the memorandum;
3. Currently be in school, have graduated from high school, have obtained a general education development certificate, or are honorably discharged veterans of the Coast Guard or Armed Forces of the United States;
4. Have not been convicted of a felony offense, a significant misdemeanor offense, multiple misdemeanor offenses, or otherwise pose a threat to national security or public safety;
5. Not be above the age of thirty

What does the deferred action plan from President Obama mean to CCC? Last year, Governor Quinn signed the Illinois DREAM Act designed to provide resources and information on privately-funded scholarships to help undocumented immigrant students as they pursue higher education. I personally believe that these federal and state initiatives will benefit us in the long run.  All of these “invisible” individuals are coming out and reaching for whatever educational services they might need. From ESL and GED to College Credit Courses, CCC should see an increase in enrollment within the next few semesters. Working with the Gateway to the City Colleges of Chicago Implementation Team, we are helping ESL and GED students’ transition to college credit. By all means this deferred action plan and the Illinois DREAM Act are good news for CCC. With these new initiatives in place, an education will be within the reach of many whom for years just dreamed of a college education.

     – Edgar Gonzalez, Student, Teaching and Learning Task Force

Dream Relief Day Attendees’ Reflections

Gateway Scholar Success… Only the Beginning

The Gateway to the City Colleges of Chicago Program, a Reinvention initiative, is now expanded across the District. With this expansion has come the addition of several new elements designed to enhance the successful transition of Adult Education students to college credit programs. One major change is the requirement that all first semester Gateway Scholars take the College Success Seminar as their first credit course.

The College Success Seminar for Gateway Scholars allows the student to develop the necessary soft skills to ease their college transition and provides an orientation to the student services and support structures in place on the campus. Guest speakers are welcome into the classroom to discuss financial aid, the Wellness Center, the Disability Access Center, among other representatives of college departments and service providers.

A critical element for successful college transition is a strong preparation for the rigors of college reading and writing. The Gateway Scholar sections of the College Success Seminar include exposure to college textbooks, enhanced writing skill development, and note taking. Students conduct research and are required to write a term paper. There is a strong emphasis placed on skill building in the instruction offered in these sections; after breaking the task into manageable components, students develop their term paper over the semester.

I had the pleasure of offering instruction for the first group of students enrolled in a Gateway Scholar section of College Success Seminar. The pilot course at Richard J. Daley College had 15 students this summer. This group of students was so dedicated to acquiring the necessary skills to be successful that not a single student missed a single class. The students were so grateful for the opportunities provided by the Gateway Program that they wanted to come to the District Office to learn more about the development and operations of the program.

Gateway Scholars visiting Reinvention

On August 3, we welcomed this group of Gateway Scholars to Reinvention. They had the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Gateway Program and student oriented marketing and recruitment. The Gateway Scholars were able to communicate the challenges they faced in transitioning to college as well as how this course addressed many of these challenges. We hope to continue offering students the opportunity to give feedback on our Adult Education programs and the Gateway Program.

We feel so strongly about student input that two Gateway Scholars who expressed interest in helping with the Gateway Program were invited to be Reinvention Task Force Members this fall. We are pleased to have Elizabeth Marquez and Gabriel Guzman, Gateway Scholars from Richard J. Daley College, join us on the Teaching and Learning Task Force, led by Janice Mejia.

In response to the number of students interested in becoming Gateway Scholars this fall, eight special sections of College Success Seminar are being offered. As the Gateway to the City Colleges of Chicago Program  grows at the colleges across the District, the creation of additional sections of College Success Seminar for Gateway Scholars will be necessary.

We are encouraged by the early success of the College Success Seminar for Gateway Scholars. As a task force, we continue to develop additional structures and instructional methodologies to support the successful transition of our Adult Education students to college credit programs. Having Adult Education students and Gateway Scholars, both inside and outside of Reinvention, provide feedback and input will contribute greatly to the long term success of the Gateway to the City Colleges of Chicago Program.

“What we call results are beginnings.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

     - Kevin Scavuzzo, Teaching and Learning Task Force

Gateway Scholars from the Summer 2012 Gateway College Success Section Pilot from Daley College with their instructor, Kevin Scavuzzo.