For those who commute to campus via Woodside Road, the railroad crossing that has been closed for several weeks near the Iron Bridge Road intersection is now reopened. The crossing was closed to allow for upgrades to facilitate high-speed rail traffic.

Beginning May 16 through Aug. 7, the Springfield campus and outlying locations will be closed Friday through Sunday. In addition the college will be closed Memorial Day, May 30 and Independence Day, July 4. Specific summer hours of operation for various offices are as follows:

• LLCC administrative offices – Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• LLCC Library ­– Monday through Thursday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from May 16-June 2; 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. June 6-July 28; 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 1-4.
• LLCC Admission/Registration, Advising/Counseling/Career Services, Financial Aid offices and LLCC bookstore – Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• LLCC Testing Center – go to www.llcc.edu/placement-testing for summer testing schedule
• LLCC Outreach Centers (Beardstown, Jacksonville, Hillsboro, Litchfield, Taylorville) – Monday through Thursday, call for hours of operation.
• LLCC-Capital City Training Center, 130 W. Mason St., and the Illinois Small Business Development Center at LLCC, 8 South Old State Capitol, will maintain regular office hours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For details about summer schedule, as well as appropriate summer attire, please view the attached memo from Human Resources: Summer 2016 Memo.

Back row L-R: Linda Newman, Amanda Henderson, Katie Colwell, Holly Anderson
Middle Row: Instructor Mrs. Wisdom, Larissa Johnson, Taylor Barwick, Jennifer Pope, Instructor Mrs. Cockerill
Front Row: Gabrielle Fry, Kelley Devlin, Claire Lowe, Paige Skrele
Not pictured: Autumn Browning

Dr. Chris McDonald captured these photos of an oriole building a nest just outside of Menard Hall.  As you can see, it is a participant in our bird banding program!

Today, May 11, we experienced a 12-minute internet outage at 2:50 p.m. due to another DDoS attack. Our ISP informed us that DDoS attacks have not ceased since Monday. Fortunately they are being successfully mitigated for the most part to ensure our internet connectivity is minimally affected. However, as long as DDoS attacks continue there is a chance for future short internet outages. During an internet outage web resources like Blackboard are accessible on campus only, but not offsite.  For example a student taking a test on Blackboard on campus would not be affected, but a student taking a test from home would. Again, ITS is continuing to monitor the situation and work with our ISP to ensure services remain available.

Esteban Cruz, Chief Information Officer

LLCC will conduct commencement exercises on Friday, May 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield. All faculty and administrators should arrive by 7 p.m. to be assembled in the line of march. There will be signs directing you. Please note: the Komen Race for the Cure will also be held Friday night in downtown Springfield so plan to allow for additional traffic and limited parking. Also, due to liability issues, there will NOT be a place to check your personal belongings. A coat rack will be available but will not be supervised. Please leave anything you do not wish to carry in your vehicle.

PLEASE READ COMPLETE DIRECTIONS AND LINE OF MARCH LINKED BELOW PRIOR TO THE CEREMONY.

Faculty and Administrator Commencement Directions

Line of March

Congratulations to the LLCC Chemistry Club, advised by Dr. Michael Ramm and Jennifer Ramm, professors of chemistry, which was the recent recipient of a national award for its work during the 2014-2015 academic year!

The club is officially a Student Chapter of the American Chemical Society (ACS). Each year, a report is submitted to the ACS that describes the club’s activities for the year. Chapters can receive Outstanding, Commendable or Honorable Mention awards, or none at all. For the first time ever, the LLCC Chemistry Club earned a Commendable Award for the 2014-15 year. (There were 55 Outstanding chapters, 99 Commendable and 160 Honorable Mention awards presented.) The awards were announced in In Chemistry, the national ACS magazine for undergraduate students, and were presented at a national ACS conference this spring. The plaque recently arrived on campus.

2014-15 Chemistry Club President Lenny Smith and Vice President Tim Webb, now both students at Northern Illinois University, also had their names published in the magazine.

Craig Findley (left), chair of the LLCC Board of Trustees, surprised LLCC President Charlotte Warren with a recognition of her 10-year anniversary as LLCC’s president during the Foundation Gala “The Great Gala” May 7.  He was introduced by LLCC Foundation Board Chair Jason Barth (middle).

Findley also wrote the LLCC essay in the State Journal-Register May 8 entitled, “Dr. Charlotte Warren – a decade of progress and leadership.”

Check back for a photo album of the Gala, coming soon!