Dr. Charlotte Warren, president, was recently honored with a Trustee Education Award from the Illinois Community College Trustees Association, in recognition of outstanding achievement in the area of professional development. Dr. Warren also received a plaque in recognition of outstanding leadership as president of the Illinois Council of Community College Presidents, 2015-2016. Congratulations!

Dr. Mario Masvidal Saavedra, a distinguished professor at the University of the Arts in Havana, Cuba as well as a popular Cuban radio and TV host, will speak on the Lincoln Land Community College campus Monday, Nov. 16.

At 10 a.m., Dr. Masvidal will speak to students and faculty on Ernest Hemingway’s connection to Cuba. His 10 a.m. presentation is entitled “Hemingway and Cuba.”

At 6 p.m., Dr. Masvidal will speak on “USA vs. Cuba? A Love Story,” taking an in-depth look at Cuban/American relations before and after U.S. involvement, and through the Castro regime, along with his outlook for future relations. The public is invited to attend his evening presentation in the Trutter Center, focusing on Cuban/American relations since the 1940s.

LLCC Board Chair Craig Findley extended an invitation to the public to the evening presentation. “Dr. Masvidal is a dynamic, engaging and entertaining speaker with a depth of knowledge to share on the very timely topic of Cuban/American relations. His subject is of particular interest to Americans as we look toward a new, more open era of relations with Cuba,” said Findley. “We look forward to welcoming the community to campus to meet and learn from our distinguished visitor. Also, his expert perspective on Hemingway, one of America’s most beloved authors with strong connections to Cuba, will be an exciting learning opportunity for our students and faculty.”

Currently, Dr. Masvidal is a full professor in the Linguistics Department, University of the Arts in Havana, where he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in semiotics, communication theory and other related disciplines. He also teaches courses at University of Havana (foreign languages, social communication, arts and letters), “Jose Marti” International Institute of Journalism, and The Center for TV and Radio Studies, all in Havana; as well as the International Film and TV School in San Antonio de los Banos,

Dr. Masvidal has also taught courses and workshops on the history of the English speaking countries, English as a second language, linguistics, English and Spanish stylistics and professional communication at the Enrique J. Varona Teachers Training College and the Paul Lafargue Foreign Language Teachers Training College, both in Havana.

He currently hosts the talk show “Catalejo” at Habana Radio Station and participates in four TV programs: “Cuerda Viva,” in which he interviews musicians; “X-Distante,” an animated show for adults in which he presents and comments on the cartoons; ”Ritmoclip,” a music video program where he presents and comments on artistic music videos; and “Banda Sonora,” where he is a script writer.

Dr. Masvidal is a full member of both the Ph.D. National Board of Examiners in the fields of linguistics, arts and social communication, and the Scientific Council at The University of the Arts in Havana. He holds a Ph.D. in linguistic studies from the University of Havana, where his thesis explored Hemingway’s literary prose.

He has served as adviser to the rector, vice-rector, dean, vice-dean and department chair at several universities and colleges, and written and co-authored academic books, as well as essays and scripts.  He is a founding member of both the Cuban Linguists Association and the Teachers Association of Cuba.

Dr. Masvidal’s visit is at the invitation of LLCC president Dr. Charlotte Warren and other Illinois community college presidents who met with him and several other Cuban academics last February. LLCC is his first U.S. speaking engagement before traveling to several other community colleges in the state.

As you all know, a Quality Checkup team affiliated with the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) visited our campus on Nov. 6 and 7. During their visit, the team held conversations with several groups in order to affirm the accuracy of our Systems Portfolio; gauge the impact of Action Projects at LLCC; understand our commitment to continuous quality improvement; and confirm compliance with accreditation expectations. And while the Quality Checkup team does not make any official recommendation for reaffirming our accreditation, they did share their observations of LLCC during the closing sessions. The comments were favorable, and the team offered recommendations that were generally consistent with the Systems Appraisal Feedback Report. We anticipate receiving our Quality Checkup Report in January and will update everyone as additional information from the HLC is shared.

Please remember that reaffirmation of our accreditation in AQIP is not a separate, standalone procedure. Rather, it is a summative review of our work with AQIP core processes (i.e., Systems Portfolio, Action Projects, and Quality Checkup) as well as demonstrating that we meet the Commission’s Criteria for Accreditation. We anticipate that the HLC’s AQIP Review Panel will examine that larger body of evidence for LLCC in March of 2014. The Institutional Action Council (IAC) would then take action regarding our accreditation status in May of 2014.

Dr. Charlotte Warren, president