Greetings Olive-Harvey College Community:

What a difference a year makes! I am in awe of the resilience our students, faculty, and staff have demonstrated throughout the pandemic. One thing COVID-19 has taught us at Olive-Harvey is that education is “pandemic-proof”. Yes, we had our challenges but we leveraged these challenges to stretch our imagination; we were able to continue to deliver high quality programs and services in multiple modalities. Through it all, our college has remained student-centered and laser focused on ensuring that we continue to make progress towards completion of the goals outlined in our Strategic Plan.

Over twenty college stakeholders worked together to develop an integrated plan that fully aligns with all areas of our institution. The planning committee included faculty, staff, and administrators along with community and student representation. While our plan is ambitious and aims to broaden our college’s reach, it is also pragmatic. Two fundamental questions are at the center of our plan: What are the primary needs of students today and in the future? How do we build the best possible learning experiences to meet their needs? We stand steadfast in our commitment to answering these questions over the next few years.

Olive-Harvey College’s mission is to develop a diverse community of cultural and civic leaders and to advance progressive global citizenship through academic excellence, work-based learning, and comprehensive support services. We have been intentional about aligning the strategic levers–equity,student experience, economic responsiveness, excellence, collaboration and institutional health, to our mission. Our plan is the compass that assists us in navigating our way forward.

Olive-Harvey College has been able to make tremendous progress over the past year. Olive-Harvey continues to keep equity in the center of everything that we do. I had the distinct pleasure to share the equity-centered work we have been during at a webinar hosted by Complete College America -“Regaining Ground: Equity Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic”; nearly one-hundred educators and policy makers attended. I had the opportunity to share that we have served hundreds of students who visited our Panther Food Pantry; that our faculty are creating culturally relevant pedagogy for the diverse learners that we serve; and that we are actively seeking out open educational resources (OER’s) to provide an alternative to costly textbooks. Because of the tireless work we have been doing at the college and within the community,the Partnership for College Completion (ILEA) awarded the College an $11,000 Catalyst Grant allowing us to continue to innovate in the equity space.

Our college prides itself on providing quality instruction. We offer an array of general education courses; our Center of Excellence is home to CDL, Auto and Diesel Technology, Supply Chain Management, Forklift, and Aviation. Our short-term programs afford our students a credential that can improve their economic mobility. During FY 21, we offered a new Aviation Maintenance Technician – General (Basic Certificate) in partnership with AAR Corp. Additionally, we launched our Commercial Driver’s License Class-B, Passenger (Basic Certificate). The first cohort of students were from our partnership with CTA’s Second Chance Program.

With targeted and intentional efforts during FY21 we began to reengage our CPS students and improve the student experience, significant strides were made that resulted in an enrollment increase during Fall 2021. Early College realized a 42.5% increase in enrollment in, which served to support a 10% year-over-year increase for credit enrollment during the same term. We implemented “One Book, One Campus,” a campus-wide initiative to encourage engagement and discussion around a text and its relevance to our lives and pursuits. This year’s book is Lead from the Outside by Stacey Abrams. Attendance at the four events this Fall exceeded 200 participants from all sectors of the college: faculty, staff, and students. Student engagement in the program has been empowering for all that have attended.

Olive-Harvey College continues to be a trailblazer in developing relevant programs that improve the economic mobility of its students. The Cannabis Education program launched and recorded more than 70 basic certificate completers in its inaugural year. Students placed in companies within the industry realized salaries ranging from $40k – $70k a year. Our ability to be economically responsive to the needs of the students we serve tremendously influences and improves their financial security.

Academic excellence is a priority at Olive-Harvey College. In the summer of 2021, OHC rolled out the Summer Faculty Equity & College Success Academy. The Academy is an engaging professional development cohort that offers seminars focused on innovative teaching and learning strategies.Additionally, Dr. Cynthia Manns, OHC Psychology faculty, was selected as the District Curriculum Facilitator. Dr. Manns leads the charge in ensuring that all seven institutions develop quality curriculum and relevant curriculum redesign. Lastly, our excellence was recognized when the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) presented OHC with the “Outstanding Partners Award” for the work conducted through our Second Chance Program and the One Summer Chicago High School Internship Program.

We recognize that industry partnerships and collaboration are key to not only helping to ensure the efficacy of our programs but also for supplemental learning and employment opportunities for our students. Over the past year, Olive-Harvey College has forged relationships with key industry stakeholders resulting in the development of a TDL Advisory Board and an actively engaged Cannabis Advisory Council. Not only are our Boards thought-partners, they are instrumental in assisting with job placement and work-based learning opportunities.

Olive-Harvey College strives to be a foundational player in the community, a driving factor in the state economy, and a leader in the evolving educational environment. We are stronger in the community with you and we are excited to continue to make progress on our “Path Forward”.

Sincerely,

Kimberly Hollingsworth

President

Olive-Harvey College