Press Releases and Speeches

STUDENT ADVOCATE AWARD PRESENTED TO CHANCELLOR WATSON

CHICAGO (October 2005) – Chancellor Wayne D. Watson was recently awarded the Wright College Student Advocate Award for his involvement with students during the recent teacher strikes.

"I felt honored, humbled, and appreciated," Watson said upon receiving the award from the Student Government Association in June.

Watson was chosen for the honor because of his leadership and solidarity with students as the City Colleges negotiated through a difficult time. Wright College's SGA Treasurer Ashley Dearborn nominated Watson for the award because of this connection with students.

"Dr. Watson has been a champion of students in every arena," Dearborn said. "He's been striving to put the district in line with academic excellence, particularly with the policies he's putting in place."

During the strike of 2004, Watson realized that students were absorbing the majority of the impact and felt they deserved to be treated as equals.

"We knew the strike was going to affect students and that they would be the beneficiaries of what we did," Watson said. "Because the people affected most in these situations are given the least amount of information, I wanted to make sure they were knowledgeable."

Dearborn said the award was one way for students to show their appreciation for Dr. Watson's work.

"He's fought for a lot of things and he's taken a lot of heat," Dearborn said. "A lot of people don't agree with his decisions, but his heart is there for the students."

The City Colleges of Chicago (Community College District 508) is the one of the largest urban community college systems in the nation. CCC provides four essential services: liberal arts education (associate degrees and certificates); occupational education (workforce training); adult education (GED, ESL, ABE) and continuing education (programs that add value to the quality of life).