ACI Executive Director April Arnold attended the Illinois Student Assistance Commission’s (ISAC) 2024 College Changes Everything® (CCE) conference on July 18th at the Tinley Park Convention Center. This annual conference is Illinois’ premier event for college access, success, and career readiness. It gathers stakeholders committed to increasing the number of adults in Illinois with high-quality degrees and postsecondary credentials, as well as dedicated professionals working to ensure equitable opportunities for all students.
The morning session began with words from Maria Bucio, Executive Director, Early College and Career Education for Chicago Public Schools and Dr. Lesley-Ann Noel, author of Design Social Change: Take Action, Work Toward Equity, and Challenge the Status Quo. Dr. Noel, Dean of the Faculty of Design at the Ontario College of Art & Design (OCAD)—Canada’s largest and most comprehensive art, design, and media university—spoke on the importance of shared responsibility across all levels of the education system and workforce to foster and support healthy communities. “To achieve this, we must share the power rather than seek to own it,” Dr. Noel emphasized.
As noted in the graphic, a healthy community is defined as one where people have opportunities to make healthy choices in environments that are safe, free from violence, and designed to promote health. This includes factors such as early childhood education, quality housing and jobs, financial inclusion, access to health clinics and nutritious food, sustainable energy, and transportation.
Discussions explored the significance of each component in creating healthy communities and questioned whether any community can thrive without educational equity. April Arnold highlighted the impact of ACI member schools, noting, “The contributions of each ACI member school to their local communities are significant. Collectively, our schools represent the equivalent of one of Illinois’ larger public universities.”