Chancellor Cheryl Hyman released a five-year vision to ensure the City Colleges continues to develop into a world-class college system that prepares Chicagoans for success, whether in further college and tomorrow’s careers. The five-year plan was developed over the course of 18 months and included rigorous analysis of City Colleges past performance as well as best practices for community college outcomes. It establishes five year targets on a number of critical measures of student success – from enrollment and retention to completion and employment. Among the key targets outlined in the plan, City Colleges expects to see the following by 2018:

• The number of degrees awarded annually will increase nearly 40 percent;
• The number of certificates awarded will increase by more than 15 percent;
• The graduation rate will be at 20+ percent;
• More than two-thirds of students in occupational programs will be employed in their area of training;
• More than half of students will transfer to four-year institutions following graduation;
• A third of new remedial students will advance to college-level work;
• Cut the time to hire in half, down to 120 days;
• Four times as many adult education students will transition to college-level coursework after one semester in GED/ESL; and
• Increase funds raised annually from grants and contracts by a third.

Four key strategies will support the achievement of these goals: increasing relevance of certificates and degrees, reducing time to completion, increasing student supports, and strengthening operations. Find more on City Colleges’ five year plan at: www.ccc.edu.