By Kyle Southern, Ph.D.
Three weeks ago, I arrived in Chicago to take on a new role as the third Executive Director of the Partnership for College Completion. I am no stranger to Chicago, but I arrived excited by the possibilities for advancing the work to empower students and communities by addressing long-standing inequities in completion of degrees and credentials beyond a high school diploma. I am eager to build on the inspiring and transformative work the PCC team has led over nine years, as well as on the foundation of leadership set by my predecessors: Kyle Westbrook, Ph.D. and Lisa Castillo Richmond, Ph.D.
Our team members and leaders–past and present–have set a foundation constructed from what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. called, “a stone of hope.” Now is our time to build. As is true nationally, we in Illinois must build a more affordable, accountable, and equitable higher education system because our communities, our economy, and–in many ways–our democracy depend on doing so.
I come to Chicago from Washington, D.C., where federal policymakers have spent the last seven months disinvesting hundreds of billions of dollars that should have enabled educational opportunity for our nation’s students. Recent legislation will make higher education more expensive, student loans harder to repay, and predatory institutions less likely to face accountability. Each day brings the familiar tension between whether to spiral into despair over such actions or to turn away from them entirely. But amid these changes and challenges, PCC’s mission and values remain, and we can’t turn away from the students of Illinois or the work to build our collective future.
We can’t turn away because we know what the result of doing so would be: diminished opportunity for people across all communities, but especially in communities where educational opportunity should be most transformative. Despite the very real concerns many students and families have about the rising sticker price of college, broad majorities across political divides still rightly see the long-term value of higher education–value that includes but goes well beyond preparation for workforce success.
We have an important opportunity in Illinois to fund our public institutions in a way that more adequately and equitably provides them resources for their students to succeed. PCC remains committed to supporting full implementation of developmental education reform to ensure more students are on a faster pace to earning the credits and receiving the learning support they need to complete their postsecondary programs. These priorities remain at the core of PCC’s work to advance needed solutions statewide.
But our historic moment calls on us to elevate diverse student experiences. That means working to advance opportunities for students who are incarcerated through high-quality higher education in prison programs. It means speaking out and standing up for access to affordable education for all students, regardless of immigration status. It means broadening understanding of the challenges students face when they also have parenting or other caretaking responsibilities. And it means strengthening protections for students against predatory practices, as the federal administration dismantles the means of accountability.
In the chaos of the current climate, PCC, our partners, and the state of Illinois can set a national example for remaining rooted in data and evidence, committed to student-centered policy, and engaged with institutional leaders to ensure changes in policy have their full effect on campuses.
This week, PCC enters its tenth year–a milestone that compels us to reflect on our journey to date and envision the next stage. I take on this new role with deep gratitude for the nine years of hard, dedicated, and inspiring work this organization has done. The years ahead demand that we remain true to our values to realize our goals. In this City of Big Shoulders, at PCC we stand on those of our predecessors and will continue our reach for the future that all students deserve.
Kyle Southern, Ph.D. became PCC’s new Executive Director in July 2025. With over 15 years of experience advancing equity in higher education policy and a distinguished track record of leadership in both national and state-based organizations, Dr. Southern brings visionary leadership and deep policy expertise to PCC’s next chapter.