ECC In the News 2026

Two individuals chat in an office setting.

Announcement

Published 03/10/2026

ECC, North Central Partner to Support Future STEM Teachers

Through the partnership, ECC students interested in teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) can transfer to North Central College and participate in the CREATE program, a National Science Foundation Noyce-funded initiative designed to recruit and support future educators.

ECC student Rosa Lopez's piece: “Anahit.”

Announcement

Published 03/05/2026

ECC to Host 2026 Illinois Skyway Collegiate Juried Art Competition & Exhibition

ECC students will be featured in a statewide art exhibition, hosted by ECC, on display from March 11-27 on ECC's 1700 Spartan Drive campus.

Experience ECC 2025

Announcement | Events | Student Resources

Published 03/04/2026

Experience ECC Returns April 15 With Open House For Community

ECC's free “Experience ECC” open house returns Wednesday, April 15, from 5:30 to 8 pm, inviting prospective students and community members to explore academic programs and connect with faculty and staff.

A photo of Spartan Lake on ECC's campus.

Accomplishment | Announcement

Published 03/04/2026

Elgin Community College Recognized by Achieving the Dream as a 2026 Leader College

Achieving the Dream (ATD) is a partner and champion of more than 300 community colleges across the country. ECC has been designated a 2026 Leader College by ATD.

Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle

Announcement | Events

Published 02/25/2026

Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda del Valle to host Open Mic Coffee House at ECC

ECC Writer's Center Open Mic Coffee House event on April 7 will feature a special host, Chicago Poet Laureate Mayda Del Valle. She will also lead a poetry workshop before the open mic event at 5 pm, followed by the coffee house event at 6 pm.

A group tours the Manufacturing and Technology Center

Announcement

Published 02/20/2026

ECC Receives $2 Million in Federal Funding for Manufacturing and Technology Center

Elgin Community College has been awarded $2,000,000 in federal funding secured by Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi to support advanced manufacturing training at the college’s new Manufacturing and Technology Center (MTC).

Events

Published 02/20/2026

ECC to Host Community Forum on Human Trafficking

Elgin Community College will host its next Criminal Justice Conversation, The Reality of Human Trafficking, on Wednesday, March 4, from 6 to 8 pm. The free event is open to ECC students and the community.

Student Bohdan poses in front of Jobe Lounge.

Accomplishment | Announcement

Published 02/18/2026

ECC Student Selected as 2026 DREAM Scholar by Achieving the Dream

Bohdan Andrashko is one of eight students selected nationwide as a 2026 DREAM Scholar by Achieving the Dream.

A photo of ECC English professor and author Eckhard Gerdes.

Announcement | Events

Published 02/13/2026

ECC Professors to Lead March Reading Series Event at Writers Center

ECC Writers Center will host an experimental fiction reading on Wednesday, March 18, led by English professors Jeff Weisman and Eckhard Gerdes.

A promotional photo for Seven Realms of Attar show at ECC Arts Center.

Announcement | Arts Center | Events

Published 02/12/2026

ECC Arts Center Hosts World Premiere of Seven Realms of Attar

ECC Arts Center hosts the world premiere of Niyaz in collaboration with Theron Pray and Jody Sparling Seven Realms of Attar on Saturday, March 14, 2026.

Unsung Broadway Cast

Announcement | Arts Center | Events

Published 02/05/2026

ECC Musical Theatre Shines a Spotlight on Hidden Gems in Unsung Broadway

ECC Musical Theatre's Spring 2025 production, Unsung Broadway, will run from Friday, February 20 to Sunday, March 1, 2026, in the ECC Arts Center’s SecondSpace Theatre.

ECC staff chat at the open house for the office for Student Access & Disability Services.

Accomplishment | Student Resources

Published 02/04/2026

New ECC Space Expands Access for Student Access and Disability Services

ECC celebrated the grand opening of the new Student Access and Disability Services space on February 3, bringing students, employees, and community leaders together. The new office in Building F has evolved from a computer lab to a storage area, and has now been thoughtfully renovated into a student-centered environment designed to support access, inclusion, and success.

Nursing students chat during an ECC event.

Announcement

Published 02/03/2026

ECC Invites Community to Attend Nursing Program Accreditation Site Visit

Elgin Community College invites the community to attend its nursing accreditation site visit for ECC’s Associate Degree Nursing Program on Wednesday, March 11.

Person working in the kitchen, rolling dough.

Announcement | Events

Published 02/02/2026

ECC Welcomes Back Culinary Alumnus, Local Culinary Director for Visiting Chef Event

ECC Visiting Chef Alum Diner will feature an alumni culinary leader, Eric Olson. The dinner event will take place on Thursday, February 19. Tickets are now available!

A person talks during a past Socrates Cafe discussion.

Student Resources

Published 01/27/2026

Socrates Cafe Spring 2026: Continuing Open Dialogue for Life’s Big Questions

ECC Associate Professor of Humanities Geoffrey Pynn will lead philosophical conversations in this semester's Socrates Cafe sessions. The group has always been a forum for open conversations among students, faculty, staff, and community members.

ECC Internship Coordinator Ron Jones talks to two students during Black History Month 2025 celebrations.

Announcement | Events

Published 01/20/2026

ECC Celebrates Black History Month: 100 Years of Celebrations, Centuries of Legacy

ECC will celebrate 100 years of Black History Month throughout February with multiple events, including a Sneaker Ball on Friday, February 27.

President Peggy Heinrich shows off her ECC socks at Spring 2026 Employee Convocation,

Events

Published 01/14/2026

Spring 2026 Employee Convocation at ECC Focuses on Community

Centered on the theme “Our College, Our Community,” Spring Convocation highlighted partnerships that strengthen the college and communities it serves. Did you attend this event? Tell us what you thought in the survey linked in this story.

Poet Mark Turcotte speaks at an ECC event in 2017.

Announcement | Events

Published 01/12/2026

ECC Hosts Illinois Poet Laureate

Illinois Poet Laureate Mark Turcotte kicks off ECC Spring 2026 Reading Series on Thursday, February 26.

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo troupe poses.

Announcement | Arts Center | Events

Published 01/08/2026

Les Ballet De Trockadero to Bring Ballet with a Twist to ECC Arts Center

Internationally acclaimed Les Ballet De Trockadero will bring ballet brilliance with a twist to the ECC Arts Center on Saturday, January 31.