The Office of Community College Research and Leadership (OCCRL) was the recipient of the 2025 Presidential Citation of Excellence Award from The Council for the Study of Community Colleges at this year’s CSCC Conference, where the theme was “working in solidarity for equitable community college futures.” Presented by outgoing CSCC President Dr. Xueli Wang, OCCRL was recognized as a transformative leader and ray of hope in the field of community college research, leadership and practice.

Projects from Dean Chrystalla Mouza and postdoctoral researcher Jadyn Harris Laixely were selected for funding.

Tamara Bertrand Jones, associate dean for faculty affairs, will speak at the two day event in May.

Michele Schutz, assistant professor SPED, was selected for her involvement in the Goldstick Lecture Series since joining the department in 2022.

Jennie Lee is a graduate student in Educational Psychology.

Andrea Kulas, an EPOL Ed.D. student, photographed the  North Bennet Street School in Boston, MA.

The two were a part of the team that were recognized by the TPACK SIG.

Stacy Dymond, professor in Special Education was honored by the University of Illinois as one of the top instructors on the Urbana-Champaign campus.

Four projects from across the College of Education were selected to receive funding.

Searsmith is an alumna and current doctoral student in EPOL.

Ryan Krows and Tina Jordahl will assume roles on the leadership team of Champaign Central High School.

David Roediger is the Foundation Professor of American Studies at University of Kansas.

EPOL faculty member Mirelsie Velázquez and EPOL Graduate Student Asmaa Elsayed have been selected to the fellowship for 2025-26.

Mostafa Hanafy, doctoral cadidate in EPOL, will be one of 12 judges at this year's competition.

Megan Best and Elizabeth Coder were selected for their work on initiatives and displays of leadership.

U. of I. students now have free access to Kaplan's top test prep for grad school, credentials, and licensure exams. 40+ courses, including GRE, GMAT, MCAT, LSAT, and more! Students who bought a course since Aug. 1, 2024, may qualify for a refund. Learn more here.

Bhakti Verma a Ph.D. student and Emily Stone, director of public engagement, will present at the Humanities Research Institute.

The conference is hosted at the UCLA campus March 6-8. 

Asmaa Elsayed will present at the GRID forum on her experience working on sensitive topics with vulnerable populations.

Kwon, an assistant professor in EPOL, was recognized by the Academy of Human Resource Development.