Laker Nation News

The Lake Land College Community Choir will begin its fall rehearsals Tuesday, Oct. 1 from 7 – 9:30 p.m. in the Lake Land College Theater.

The choir is a group of approximately 45 mixed voices including students, college employees and members of the community. All singers age 18 and older are welcome to participate. No audition is required.

Choir members may earn one hour of college credit for singing in the choir. Interested singers can complete a registration form at the first rehearsal or register online. Registration for college credit is not required and participation in the choir is free for those who do not register.

“Although the couch may look inviting on Tuesday nights, my singers tell me they are energized by our rehearsals, which feature both familiar songs and new selections just challenging enough to prove a sense of accomplishment when we master them. Singing in a large group is a wonderful experience and with many church choirs shrinking in size, I am happy to provide this opportunity for residents of the Lake Land College district. Performing arrangements of favorite Christmas carols, as we do each fall, is always a treat,” Nancy Caldwell, music instructor and director of the choir, said.

The fall season will culminate in a concert on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 3 p.m. in the Theater. Selections feature an updated arrangement of the “Ukrainian bell Carol” and a setting of “Patapan” with piano four-hands accompaniment, as well as a breathtaking song bringing together “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.” Listeners will reminisce with Christmas at the Movies, a medley that features “Snow,” “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” and “Believe” from the Polar Express. A trumpet and drum combo will join the choir for jazzy settings of “We Three Kings” and “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” and the concert will close with “Flow,” written and made famous by Paris, Illinois native Brett Eldredge.

For more information contact Caldwell at 217-234-5464.

The 2019 Laker Homecoming week is in full swing with several events yet to come. The celebration, centered on the theme Rewind, Remix and Reconnect, continues throughout the week and into the weekend with major events scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27 and Saturday, Sept. 28.

Laker Spirit Day is set for Friday with the Laker Athletic Reunion at 5 p.m. in the Field House, Walden Room, preceding the Laker Volleyball game against Vincennes University at 6 p.m. Fans are also encouraged to go to Grimes Field at Peterson Park in Mattoon to watch the Laker Baseball team take on Eastern Illinois University at 6:30 p.m.

A free dance party will follow the volleyball game at 8 p.m. at Laker Point in the Luther Student Center. Students and alumni can get their groove on to four decades of hit music with the Throwback Time Machine Dance Party, led by the interactive dance party company DEGY Entertainment.

On Saturday, Lake Land will hold many alumni events throughout the day such as the Alumni Recognition Luncheon, a car show, catering from Don Sol Mexican Grill and a free concert by the regionally famous band, The Brat Pack.

The Brat Pack will revive hits from the 80s at 5 p.m. in Alumni Park with the car show taking place nearby in parking lot E beginning at 3 p.m. A car cruise from Lake Land to downtown Mattoon will begin at the conclusion of the concert.

Students, alumni and the public are encouraged to take part in the festivities at no cost. Lake Land is thrilled to welcome home its alumni with lively events and share in the pride of being a Laker.

The Lake Land College Dental Hygiene program is offering free dental cleanings for children, adolescents and adults from Sept. 30 to Oct. 11.

Clinic hours are Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from1-5 p.m., and Wednesday from 12-4 p.m. and 4-8 p.m. The Heartland Dental Dental Hygiene Lab is located in the Northwest Building, room 116 on the Lake Land College campus, 5001 Lake Land Blvd., Mattoon.

Call 217-234-5249 to schedule an appointment.

Lake Land College is offering a series of grant writing courses: Grant Writing 101, Grant Proposal Development and Grant Research.

Grant Writing 101 is a three-hour course and is designed for nonprofit employees and board members who have limited or no experience with grant writing.

Throughout the course, students will learn about different types of grants funders, the core components of a grant application, how to work within their organization to find the information they need and how to build and manage relationships with funders.

After completion of the course, students will have a much better idea of whether grants are a good fit for their school, nonprofit or agency.

Grant Writing 101 will be held on Friday, Nov. 8 from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. at the Workforce Development Center, room 105 located at 305 Richmond Ave. East, Mattoon. The cost is $99.

Grant Proposal Development is a more advanced course and will dive deep into each section of a standard grand proposal. Students will be given a grant narrative template that will be described in detail and the instructor will provide tips and tricks for each section.

After the three-hour course, each student will be asked to fill out the narrative template and schedule a one-hour follow up consultation call with the instructor to receive individualized feedback on their narrative.

Participants should have some grant writing experience or have attended the Grant Writing 101 course.

Grant Proposal will be held on Friday, Nov. 8 from 1 – 4 p.m. at the Workforce Development Center, room 105 at 305 Richmond Ave. East, Mattoon. The cost is $349.

The final course in the series is Grant Research. It is a six-hour course that will cover best practices for finding grants and basic information on search engines, including hands on practice on the use of the one of the most popular databases. Using their own potentially “fundable” projects, participants will learn how to identify potential funders, evaluate the likelihood that a funder would be interested in his/her project and communicate effectively with funders.

