Governor Quinn Announces $36 Million Investment in College of Lake County's Lakeshore Campus

WAUKEGAN – Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by school and local officials to announce a $35.9 million investment from his Illinois Jobs Now! program to build a major expansion at the College of Lake County’s Lakeshore Campus in downtown Waukegan. Today’s announcement is part of Governor Quinn’s agenda to ensure that everyone has the opportunity for a high-quality education, while creating jobs and driving Illinois’ economy forward.

“This investment will help the College of Lake County continue to provide a wide range of educational choices in northern Illinois,” Governor Quinn said. “Constructing this building will create jobs and support local economic growth, while improving the educational experience for our students.”

The $35.9 million investment will be used for an 118,000-square-foot project that includes a major new building and renovations of existing space. The project will allow the college to create a full-service Waukegan campus, expand academic offerings and create an academic focus on health care programs at the campus. Project components include science and health-care instructional laboratories, general purpose classrooms and space for services like admissions, financial aid, tutoring, testing and the library. Adult Education services will also be included and integrated with the student services areas. The college will contribute $12 million toward the project’s $47.9 million total cost.

“Over a third of our students live in the northeast part of the county, and this area has a need for greater access to college,” College of Lake County President Jerry Weber said. “We will be able to address this need through the campus expansion, and we’ll be able to do the project in a way that meets our commitment to sustainability. The project will be designed to meet the highest energy efficiency standards.”

The College of Lake County serves a district with the third largest population in the Illinois community college system – 713,000 residents living in more than 50 distinct communities. The school has a diverse student body with more than 17,000 students in credit programs served from campuses in Grayslake, Vernon Hills and Waukegan. The college offers a wide range of academic program choices to meet students' educational needs at different points in their lives.

Governor Quinn’s $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program is supporting more than 439,000 jobs over six years. Illinois Jobs Now! is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest capital construction programs in the nation.