Make no small plans: Revamping higher education strategy in Illinois


Pro Bono Partners

Oliver Wyman

Make no small plans: Revamping higher education strategy in Illinois

As the new head of Oliver Wyman's Chicago office, I wanted the office to be more active in the civic community. I looked at various options for myself and the office, and Civic Consulting Alliance offered an ideal way to get involved. I reached out to the Civic Consulting team and was able to work with them to craft an initial opportunity through which Oliver Wyman's skill sets could be best leveraged.

Earlier this year, a team from Oliver Wyman began its second project with Civic Consulting: a strategy project focused on higher education in Illinois. Charged with increasing the number of Illinois residents with a postsecondary education credential, we developed fourteen initiatives that would enable the state to help more people obtain degrees and certificates of value. Our work resonated---when we presented the initiatives to the three state agencies working in higher education in Illinois, they were eager to engage the team further to identify specific initiatives to implement.

Earlier this year, a team from Oliver Wyman began its second project with Civic Consulting: a strategy project focused on higher education in Illinois. Charged with increasing the number of Illinois residents with a postsecondary education credential, we developed fourteen initiatives that would enable the state to help more people obtain degrees and certificates of value. Our work resonated---when we presented the initiatives to the three state agencies working in higher education in Illinois, they were eager to engage the team further to identify specific initiatives to implement.

This project gave my team the opportunity to really think about the problem of underemployment in our community. The team relished to work with Civic Consulting towards enriching peoples' lives around our state.

Ben Smith


Partner

Oliver Wyman