Laker Nation News

Lake Land College’s Adult Education is offering GED classes throughout the Lake Land College district beginning the first week of March.

The class orientation locations and dates are as follows:

• Arthur – Arthur Public Library, 225 S. Walnut St. – March 7 at 4:30 p.m.
• Effingham – Lake Land College Kluthe Center for Higher Education and Technology, 1204 Network Centre Dr. – March 7 at 4 p.m.
• Marshall – Lake Land College Eastern Region Center, 224 S. 6^th St. – March 6 at 4 p.m.
• Mattoon – Lake Land College Workforce Development Center, 305 Richmond Ave. E – March 8 at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Pana – Lake Land College Western Region Center, 600 E. 1^st St. – March 9 at 5 p.m.
• Paris – First United Methodist Church, 324 W. Court St. – March 7 at 4 p.m.
• Shelbyville – Shelby Christian Church, 200 N. Hickory St. – March 6 at 5:30 p.m.

For these GED classes, students’ tuition will be waived and all class materials will be provided. To find a GED class near you, to find more information or to register call 217- 238-8292 or email adulteducation@lakelandcollege.edu.

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Two years after the initial idea for a community college was discussed, Virgil H. Judge was named Lake Land College’s first president on Jan. 9, 1967. He served until 1972.

Judge, who was well-known locally and at the state level, was a superintendent of the Mattoon school district when he was approached to lead the new school.

Prior to working at Lake Land, Judge had been a teacher, principal and superintendent. He served as president of various professional organizations, including the Illinois Association of County Superintendent of Schools and the Illinois Association of School Administrators, and was the chairman of the Eastern Illinois Area Special Education group that was originally responsible for bringing a junior college to the area.

Judge hired all of the original faculty who worked with him to establish the college’s strong culture of putting students first, while providing excellent, quality educational experiences.

Since Judge’s leadership, there have been six presidents who have served Lake Land College.

“I am very fortunate to follow a legacy of outstanding presidents who have served Lake Land College,” Josh Bullock, current president, said. “Without their exemplary leadership, Lake Land wouldn’t be as great of an institution as it is today.”

Past Lake Land College presidents include: Robert Webb, 1972 – 1984; David Schultz, 1984 – 1988; Robert K. Luther, 1988-2006; Bill Thallemer, 2006- 2007; Scott Lensink, 2007-2013.

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February is the month to celebrate assessment at Lake Land College. Students and staff members are encouraged to participate in this year’s activities to learn about the importance of assessment.

According to Lisa Madlem, director of academic support and assessment for the college, the assessment process at Lake Land is essential in order to make informed decisions that ultimately improve the teaching-learning process.

“Assessment seems fairly straightforward, but in reality, it is an involved process that systematically measures student performance in order to improve the quality of educational programs, courses and the institution overall,” said Madlem.

Lake Land College uses institution-wide measures and program- and course-specific measures to assess student outcomes. Learner outcomes have been established for each of the college’s associate degree and certificate programs, as well as all courses.

During Assessment Week, Feb. 6-10, Madlem will set up a student booth in the Luther Student Center with assessment information and prizes for students. Additionally, a student quiz will be posted on the student portal, the Laker Hub, where students can enter to win Subway gift cards and a grand prize Lake Land College Assessment Highway Companion Safety Kit.

“Overall, the college is actively assessing courses, programs and institutional departments” said Madlem. “Each component of assessment is working toward assessing the student experience and we are continuously learning from the assessment process in order to make necessary changes and plans of action to ensure that every student at Lake Land College is provided with a continuous learning environment.”

Assessment is an important step in developing Lake Land College’s programs to best suit its students and their growing skills in order to prepare them to enter the workforce or transfer to a four-year university. It is thanks to previous assessments that the Business Division realized a need for students to learn spreadsheet software and began integrating it into already available classes. Similarly, the Agriculture Division has focused on integrating more precision agriculture information leading from a recommendation from the Lake Land College Agriculture Advisory Council.

For more information about assessment at Lake Land College, contact Madlem at 217-234-5088 or lmadlem@lakelandcollege.edu or visit: http://www.lakelandcollege.edu/as/es/assessment/index.cfm.

Lake Land College is ranked as one of the top 50 associate degree and certificate producers in the nation in Community College Week’s 2016 Top 100 Associate Degree Producers. The college’s Agriculture and Business divisions also rank in the top 20 in the nation, with the Agriculture Division ranking first in the state.

The special report uses data from the U.S. Department of Education to rank the completion rates for 5,589 two-year and four-year colleges that offer certificates and associate degrees.

Overall, Lake Land College ranks 28^th in the nation for one-year certificates. In these short term programs such as cosmetology, practical nursing, industrial maintenance, dental assisting, EMS-basic, public safety telecommunicator, medical coding, horticulture, welding, automotive, programmable logic controllers and crop production, students complete programs in one to three semesters and are prepared for a life-sustaining career.

“This national recognition reflects our commitment to providing a great educational experience for our students,” Lake Land College President Josh Bullock said. “The study also recognizes the value of a Lake Land College education and the opportunity it presents students to change their lives in a quality educational setting close to home.”

Lake Land College ranks 13^th for degrees awarded in Agriculture, Agriculture Operations and Related Sciences nationally, and first in Illinois. The college’s Agriculture Division offers several associate degrees in this field of study including agriculture business and supply, alternative agricultural production and horticulture production and landscape.

The Business Division ranks 17^th for degrees awarded in General Sales, Merchandising, and Related Marketing Operations. For Lake Land College, this includes associate degrees in entrepreneurship, marketing and professional sales.

Additionally, the college ranks 35^th for degrees awarded in the fields of Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies.

To learn more about the 150 majors at Lake Land College, visit lakelandcollege.edu.

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Lake Land College is offering a seminar for dental professionals entitled “Smoking Trends” on Monday, March 6 in Webb Hall, room 081 on the campus of Lake Land College from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Today, more high school students use e-cigarettes than smoke regular cigarettes.  Many also do hookahs and spit tobacco.  Flavored products add to the appeal.  This seminar will examine the changing trends in tobacco use and how they are impacting oral and systemic health.  Carol A. Jahn, RDH, from WaterPik will facilitate the seminar.

The cost is $39.00.  This seminar is open to all dental professionals and the public as well.  Dental Hygienists will receive 3 CE’s for attending.  To register, go to www.lakelandcollege.edu/learn, click on the dental link and register.  Students can also call Admissions & Records at 217-234-5434.  The drop date for a refund is five business days prior to the class.  For more information, contact Vivian Bales at 217-234-5087 or by email at vbales@lakelandcollege.edu.

Lake Land College athletes are excelling in the classroom as well as in competition. Overall, the teams had a combined GPA of 3.096 for the fall semester with 11 student athletes earning a perfect 4.0 GPA.

“Our athletic program develops young men and women to reach their potential both in play and in the classroom. Our focus on academics is reflected in the achievements of our current athletes and we are very proud of them,” Lake Land College Athletic Director Bill Jackson said.

The softball team had the highest GPA of 3.3, followed by volleyball with 3.26, women’s basketball at 3.04, baseball at 2.96 and men’s basketball at 2.94. Individually, 53 out of 93 student athletes earned GPAs of 3.0 or better.

During the past nine years, Lake Land College has had 21 Academic All-American Teams; 46 individual Academic All-Americans; 26 teams with GPAs above 3.0; six teams go to nationals; eight teams earn conference championships and six earn regional championships. There have been 18 Laker athletes named NJCAA All-Americans; 76 All-Region players; 96 All-Conference players and 35 All-Region Tournament players. Eight student athletes have been named Freshman of the Year, while 11 have been named Player of the Year. Nine coaches have received the Coach of the Year award.

Each program requires athletes to attend study tables and workout schedules throughout the entire year.

“During the school year there are many demands on our student athletes. They have to be very focused and organized to be successful as a student athlete,” Jackson said.

For more information about Laker athletics, visit lakelandcollege.edu and look for the “Athletics” menu.

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What happens when you take some of the most brilliant minds from area high schools and put them under one roof? Nothing other than an academic face off, where teams are pitted against each other in eight subject areas in order to take home the WYSE regional championship title.

The regional WYSE (Worldwide Youth in Science and Engineering) Academic Challenge will be held at Lake Land College Friday, Feb. 3. Twenty-five high schools will come together to battle in biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering graphics, English, mathematics and physics.

Each high school will compete against other high schools in the same division, which is based on school enrollment, and awards will be given to both individual competitors and teams. Students advancing at the regional competition will compete at Eastern Illinois University in March with another round for advancement, which will be held at the University of Illinois in April.

During the event, students will be tested from 9:20-11:10 a.m., with an awards ceremony following at 1:30 p.m.

For more information about WYSE, contact Steve Garren, Director of Dual Credit and the Honors Experience at (217) 234-5044 or sgarren@lakelandcollege.edu

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Lake Land College District 517, located in Mattoon, Illinois, serves the second largest community college district in the state, with a total population of 189,869. The Lake Land College district comprises all or part of 15 counties and 31 public school districts in rural east central Illinois. Counties served by Lake Land College include: Christian, Clark, Clay, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Effingham, Fayette, Jasper, Macon, Montgomery, Moultrie and Shelby.

Everyone knows that “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing,” but the next lyric in Duke Ellington’s classic song offers a remedy; “It don’t mean a thing, all you got to do is sing!”  Preparation for the spring season of the Lake Land College Community Choir begins on Tuesday, Jan. 31.  Rehearsals are held on Tuesday nights in the Lake Land College Theater from 7-9:30 p.m.

All singers age 18 and older are welcome to participate, and no audition is required.  The choir includes college students as well as area residents, forming a group of approximately 45 mixed voices.

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 for MUS-104-11565.

Registration for college credit is not required, however, and participation in the choir is free for those who do not register.

Selections for the spring season include a medley of Ellington classics, with “Take the ‘A’ Train,” “Mood Indigo,” “Satin Doll,” and others.  The choir will perform settings of Psalm 23 and Psalm 150 featuring French horn accompaniment.  Favorite songs from The Music Man fill out the program, such as “76 Trombones,” “The Wells Fargo Wagon,” and “Till There Was You.”

Nancy Caldwell, director of the choir and Lake Land music instructor, said “Singing in a large group is a great antidote for cabin fever.  If you are looking for something to make the winter months pass more quickly, join the choir for smiles, laughter, and great music; and bring a friend!”

Caldwell went on to say that the community choir has brought many residents to the Lake Land campus for the first time.  “The college is happy to sponsor this activity as a form of community outreach, sharing its facilities and also creating an opportunity for personal growth.”

The season will conclude with a concert on Sunday, March 26, at 3 p.m. in the Theater.

Contact Caldwell at 217-821-6469 with any questions.

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