ENROLLMENT AND STUDENT AFFAIRS OFFICE
Berg Instructional Center (IC), Room 2115
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Jocelyn Harney, Ph.D.
Vice President
Enrollment and Student Affairs
(630) 942-3325
harney@cod.edu

Trish Sowa
Administrative Assistant
(630) 942-4078
sowapat@cod.edu

Awards and Recognitions

Lincoln Academy Student Laureate Award: Each year, one outstanding second-year student from the Illinois Community College System is awarded the prestigious Lincoln Academy of Illinois Student Medallion. Application for this honor starts at the beginning of September and is made by submitting a 500-word essay detailing the student’s curricular and extracurricular achievements. The deadline for applying is the first week in October. C.O.D.’s nominee receives $75 for educational expenses and recognition by the Board of Trustees; the state winner receives $150 for travel expenses and recognition at a special ceremony in Springfield attended by the governor and his wife. C.O.D. had a state winner in 2001.

All-USA Academic Team: This joint venture among USA Today, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society, is designed to showcase community college students who excel academically, demonstrate leadership, and display civic growth by extending their education to better themselves, their schools and their communities. All currently enrolled community college students (including traditional and non-traditional age and international; students need not be PTK members to apply) with a GPA of 3.25/4.0 or above and 45 college-level semester credits completed by December of the application year are eligible to apply. Students complete a detailed application, the centerpiece of which is a 500-word essay detailing his/her most outstanding intellectual community college endeavor. The application period begins mid-October and ends in late November. College of DuPage chooses two nominees, who each receive $100 and recognition by the Board of Trustees to represent the college in this national competition. The winners are divided into three teams of 20 students each. First Team winners receive $2,500 in cash, recognition in USA Today and a trip to the AACC Convention. Second and Third Team winners receive acknowledgment in USA Today. College of DuPage has had two First Team and several Second Team winners.
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Georgetown University Preferred Consideration Program: Exceptional students who wish to transfer to prestigious Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. are encouraged to apply through this program which, while neither a guarantee of admission or scholarship, offers a ‘second look’ to up to three C.O.D. applicants who are selected by C.O.D.’s president. C.O.D.’s relationship with Georgetown has been ongoing for more than 15 years, with several students completing their baccalaureate degrees at GU over that time.
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Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Undergraduate Transfer Scholarship Program: Financial need is an important consideration for this scholarship which bridges the gaps for 50 exceptional students nationwide who have insufficient financial support to complete their baccalaureate degrees. Minimum requirements to apply: students must have completed at least freshman credits and can be a recent graduate; have a GPA of 3.5 or better; plan to transfer to a four-year college in the fall of application year. Applications become available in early November with a C.O.D. deadline for completion in mid-January. C.O.D. can select up to two candidates, to be nominated by C.O.D.’s faculty representative. In addition to financial need, selection criteria include academic achievement and intelligence, the will to succeed, leadership and public service, critical-thinking ability, participation in or strong appreciation of the arts and humanities. C.O.D. has had one winner of this highly-selective scholarship.
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Illinois Community College Trustees Association’s Paul Simon Student Essay Contest: Each year the Illinois Community College Trustees Association invites all currently registered students to complete a 500-word essay detailing “How My Community College Has Changed My Life.” C.O.D. announces this competition in mid-January with a deadline of mid-March. First, second and third prizes are offered of $100, $50, and $25 respectively, and all three winners are recognized by the Board of Trustees. The first-place winner’s essay is submitted to the state competition. The state winner receives a $500 cash stipend for educational expenses and an opportunity to attend ICCTA’s yearly banquet in Springfield.

Outstanding Graduate Selection: Each year the Office of the Vice President for Enrollment and Student Affairs is responsible for coordinating the selection of the Outstanding Male and Female Graduates, who serve as representatives of the entire graduating class, and are thus honored at C.O.D.’s annual Commencement Ceremony. In addition to the honor of selection, each of the two recipients (one man and one woman) receives a $250 cash award from the College of DuPage Foundation and makes a short speech at Commencement. Students carrying a cumulative GPA of 3.8 or above, who have petitioned to graduate during the current school year will be contacted by the Student Affairs Office in early March and asked to complete an extensive questionnaire. Final selection includes a personal interview.
For more information contact Bonnie Shalin at shalin@cod.edu