Participants do not need to have any grant experience for this course.

Grant Research will be held on Monday, Dec. 2 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Workforce Development Center, room 101 at 305 Richmond Ave. East, Mattoon. The cost is $199.

All courses will be taught by Fielding Jezreel. Fielding has worked in the grants field since 2013, is Grant Professional Certified (GPC) and has raised $20 million for nonprofits.

All courses are designed for nonprofits – not grants for individuals or businesses or grants to attend college.

To register for one or all three courses, go to lakelandcollege.edu/learn.

For more information, contact Professional Development Support Jackie Wake at jwake@lakelandcollege.edu or at 217-234-5087.

Lake Land College is offering Microsoft Excel classes in October at the Kluthe Center in Effingham.

The Microsoft Excel II – Intermediate level class will be held on Oct. 14 from 6 – 9 p.m. This class will cover topics such as managing multiple-sheet workbooks, working with charts, adding graphics to worksheets and applying advanced functions.

The Microsoft Excel – Advanced level class will be on Oct. 21 from 6 – 9 p.m. This class will cover topics such as creating pivot tables and macros, using financial functions and data analysis and integrating excel with other programs.

Both classes will be located at the Kluthe Center, room 222 and will be taught by Jill Bushue. The cost is $50 per class.

Students can take the Intermediate Level or the Advanced Level, or both. To register, go to www.lakelandcollege.edu/learn, scroll through the community education classes to choose a class and enroll. Drop date for a refund is five business days prior to the class.

For more information, contact Jackie Wake at 217-234-5087 or jwake@lakelandcollege.edu.

Visit Lake Land College and find out all the college offers at Laker Visit Day. The event will be held Friday, Oct. 11 in the Field House starting at 9 a.m. and will run until noon.

The event is for potential students who are interested in learning more about Lake Land College. Prospective students are provided with the opportunity to tour campus, visit a class, meet current students and talk with faculty. Parents and guardians are welcome to attend and learn more about the college during a parent session.

The event will feature informational sessions by current Lake Land College Student Ambassadors and college staff. Representatives from Admissions & Records, Financial Aid, Counseling Services, Career Services, Student Life and other departments will provide information and be available to answer questions. Students will also meet with faculty members in their academic area of interest.

“Laker Visit Day is a great way for prospective students and parents to talk to faculty and staff about academic options and majors, to talk to current students about their experiences at the college and to learn about various services and opportunities we offer,” Michelle Zumbahlen, coordinator for strategic student communication and initiatives, said.

On Laker Visit Day, attendees will tour campus with Student Ambassadors; comfortable shoes are recommended. To get to the Field House, take Entrance 1 from Route 45, proceed straight after the curve and park in Lot A. The Field House will be on the west side of Parking Lot A and has a white, circular roof. Enter the lobby from the south side of the building.

Student Ambassadors will greet guests and help with directions. In case of inclement weather on the day of the event, please check the college’s homepage at lakelandcollege.edu for closures.

For more information, or to register for Laker Visit Day, go to lakelandcollege.edu/visit or call 217-234-5377.

Since opening in 1995, the Lake Land College Kluthe Center, located in Effingham, has provided opportunities for thousands of area students to earn a college education close to home.

Kluthe Center Director Karen Kull presented an annual report to the Lake Land College Board of Trustees during the regular August meeting which is held at the center each year.

Kull reported new security cameras were installed in the entryways, hallways and outside of the building. Campus police and Kluthe staff can monitor the video feed. Additional updates include the painting of several classrooms and updates to landscaping.

Additionally, the Kluthe Center recently became a host site for I-CAR (Inter-Industry Conference on Auto Collision Repair) training sessions. I-CAR is a not-for-profit organization providing continuing education and training for auto collision repair technicians.

The Kluthe Center also hosted several events throughout the year including Lake Land College Day where more than 300 area high school juniors attended to learn more about college and the options available in their own community. The Kluthe Center also hosted a C.E.F.S. Sign-up Day which was held in late July. The C.E.F.S. staff assisted more than 40 students in three hours, with several students driving from Mattoon. At the event, TRiO Student Services was able to recruit several students, Perkins information was given to all and several students’ questions were answered regarding financial aid and academic counseling.

In addition to hosting informational events and general education courses, the Kluthe Center is home to several full-time programs: Basic Nurse Assisting, Practical Nursing, Associate Degree Nurse, Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Basic Welding, Massage Therapy and Physical Therapist Assistant.

Adult Education GED classes were also offered at the center this past year along with English as a Second Language classes and Pathways Alternative high school classes. Basic computer training, Food Service Sanitation Certificate, and Welding Certificate classes were also held.

Lake Land College is offering a 50-hour Pharmacy Technician course on Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning Oct. 8 from 6 – 9:30 p.m. The course will prepare students to work as a pharmacy technician in a retail or other pharmacy setting and to take the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s PTCB exam.

