RP - Northern Illinois

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Observatory PASCAL
Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions PURE Regional Profile NORTHERN ILLINOIS, USA Appendix 1 Region: Nth Illinois, USA Principal PURE contact: Diana L. Robinson Title: Institutional base with full postal mailing address: Center for Governmental Studies Northern Illinois University 148 N. 3rd Street DeKalb, IL 60115, USA Contact Details: Email: Tel: Mob: [email protected] 00-1-815-753-0955
Name of main collaborating region: Nth Illinois Suggested members of your Regional Co-ordinating Group (RCG) (between 3 and 5 Persons): Name, organisation and email: 1. Paul Crawford, Director, Community College Relations, Northern Illinois University [email protected] 2. Robert Gleeson, Director, Center for Governmental Studies [email protected] 3. Anne Kaplan, Vice President, University Administration and Outreach, Northern Illinois University, [email protected] 4. Diana Robinson, Associate Director, Center for Governmental Studies [email protected] Suggested Peer Reviewer from region: 1. Patricia Inman, PASCAL Associate
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions ‘Identity’ of Region (eg. governmental admin. region; special development zone; informal ‘working reality’ region, etc) Service area of Northern Illinois University and feeder community colleges plus the Chicago metropolitan region, a global economic hub. REGIONAL PORTRAIT (Please list key issues of interest and relevance to PURE) (i) Approx. population and any key features: (e.g. new migrant numbers) The region’s total population is about 9.56 million (2007 data). Approximately 63.5% of residents (about 6.1 million) were born in the state of Illinois, 19.9% were born elsewhere in the U.S. (1.9 million), and 16.7% were born outside the U.S (1.6 million). Approximately 44% of the region’s foreign-born residents are naturalized U.S. citizens. (ii) Other essential geographical features: For the purpose of this project, the Northern Illinois region includes the area within the State of Illinois that lies north of Interstate 80. The region is bounded on the east by Lake Michigan, on the west by the Mississippi River, and on the north by the State of Wisconsin. The region is large, with about 6,765 square miles of land (17,625 KM). Table 1 (attached) summarizes current data on population, employment, income, and GDP. The eastern side of the region is dominated by the Chicago metropolitan area, the largest metro area on the Great Lakes and the third largest metro area in the U.S. (behind New York and Los Angeles). The metro area is anchored by the City of Chicago, which is situated along the southern edge of Lake Michigan and has a population of about 2.74 million (28.7% of the region). The city is surrounded to the north, west, and south by flat topography, broken only by modestly hilly terrain in the far western rural areas. The region’s development pattern reflects the legacy of different styles of growth that have occurred over time. The region’s development began during the 1830s. Chicago emerged quickly as the largest node within a network of early industrial towns and trading centers. Its growth also gave rise to an arc of “satellite” industrial towns stretching north, west, and south of the urban core, all connected to the city and the rest of the American economy, due to the region’s strategic positioning as the central node in the Midwest’s extensive network of east-west and north-south railroad lines. The region’s central role in the Midwest was reinforced by the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959 (which connected the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean), construction of the interstate highway network during the 1960s and 1970s, and a long series of aggressive expansion projects at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Constant growth quickly filled in the spaces between Chicago and its former “satellite” cities throughout the 20th century. With virtually no natural barriers, growth spread throughout the original suburban areas to the north, west, and south of Cook County, spread further through a series of so-called “collar counties” lying further out in each direction (Lake, DuPage, Kane, McHenry and Will), and overran the original network of “satellite” cities (Waukegan, Elgin, Aurora, Joliet, and Chicago Heights). Growth during the last decades of the 20th century continued to increase densities in suburban Cook County and the collar counties. More recently, the metro area has spread even further into a series of four “ring-around-the-collar” counties (DeKalb, Grundy, Kankakee, and Kendall). Kendall County is the only one of the nation’s five fastest growing counties that lies east of the Mississippi River. As population growth continues throughout the region, the population of the City of Chicago has stabilized.