Category Archives: Foundation

10.20.23

Around the World Gourmet Dinner Kit Pickup Event, Friday, Nov. 3

Around the World LLCC Foundation Dinner Kit Pickup. Hosted by LLCC Hospitality Management & Culinary Arts Program. Lincoln Land Community College Foundation.The LLCC Foundation in partnership with LLCC’s Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts program is offering a five-course gourmet dinner kit pickup on Friday, Nov.3. The menu features dishes prepared by culinary students which can be finished and served with a little preparation at home.

Gourmet dinner kits with drink pairings are $150, and each kit serves two people. View the menu and order your gourmet dinner kits today at https://llccfoundation.org/around-the-world. Kits must be pre-purchased and can be picked up from 4-5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3. This fundraiser benefits our students and programs while providing a hands-on experience for culinary students.

10.18.23

LLCC announces $500,000+ gift from Roland Machinery Co. of Springfield

Members of the Roland Machinery Co. family pose with LLCC officials and diesel technologies students.

Diesel tech lab and classroom named in honor of Roland family

LLCC announced a major gift from Roland Machinery Co. of Springfield to LLCC’s new diesel technologies program yesterday. The college has named the diesel technologies lab and classroom in honor of the Roland family.

Dr. Charlotte Warren speaking“We are here to celebrate the incredible support of a local company and our continuing partnership that will impact the future of our local workforce,” said Dr. Charlotte Warren, president of LLCC. “Roland Machinery Company has been with us from the beginning, as we explored the idea of offering a diesel technologies program, assisting in developing the curriculum and providing support that ensured our program would succeed.

“I’m happy to announce that Roland has, and will continue to provide, over the next five years, more than $500,000 in equipment, scholarships and support for our diesel technologies program. To the Roland Family: the impact of your support will resonate throughout our first class and many to come, as they train to enter this high-demand career field. Our local employers will benefit by hiring trained and work-ready graduates.”

Matt Roland, president of Roland Machinery Co., commented, “We are proud to be a partner with LLCC in the creation of this new diesel technologies program. The highly trained young adults that graduate from this program will have great opportunities in the construction, agriculture and on-road truck industries.”

“Today, there are over 75,000 open diesel technician positions across the country, 400 of them right here in central Illinois,” said Dan Smith, vice president/general manager, product support at Roland. He told the first class of LLCC diesel technologies students, “What you will learn here, both personally and professionally, will serve you very well for whatever life brings you.”

Erin Barrick speakingTwenty students make up the inaugural class in the LLCC diesel tech program. “I am proud to be a diesel tech student here at LLCC’s Workforce Institute, and I am so appreciative to have support from local businesses like Roland,” said Erin Barrick, who will become a fourth-generation owner of her family’s trucking company. “I appreciate this opportunity to thank Roland for supporting the diesel program and providing such great resources to help us with our education and our futures.”

The dedication plaque outside the diesel technologies lab in the LLCC Workforce Careers Center reads: “In recognition of Roland Machinery Company, who provides services to the heavy equipment construction industry. Roland Machinery is committed to providing the Midwest construction industry with highly skilled diesel technicians for years to come. As a family owned Springfi­eld company since 1958, Roland Machinery’s generous support of the community continues at Lincoln Land Community College. This Diesel Technologies Lab and Classroom honor the Roland Family, who are dedicated to strengthening the LLCC Diesel Program, providing new opportunities to those in the diesel industry, and supporting LLCC students.”

10.12.23

Around the World Gourmet Dinner Kit Pickup Event, Friday, Nov. 3

Around the World LLCC Foundation Dinner Kit Pickup. Hosted by LLCC Hospitality Management & Culinary Arts Program. Lincoln Land Community College Foundation.The LLCC Foundation in partnership with LLCC’s Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts program is offering a five-course gourmet dinner kit pickup on Friday, Nov.3. The menu features dishes prepared by culinary students which can be finished and served with a little preparation at home.

Gourmet dinner kits with drink pairings are $150, and each kit serves two people. View the menu and order your gourmet dinner kits today at https://llccfoundation.org/around-the-world. Kits must be pre-purchased and can be picked up from 4-5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3. This fundraiser benefits our students and programs while providing a hands-on experience for culinary students.

10.06.23

Around the World Gourmet Dinner Kit Pickup Event, Friday, Nov. 3

Around the World LLCC Foundation Dinner Kit Pickup. Hosted by LLCC Hospitality Management & Culinary Arts Program. Lincoln Land Community College Foundation.The LLCC Foundation in partnership with LLCC’s Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts program is offering a five-course gourmet dinner kit pickup on Friday, Nov.3. The menu features dishes prepared by culinary students which can be finished and served with a little preparation at home.

Gourmet dinner kits with drink pairings are $150, and each kit serves two people. View the menu and order your gourmet dinner kits today at https://llccfoundation.org/around-the-world. Kits must be pre-purchased and can be picked up from 4-5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3. This fundraiser benefits our students and programs while providing a hands-on experience for culinary students.

09.28.23

Around the World Gourmet Dinner Kit Pickup Event, Friday, Nov. 3

Around the World LLCC Foundation Dinner Kit Pickup. Hosted by LLCC Hospitality Management & Culinary Arts Program. Lincoln Land Community College Foundation.The LLCC Foundation in partnership with LLCC’s Hospitality Management and Culinary Arts program is offering a five-course gourmet dinner kit pickup on Friday, Nov.3. The menu features dishes prepared by culinary students which can be finished and served with a little preparation at home.

