Mattoon, IL-(Effingham Radio)-The following is an Editorial from Dr. Josh Bullock, Lake Land College President.
Celebrating Community College Month:
Partnering with a Fortune 500 company, recognizing new programming to meet workforce demands, showing gratitude, solving a mystery and creating opportunities for students to excel−all in a month’s work at Lake Land College.
As we celebrate National Community College Month with our peers throughout the nation, a glance at Lake Land’s April calendar illustrates our commitment to creating rewarding futures for the residents and businesses in our district.
We kicked off the month announcing a historic partnership between Lake Land College and Patterson Companies, an international Fortune 500 company. In this agreement, Lake Land College will use bond funds and construction funds to purchase the 99,216-square-foot, LEED-silver certified building and 20 acres of land in Effingham from Patterson. Lake Land will lease back a portion of the space to Patterson. This agreement will have no impact on the student tuition rate or the college’s property tax levy rate.
This is a perfect example of private industry, education and community collaborating to meet the needs of the region and to create opportunities for future growth and expansion. The facility will be called the Lake Land College Effingham Technology Center and it will serve residents of all ages through the inclusion of the Effingham Regional Career Academy, current Lake Land programs and training courses for incumbent employees.
As part of the Illinois Community College Board’s April celebration, ICCB officials toured Lake Land College programs that were developed and enhanced to meet the high demand for employees in their respective fields. They visited the newly opened Laker Louie Jr. Academy, a Lake Land College Learning Lab childcare facility that prepares future early childhood educators through in-person interactions with our youngest Lakers. They heard from students who are passionate about their new Crime Scene Technician program−one of the few in the state of Illinois designed to prepare future and current police officers with credentials for career advancement. And finally, they experienced a mock 911 call with our paramedic students in the new high tech, full-sized ambulance simulator on campus.
We celebrated our Foundation donors whose generosity have made it possible for countless students to earn a college education and we honored hundreds of students for their amazing accomplishments through events, banquets and awards.
We signed an agreement with Eastern Illinois University that provides a pathway for former Eastern Illinois University students to complete an associate degree and then go on to earn a bachelor’s degree from EIU. This agreement will not only positively impact many in our area, but throughout the entire region as both of our institutions collaborate to advance the educational attainment of Illinoisans.
And, we also had a bit of fun this April when we revealed the truth behind the campus-wide Lake Land College Mystery. More than 500 high school students and 250 Lake Land students eagerly searched for clues and interviewed suspects as they tried to solve the mystery of the fictitious missing faculty member. I was honored to play an active role in the mystery as I got to enjoy meeting many inquisitive and engaged students and community members, who asked thoughtful questions and demonstrated strong critical thinking skills.
This was an incredible demonstration of teamwork across so many participants on campus as well as our valued high school educators. What an amazing opportunity to not only expose students to crime-solving techniques such as blood types, bone structure and even a highly technical electronic cadaver, but also to allow them to practice critical thinking skills such as determining the credibility of suspect interviews and using deductive reasoning to connect separate pieces of information.
As you can see, April has already been a packed month as we continue celebrating the impact Lake Land College and our peers have on so many people’s lives. These are just a few examples of the strategic, innovative accomplishments that take place throughout the year in the Lake Land College community. We look forward to developing new initiatives and partnerships that will create a path for educational success for the residents and businesses in our area.
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