Joliet Junior College President Judy Mitchell delivered the third annual "State of the College" address to stakeholders at the Main Campus Friday.

"We haven't led over 100 years of educational excellence in our community without the need to drive transformational change internally through academics, student services, technology and more," Mitchell said. "Throughout the past year, I've challenged our college to think beyond convention and embrace the opportunity inherent in this swiftly changing time."

She highlighted JJC's adoption of new technologies in the classroom with new undergraduate research and STEM education opportunities. She also mentioned the establishment of two high-demand programs in diesel technology and medical assisting.

"Creating new academic programs to adapt to evolving labor markets and community needs is not new to JJC, or to the community college system," Mitchell said. "It is foundational to what we do. We work with advisory boards, we assess the needs of local businesses and we develop programs to respond to the market."

In the past year, JJC saw the opening of the new Workforce Education Department, a combination of its adult education and workforce development to create clearer pathways to foundational education, high school completion, workforce readiness and gainful employment.

The college's operating budget for fiscal year 2019 is $95.7 million, and the college was able to balance it without tuition increases with the help of cost controls and conservative budgeting. During the 2017-18 school year, the college also reimbursed student tuition to the tune of $2.9 million after an 8.7 percent increase in response to the over two-year state budget crisis. In fiscal 2018, 650 JJC students received $677,000 in scholarships. The JJC Foundation now has $23 million in assets and $12 million in endowments.

JJC also created the College-Community Partnership Initiative, which serves to strengthen partnerships and outreach within the district and bring awareness of academic programs and comprehensive support services offered at the college.

Mitchell also restructured a position in her office that will devote 50 percent of duties and activities to the implementation of a new diversity and inclusion plan.

"We are leaning in to a new era of education and a new day at Joliet Junior College," Mitchell said.