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions For much of the latter half of the 20th century, the Chicago area’s development pattern mirrored other U.S. metros with large-scale shifts of upwardly mobile native-born white residents moving out of the city of Chicago and into the varied residential suburbs in Cook and the “collar” counties. The city’s minority population – mostly African Americans who had migrated from the rural south for industrial production jobs – grew rapidly, with the most extreme concentrations of poverty located west of the Central Business District (widely known as “the Loop”) and in the South-side city neighborhoods (which also housed the majority of the city’s production establishments). Since the early 1990s, however, this pattern of development has shifted abruptly as younger, well-educated workers have gentrified large portions of the inner city and as middle-class and higher income African American households have revitalized older neighborhoods. Today, Chicago’s population base is relatively stable and its proportion of poverty households is shrinking. Table 2 provides data on the relative distribution of poor, elderly, and foreign-born residents within the region’s central core area of the City, the rest of Cook County, and the “collar” counties. (iii) Economy, industries and employment features: The entire region has experienced profound economic and social transformation over the last 25 years as the number of production jobs in manufacturing has plummeted and the number of administrative and service-sector jobs has increased. This economic restructuring has occurred throughout the Midwest, but its effects on the Chicago metro area have been volatile. The first wave was uniformly negative, but more recently, the Chicago area has benefitted by its increased importance as the center for global business throughout the U.S. Midwest. The region’s estimated annual GDP is about $510 billion, which supports about 5.8 million privatesector jobs. Its growth exceeds the rest of the U.S. Midwest, but lags the overall performance of the U.S. economy. Economic restructuring and globalization have sparked rapid growth in high-end corporate and business services, which has helped revitalize the central core of the City of Chicago. This growth pattern has also fuelled rapid employment growth in many formerly residential suburban corridors in the “collar counties” (see Table 1). The largest center of employment among so-called knowledge-intensive sectors is still Chicago’s Loop, which until the recent economic crisis has experienced high-rise building booms for both commercial and residential uses. But large centers have also emerged in suburban parts of Cook, DuPage, and Lake counties. Most of these centers have not been well studied, but initial analyses suggest that they are dominated by a pattern of corporate headquarters functions and the high-end legal, accounting, financial, and technical business services that are often outsourced by downsizing corporate headquarters. One feature that also needs analysis is the apparent lack of corporate research and development activities throughout the region, despite the existence of a moderately-sized network of research-oriented universities, as well as the presence of two U.S. Department of Energy labs (Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab). Some analysts have also concluded that the business cultures that dominate the region’s employment centers in the Loop and in the outlying counties also score low on measures of entrepreneurism. Today the region’s employment centers are best described as a complex network of nodes. The rapid rise of imports in the U.S. economy from Asia, especially from China, has also reinforced the region’s role as the central national node for freight handling and has spurred major growth in distribution-related activities inside Cook County, in nearby Will County, and in the region around the town of Rochelle in western Ogle County.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Although the growing influence of global business patterns favors parts of the Chicago metro area, the effects elsewhere within Northern Illinois are more mixed. Most of the region’s small industrial towns west of the Chicago metro area have declined considerably as branch-plant industrial production has decreased sharply. This is especially true in the Rockford metro area, as well as other older industrial towns in the rural west such as Freeport, Dixon, Sterling, and DeKalb. New agricultural technologies are also increasing the economies of scale in cashcrop cultivation, which continues to move away from the model of family ownership toward more corporate ownership. Some efforts to counter this trend through targeted initiatives, such as tourism in the far western town of Galena on the Mississippi River, have yielded modest results, but the network of rural counties is still largely experiencing decline. Northwest of the Chicago metro area is the smaller urban area anchored by the city of Rockford. Rockford plays a “satellite city” role, but remains a separate urban area. The history of Rockford’s development mirrors Chicago’s overall trends, except that its urban core has not experienced much revitalization in recent years. The remainder of the Northern Illinois region has developed as a vast region of cash-crop agriculture and small industrial towns spread out along the railroad lines. The agricultural culture is dominated by large-scale, mechanized cultivation of corn and soy beans for sale to food processing industries and for direct export. Another important component of recent changes is an historic shift in the geographic distribution of the region’s foreign-born population. Immigration has always been an important part of the region’s demographic profile since it began to develop in the 1830s. The scale of immigration began to pick up about 30 years ago and has remained strong. Recently, the pattern shows two important shifts. As shown in Table 2, most new arrivals no longer settle in the City of Chicago, a sharp break from a pattern that held for almost 100 years. Newcomers today settle first in the outlying areas where they are employed in low-paying service and retail jobs, but lack access to public transportation and/or well-established neighborhoods with the social and civic institutions that provide services to low-income, non-English speaking newcomers.
KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES CONFRONTING THE REGION (i) Economic issues: 1. The Illinois economy (reflected in the northern Illinois region) has experienced significant transformation as a function of global competition yielding mixed results. Illinois GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has fallen significantly below the national growth rate; median income is greater than in most states but declining. The economic restructuring has yielded many new jobs, but higher paying jobs are being replaced with lower paying positions. This is particularly the case within the manufacturing sector, with a 17% decrease over the past 17 years. Additionally, changes in land-use strategy and agriculture are intertwined with regional economic issues. Overall tax capacity is decreasing. 2. State budget gap projected to be 5.6% as a percent of revenues through 2013. 3. Educational funding has remained level or decreased for the past 8 years. No capital improvement funds have been allocated to replace inadequate, deteriorating or unsafe infrastructure. Cost of higher education continues to escalate. 4. Large employment gaps exist in healthcare, manufacturing, medical technology, education, transportation/distribution/logistics, and computer engineering. 5. The increased cost of higher education limits access by those who stand to benefit most.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Key websites for more information: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. (ii) http://www.stateofworkingillinois.niu.edu http://www.ibhe.org/masterPlanning/materials/APublicAgendaforIllinois.pdf http://lmi.ides.state.il.us http://www.cgsniu.org http://www.cgsniu.org/portfolio/policy_survey/pdf/policy_survey2008.pdf
Social issues including health: 1. The Illinois population is aging and growing more ethnically diverse. The greatest growth will occur in white persons 65 years and older and Hispanics between 45 and 64. Minorities are concentrated in the Chicago urban area, and in the northeast part of the state. Minority population growth is increasingly a result of reproduction rather than exclusively immigration. 2. Hispanics and Blacks have the lowest levels of educational attainment, but represent groups with higher growth rates. Illinois has one of the nation’s highest percentages of adults enrolled in basic education programs for individuals without a secondary-level diploma. Population will increase largely in the NE portion of Illinois; most significantly in older adults (45-64); less significantly in the north central area. Other areas are projected to change little. 3. There are significant levels of under-preparedness for higher education, especially in the area of mathematics and science. 4. Healthcare costs are escalating; rates of non- and under-insured citizens increasing; access to healthcare in certain areas is compromised. 5. Over the past 6 years, the number of Illinoisans in poverty has increased 19%. 41.5% of the state’s poor live in suburban Chicago. 6. Immigration – newly arrived ethnic groups; language issues which impede education and training efforts. Newer groups tend to focus on basic/immediate economic sustenance vs. long-range educational investment. 70% of Illinoisans believe illegal immigration poses a problem; 61% believe employers hiring illegal immigrants should be punished. 7. Illinoisans have an increasingly gloomy outlook on “how things are going” in the state. Key concerns: (1) Taxes and State Budget; (2) Education; (3) Crime; and (4) Unemployment. In terms of State funding issues, the areas considered most in need of supports include public schools, medical care/public health, low-income families, financial assistance for college students, training for the unemployed, and the environment. 71% of Illinoisans believe healthcare is either a major problem or in a state of crisis. Key websites for more information: 1. http://www.ibhe.org 2. http://www.ibhe.org/masterPlanning/materials/APublicAgendaforIllinois.pdf 3. http://www.iccb.org 4. http://www.keepingillinoiscompetitive.niu.edu/ilstem/ 5. http://www.icahn.org/ 6. http://www.heartlandalliance.org/whatwedo/advocacy/reports/povertyreport2008.pdf 7. http://iirc.niu.edu/ 8. http://www.isbe.net/ 9. http://www.cgsniu.org/portfolio/policy_survey/pdf/policy_survey2008.pdf 10. http://ideas.repec.org/a/mes/ijgenv/v8y2008i1p90-111.html
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions (iii) Environmental issues: 1. Population growth, energy needs, climate change and changing philosophies regarding land-use are tightly interrelated. 2. The evolution/transitioning of urban-edge agriculture and innovation in crop-based energy sources are having an impact on competition for land, agriculture, food production, and food pricing. 3. Management of quality and quantity of water (“the new oil”) are becoming increasingly important. 4. Transportation continues to be a key concern: managing and facilitating traffic movement as well as infrastructure. Key websites for more information: 1. 2. 3. 4. http://www.agtech.niu.edu/ http://www.cmap.illinois.gov http://www.ilfb.org http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org
