President Scott Co-Chair of Illinois Board of Higher Education Strategic Planning Advisory Committee

Committee to Develop Strategies to Improve Higher Education Across the State

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Board of Higher Education announced the members of its Strategic Planning Advisory Committee, which will develop a draft plan to fulfill the board’s which will lay out a set of strategies to achieve the board’s vision and priorities. The plan aims to create an equitable, accessible and innovative higher education ecosystem across Illinois that ensures students and communities thrive.

“The members of the advisory committee bring expertise from education, business, policy, community, and philanthropic organizations to shape the blueprint for our students and our higher education ecosystem for the next 10 years,” said IBHE Board Chair John Atkinson. “The members of the advisory committee will identify the highest-impact strategies to increase affordability, close equity gaps, and meet workforce needs. I am thrilled that this group has agreed to help us chart a course for higher education in Illinois.”

The strategic plan is being crafted in cooperation with the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Student Assistance Commission. It has garnered widespread public engagement so far, including the input from a survey of 10,000 people, 20 regional focus groups, and written comments. There will be room for more public engagement in each step of the process.

The committee will be co-chaired by:

• Zaldwaynaka Scott, President, Chicago State University
• Juan Salgado, Chancellor, City Colleges of Chicago
• Illinois Senator Pat McGuire
• Betsy Ziegler, CEO, 1871 

“At each step in the process, we have invited input on how to ensure Illinois has an equitable, innovative and nimble higher education system. The advisory committee will help chart the path to get us there,” explained IBHE Executive Director Ginger Ostro. 

Co-Chair Zaldwaynaka Scott, president of Chicago State University, said, “I want to ensure that our higher education system makes the changes needed to alter the outcomes for students of color, because for too long they have been underserved. IBHE data will clearly tell us whether this new plan will make a difference.” 

“This new plan must address the importance of an aligned education system,” said Co-Chair Juan Salgado, chancellor, City Colleges of Chicago. “Higher education needs to better serve the varied needs of our increasingly diverse, life-long learners, whether it be at two-year or four-year colleges and universities, public or private, or credential programs.” 

Co-Chair Sen. Pat McGuire, who chairs the Illinois Senate’s Higher Education Committee, explained, "Illinois post-secondary students and institutions have demonstrated their commitment to education throughout the Great Recession, the two-year budget impasse, and the COVID-19 pandemic. It's time we acted with equal determination and laid plans for a higher education system that's fair to all students, all community colleges and universities, and all parts of the state." 

Recognizing that the input and support of the business community is critical to this effort, 1871 CEO Betsy Ziegler will join the committee as a co-chair. “Employers know the nature of work is changing rapidly and that partnership with our higher education system is essential. Preparing students for jobs and civic life are critical to our companies and our economy, as is the innovation and research that come from a strong higher education system” she said. “We must work together to make sure we are investing in the needs of our collective future.” 

To stay up to date on IBHE’s strategic planning process, visit the webpage. 

The committee members are:

• Darryl Arrington, DePaul University
• Mara Botman, Circle of Service
• Martha Burns, Oakton Community College
• Tanya Cabera, University of Illinois Chicago
• Brent Clark, Illinois Association of School Administrators
• Jim Coleman, Accenture
• Marlon Cummings, Governors State University, IBHE Faculty Advisory Committee
• Mona Davenport, Illinois Committee on Black Concerns in Higher Education
• Julia diLliberti, Illinois Community College Faculty Assoc.
• Cherita Ellens, Women Employed
• Lisa Freeman, Northern Illinois University
• Sameer Gadkaree, The Joyce Foundation
• Dave Hanson, EOA Consulting LLC
• Lauren Harris, ISU, IBHE Student Advisory Committee
• Pranav Kothari, IBHE Board
• Jack Lavin, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce
• David Lett, Illinois State Board of Education Member
• Daniel Lopez, Illinois Latino Council on Higher Education
• Nivine Megahed, National Louis University
• Paige Ponder, One Million Degrees
• Teresa Ramos, Action for Children
• Jim Reed, Illinois Community College Trustees Association
• Jonah Rice, Southeastern Illinois College
• Amanda Smith, Rock Valley Community College
• Audrey Soglin, Illinois Education Association
• Samiha Syed, College of DuPage, ICCB Student Advisory Committee
• Jose Torres, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
• Charlotte Warren, Lincoln Land Community College
• Simón Weffer-Elizondo, Illinois Federation of Teachers
• Kyle Westbrook, Partnership for College Completion 

Ex-Officio Members:

• Carmen Ayala, ISBE
• Brian Durham, ICCB
• Jason Horwitz, DCEO
• Joseph Sanders, Illinois Attorney General’s Office
• Dave Tretter, Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
• Dan Wellman, Ill. Department of Veterans Affairs
• Erik Zarnikow, ISAC