Harper College

The Changing Landscape of the Community

How does the College respond to the changing community?

The community is critical to Harper’s success as an educational institution. How is the community changing? How is Harper perceived in the community? How can the College work collaboratively with other groups to help students succeed? Exploring these topics will allow the College to identify and address the needs of a changing community. A panel of experts will address these questions and provide additional insights.

The Changing Landscape of the Community was held on October 22, 2019

Access the video and review the white paper.

Moderator

Dr. Judy Marwick recently retired as Provost of Harper College. During her nine-year tenure as Provost, she facilitated the implementation of Areas of Interest and an assigned advisor model. She was instrumental in developing the Northwest Educational Council for Student Success (NECSS) which is a regional educational collaborative between Harper and its community high schools focused on ensuring high school students are college and career ready. Dr. Marwick began her esteemed community college career as a mathematics professor and subsequently served in academic leadership roles at Kankakee Community College, Morton College and Moraine Valley Community College.


Panelists

Dr. Dan Cates is the superintendent of schools in High School District 211, where he has also served as the District’s associate superintendent for administrative services, director of special education, and as a psychologist at William Fremd High School. Dr. Cates has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and his doctorate from Indiana University. He was named the 2018 Superintendent of Distinction for the North Cook Region by the Illinois Association of School Administrators.

Ms. Kathleen Gilmer retired in 2005 as director of outreach centers for Northern Illinois University in DeKalb, Illinois. Prior to NIU, Ms. Gilmer served as acting director of corporate services for Harper College. She received her master’s in urban and regional planning from Ball State University in Indiana and her bachelor’s in sociology, economics and government from Carleton College in Minnesota. She currently serves on the board for Alexian Brothers Medical Center.

Dr. Craig Maki is the CEO of Asian Human Services, which delivers a network of culturally comprehensive human services to enable Asian and all underserved immigrants and refugees to thrive. Dr. Maki previously served as COO of Christopher House in Chicago as well as the founder of Maryville Jen School, which offers a therapeutic learning environment for students with emotional, behavioral and cognitive disabilities. He has a doctorate in education from National-Louis University, a master’s in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and his undergraduate degree from Hope College.

Kathy Millin is the executive director of Partners for Our Communities, a one-stop shop trusted by families to address their many needs and empower underserved people to develop self-sufficiency and become leaders in their communities. Ms. Millin has also taught adult literacy at Harper College for 31 years. She has a bachelor’s in English from the University of Iowa.

Steve Scogna is the CEO of Northwest Community Healthcare and has over 25 years of experience as a senior healthcare executive. Prior to joining NCH, Mr. Scogna served as CEO of Provena St. Joseph Hospital in Elgin, Ill. He is a member of the Healthcare Financial Management Association, the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and a board member of the Illinois Hospital Association. He graduated with a bachelor’s in accounting from Villanova University and is a certified public accountant.


Readings


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Last Updated: 12/14/23