Transforming Infrastructure into Opportunity

CLC turns bold investments into real-world outcomes. By equipping students with state-of-the-art tools and learning environments, CLC ensures they gain an education and hands-on training that mirrors the technology and conditions they’ll encounter in the workplace, setting them up for long-term career success.

Over the past three years, CLC has completed transformative capital projects that reflect this commitment to excellence through nimble, prudent use of resources. Each state-of-the-art physical environment is designed for immersive, skills-based learning using industry standard equipment within modern designed facilities.

These projects extend beyond the classroom. From strengthening partnerships with local industries to offering new services and welcoming spaces, CLC’s capital investments are building a stronger future for the entire Lake County community.

“CLC has evolved significantly during my time here,” said Jamie Boller, facilities consultant from Cotter Consulting. “The growth isn’t just in square footage—it’s in purpose, ambition and community impact. Each capital project represents a piece of that evolution, improving the way students, staff and community members experience and interact with the campus.”

First-class Manufacturing Education

CLC is helping to meet local manufacturing workforce needs with the Advanced Technology Center (ATC). The ATC was created to offer world-class infrastructure for advanced technical training and meet the high-skill, high-wage and in-demand workforce needs of the sector. Students work with the latest technology in a space made to modernize the perception of manufacturing.

The ATC fills a need identified through discussions with Lake County manufacturers and key industry partners. CLC regularly communicates with external experts who work in the current industry for feedback on curriculums. This relationship led to the creation of an industrial technology program housed in the ATC.

“The center serves as a hub for innovation, featuring cutting-edge equipment that trains the next generation of the workforce and provides opportunities for individuals to enhance their skills and certifications,” Boller said. “It reflects the college’s commitment to technical excellence and workforce development.”

Through the ATC, CLC aims to provide 40% of all local workforce needs in key industry sectors.

Modern Learning Spaces

CLC’s Lakeshore Commitment pledges to offer a wider variety of courses at its Waukegan campus and create a vibrant urban campus serving as an educational and cultural hub for the diverse Lake County community. At the heart of the campus expansion is a six-story Student Center added to the Waukegan skyline.

The ultramodern center houses centralized student services, a library with meeting spaces and study areas, adult education and career placement centers, smart classrooms, laboratories for certified nursing assistant and phlebotomy programs, tutoring center, testing rooms and support services. It meets LEED gold certification standards for sustainable architecture and a healthier planet.

On the building’s top floor, students and community members enjoy a panoramic view of Lake Michigan when visiting the Eleanor Murkey Community Center, named in honor of the campus’s founding dean.

To further incorporate the campus in Waukegan, a series of art installations by Chicago-based artist Jason Messinger is on display. The uplifting ceramic tiles he created took inspiration from Waukegan, most notably the Latinx community.

New Home for Student Restaurant

CLC’s Hospitality and Culinary Management program found a new home through a creative and resourceful partnership with the Lake County Forest Preserves. By relocating the student-managed Prairie restaurant into the Brae Loch Golf Club, CLC avoided new construction costs and instead made a strategic $4 million investment in adaptive reuse—transforming the banquet facility into a fully functional learning lab and public dining venue.

The hands-on learning lab allows students to gain experience for a career in the hospitality industry. The space is fitted with top-of-the-line kitchen equipment. The move from the Grayslake Campus basement increases community awareness of the college’s program and how it prepares the workforce with the latest skills. Being public facing means more traffic, giving wait staff and bartenders a chance to get realistic experience and training. That, along with increased hours of operations, gives students more opportunities to improve their skills over the same amount of time in school.

“What truly makes CLC unique is its unwavering focus on the student experience,” Boller said.

“Whether it’s a new building, upgraded classroom or improved campus amenity, every capital initiative is designed to enhance how students learn, connect and thrive. That student-centered mindset also extends to the broader community, ensuring that CLC remains a welcoming, innovative hub for lifelong learning. At its heart, CLC is about growth—not just in buildings and programs, but in the lives it touches.”