(iv) Cultural issues: 1. Intolerance based on race, ethnicity, immigration status, sexual orientation, and religion, among others, challenges many communities. Intolerance is a divisive influence affecting all aspects of civil society. The current economic recession is heightening such stresses as more people are unemployed and vying for fewer available jobs. Key websites for more information: 1. (v) Other issues or dimensions: (e.g. political & administrative, civic and participation) 1. llinois state government is experiencing significant challenges as a result of federal corruption charges filed against the sitting Governor. Our state government is deeply divided along party, branch, and regional (Chicago vs. “the rest of the state” (esp. southern Illinois) lines. 2. Fiscal shortfalls and financial constraints are affecting all levels of state and municipal governance. 3. Generally speaking, there is not a wide-spread culture of cooperation within the civic sphere. Municipalities have become accustomed to competing with each other for scarce resources rather than collaborating to common benefit. 4. Municipal governance and planning policies, which can have byzantine complexities, often impede innovation. 5. Anecdotally, there seem to be pockets of optimism as a function of the newly elected presidential administration, suggesting that “cooperation is in.” Key websites for more information: 1.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions UNIVERSITY AND OTHER HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (HEIs) PORTRAIT (Please describe in a few words the HE system operating in the region, in terms of any important matters, the following): (i) Structure, legal and financial status of HE system Illinois’ publicly-funded higher education institutions consist of community colleges and universities. Community colleges are regionally accredited, two-year instititutions supported by state funds, tuition, and local taxes. There are currently 48 colleges and one multi-community college center in 39 community college districts in Illinois. Of these districts, 20 are within the northern Illinois region identified for this PURE project. Each community college is a separate unit of local government with the ability to levy taxes, charge tuition, and receive state funding. Each community college district is governed by a locally-elected board of trustees that sets policies to guide their institution in achieving local and statewide goals. All community colleges are expected to offer programs in baccalaureate-level, occupational, adult basic and remedial education, and community service activities, as well as non-credit continuing education offerings. These programs prepare people for college, for transfer to other colleges or universities, and for work. Illinois’ community college system is coordinated by the Illinois Community College Board, a body comprised of citizens appointed by the Governor. Organized groups representing students, faculty, trustees, staff, administrators, and college presidents are involved in the decision-making process. Illinois has nine public universities with 12 campuses. Five of these are located in the northern Illinois region, with four situated in the metro Chicago area. Universities offer degrees in many different disciplines and at different degree levels. Many contain several colleges in such areas as law or education. Universities offer four-year degrees (baccalaureate or bachelor's degrees) and master's degrees (one or two years of academic study beyond the bachelor's degree). Some universities offer doctoral (e.g., Ph.D.) degrees in various fields of study. Universities such as NIU that are state supported are referred to as public institutions, while those that are privately supported are referred to as private institutions. However, all universities commonly receive both public and private support. Each university is governed by a board of trustees appointed by the governor. The Illinois Board of Higher Education was created in state law to coordinate the entire post-secondary system (including community colleges) by providing a master plan to address the aims, needs, and requirements of higher education; recommending budgets to the governor and General Assembly; reviewing proposals for new and existing instruction, research, and public service; granting operating and degree-granting authority for independent and out-of-state institutions operating n Illinois; administering state and federal higher education programs; and maintaining an information system. Illinois does not have any publicly funded colleges (i.e. four-year institutions that grant bachelor’s degrees and may offer master’s and doctorate degrees) as the State directly supports only community colleges and public universities. State appropriations are just one source of funding for Illinois public university and community college operations. Public universities also receive support for general operating costs from student tuition and community colleges receive similar support from local property taxes and student tuition. In addition, other more restricted revenue sources are important to both sectors (such as federal grants that support research projects, fees that support residence halls and other auxiliary operations, and private gifts that support scholarships and academic departments). Nevertheless, state funding provides a critical core of support for both sectors in delivering high quality instructional programs and other services for students. For public universities, state general funds appropriations and student tuition are the primary sources of
