OOS 3-9
Entry-level ecologists: A look into the City Colleges of Chicago for translating the discipline of ecology into employment for students of color
The City Colleges of Chicago is a network of seven community colleges and is one of the largest systems in the nation. The colleges’ connection to the employment climate is a strong driver of academic programs offered to students, as the goal of degree completion is for students to gain employment related to their degree. This reinvention of what is known as “college to careers” provides a potential pathway for connecting students to ecological certifications, and degree programs that feed into ecology careers through various disciplines. The student demographics are also quite unique in that ~50% of students are in the baccalaureate/transfer cluster. I will discuss the demographic trends of student enrollment and degree statistics as a road map for understanding how to include ecology course offerings that are aligned with preparing students for a range of ecological careers considering the type of earned degree/certification.
Results/Conclusions
Approximately 30-40% of the degrees awarded by the City of Colleges of Chicago were to Hispanics and African Americans respectively. The network of colleges arguably is the most influential academic institution for people of color in the city of Chicago for continuing education. The schools are charged with supporting the economy of Chicago by providing opportunities for students to attain certifications and degrees that translate into a job. For students of color community colleges are a transitional and pivotal education experience. If there is a genuine interest in increasing the diversity of ecology professionals at all levels, community colleges are institutions that should not go overlooked. The city colleges offer a variety of educational opportunities and serve three distinct groups of students including; continuing education students, adult education students and credit seekers for degrees and certificates. The absence of ecology in community colleges can be attributed to the lack of understanding of ecology jobs and careers. While the City Colleges of Chicago continue reinventing their programming to adapt to the changing employment climate, there must clear connections to between necessary skills and knowledge for careers in ecology. I will be focusing on recommendations for broadening ecology course offerings that prepares students for current and future job markets in the Chicago metro area.