Tuition and enrollment were among the top two issues candidates for the Joliet Junior College board focused on during a forum Thursday hosted by the college’s student government.
Nine candidates are seeking election to four open seats on the board. Of the nine, seven candidates — incumbents Dan O’Connell, of Joliet; Alicia Morales, of Joliet; and Patty Deiters, of New Lenox; and newcomers Margaret Hornung, of Shorewood; George Gaspar, of Joliet; Bob Bodach, of Shorewood; and Philip Juarez, of New Lenox — attended the forum. Incumbent Mike O’Connell, of Shorewood, and candidate John Mahalik, of Joliet, did not attend.
Mahalik, Hornung and Mike O’Connell are vying for two two-year terms on the board. Gaspar, Bodach, Morales, Juarez, Deiters and Daniel O’Connell are seeking election to two six-year terms.
Candidates at Thursday’s forum fielded questions from students, teachers and other community members. Candidates identified a need to increase enrollment and awareness about the college’s program offerings as top issues. Joliet Junior College offers 184 degree and certificate programs and serves a seven-county area that includes Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall, LaSalle, Livingston and Cook counties.
Suggestions from the candidates to increase enrollment included working with area high schools to identify students who do not graduate and could take advantage of the college’s GED program, promoting the various adult education classes on campus and educating students about the value of community colleges.
Morales, who noted she cast the only vote against a recent $19 credit-hour tuition increase, said increasing enrollment at the college could help avoid tuition increases. She noted growth in student enrollment has been minimal over the past several years.
“We have the resources and staff,” she said, speaking about promoting the college in the communities it serves. “We just need the will.”
Candidates also focused on sustainability, noting the issue did not just revolve around the environment. Hornung, Bodach and Juarez said engaging high school students and community residents will be key to the college’s sustainability in future years.
“If we don’t have enrollment, we’re going to have a problem,” Juarez said. “We have to have a good plan to increase enrollment.”
Hornung said the college needs to be “accessible and affordable” to all.
“We need to make sure students finish as soon as possible and get a good job,” she said.
Bodach noted that JJC has been a part of his life since he was in junior high, when his parents signed him up for a computer class. As an adult, Bodach also turned to JJC to take a landscaping and lawn class after he bought his first home.
Gaspar focused on the use and design of the college’s buildings, noting some of the newer buildings do not make the best use of space.
“We need to take a look at what we really need and go that way,” he said.
Deiters suggested the college take advantage of a recent change in state law that could allow JJC to offer a four-year nursing program for students.
O’Connell said the college is “here for the students” and that the board and administration need to continue to work together to ensure the college can maintain its level of service.
Alicia Fabbre is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
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