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions funding for general support of educational and related activities. For community colleges, state general funds appropriations, local property tax revenues, and student tuition and fees fill those same support needs. Other institutional operating revenues typically are restricted to the support of specific activities (e.g., sponsored research projects, scholarships, debt service on bond revenue facilities). Each year the Illinois Community College Board prepares a budget request for appropriations for all of the state’s community colleges. This annual request becomes part of the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s (IBHE’s) request for state funds. The Governor reviews the IBHE request and makes a recommendation that is acted upon by the Illinois General Assembly. The legislature’s action is sent back to the governor for final approval. (ii) Main priorities for the HEIs in the region Following a year-long planning process initiated by the Illinois General Assembly, in December 2008, the Illinois Board of Higher Education adopted an action agenda to address the state’s urgent education, workforce, social and economic needs. The four main needs and related strategies are: 1. Reduce the disparity in educational attainment by race/ethnicity, income, disability, and region. Strategies:  Improve college readiness  Strengthen teacher and school leader quality  Improve access for students with disabilities 2. Increase the number of people with college degrees and other postsecondary credentials, particularly in critical needs occupations and in regions outside major metropolitan areas. Strategies:  Increase support for adult students to complete a postsecondary credential  Establish partnerships aimed at expanding opportunities for adult learners  Strengthen accountability 3. Increase the affordability of a college education. Strategies:  Review state financial aid programs for low-income students  Help students achieve their educational objectives faster  Help middle-income students who do not typically quality for need-based grant aid  Find institutional operating efficiencies that reduce costs while expanding access and maintaining quality 4. Strengthen links between economic development needs and the research and innovation capacity of its higher education institutions. Strategies:  Develop resource pools and incentives that capitalize on state and regional strengths and address state and regional weaknesses  Develop cutting-edge educational programs across the P-20 spectrum that will prepare students to succeed in the global economy
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions  Remove barriers to entrepreneurship without jeopardizing public service, protection, and safety (iii) Relevant recent changes and developments in policy and/or practice Illinois’ public education system at all levels is challenged by extraordinary fiscal demands associated with the payout of retirement benefits. At the postsecondary level, when appropriations for the State Universities Retirement System are excluded, total state funding for higher education institutional operations and grants declined $217.7 million (9.0%) in current dollars (not accounting for inflation) between fiscal years 2002 and 2008. This included significant reductions in support for public universities, community colleges, and institutional grant programs. Nearly all of the reductions were made by fiscal year 2004 and, in current dollar terms, appropriations were essentially flat through fiscal year 2006. Public universities, community colleges, and need-based financial aid programs received small increases in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. (iv) Ways of organising and managing within the HEIs In recent years cooperation between HEIs has been encouraged primarily through changes in guidelines governing the allocation of grant funds, i.e., rewarding collaboration and partnership. The regional higher education accrediting body for Illinois HEIs, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities, has joined other organizations in sponsoring training seminars that encourage and facilitate the formation of compacts between HEIs. Such practical training opportunities indicate two realities: (a) a dearth of partnership-thinking within HEIs; and (b) the presence of a body of practical knowledge that can be brought to bear on situations where collaboration is vital. NIU spearheaded an important partnership known as the Homeland Security Alliance which joins eight Illinois HEIs in sharing educational resources to address a compelling national interest. Developing such an alliance has been complex, but now that it is a reality it is spurring additional thoughts of innovation. A problem at the heart of the alliance, however, is the exclusion of 2-year HEIs from the compact. This is problematic because in Illinois, as in many other states, 50-60% of the tertiary audience is enrolled in the community college sector. Also, the majority of federal funding for homeland security education and training (as with many other federal initiatives involving HEIs) is being directed to the community college sector. An unwillingness to think across sectors may impede further progress. Many 4-year institutions believe that community colleges, formerly called "junior colleges", are of a lesser quality. Because the focus of community colleges is on teaching and learning rather than on research, their faculties’ contributions to higher learning are occasionally viewed by university faculties as inferior. Such views may be overcome through carefully facilitated dialogue. HEI leadership can play an important role is fostering learning that facilitates understanding, complementarities and innovation.
