Governor Rauner: College of Lake County Offers World-Class Education

Photo Credit: College of Lake County: Laser/photonics students and faculty made the governor a laser-inscribed business card holder.

Governor Bruce Rauner visited the College of Lake County on April 7 to listen and learn more about what community colleges are doing. At the end of his visit Tuesday, he highlighted the important role community colleges play.

“One of the reasons I ran for governor is that I wanted world-class education throughout the State of Illinois, and at its core, world class is community colleges,” Rauner said in a written release. “You are a lynchpin in the quality of our education and training.”

Rauner focused on the community college’s effort to give vocational training starting at the high school level. He said he wants “to see vocational training in the high school curriculum so students can get started in high schools and then go on to great colleges like this one.”

College of Lake County offers dual-credit programs that allow students to earn college credits while still in high school, and it has several partnerships with universities including the Engineering Pathways program that guarantees qualifying students acceptance into the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, one of the nation’s top engineering programs, the college stated in a written release.

While at the college Tuesday, Rauner watched CLC engineering transfer students use a 3D printer to produce parts they designed, and laser, photonics and optics students using lasers to create a personalized business card holder. He also saw mechatronics students learning to troubleshoot electrical and robotics equipment and faculty demonstrating computerized numerical controls equipment used in many manufacturing settings.

Rauner said that because of the importance of community colleges, his budget protected funding for community colleges, despite the state’s current fiscal woes.