Joliet Junior College backs Pritzker plan for community colleges to offer 4-year degrees

Joliet — Joliet Junior College is preparing to play a large role in Gov. JB Pritzker’s newly introduced educational proposal to allow Illinois community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees.

Pritzker announced his plans for the legislation during his State of the State address Wednesday.

“Illinois is home to one of the best community college systems in the nation – third largest in size and still growing,” Pritzker said in his speech. “That’s why I’m proposing we allow community colleges to offer four-year baccalaureate degrees for in-demand career paths like nursing, advanced manufacturing, early childhood education, and beyond. With lower tuition rates and a greater presence across the state – especially in rural areas – community colleges provide the flexibility and affordability students need.”

The program is known as Community College Baccalaureates (CCB).

In a statement addressing the plan, JJC said the initiative “would continue Joliet Junior College’s long-standing mission of innovation and workforce development.”

“JJC is proud to support a more unified education system in Illinois, one that keeps students learning, working, and building their futures right here in our state,” said JJC President Dr. Clyne Namuo in the statement.

“By expanding access to bachelor’s degrees through CCB programs, we are not only bridging critical education gaps, but also strengthening our workforce and communities. When students can earn their degrees close to home, they are more likely to stay, contribute, and drive Illinois forward,” he said.

Namuo was influential in the effort to advance the CCB plan as the head of the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents task force on the issue, according to JJC.

Namuo previously worked to implement a similar program in Arizona, and testified about its success before the Illinois Senate’s Higher Education Committee.

Prior to the introduction of the legislation, Illinois conducted a survey of Illinois community college students, including 200 JJC students, and according to JJC, “their support was overwhelming, with many citing their ability to continue their educational pursuits without interrupting their existing daily lives and commitments.”

Students cited lower costs, closeness to home, and convenient scheduling as reasons they supported the idea.

The JJC announcement noted that in places where they have been implemented CCB programs “complement, rather than compete with existing four-year institutions by serving a distinct student population” including working adults, place-bound students, and students facing financial barriers which may otherwise prevent them from getting a degree.

JJC noted the degrees offered by the CCB program will be designed to be flexible and “workforce-aligned” to be more accessible to people with existing career and family obligations in order to “increase degree attainment and develop a more skilled and educated workforce that strengthens Illinois' economy and communities.”

Pritzker described the plan as a “consumer-driven, student-centered proposal that will help fill the needs of regional employers in high-need sectors and create a pathway to stable, quality jobs for more Illinoisans.”

If passed, Illinois would become the 25th state to implement a CCB program.

The plan is supported by the Illinois Community College Board, the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, and the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents, which represents 45 community colleges throughout the state.

In Pritzker’s remarks he noted that enrollment at community colleges in Illinois has been rising for the past three years, with enrollment outpacing the national average by 3%.