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University of Illinois System Partners with One Million Degrees to Boost Community College Transfer Rates

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University of Illinois System Partners with One Million Degrees to Boost Community College Transfer Rates


The University of Illinois System and nonprofit organization One Million Degrees have announced a new multiyear initiative to increase community college transfer rates, with a particular focus on first-generation and low-income students in Illinois.

The pilot program, set to launch in spring 2026, will initially serve 240 students across two cohorts from selected Illinois community colleges. These students will receive comprehensive support as they transfer to University of Illinois campuses in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield.

“Transferring from community college to a four-year university is one of the most powerful strategies we know for advancing multigenerational upward mobility,” said Josh Hoen, interim CEO of One Million Degrees. “But we cannot allow these pathways to become bridges to nowhere for the students who make the leap to transfer.”

Education researchers have long identified transfer pathways as crucial for improving social mobility, especially for first-generation college students. While recent data shows community college transfers to four-year institutions increased by 7.7% in the past year, significant gaps remain. According to the press release, 81% of community college students express intent to earn a bachelor’s degree, but only 31% actually transfer to four-year institutions.

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The new partnership builds upon Illinois’ existing transfer infrastructure, which includes the Illinois Articulation Initiative and guaranteed transfer admission pathways. The One Million Degrees program will add wraparound services – including academic coaching, financial assistance, and career services – designed to help students navigate the transition between institutions and connect their education to career outcomes.

“We are highly motivated to build on the momentum that we’ve created with Illinois’ community colleges, expanding opportunities for students to not only access higher education but to thrive in rewarding careers,” said Dr. Tim Killeen, president of the University of Illinois System.

The university system is currently identifying community college partners for the program. Following implementation, administrators will evaluate the pilot over a four-year period and consider expansion beyond the initial partners, with the goal of significantly increasing transfer and bachelor’s degree completion rates.

One Million Degrees currently serves 871 community college scholars from under-resourced neighborhoods at 10 Chicago-area community colleges. The organization partners with employers across industries to build pathways to in-demand jobs through apprenticeship and credentialing programs.

The University of Illinois System, which includes universities in Urbana-Champaign, Chicago, and Springfield, is the largest comprehensive system of higher education in Illinois, serving students across all 102 counties in the state.

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2025 FCS football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores

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2025 FCS football championship: Bracket, schedule, scores


The 2025-26 FCS playoffs consist of a 24-team bracket with play starting on Saturday, Nov. 29 and concluding on Monday, Jan. 5. The top 16 teams seeded and the top eight seeds receive automatic byes to the second round, while the rest of the 24-team field (the remaining 16 teams) play in the first round.

Here’s everything you need to know for the Division I Football Championship postseason.

FCS championship bracket

Click or tap here to view the bracket

FCS bracket

 

FCS championship schedule

All times Eastern

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Quarterfinals

  • Friday, December 12
  • Saturday, December 13

Semifinals

  • Saturday, December 20
    • Semifinal 1 | 4 p.m. ET | ABC
    • Semifinal 2 | 7:30 p.m. ET | ESPN2

National Championship 

FCS championship rounds, dates

  • Selection show: 12 p.m. ET Sunday, Nov. 23 on ESPNU
  • First round: Saturday, Nov. 29
  • Second round: Saturday, Dec. 6
  • Quarterfinals: Friday, Dec. 12 through Saturday, Dec. 13
  • Semifinals: Saturday, Dec. 20 
  • National championship: Monday, Jan. 5 on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET

FCS selections

The bracket selections for the 2025-26 FCS Championship was on Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. The bracket was be revealed via a selection show on ESPNU at 12 p.m. ET and a selections release

Eleven conferences (or conference partnerships/alliances) earn automatic bids to the playoffs. The FCS Championship Committee selects the remaining 13 at-large bids.

AUTOMATIC BIDS: Click or tap here to see all 11 of the clinched auto-bids

FCS championship history 

North Dakota Dakota State is the reigning national champion, winning its 10 title in 2024 with a 35-32 win over Montana State. Here’s every FCS champion and runner-up from the past decade:

Year Champion Coach Score Runner-Up Site
2024 North Dakota State Tim Polasek 35-32 Montana State Frisco, Texas
2023 South Dakota State Jimmy Rogers 23-3 Montana  Frisco, Texas
2022 South Dakota State John Stiegelmeier 45-21 North Dakota State Frisco, Texas
2021 North Dakota State Matt Entz 38-10 Montana State Frisco, Texas
2020 Sam Houston K.C. Keeler 23-21 South Dakota State Frisco, Texas
2019 North Dakota State Matt Entz 28-20 James Madison Frisco, Texas
2018 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 38-24 Eastern Washington Frisco, Texas
2017 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 17-13 James Madison Frisco, Texas
2016 James Madison Mike Houston 28-14 Youngstown State Frisco, Texas
2015 North Dakota State Chris Klieman 37-10 Jacksonville State Frisco, Texas

Click here for a full list of every champion since 1978.  

