Overcoming Barriers to Community College Success

Colleges of Chicago Chancellor Juan Salgado, One Million Degrees CEO Aneesh Sohoni, The Institute For College Access and Success President/CEO Sameer Gadkaree, and A Better Chicago CEO A Better Chicago Beth Swanson discuss overcoming barriers to community college success at the 2023 ASU+GSV Summit.

Nearly one-half of all college students begin their higher education at community colleges, offering a low-cost pathway to economic mobility and opportunity. Too often, an array of barriers leads students to drop out and contributes to declining enrollment. Our panel, drawing on a proven successful partnership between One Million Degrees (OMD) and City Colleges of Chicago (CCC), will show how it’s possible to alter the script and drive systems change at scale. Broad access to academic, financial and professional supports can dramatically increase graduation rates and transform lives.