Save the Date: July 13, 2023

2023 CCE Conference – DEIA: The Work We Need to Do

Back in person on July 13, 2023!

We hope you will join us for the 13th annual College Changes Everything® (CCE) Conference live and in person on Thursday, July 13, 2023, at the Tinley Park Convention Center, Tinley Park, Illinois. The annual conference is the state’s preeminent college access and success and career readiness event. Diverse stakeholders work together and learn from each other to help Illinois reach its Goal 2025 – to increase the proportion of adults in Illinois with high-quality degrees and postsecondary credentials to 60% by the year 2025.

Since the first CCE conference, equity has been an underlying tenet of this annual convening, as it brings together caring professionals who want to ensure all students have opportunities for college access and success and are career ready. As we continue to emerge from the global pandemic that disrupted the lives of our students and the way in which we support and serve them, it’s vital we take this opportunity to examine and assess how we are doing in our collective work around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) – e.g., what has been working and why; what hasn’t worked and why not; what changes did the pandemic bring that we want to keep. Why wait for another global event to push our DEIA work forward? Conference participants will have the opportunity for collaborative engagement where we draw upon each other’s expertise, experience, and wisdom to contribute to a peer-to-peer learning environment.

As the conference draws a broad group of professionals and stakeholders, our agenda covers a wide range of topics related to college access and completion and career readiness. Such topics include, but are not limited to: college and career readiness; student retention, persistence, and completion; programs and services for underrepresented students; educational equity; student wellness and emotional support; career and technical education; partnerships; career development experiences; education, business, and the economy; college costs, financial aid, and affordability; and community stakeholder engagement.

A key strength of the conference is in bringing together a diverse audience from across the state to focus on educational opportunity and student success: college access practitioners; high school leaders, counselors, and case managers; college and university leaders and administrators; employers and workforce development professionals; and policymakers and elected officials interested in higher education and career readiness. The conference also serves as an opportunity for stakeholders to improve their practice of collaboration and collective leadership as we work toward the state's goal. We hope you will attend the conference as we stand together as a group of like-minded professionals committed to improving outcomes for all learners.

Tinley Park Convention Center

The Tinley Park Convention Center is located just 30 miles from downtown Chicago at 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, IL 60477.

Please share information about the conference with colleagues in your organization and other partners.

2023 College Changes Everything Conference Planning Committee

Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Illinois Board of Higher Education
Illinois Community College Board
Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity
Illinois State Board of Education
Illinois College Access Network
Federation of Independent Illinois Colleges and Universities
Advance Illinois
Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University
ACT Now
Women Employed

The College Changes Everything® Conference is sponsored
by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission.