Laker Nation News

The Distinguished Alumni Society recognizes alumni who have utilized the Lake Land College experience to make an imprint on their profession or community. A Lake Land College alumnus is anyone who has graduated from Lake Land College or has taken classes. This year, the Alumni Board inducted Cheryl Beam, Patrick Drees, Bobbi Kinkelaar, Brad Tammen and Clay Zwilling into the Distinguished Alumni Society.

Cheryl Beam, director of nursing programs/nursing instructor at Lake Land College, graduated from the practical nursing program in 1988. Since assuming her position as director of nursing programs, Beam has increased the size of the nursing programs by 20%, added a track for licensed practical nurses (LPN) to earn an associate degree in nurse (ADN) at the Kluthe Center in Effingham and initiated computerized testing and remediation for nursing students. Under her leadership, passage rates of both programs’ graduates on the state board exam exceeded state and national averages. In the fall of 2019, Lake Land College’s nursing programs were ranked three out of 63 programs in the state for NCLEX exam pass rate and affordability.

Patrick Drees graduated from Lake Land College in 1994 with an associate degree in elementary education. As principal at Teutopolis Junior High since 2010, Drees promotes an environment in which students from a variety of backgrounds and challenges can thrive and become active in the school. He knows all of the students because he interacts with them each day. He can be seen at numerous sporting events cheering on the athletes or leading cheers with the student body.

Bobbi Beckman Kinkelaar graduated from Lake Land College with an associate degree in pre-nursing in 1995. Kinkelaar is now the chief nursing officer at HSHS St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital and St. Francis Hospital, Litchfield. Through her many different roles in leadership, Kinkelaar has become an ambassador for St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital and the community. Kinkelaar is known for going out of her way to ensure students have a positive and valuable clinical experience.

Brad Tammen graduated in 1987 after a successful athletic career in baseball at Lake Land College which had earned him the Lakers’ 1987 MVP title. After spending time in the front offices of professional baseball major league affiliates in Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City and Nashville, Tammen spent four years in marketing for IMG at Middle Tennessee State University before accepting a position with the Great Lakes Loons, a Class A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He now does consulting work for collegiate sports.

Clay Zwilling served as a student ambassador, a member of the Postsecondary Agriculture Student Organization and a member of the Livestock Judging Team before graduating from Lake Land College in 2011. In his role as chief executive officer for the National Swine Registry since March 2019, Clay oversees the day to day operations of the Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace and Yorkshire breed registries whose membership comprise the world’s largest purebred swine organization.

The Alumni Association extends congratulations to the newest Distinguished Alumni Society members. To stay up to date on the Alumni Association, look for Lake Land College Foundation & Alumni on social media or visit lakelandcollege.edu/alumni.

Lake Land College will be hosting several virtual information events throughout the fall semester. The virtual events are centered on specific topics students and families encounter in the college decision making process. Attendees will need to register for the events at lakelandcollege.edu/visit. Each of the virtual sessions will take place on Zoom and will be 30 minutes or less. Zoom meeting information will be sent to registrants via email.

The events will include five different areas of focus: Admissions Process, Financial Aid Process & Paying for College, Academic Divisions & Programs, Student Panel Q & A and Honors Experience.

The Admissions Process events will allow attendees to meet a Lake Land College admissions representative who will walk step-by-step through the admissions process and answer any questions attendees may have. A current Lake Land College student will also be available to share what it is like to be part of Laker Nation.

Admissions process events will be held on Oct. 7 at 6 p.m., Oct. 19 at 3 p.m., Nov. 4 at 6 p.m., Nov. 16 at 3 p.m. and Dec. 2 at 6 p.m.

Financial Aid Process and Paying for College events will help potential students learn about scholarships and how to apply for them, the financial aid process and paying for college.

Financial Aid Process and Paying for College events will be held on Oct. 8 at 6 p.m., Oct. 20 at 3 p.m., Nov. 5 at 6 p.m., Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. and Dec 3 at 6 p.m.

At Academic Programs and Divisions events, attendees can hear from a faculty member in their academic area of interest. Whether attendees know what they want to study or have many questions, faculty members will be available to provide information on the academic area of choice.

Academic Programs and Divisions events will be held on Oct. 13 at 3 p.m., Nov. 10 at 3 p.m. and Dec. 8 at 3 p.m.

To explore what life is really like as a Laker, the Student Q & A panels will feature students from various student organizations who will be available to answer questions about topics such as classes, majors and student involvement or internships. This will be an opportunity to ask students what they like best about Lake Land College and ask them to share tips for success.

