The Community College System’s Bold Vision Aims to Catalyze Enduring Financial Prosperity & Build a Stronger Chicago

CHICAGO, April 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — City Colleges of Chicago, Illinois’ largest community college system, shares a bold, new five-year strategic plan, Forward, Together, to drive unprecedented student success and fuel a thriving Chicago. 

“Our progress is undeniable, but our future will be bolder,” said Chancellor Juan Salgado. “Forward, Together reflects who we are and who we will become for City Colleges students and our city – a catalyst of enduring financial prosperity and a contributor to a stronger and more just Chicago.”

Forward, Together focuses on four strategic levers: empowering students through exceptional learning experiences, deepening responsiveness to the economic needs of Chicago, strengthening City Colleges’ collaborative ecosystem and ensuring a culture of excellence. The plan commits City Colleges of Chicago to: 

• Provide unrivaled student supports – from food, mental health counseling and emergency funds to advisors, tutors and support from non-profit One Million Degrees – that foster a deep sense of belonging and care. 
• Ensure 55% of all credential-seeking students—across every racial demographic—earn a degree, earn a certificate, or transfer to a four-year university within four years of starting at City Colleges by 2032. Reaching this goal will place City Colleges among the top public Chicago area colleges and universities for equitable completion and transfer. 
• Catalyze enduring financial prosperity for City Colleges students and alumni through the highest quality academics in every classroom along every pathway. 

The plan builds off of the past five years during which City Colleges achieved enrollment growth exceeding state and national averages and pre-pandemic levels, including double-digit gains for Black and Latine students, made progress towards its ambitious 55 for All student outcome goal, expanded high-demand programs to the city’s South and West Sides, grew the Chicago Roadmap partnership with Chicago Public Schools, built stronger ties to transfer institutions, developed new workforce models, dramatically grew holistic student supports, and more.

The plan follows several recent announcements that further position City Colleges as the go-to workforce partner for the region in high-demand fields. HealthCatalyst, the innovative workforce partnership between City Colleges and Cook County Health, was recently awarded the $5 million Chicago Talent Challenge prize from the Pritzker Traubert Foundation. The investment will support a first-of-its-kind partnership aimed at filling critical healthcare roles at Cook County Health and will create a new on-site training program at Provident Hospital on the South Side – expanding the footprint of City Colleges’ healthcare programs even further to the South Side.

Furthermore, City Colleges is undertaking a new partnership with DMG Mori, a global leader in advanced manufacturing equipment. This collaboration will take City Colleges’ advanced manufacturing programs, work-based learning opportunities and facilities to the next level.

How Philanthropic Partners Speed Economic Mobility and Student Success 

The City Colleges of Chicago Foundation (CCCF) will play a critical role in realizing Forward, Together, employing philanthropic partnerships to pilot, evaluate and scale high-impact student success programs. 

“Our 55 for All goal is a bold commitment to equity, and we’re building the supports and new approaches it will take to reach it,” said City Colleges of Chicago Foundation President Veronica Herrero. “Philanthropic investment will help ensure City Colleges can scale innovations that are proven to work so that more Chicagoans complete a credential, transfer or embark on careers, and ultimately, build generational wealth.” 

Forward, Together systematically addresses the specific obstacles that derail students and employers, turning challenges into actionable strategies: 

Student Health & Wraparound Services: Students rarely drop out solely due to academic rigor; they leave due to financial shocks, lack of childcare or food insecurity. City Colleges is deploying wraparound services to improve student retention and completion. A landmark partnership with the Greater Chicago Food Depository establishes the Food Security for Life initiative, helping ensure students have consistent access to nutritious food while they complete their education and prepare for long-term stability, alongside expanded emergency financial grants. CCC is treating basic needs as essential infrastructure. 

Talent Pipeline Development: Chicago faces shortages in nursing, allied health, skilled trades, early childhood education, engineering and transportation, and new opportunities in emerging fields like quantum computing and advanced manufacturing. City Colleges is expanding its offerings to respond to the needs of these high-demand sectors. 

Employer Integration: To meet regional workforce challenges, City Colleges leverages partnerships to connect highly-trained graduates directly into high-demand fields at scale, like its HealthCatalyst Chicago relationship with Cook County Health. 

Transfer Relationships: To eliminate the friction of lost credits and wasted tuition, CCC is establishing zero credit-loss transfer pathways through the expansion of the Chicago Roadmap partnership with Chicago Public Schools and the deepening of its relationships with key four-year university partners.

Realistic AI Integration: To prepare for the realities of AI in the workplace, City Colleges is ensuring students are trained to direct the tools of the future. Among its work on ethical AI integration, the community college system was recently selected as a regional lead institution for AWS-Machine Learning University (AWS-MLU) and has established the Midwest AI/Machine Learning Initiative Powered by AWS, bringing the cloud learning environment to faculty and their classrooms at no cost.

The strategic plan will ensure City Colleges supports more students, like Tyshawn Allison, on the path to success. “I hadn’t originally planned to attend City Colleges of Chicago, but looking back, it was one of the best decisions I could have made,” said Tyshawn Allison, a recent City Colleges graduate.

“What started as an unexpected change in plans became a place where I found community, built a strong academic foundation, and stayed focused on my long-term goal of becoming an accountant and eventually a CPA,” said Allison. “Wilbur Wright College gave me an experience that was both welcoming and challenging, and it also helped me keep my debt low while preparing for a smooth transfer to Northern Illinois University. Looking back, City Colleges gave me more than just a starting point. It gave me momentum.”

Read the full Forward, Together strategic plan and learn how to support City Colleges of Chicago.

About the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation 

Founded in 1982, the City Colleges of Chicago Foundation breaks down the barriers that keep students from succeeding, ensuring no student’s education is derailed by cost, crisis or circumstance. The foundation seeds, evaluates and scales high-impact strategies; proven programs transition into City Colleges’ core operations, focusing donor resources on accelerating what works. 

About City Colleges of Chicago 

City Colleges of Chicago is one of the largest urban community college systems in the nation, serving more than 73,000 students across seven colleges and five satellite sites. CCC offers transfer-focused pathways and industry-aligned programs that serve as a key link in Chicago’s talent pipeline. 

Media Contact: 

Allie Kuopus
akuopus@purposebrand.com

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SOURCE City Colleges of Chicago