Memberships

While Oakton does not directly expend funds on corporations or individuals to promote lobbying efforts, the college does belong to professional associations, some of which are engaged in activities that advocate for education and community colleges.

American Council on Education
In its role as the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education institutions, ACE provides leadership on key higher education issues and influences public policy through advocacy, research, and program initiatives. ACE fosters greater collaboration and new partnerships within and outside the higher education community to help colleges and universities anticipate and address the challenges of the 21st century and contribute to a stronger nation and better world.

American Association of Community Colleges
Headquartered in the National Center for Higher Education in Washington, D.C., AACC is the primary advocacy organization for community colleges at the national level and works closely with directors of state offices to inform and affect state policy. In addition, AACC is a member of "The Six" large, presidentially based associations and collaborates with a wide range of entities within the higher education community to monitor and influence federal policy and to collaborate on issues of common interest.

Association of Community College Trustees
The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is a non-profit educational organization of governing boards, representing more than 6,500 elected and appointed trustees who govern over 1,200 community, technical, and junior colleges in the United States and beyond. ACCT works to enhance the image and foster greater public appreciation of community colleges and their governing boards and to support community college boards in their efforts to govern and develop policies that focus on meeting community needs. In addition ACCT helps build community college board leadership and advocacy capacity through education and training programs, and assists community college boards in the recruitment, selection and retention of chief executive officers of the highest caliber.

Illinois Community College Trustee Association
The Illinois Community College Trustees Association was created in 1970 with a two-fold mission: to provide community college advocacy and trustee development opportunities to the board members of Illinois public community colleges.

Council on Higher Education Accreditation
CHEA is a national advocate and institutional voice for self-regulation of academic qualitythrough accreditation. CHEA is an association of 3,000 degree-granting colleges and universities and recognizes 60 institutional and programmatic accrediting organizations.

Higher Learning Commission
The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) is an independent corporation and one of two commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), which is one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The Higher Learning Commission accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region.