Ferris State’s Tim Anderson wins the 2025 Gene Upshaw Award

The award honors the best senior or graduate offensive or defensive lineman in DII.

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Ranking the performances of first-year college football coaches

The FBS regular season is in the books and 29 first-year coaches have finished there debut seasons. Here’s a recap of how they did, ranking their performances from top to bottom.

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Here are the most popular lower seeds, upset picks in the College Football Playoff

Here are the non-bye teams that are most popular in NCAA.com’s College Football Bracket Challenge Game.

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Another Winter Storm Targets Central Illinois

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Another Winter Storm Targets Central Illinois


After a brief lull in the weather on Friday, now another winter storm is setting its sights on central Illinois. Come Saturday, our next round of Winter is set to arrive. A new weather maker sweeps across the Upper Midwest, causing more snow to develop by mid-morning on Saturday. A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued from 7AM Saturday through 8 PM Saturday evening. The snow will pick up intensity by late-morning and last through the afternoon into the early evening hours before ending. This new weather system will follow a path very similar to the previous storm system and spread a swath of moderate to locally heavy snow. Before the snow wraps up Saturday evening, expect another 2″-4″ for much of central Illinois, with afternoon high temperatures bitterly cold in the mid-teens.

But the worst blast of cold air comes in Saturday evening into Sunday. Frigid Arctic air surges down from Canada causing temperatures to really tumble, driving in the coldest weather we’ve had in a long time and certainly the coldest so far this season. A Cold Weather Advisory is issued from 8 PM Saturday through Noon on Sunday. Sunday morning will be dangerously cold with wind chills around 20 to 25 BELOW ZERO. With wind chills this extreme, it doesn’t take long to suffer from frostbite or hypothermia. Please stay inside to keep warm, but if you do need to venture out, limit the time you spend outdoors, and make sure to cover up all exposed skin by wearing a hat, scarf, and gloves. Sunday afternoon features lots of sunshine, but despite the sunshine, temperatures will be brutally cold and frigid with high temperatures stuck in the low single numbers while wind chills remain well below zero.

Expect more extremely chilly weather on Monday with wind chills still ranging from 5 to 15 BELOW ZERO in the morning and afternoon highs only reaching into the 20s. Then temperatures will finally start to warm up, and we should climb out of the deep freeze with highs in the mid to upper 30s on Tuesday.



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Illinois is newest state to allow medical assistance in dying after Pritzker signs bill

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Illinois is newest state to allow medical assistance in dying after Pritzker signs bill



Gov. JB Pritzker signed a new law Friday making Illinois the newest state allowing medically assisted dying in terminally ill residents.

Known as “Deb’s Law,” it allows eligible terminally ill adults with a prognosis to live six months or less to request a prescription from their doctor that would allow them to die on their own terms.

The legislation was narrowly approved by the Illinois Senate in October after the Illinois House passed it in May.

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People on both sides of the debate over the controversial legislation lobbied the governor up until the last minute. Medical aid in dying, also called assisted suicide or dying with dignity, is already legal in 12 states. Eight more are considering similar legislation.

“I have been deeply impacted by the stories of Illinoisans or their loved ones that have suffered from a devastating terminal illness, and I have been moved by their dedication to standing up for freedom and choice at the end of life in the midst of personal heartbreak,” Pritzker said in a news release after signing the bill.  

Pritzker’s signature makes Illinois the first state in the Midwest to allow medically assisted death.

Advocates for the law say it allows adults to die on their own terms when survival is already not an option. Opponents say the bill legalizes “state-sanctioned suicide.”

The law requires two doctors to determine a patient has a terminal disease and will die within six months. The medication provided would need to be requested both orally and in written documentation, and will have to be self-administered. The law also requires all patients opting into medical assistance in dying to have been full informed about all end-of-life care options, including comfort care, hospice, palliative care and pain control.

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The law is named for Deb Robertson, a former social worker from Lombard who had an aggressive case of neuroendocrine carcinoma. She began advocating for medical aid in dying in 2022 and has been a central figure in the movement. 

Please note: The above video is from a previous report



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