College of Lake County (CLC) received the 2025 Impact and Success Award for the Central region from the Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) on Aug 15, 2025.

ACCT is a nonprofit group representing trustees from community colleges across the United States. The ACCT award recognizes colleges that show a strong commitment to helping students succeed and managing their programs well. Receiving this award highlights the progress CLC has made in helping students succeed since starting their 2024 strategic plan in 2019.

CLC earned the award by improving access and success for students from low-income families and those who are the first in their families to attend college. They broadened programs that help meet students’ basic needs and redesigned the first-year experience to provide better support from the very beginning. They also created more opportunities for adult learners and students in non-credit courses, while strengthening community outreach to both attract and keep these students engaged throughout their education.

Over the last five years, CLC’s graduation rate has gone up by nine percentage points. Students from different backgrounds are staying enrolled and finishing on time, which helps provide the skilled workforce Lake County businesses need.

Assistant Vice President of Strategic Advancement, Dr. Nick Branson, said they developed their 2025 strategic plan based on feedback from students, faculty, and staff, along with research from other top community colleges.

“It takes teamwork and careful planning to keep what works and improve what doesn’t,” Branson said. “That’s why we created the Lancer Success Framework, which guides students from their first contact with CLC all the way to graduation and beyond.” 

CLC officials will accept the award at the 2025 ACCT Leadership Congress in New Orleans this week, October 22-25. The college is also nominated for the national award, which will be announced at the event.

In 2025, CLC was also named a Leader College of Distinction, placing it among the top 10% of more than 400 colleges in the Achieving the Dream network, which supports community college improvements.

For many students, the impact is personal. Monica, a student at CLC,  stated how CLC’s support is making a difference in her everyday life and future goals.

“It’s helping me achieve my longer vision in life by being able to work and go to school at the same time,” Monica said. “It helps me prioritize what’s really important.”

Maylin, another student at the college, said she wouldn’t be able to afford college at all  if it weren’t for CLC.

“Thanks to the programs here, I’m able to be here right now,” Maylin said.  

Griffin Martin, a student in the CLC welding program, said the college helped him finally get on track with his career goals.

“Before attending CLC, I was working a fast-food job and had no plan for how to get into my career in welding,” Griffin said. “I’d tried before, and it never worked out. If I hadn’t applied and just given it a shot, I’d probably still be in that same spot, not knowing how to get where I want to be. They’ve given me a lot of resources and motivation to actually go after my goals.” 

Looking ahead, CLC developed its 2030 strategic plan with input from more than 2,000 people, including business leaders, community members, students, and staff.

The plan will be shared at the state-of-the-college event on September 25 at the Advanced Technology Center in Gurnee. It focuses on:

• Student access and success

• Community vibrancy

• Being a future-ready organization

CLC President Lori Suddick said the faculty and staff at CLC have worked hard to make a real difference for students and the community. 

“The plan reflects our continued focus on supporting students and the community, and meeting local workforce needs,” Suddick said. “We want CLC to be a positive force for growth and opportunity in the region.”