City Colleges of Chicago

Malcolm X College Reaches Milestone as 100th ‘Caring Campus’ College in U.S.

All seven of City Colleges of Chicago (CCC) now take part in the Caring Campus program designed to enhance the student experience. Malcolm X College reaches milestone as the 100th community college to join Caring Campus, the student success program of the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC).

Malcolm X College joins the six other City Colleges of Chicago in participating in Caring Campus: Harold Washington College, Truman College, Kennedy-King College, Olive-Harvey College, Richard J. Daley- College, and Wilbur Wright College.

“We know that students need support and connection both in and out of the classroom. Implementing Caring Campus across our system will help us to meet the goals we have set out in our strategic plan to provide an exceptional student experience,” said City Colleges Chancellor Juan Salgado.

Caring Campus coaches college faculty and staff to implement research-based behaviors that increase student connectedness. These behaviors are designed to help students feel that they are welcome and belong at the community college and that the faculty and staff are supporting them.

“Caring Campus is a program that helps our students feel and stay more connected to our colleges. It increases student persistence and success. We are thrilled that all seven of our colleges are now part of this program that will contribute to an excellent student experience and improve student outcomes,” said City Colleges Provost Mark Potter.

Students come where they are welcome and stay where they feel cared about. Caring Campus is based on decades of research documenting that students who feel connected to their college are more likely to complete and succeed in their courses, persist from semester to semester, and achieve their educational goals.

“Our campus is looking forward to embracing the Caring Campus approach as we continue to create and maintain a culture that supports racial equity, student success, and opportunity for all,” said Malcolm X College President David A. Sanders.

Caring Campus is particularly important for students from historically underserved populations and students less familiar with college to feel welcome and that they belong in college.

“Caring Campus uses a unique coaching method resulting in campus-wide involvement of faculty, engaging a representative group to develop and plan for implementation of behavioral commitments,” said IEBC President and CEO Brad Phillips. “The goal is to increase students’ connectedness and sense of belonging, helping students stay on track to complete their educational goals by implementing specific behaviors leading to cultural shifts on campus.”

Caring Campus participants nationally report improvements in course retention and success, increased term-to-term persistence, and improved completion and transfer. Achievement gaps are being closed rapidly among demographic groups. Job satisfaction and relationships between staff, faculty and leadership also improve.

Participating staff and faculty report that Caring Campus is valuable to their students, themselves, and the college.

“The Caring Campus work undertaken by the City Colleges of Chicago to improve student connectedness and success in reaching their goals has been impressive,” said Phillips.   “Malcolm X becoming the 100th college to join the Caring Campus community reflects the momentum we are seeing throughout the nation.”

About the Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC)

The Institute for Evidence-Based Change (IEBC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping education stakeholders — community colleges, universities, K-12 school systems, employers, and others — use coaching, collaboration, and data to make informed decisions and craft solutions that improve practice and dramatically increase student success.  Learn more about IEBC at www.iebcnow.org

About City Colleges of Chicago 

CCC is one of the largest community college systems in Illinois, with more than 3,800 faculty and staff serving 54,000 students annually at seven colleges and five satellite sites. City Colleges’ vision is to be recognized as the city’s most accessible higher education engine of socioeconomic mobility and racial equity – empowering all Chicagoans to take part in building a stronger and more just city. Learn more about City Colleges of Chicago at www.ccc.edu