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions HEIs in REGION Please note: NIU requests that you contact Paul Crawford or Diana Robinson, the PURE co-PIs, prior to initiating contact with any of these institutions 1. Highland Community College Freeport Dr. Joseph Kanosky, President [email protected] www.highland.cc.il.us Dr. Jack Becherer, President [email protected] www.rockvalleycollege.edu Dr. Walter Packard, President [email protected] www.mchenry.edu Mr. James Rock, Interim President [email protected] www.clcillinois.edu Dr. David Sam, President [email protected] www.elgin.edu Dr. Thomas Choice, President [email protected] www.kishwaukeecollege.edu Dr. Jerry Corcoran, President [email protected] www.ivcc.edu Dr. Christine Sobek, President [email protected] www.waubonsee.edu Dr. Eugenia Proulx, President [email protected] www.jjc.edu Dr. Patricia Granados, President [email protected] www.triton.edu Dr. Margaret Lee, President [email protected] www.oakton.edu Dr. Anne Kaplan, Vice President [email protected] www.niu.edu
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2. Rock Valley College
Rockford
3. McHenry County College
Crystal Lake
4. College of Lake County
Grayslake
5. Elgin Community College
Elgin
6. Kishwaukee College
Malta
7. Illinois Valley College
Oglesby
8. Waubonsee College
Sugar Grove
9. Joliet Junior College
Joliet
10.Triton College
River Grove
11.Oakton Community College
Des Plaines
12.Northern Illinois University
DeKalb
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions
Table 1: Summary Descriptive Data on the Northern Illinois Region, 2007 Total Total Square Total Personal Population Jobs Miles Income ($000) Chicago / Cook 5,285,107 3,455,395 946 220,868,300 County 3,129,983 1,816,511 2,744 135,693,900 Collar Counties (1) 358,396 146,782 2,053 10,181,270 Ring Counties (2) 352,290 179,695 795 10,531,670 Rockford Metro (3) 437,784 208,736 6,765 12,895,490 Rural Counties (4) Total 9,563,560 5,807,119 13,303 390,170,630
Estimated GDP ($000) 316,110,335 159,431,999 9,705,339 11,850,980 12,724,294 509,822,947
(1) DuPage, Lake, Kane, McHenry, Will (2) DeKalb, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall (3) Boone and Winnebago (4) Bureau, Carroll, Henry, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside Source: Implan
Table 2 : Growth in Selected Population Segments, Chicago Metropolitan Region
Population Growth 2002-2007 Rate of Change Growth in Poverty 2002-2007 Rate of Change Growth in Low Income 2002-2007 Rate of Change Growth in Elderly 2005-2007 Rate of Change Growth in Foreign Born 2005-2007 Rate of Change
City of Chicago Suburban Cook DuPage Kane Lake McHenry Will Total
(23,298) 24,517 19,716 56,174
-0.8% 1.0% 2.2% 8.6%
16,940 8,620
3.2% 4.3%
(44,368)
-7.4%
8,632 20,855
3.1% 6.7%
217 32,711 5,954 4,610 1,985) (3,248) 44,426
0.0% 6.7% 3.5% 5.2% -1.5% -4.4% 2.8%
83,056 30.4% 15,859 18.2% 27,361 58.2% 17,263 26.3% 9,088 43.2% 22,887 42.9% 131,146 11.4%
9,359 29.2% 7,170 23.4% (384) 893 -0.9% 5.2%
11,206 12.8% 4,266 11.5% 6,766 11.3% 4,194 15.8% 5,403 10.9% 61,322 7.2%
64,483 14.8% 39,752 14.4% 123,386 22.4% 304,730 3.8%
6,167 20.7%
7,753 25.5% 50,351 5.7%
Source: American Community Survey, 2002, 2005 and 2007
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions Table 3: Estimated Foreign-Born Population by Year of Entry, Northern Illinois Region Before 1980 1980 - 1989 1990 - 1999 413,418 321,132 559,499 Total Residents 79.0% 58.0% 36.0% Percent Naturalized U.S. Citizens Place of Origin (Percent) 34.4% 14.4% 22.3% Europe 20.5% 27.0% 21.4% Asia 33.6% 46.7% 45.4% Mexico 8.2% 8.8% 7.0% Other Latin America 3.3% 3.1% 3.9% All Other Places Source: American Community Survey
Since 2000 433,869 11.0% 20.5% 25.5% 40.5% 7.8% 5.7%
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions PURE Regional Profile NORTHERN ILLINOIS, USA Appendix 2 Regional Aspirations and Agenda
1. What aspects of regional development and the role of higher education in particular do you wish to engage with, focus on and improve, through your involvement in PURE? (a) From the point of view of the region and its priorities, objectives and ways of working? This question will be the focus of our kick-off meeting between NIU and 11 northern Illinois community college presidents on January 29, 2009. (b) From the point of view of the higher education institutions and their priorities, objectives and ways of working? Same as above. 