(Des Plaines, Ill.) Aug. 29, 2022 - Oakton College Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Ileo Lott, Ed.D., is one of 31 higher education leaders selected by The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program (Aspen) as members of the Rising Presidents Fellowship class of 2022-2023. This program, delivered in collaboration with the Stanford Educational Leadership Initiative, prepares the next generation of community college presidents to transform institutions to achieve higher and more equitable levels of student success.
The fellows, selected through a competitive process, will work closely with highly accomplished community college presidents, Aspen leaders, and Stanford University faculty over ten months to learn to define and assess student success at their colleges and clarify their visions for equitable outcomes for students.
"The leaders that come through the Rising Presidents Fellowship continually inspire us," said Josh Wyner, executive director of the College Excellence Program. "We are motivated by the dedication and expertise that our fellows bring to advancing excellence and equity on their campuses, and we look forward to supporting their work."
Lott came to Oakton in 2017 and previously served in administrative roles at Elgin Community College and City Colleges of Chicago. He has contributed to improving academic governance, compliance, and educational quality at community colleges. Focused on advancing institutional performance and students' experiences, he is a firm believer and implementer of innovation in higher education.
"One of the things I look for in faculty and staff is preparedness for the job at hand," Lott said. "Through this incredible professional development experience, I'm holding myself accountable to that same standard of preparedness."
Rising Presidents Fellows join a network of over 300 forward-thinking peers 122 of whom are sitting college presidents who are applying grounded and innovative strategies to meet student success challenges in their colleges.
This incoming class of Aspen Rising Presidents Fellows is 70 percent female, and 54 percent are people of color. The institutions represented are also diverse, located in 16 states, from small rural colleges to large urban campuses.
The Aspen Rising Presidents Fellowship is made possible by the generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, College Futures Foundation, Joyce Foundation, and JPMorgan Chase.