Gourmet dinner kits with drink pairings are $150, and each kit serves two people. View the menu and order your gourmet dinner kits today at https://llccfoundation.org/around-the-world. Kits must be pre-purchased and can be picked up from 4-5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 3. This fundraiser benefits our students and programs while providing a hands-on experience for culinary students.

09.11.23

Caterpillar Inc. donates engines and transmissions to LLCC Diesel Technologies program

Dr. Jason Dockter, Kody Letterle, Nick Johnson, Keith Heiar, Jeff Gardner and Dr. Nancy Sweet standing by one of the donated engines.
Photo: Dr. Jason Dockter, LLCC vice president, academic services; Kody Letterle, LLCC instructor, diesel technologies; Nick Johnson and Keith Heiar, Caterpillar Inc.; Jeff Gardner, director, LLCC diesel technologies program; and Dr. Nancy Sweet, dean, Workforce Institute at LLCC

Many thanks to Caterpillar Inc. for its recent donation of four engines and 12 transmissions to LLCC’s diesel technologies program. The equipment will serve as a hands-on teaching tool for students as they prepare for careers in the high-demand, high-wage diesel service industry.

Caterpillar Inc. is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, off-highway diesel and natural gas engines, industrial gas turbines and diesel-electric locomotives.

LLCC diesel technologies program director Jeff Gardner said, “These engines will be used in our Diesel Engine Theory and Repair class, and the transmissions will provide for manual training needs in the Truck Power Trains class. This substantial donation will benefit our students greatly.”

Visit www.llcc.edu/diesel-technologies for more information about the program.

07.19.23

Faculty share remembrances of 2019 LLCC grad Emma Shafer

Several faculty shared their remembrances of Emma Shafer, 2019 LLCC graduate: LLCC Faculty Remember Emma Shafer, LLCC Graduate and Springfield Community Activist

Memorials may be made online by designating the Emma Shafer Peace and Justice Fund through the Community Foundation for the Land of Lincoln.

Photos: Emma, front and second from left, with Lamp staffers and advisor Tim McKenzie. Emma participating in Model UN.

Emma, front and second from left, with Lamp staffers and advisor Tim McKenzieEmma participating in Model UN

06.28.23

LLCC dedicates new West Lake Nature Grove

Brent Todd, Dave Cox, Bill Harmon, Karen Sanders, Dr. Vicki Davis and Robbie RobertsLLCC dedicated its newest learning space yesterday, 2.1 acres of land at 2321 West Lake Shore Drive now known as West Lake Nature Grove.

The outdoor lab adjacent to the LLCC campus contains an apiary (beehives), fruit trees, bushes and other plantings, along with benches.

“This land was generously donated to LLCC by Robbie Robert Jr., president of Robert’s Seafood in Springfield,” said Karen Sanders, vice president of advancement and executive director of the LLCC Foundation. “Robbie donated the property in memory of his good friend, Lloyd Inslee Jr., who lived in a house here for more than 50 years. Lloyd was a great lover of nature and wildlife. In his honor, Robbie specified that this land be used to educate students, to carry forward Lloyd’s legacy.”

Brent Todd speaking to attendeesBrent Todd, LLCC dean of natural and agricultural sciences, noted the opportunity to use the Grove for various biology and agriculture classes. “The West Lake Nature Grove complements our existing curriculum by incorporating its amenities into science and agriculture labs. Apiaries, orchards, succession plots and pollinator gardens are just a few of the ways faculty are incorporating this living learning lab into their curriculum.”

Dave Cox talking to attendeesBiology Professor Dave Cox partnered with local beekeeping groups to establish the apiary and harvest honey. “I see the West Lake Nature Grove as a community resource to promote education and awareness of agriculture and environmental topics,” said Cox. “Thank you to those who have assisted with the apiary, including the Prairie State Beekeepers, Lincoln Land Beekeepers Association and Steamship Bees, along with LLCC workforce students.”

Bill Harmon speaking to attendeesBill Harmon, LLCC agriculture program coordinator, uses the Grove in ag and horticulture classes. “Illinois is an important producer of more than 64 vegetable and 15 fruit crops on more than 100,000 acres, with an annual sales volume of close to $400 million dollars. Illinois leads the nation in production of pumpkins and is 10th in peaches and 19th in apples. This project will allow LLCC to demonstrate the importance of bees to the pollination and production of these crops. As a result, our students will have a wider understanding of specialty crops and their potential as a part of a profitable business.”

Decorated beehivesAmong the attendees at the ceremony were several young men from the Outlet, who sponsored and decorated one of the beehives.

Enhancements to the land were made possible through the Kreher Farm Perpetual Charitable Trust within the LLCC Foundation.

Following the ceremony, an open house was held at the college’s newly constructed greenhouse, adjacent to the Kreher Agriculture Center, also made possible by the Kreher Trust.

06.28.23

In the news

Karen Sanders, vice president of advancement and executive director of the LLCC Foundation, and Bill Harmon, LLCC agriculture program coordinator, were interviewed by WICS about the dedication of West Lake Nature Grove and its use in education at LLCC.

Harmon was also interviewed by Ag News Daily about LLCC’s ag program and opportunities for students.

Becky Parton, dean, LLCC Academic Innovation and eLearning, has published “Transforming Higher Education: Online Education Lessons Learned from the Pandemic” in the July 7, 2023 edition of Educational Technology Insights.  The article is being featured in the publication’s eLearning special edition.

Joshua Dineen, chef specialist, wrote today’s Epicuriosity 101 column in the State Journal-Register, “Naked or breaded.”