| Abstract: |
The enclosed materials contain fiscal year 2024 (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024) responses from Illinois' public Community College System to the "African American Employment Plan Survey" (Public Act 096-1341). The legislation requests that each community college provide an annual assessment of strategies and progress in the hiring and promotion of African American persons at supervisory, technical, professional and managerial levels. Fiscal year 2024 is the fifteenth year that community colleges, public universities, and state agencies have been asked to furnish African American Employment Plans. The Illinois Community College System consists of 45 colleges that blanket the state and provide equal education, training, and employment opportunities to all individuals. A map of the System appears on the next page. College officials recognize that a diverse faculty, staff, and student body enriches and improves the educational environment for everyone. These reporting requirements allow colleges to provide additional information about their efforts to hire and promote individuals who are African American. The report compliments the Equity Plans initiative (Public Act 102-1046, effective 2022), which requires state public universities and community colleges to create and implement equity-focused plans and practices. It also addresses the reporting requirements of the Board of Higher Education Act (Sec. 9.16), aimed at improving access, retention, completion, and student loan repayment rates for traditionally underrepresented groups, including minorities, rural and adult students, women, individuals with disabilities, first-generation students, and low-income students. The "African American Employment Plan Report" begins with demographic information about the state of Illinois, and annual community college credit program enrollments, completions, and staffing. Then individual college responses to standardized surveys addressing components of the legislation are provided. These surveys were adapted from forms developed by the State of Illinois' Department of Central Management Services. The Illinois Board of Higher Education collects similar information for the public four-year universities. |