2. In terms of the wider global, political, administrative, economic and environmental setting it was agreed at the PURE Glasgow working meeting (September 2008) that the following aspects (included in Briefing Paper No. 3) were of wide general significance for the PURE project as a whole: (a) What role are strong national and/or regional policies in favour of third mission playing to overcome barriers for PURE work in regions? Current U.S. workforce development policy uses a regional implementation structure that supports limited HEI third mission activities. The federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) of 1998 created approximately 650 state and local workforce investment boards (WIBs), each overseeing the use of federal employment and training funds in their area. Illinois has 26 workforce areas, each governed by its own WIB. Ten of these are in northern Illinois. WIA funds are intended to provide the talent and skills employers need while raising living standards of working families. WIBS are ostensibly business-led and employers must represent 51% of their membership. In addition to employers, WIB members must include representatives of local educational institutions, labor, community-based organizations, economic development agencies, and service providers. WIBs have broad discretion in determine workforce development policies for their area, including how best to link workforce and economic development strategies to serve employers, workers, and job-seekers. Community colleges have been the main post-secondary partners involved in WIBs throughout Illinois and nationally with little involvement from four-year institutions. This reflects the federal system’s focus on individuals with low skills or skill sets that are in low or no demand. However, recent years have seen an emphasis on transitioning individuals from high school or community-based vocational training programs into community colleges. The most significant federal initiative in recent years that holds promise for HEI third mission efforts is the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) program. WIRED brings together state, local and federal entities; academic institutions (including K-12, community colleges and universities);
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions investment groups; foundations; and business and industry to address the challenges associated with building a globally competitive and prepared workforce. Although Illinois has not been successful in obtaining WIRED resources to date, WIRED projects have met with success in engaging HEIs at both the community college and university level in regional workforce development. In terms of regional policy, Illinois’ Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity has divided the state into 10 economic development regions representing aggregations of counties. Three of these are in northern Illinois. These regions were designated based on economic and market factors that make them logical areas for economic development and workforce planning. A statewide initiative launched in 2003, the Critical Skill Shortages Initiative (CSSI), represents regional-level efforts that have been most supportive of HEI engagement. The overarching goal of CSSI is to align workforce programs to provide a reliable supply of qualified job-seekers for critical skill shortage occupations that pay a good wage and provide benefits. All regions were to identify key industry sectors experiencing shortages in key occupations, rigorously examine the root causes of these shortages, and use that analysis to influence state and local education and training entities to voluntarily redirect existing programs and services to address the root causes and create a reliable “supply chain” of qualified job-seekers. HEIs have been involved in CSSI and have been critical partners in addressing issues relating to the pipeline of qualified professionals in such occupations as nursing and skilled manufacturing workers. (b) Will strong national and regional policies in favour of sustainable development have an impact on PURE activity on environmental issues? Yes. Growing interest in green technologies, clean manufacturing processes, and environmentally-oriented business development opportunities combined with growing commitment to reducing our carbon footprint bode well for such policies. (c) Will strong policies on implementing LLL at national and/or regional levels have an impact on PURE activities? (LLL = life long learning?)