Student Q & A Panels will be held on Oct. 15 at 3 p.m., Nov. 12 at 3 p.m. and Dec. 10 at 3 p.m.

Lake Land College also offers an Honors Experience for students. Events to learn about what encompasses the multifaceted Honors Experience and how to participate will be available on Oct. 14 at 3 p.m., Nov. 11 at 3 p.m. and Dec. 9 at 3 p.m.

These events are opportunities to learn about what Lake Land College has to offer and how those interested can go about taking advantage of the resources available. In addition to the virtual events, weekly in-person campus tours are available as well. Visit lakelandcollege.edu/visit or call 217-234-5232.

The Laker Nest Bookstore at Lake Land College was one of six college stores from across the nation featured in The College Store Magazine’s 15th Annual Store Design Showcase.

Located in the Luther Student Center, the new Laker Nest Bookstore was completed in November 2019. Prior to the current store’s completion, the bookstore had occupied an originally temporary pole barn for more than 40 years.

The new space has allowed the store to both facilitate students’ class material needs and provide easy access to Laker merchandise throughout the year. Not only has the new design increased the store’s functionality, it has the potential to enhance school spirit and community support via access to Laker merchandise.

Amanda Arena, coordinator of bookstore operations, said the transition has received an extremely positive response from the Lake Land College community.

“This is likely one of the biggest changes in appearance and functionality on our campus,” Arena said. “We have had quite a few people come to check out the new store, and every time they leave really impressed.”

The Laker Nest Bookstore also has an online store stocked with plenty of Laker gear as well.

To read the feature or to shop online for Laker merchandise, visit the Laker Nest Bookstore page at lakelandcollege.edu/bookstore.

The Lake Land College TRIO Student Support Services program staff will continuing helping students succeed for another five years. The federally-funded program recently learned that its funding was renewed for the 2020-2025 grant cycle. The program is funded to serve 160 students per year and has met that goal throughout all five years of the previous grant cycle.

TRIO Student Support Services is a program created to help students in need succeed at Lake Land College. TRIO is funded by the U.S. Department of Education to help students complete their academic goals, graduate from Lake Land College and transfer to a four-year college.

“TRIO Student Support Services is the support system to answer any questions students may have about being at Lake Land, whether that is helping them with financial aid, locating resources in the community, study help or many other things,” Amber Niebrugge, director of TRIO Student Support Services, said. “We are here to help students be successful from one semester to the next until they graduate or transfer.”

The mission of the TRIO program is to provide an environment that promotes, social and personal growth for first generation, low income, and/or students with disabilities. To accomplish this mission, TRIO provides academic, social, and cultural support, increases retention and graduation rates, assists students in the admissions process and completion of all necessary forms, develops relationships with external and internal entities to provide referrals and collaborative services and assists in developing short and long term goals for each academic semester based on students’ needs.

Counselors and advisors work with each student individually, providing and connecting students with a wide variety of support services, events and activities. TRIO provides one-on-one meetings with staff, informative workshops and access to educational, social and cultural opportunities available only to TRIO participants. All of TRIO services are free to eligible students.

To be eligible for TRIO Student Support Services, a student must be pursuing an associate degree or certificate and meet at least one of the following requirements. The student must be a first-generation college student meaning neither parent nor legal guardian graduated from a four-year institution, meet certain income requirements such as being eligible for a Pell grant or the student must be eligible for Student Accommodations at Lake Land College.

More information can be located on the Lake Land College website at lakelandcollege.edu/trio-student-support-services or by calling or texting 217-234-5456. For further questions, please contact triosss@lakelandcollege.edu.

New and current Lake Land College students can now take advantage of flexible educational opportunities with an eight-week Mod II class this fall.

Each semester, Lake Land College offers two sessions of eight-week courses known as Mod I and II. Mod II classes begin Oct. 19 and finish Dec. 11 with finals held Dec. 14 through Dec. 17.

“Mod II courses are great for both new and current students,” said Emily Hartke, chair of counseling and judicial affairs advisement.  “If someone is looking to ease into college, these courses are a way to do just that. The Mod II courses are also a good way for current students to pick up needed credits before the end of the semester.”

Mod II classes allow students to complete coursework in less time than a full-semester class. Seats in these classes often fill quickly for this reason, so those interested are urged to sign up as early as possible.

To view available courses, visit lakelandcollege.edu/schedules. Select the Fall 2020 term and select M2 under Schedule Types.

Counselors are available to assist students with Mod II registration. For registration information, contact Counseling Services at counsel@lakelandcollege.edu or 217-234-5232.

Lake Land College will host a site visit for continuing accreditation of its Associate Degree and Practical Nursing programs by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).

