April is Illinois Community College Month
Why April Should Be Important to Illinois Community College Students…
Al Cuizon Jr.
April 11, 2023
Whether you are a non-traditional, traditional, or international student; no matter what major you are pursuing, this month is important for every student and their academic success. The significance of April being deemed the month for community colleges is a bigger hallmark than students tend to believe, here’s why.
In February of 1985, Ronald Reagan officially declared there would be America’s National Community College Month, also known as Proclamation 5418. The proclamation says that community colleges “greatly enhance the opportunity for every post-secondary student, both young and old, to enter a post-secondary program.”
Ever since Reagan’s proclamation, it is important for every community college in every region of the United States to be recognized and for all students that attend community college to feel that they are taking the right steps, increasing pride and morale for all community college students.
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) officially declared that April would be this year’s Community College Month within every region, with each state government official backing this decision.
Community college as a whole gets undermined, so April 2023 being named Illinois Community College Month by Governor J.B. Pritzker creates an encouraging stigma, where students feel appreciated for attending community college. Awareness and encouragement are the two aspects that make Community College Month so important.
Community College is so important to eliminate myths and stigmas that are closely associated with community colleges. Whether they are negative or positive myths, community college is an area of study that is considered extremely important for the economy, education, and society while being underrated on so many levels.
Being able to afford your first one to two years of college with barely any debt is a strength of going to community college with the overlying disadvantage of lack of certain programs you can only receive when attending a four-year institution.
With its equal strengths and weaknesses, community college is a way for students, no matter what educational, professional, or personal background to transition into higher-level education.
To emphasize that point, Illinois is the first state in the nation to have so many transfer students from community college completing both their Associate’s & Bachelor’s degrees, making this month a way to acknowledge these accomplishments.
Former ICC President John Erwin stated back in 2015, “Although no official federal declaration for Community College Month has ever been declared since 1985, communities across the country continue to commemorate this month.”
It is important that we all acknowledge each other’s accomplishments and endeavors, no matter how big or small, especially with being recognized for hard work and dedication.