? It depends on how “lifelong learning” is defined and communicated. There is a prevailing perception that lifelong learning is primarily recreational and leisure-related and applies mainly to retirees. While the alternative view that lifelong learning means frequent, if not continuous, reconnection with a range of learning opportunities is growing in acceptance, 4-year HEIs generally are not viewing the more mature learner as an important consumer. Community colleges (2-year HEIs), particularly in urban/suburban locales, have made significant forays into this market. (d) Will strong national and/or regional innovation and research policies have as impact on PURE activities? Yes. Economic development at the federal and state levels has long encouraged small business development and entrepreneurism, and HEIs have been recognized as a source of innovation through research and development and tech transfer. President-elect Obama’s political agenda includes a Regional Innovation Clusters initiative that would provide $200 million in planning and matching grants for regional business, government, and university leaders to collaborate on leveraging a region's existing assets -- from transportation infrastructure to universities -- to enhance long-term regional growth.
RP - Nth Illinois
http://www.obs-pascal.com/ 
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions (e) Will strong and/or regional policy on administrative and governance issues have an impact on PURE activities? Yes, if they include additional resources and real authority/decision-making ability. Illinois has the most political jurisdictions of any state in the U.S., so it is imperative that the direction be toward consolidation. (f) How is the third mission seen and developed, and how central is it to the future especially of nonelite universities? There is growing awareness of the importance of the HEI third mission. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has selected 119 colleges and universities for its 2008 Community Engagement Classification. These institutions, which include Northern Illinois University, join the 76 institutions identified in the 2006 selection process. Colleges and universities with an institutional focus on community engagement were invited to apply for the classification, first offered in 2006 as part of an extensive restructuring of The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Institutions elected to participate by submitting required documentation describing the nature and extent of their engagement with the community. http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/index.asp. NIU was selected as one of six institutions applying under the Outreach and Partnerships category that addresses two different but related approaches to community engagement. The first is the application and provision of institutional resources for community use with benefits to both campus and community. The second is collaboration with community and related scholarship for mutually beneficial exchange, exploration and application of knowledge, information and resources (research, capacity building, economic development, etc.). Another example of growing awareness of the importance of third mission is in the work of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges (NASULGC). In October 2008, NASULGC’s Council on Engagement and Outreach co-convened a University Roundtable on Transformative Regional Engagement. The proceedings of this event describe eight topics for future discussion: partnering “roadmaps”, high-impact regional program models, partnership structures and governance, theories of applied economics to guide program development and evaluation, program evaluation and the metrics of success, funding/collaborative policy/financial models, developing leadership, and characteristics of university cultures of engagement. (g) Is the globalisation of the economy changing regions' ecological, social and cultural policies? If so, how will it impact on PURE activities in the region and the university? Yes. As described in our “Regional Portrait”, globalization is profoundly influencing all aspects of our region. It is hoped that these effects will strengthen interest in PURE as a logical and promising response strategy. 3. At this stage, do you have a clear sense which subject(s) of special interest you would like to concentrate on in a PURE regions sub-group; for example – ecotourism, SME development, megaevents like the Olympics, cultural development and creative arts, etc? As indicated above, this will be the focus of a convening of HEI presidents to occur on January 29, 2009. http://www.obs-pascal.com/ 
RP - Nth Illinois
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Place Management, Social Capital and Learning Regions We would be interested in the following sub-group specialism(s): To be determined. 4. Are there any other points that you wish to mention at this stage?
RP - Nth Illinois
http://www.obs-pascal.com/ 
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