The public is invited to meet with the site visit team and share comments about the programs in person at a meeting Sept. 23 at 2 p.m. The meeting will take place on the Lake Land College campus in the Neal Hall south room at 5001 Lake Land Blvd, Mattoon, Illinois.

Written comments are also welcome and should be submitted directly to:

Dr. Marsal Stoll, Chief Executive Officer

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing

3343 Peachtree Road Northeast, Suite 850

Atlanta, GA 30326

Email: mstoll@acenursing.org

All written comments should be received by the ACEN by 9/14/2020.

All visitors to campus will be required to complete the Campus Visit Screening Form on the Lake Land College website as well as wear a mask that covers the nose and mouth.

In accordance with the Lake Land College Return to Campus Plan, state and local guidelines, the alumni association’s Celebrate Lake Land event has been cancelled.

Originally scheduled for Sept. 26, the event was going to incorporate a car show and several activities for families. Although the event is cancelled due to the pandemic, the alumni association will move forward with plans to announce the newest inductees of the Lake Land College Distinguished Alumni Society.

In addition, planning for next year is already in progress due to the generosity of this year’s event sponsor, SC3F Wealth Management Group. The organization is allowing the alumni association to set the funds in reserve and use them next year.

“We plan to use those funds to make next year’s event even bigger and better. We are grateful to SC3F Wealth Management Group for providing us with this option,” Danielle Downs, advisor in financial aid and veteran services as well as the celebration committee chair, said.

Past fall events have included an athletic reunion at a Laker volleyball game, a dance, a car show and a concert. Students and college faculty and staff were also a part of the festivities with various activities and competitions scheduled throughout the week.

“Even though we’re not able to have this celebration right now, we’re still here for the community and the students,” Downs said. “We, as the Lake Land community, will come back from this even stronger and better.”

All Lake Land College Alumni are encouraged to update their contact information and be a part of the alumni organization. Visit lakelandcollege.edu/alumni/update-info/.

Lake Land College created the Retiree Wall of Fame in 2008 to honor the achievements of past faculty and staff who helped to create the student-first culture the college lives by. The 2020 inductees, Sandra Gourley, Linda Ruholl and Wallace (Wally) Taylor, are all shining examples of the ideals the college upholds.

Sandra Gourley joined Lake Land College in 1984 as a cosmetology instructor, then seven years later took on the role of health education instructor/human services instructor. As the author of the entire core curriculum for the human services program, Gourley was also the first faculty member to teach every course in that curriculum. She then served as the division chair for Social Science and Education for 10 years.

Having served at various times on the major committees of the college, Gourley dedicated many hours to working to increase enrollment and serve the students and faculty in her division. In coordinating three courses that had internships and having more than 80 adjunct faculty members at off campus sites, Gourley still managed to visit them all and provide the needed books and syllabi to the programs.

Linda Ruholl was part of the 1994 implementation of the televised teaching at the Kluthe Center in Effingham and at the Paris extension center. She later wrote about the teaching experience in 1996 and was published in the Australian Electronic Journal of Nursing Education. Ruholl spent 17 years as a member of the allied health faculty and has written a book about the experience called “Nursing at Lake Land College 1987-“ from which all sales proceeds are donated to the Effingham County Museum and the Shirley Clements Nursing Scholarship through the Lake Land College Foundation.

The second accreditation Ruholl wrote for nursing in 2004 received a perfect score from the National League Accrediting Commission, placing the Lake Land College Associate Degree in Nursing program in the top tier of all ADN programs in the country that year. Ruholl was also the first advisor to the Lake Land College Nurses Club, founded in 1996. In 1997 Ruholl received the Club Advisor of the Year award, and in 2001 she received the Lake Land College Outstanding Committee/Team Member Award.

Wally Taylor was among the first group of faculty members hired in 1967, serving as division chair of English from 1971 until his retirement in 1990. In 1973, he was selected as an Outstanding Educator of America by the Outstanding Educators of America of Washington, DC. Taylor was devoted to his students, organizing several opportunities for students to take field trips and gain experiences outside the classroom.

In conjunction with the Central Texas College, Taylor also joined the Project Afloat for College Education (PACE) program to provide college classes onboard US Navy ships while they were deployed, providing sailors with the opportunity to obtain college credit. Taylor even had the honor of naming the school mascot Dunker Duck.

Each of these outstanding people has shown a deep dedication to their students and to the Lake Land College community. Lake Land College is proud to welcome them into the Retiree Wall of Fame.

Lake Land College is proud to announce the 2020 summer graduates. The following students completed their degrees and certificates this summer: