Name: Jennifer Rakow

Position for which you are a candidate: Elgin Community College 509 Board

 

Why are you seeking this position?

I am a responsible, diligent, dedicated, open-minded, compassionate, ethical decision maker and public servant committed to ECC’s mission of improving lives through learning.  With 4 seats up for election, this is an important election for the ECC Board of Trustees.  I am running for re-election as part of the United4ECC slate to ensure that the Elgin Community College Board of Trustees remains in dependable, trustworthy hands and that the college continues its upward trajectory of success as a leader college.

What experience and background do you have which qualifies you for this position?

I’ve served as an ECC Trustee over the past 6 years, serving as Board Chair for the second year, as well as Legislative Liaison to State and Federal representatives.  Previously I served 2 years as Vice Chair and as Liaison to the ECC Foundation.   During my leadership as Board Chair, ECC was named a Top 25 Community College in the nation, and the college maintains an outstanding financial record.

I was born and raised in Elgin, graduated from Larkin High School, and am now a Human Resources professional in Elgin and St. Charles resident.  Both of my sons graduated from ECC.  I care deeply about my community’s investment in higher education and want to ensure that an education at ECC remains accessible, affordable, and of the highest quality possible.  During my term, ECC has provided students with a 6-year tuition freeze, and property taxes have been held flat for 3 consecutive years.  I value the benefits of a strong, innovative, future-focused workforce for our region and am a passionate advocate for the funding and development of ECC’s soon to be built Manufacturing & Technology Center.

What will be your highest priorities if elected?

Much time, collaboration and input contributed to ECC’s new 5-year Strategic Plan.  It’s our North Star and the key to building a solid foundation for our immediate future.  I intend to champion initiatives and improvements that support ECC’s Strategic Plan.

Our students face a myriad of challenges and ECC is well positioned to help them be successful.  I will continue to support efforts that focus on promoting a welcoming environment for all students and providing wrap-around services for holistic care (ECC’s mental health & wellness services, academic supports, student engagement opportunities, and support to remove financial barriers and reduce student loan debt).  I strongly believe that promoting an environment for our students that is equitable, diverse, and inclusive is key to student (and employee) success; people want and need to be seen and heard, to experience a sense of belonging, and to feel welcomed and valued.  Equally important is our commitment to continually leverage our rich pool of assessment data to identify where our students may be experiencing barriers to success and to evaluate what can be done to provide the appropriate support.

I’ll continue to advocate for the funding and development of ECC’s Manufacturing & Technology Center and a future STEM corridor, so we can lead the way in offering innovative programs with state-of-the-art equipment and a future-focused curriculum.  In partnership with our surrounding businesses, this will provide our students with access to in-demand training and our community with a skilled workforce.

 

Will you be attending the Candidate Night?  Yes

 

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