Chicago City Colleges Receive Funds Toward Advancement

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U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan announced an award of $24.6 million to 62 predominantly black colleges across the country for educational resource enhancements of low-income and middle class African American students.
U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan announced an award of $24.6 million to 62 predominantly black colleges across the country for educational resource enhancements of low-income and middle class African American students.

In September, U.S. Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan announced an award of $24.6 million to 62 predominantly black colleges across the country for educational resource enhancements of low-income and middle class African American students. Eight and a half million dollars of that award is allocated for three city colleges here in Chicago.

Kennedy-King College (KKC), Olive-Harvey College (OHC) and Malcolm X College (MXC) will each receive $250,000 per year for five years totaling $ 1.25 million. KKC and OHC will receive an additional grant of $599,000 per year for four years.

In addition to the three City colleges receiving assistance from the U.S. Department of Education, Chicago State University, Prairie State College and South Suburban College will also receive $250,000 for five years.

According to a release issued by City Colleges of Chicago, KKC will use its funds to provide academic and student enrichment services, including developing an intensive transfer program and increasing tutoring, mentoring and advising.

Malcolm X College will use the funds to start a Saturday Academy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) to increase retention rates of African-American students who enroll in remedial and post-remedial math classes, improve success rates for students scoring below college level on placement tests, and establish a new tutoring program to focus on academic achievement and social integration, among other things.

Olive-Harvey College will use the funds to serve students in STEM disciplines by enhancing instruction, offering experiential learning opportunities and improving curriculum, and to establish a STEM Student Learning and Effective Teaching Program (STEMSL/ET) to improve success rates in STEM disciplines through learning communities and a center for teaching and learning.

"These awards translate into tremendous opportunities for our students," said City Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Cheryl L. Hyman. "This funding will assist us in meeting our Reinvention goals to ensure more students earn college credentials of economic value, and leave us ready to transfer into bachelor's degree programs or successfully move into the workforce. Thanks go to Congressman Danny Davis and the Illinois delegation for their work in helping us secure these resources for our students."

By: Abbra Stiffend

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