On Wednesday, March 26th, 2025, Career Services and the Prairie State College Foundation hosted its first Major Moves: AlumniConnect with Students event! From 11 AM to 1 PM, twelve alumni, ranging from the class of 1969 to 2024, gathered in the atrium to connect with students and share insights about their careers and academic journeys since graduating from PSC. It was a wonderful chance for current students to see firsthand the lasting value of their PSC experience and how it can shape their future careers. Thank you to all the alumni who participated and made the event a success!

By Peter Hancock
March 18, 2025

SPRINGFIELD — Enrollment at Illinois community colleges grew to more than 285,000 in the spring semester this year, an 8.9% increase over a year ago and the largest spring-to-spring enrollment increase since the Illinois Community College Board began collecting systemwide data in the late 1990s.

In a report released Tuesday, the ICCB said 40 of the state’s 45 community colleges reported enrollment growth this spring.

There was significant growth in several enrollment categories, including a nearly 20% increase in students enrolled in dual credit programs, which allow high school students to earn college credits. But there was an even greater increase, 23.4%, in students seeking general associate’s degree programs.

“With the largest spring-to-spring enrollment increase and the third straight year of growth, our community colleges have not only bounced back from the pandemic — they are now stronger than ever thanks to our historic investments in education,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — March 19, 2025 — A new study from Lumina Foundation and Gallup shows 90% of currently enrolled students believe their investment in college is worth it, even as the perceived value of associate and bachelor’s degrees dropped by five percentage points from 2023 to 2024.

Higher Education Seen as Worth the Investment Regardless of Degree-Holding Status

The majority of adults without a degree believe associate degrees (55%) and bachelor’s degrees (70%) are “extremely” or “very” valuable. Among those without a degree, more than seven in 10 say a two- or four-year degree has become more important (38%) to career success over the past 20 years or remained just as important (34%).

Most also believe a degree pays off quickly: 58% of current or prospective students say a college degree pays off within five years, and 86% believe it pays off within 10 years. This is true regardless of enrollment or degree status; even among those who have never enrolled in learning beyond high school, nearly six in 10 (58%) say a degree pays off within five years.

The U.S. Department of Education is moving to reduce its staff by nearly 50% through layoffs, buyouts and terminations. The most consequential move came Tuesday when the department announced layoffs affecting over 1,300 workers.

This comes as President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive action to “take all necessary steps to facilitate” the closure of the Education Department, according to a draft of the action obtained by several news organizations. It’s a move that carries significant implications for state and local governments, school districts, colleges and universities, as well as families and children who rely on these institutions.

The action instructs newly confirmed Education Secretary Linda McMahon to try to dismantle the agency, which she has committed to do.

According to the department, more than 1,300 positions will be cut as a result of this reduction in force. Roughly another 600 employees have accepted voluntary resignations or retired.

Neither the massive planned staff reductions, nor closing the department altogether would represent doomsday for American education. Important federal funding could be maintained by other government agencies, as it was before the Department of Education’s creation by Congress in 1979.

But the $79 billion agency, which employed 4,100 people when Trump was inaugurated, oversees federal financial aid for college students and offers key oversight of special education services and civil rights laws that could be at risk.