Through classroom lecture and hands-on labs, students will review dosage calculations, drug classifications, the “top 200 drugs,” I.V. flow rates, sterile compounding, dose conversions, aseptic technique, the handling of sterile products, total parenteral nutrition (TPN), dispensing of prescriptions, inventory control and billing and reimbursement.

Class will be held at Lake Land College, 5001 Lake Land Blvd., in Mattoon in the Northeast Building, room 113. The cost is $1,399. Textbooks are included.

To register go to lakelandcollege.edu/learn.

For more information, contact Jackie Wake, professional development support, at 217-234-5087 or jwake@lakelandcollege.edu.

High school students are invited to attend Lake Land College’s annual Career Day event on Oct. 1 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. in the Field House.

Career Day is an event where nearly 1,200 high school juniors and seniors come to Lake Land’s campus to learn about a variety of careers and how to set themselves on a path to attain those careers. High school students have the opportunity to register for more than 175 different sessions in an array of fields. Sessions range from 20-50 minutes in length, allowing students to explore topics at a basic or in-depth level of the particular field. Sessions are presented by Lake Land faculty and staff as well as community professionals.

An Illinois Regional College Fair is held in conjunction with this event. Representatives from approximately 50 different colleges around the country will be on hand to speak with students about what their colleges have to offer. This college fair allows students to have exposure to many different colleges at one time, a unique opportunity that they might not have elsewhere. For a complete list of institutions in attendance, visit lakelandcollege.edu/college-fair.

Students who are interested in this event are encouraged to talk to their guidance counselor about attending.

For more information about Career Day and the Illinois Regional College Fair, contact Michelle Zumbahlen, coordinator for strategic student communication and initiatives, at 217-234-5230 or mzumbahlen4077@lakelandcollege.edu.

Lake Land College released its 2019 Fall 10^th Day Enrollment Report which shows a 9.5% increase in new students.

“We are excited to welcome a large group of new students to the Lake Land College community. We look forward to helping them transition to college life and the rigor of higher education courses,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said.

New students attending Lake Land College increased from 937 in 2018 to 1,026 in 2019. Students beginning their college education while attending high school increased by 8.4% through participation in dual enrollment courses and high school dual credit.

The college also welcomed a larger class of students transferring to Lake Land from other higher education institutions. This number is up 38% from 166 in 2018 to 229 in 2019.

Lake Land College continues to be the first choice among district high school seniors. For 18 years, the college has attracted more than 30 percent of all area high school graduates. This fall, nearly 35% of the Class of 2019 is enrolled at Lake Land College.

“This is a remarkable achievement and demonstrates the confidence our community places in the quality of a Lake Land College education. We are proud to be the college of choice for high school graduates in our area,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said.

Throughout the district, many schools have nearly 40 percent of the graduating class attending Lake Land with some as high as 66%.

The schools with the highest percentage enrolled are Dieterich High School, Kansas High School, Okaw Valley High School and Windsor High School. The schools with the largest number of graduates enrolled are Mattoon, Charleston, Effingham and Teutopolis.

In total, 629 of the in-district graduates are enrolled this fall, with each in-district high school represented in the freshman class.

Overall, there are 4,466 students enrolled at Lake Land College this fall. The total includes students seeking a degree or certificate, students enrolled in high school dual credit and dual enrollment and students taking short-term training or specific courses. Overall, headcount, or the total number of students taking classes, is down 2.5% from 2018; full time equivalency, FTE, or the total number of hours divided by 15, is down 3.3% from 2018.

Two main factors influencing enrollment are the size of the high school graduating class and increased opportunities for employment in our area. This year’s in-district high school graduating class of 1,807 was the smallest in the college’s history.

The college’s total enrollment combines the college enrollment with the enrollment of students in the Illinois Department of Corrections programs. When looking at the total picture over time, the college has sustained a steady growth rate in the past 20 years. Lake Land has surpassed the state average in growth, with the college showing a rate of 154% growth in the two decades, compared to a negative 8.3% rate for the state.

Over time, the college has seen a direct correlation between unemployment rates and college enrollment. With unemployment rates ranging from 3.2% to 4.7% throughout the district, potential students have many employment opportunities.

“We know a low rate of unemployment is good for our communities and we are pleased to see a thriving economy in our region. As people look toward the future, Lake Land College is available to help them move on to the next level in their career. Whether that means short-term training for a specific skill or an investment in a degree program, we have the resources people need to succeed in the workplace,” Bullock said.

Lake Land College continues to work with area business leaders to develop relevant training programs. This fall, the Center for Business & Industry introduced a new fast-track training partnership with Mars Petcare in Mattoon. The Technology Division faculty are working with North American Lighting and The Libman Company in Arcola to provide opportunities to students to enroll in Plastics Manufacturing. The program is now offered mainly online with hands-on labs offered alternate Saturdays in Paris. Students enrolled in the evening Heating, Ventilation, Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) program are training on newly donated equipment and progressing through an updated curriculum following an in-depth skills assessment with area professionals.  All of these programs were developed in response to a need identified in the local business community.

The 10^th day enrollment report is a standard report among the higher education community that captures opening enrollment data each semester.