Condolences to family and friends of former LLCC trustee Earl Pillsbury

Condolences to family and friends of Earl Pillsbury, former LLCC trustee, who passed away Sept. 2. Earl was a member of the Feasibility Study group that was established to create Lincoln Land Community College, and he proudly served as a trustee for 17 1/2 years, including three years as chairman of the board. He was a member of the LLCC Foundation. Earl’s family will greet relatives and friends Sunday, Sept. 6, from 4-7 p.m. at Hurley Funeral Home. His funeral service is being held at 11 a.m. Monday, Sept. 7 at Petersburg United Methodist Church with his nephew, Rev. Michael Swartz, officiating. Burial will be at Rose Hill Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the PORTA Foundation or the Menard County Food Pantry.

LLCC Board of Trustees welcomes new faculty; hears update on college’s Trutter Museum

The LLCC Board of Trustees welcomed new faculty and heard an update on the college’s Trutter Museum at its August meeting Wednesday evening.

New faculty are:

Conway GretchenGretchen Conway, Springfield, assistant professor, occupational therapy assistant (OTA) program has served as a fieldwork educator with LLCC OTA students for 10 years. She is a registered occupational therapist and has worked with adult, acute-care patients in oncology, orthopedics, neurology and bariatrics in inpatient, out-patient, rehabilitation and home-care settings. She has specialty certifications in such fields as neuronet and sensory integration and has written for multiple professional publications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in occupational therapy, both from St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa.

Lothary BrittaBritta Lothary, Chatham, instructor in nursing, is an experienced nurse practitioner with a clinical focus in caring for acutely ill cardiovascular patients. She has taught at LLCC as a temporary faculty member and as a clinical adjunct instructor. Prior to coming to LLCC, she taught at Maryville University in St. Louis. She holds a bachelor of science in nursing degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia, and an adult nurse practitioner degree from Maryville University.

Range AdrienneAdrienne Range, Chatham, instructor in biology, taught high school biology for 10 years, including anatomy and physiology for dual college and high school credit. She has also taught the subject at LLCC as an adjunct instructor. She holds a bachelor of science degree from Illinois College and a master’s degree from the University of St. Joseph in Hartford, Conn. She also coached girls’ high school basketball for eight years.

Snyder GregGregory Snyder, Springfield, instructor in chemistry, taught at LLCC as an adjunct instructor for a total of three years. He attended LLCC, earned his bachelor of science from the University of Kentucky-Lexington and a master’s from Purdue University, studying nonlinear optics.

Board Chair Craig Findley commented on the new hires, “It is a credit to the college that we continue to attract such high quality faculty.”

Also last night, Janet Semanik, development specialist with the LLCC Foundation, updated trustees on the college’s Trutter Museum, which she coordinates. The museum, which opened to the community in 2004, was made possible through a gift from the estate of local architect L. Philip Trutter. He and his wife, Kathryn, travelled the world 10 times and donated their many treasured artifacts to LLCC, along with a $1.6 million gift to establish and maintain the collection, as well as establish a scholarship for students in healthcare related fields.

The Trutter’s World Heritage Collection includes hundreds of artworks, including signed prints by Marc Chagall and Salvador Dali, along with thousands of slides, postcards, furniture, jewelry, coins and currency from their travels around the world. Since its opening, the museum has presented five exhibits, with the sixth, “Small World,” set to open with a reception on Friday, Sept. 25, from 5-7 p.m. “Small World” will feature many of the Trutter Collection’s small items, as well as big and bold art pieces, and works by LLCC’s art faculty.

LLCC Board of Trustees, guests tour newly-renovated LLCC-Taylorville facility

Open house planned Aug. 10; board puts tentative ’16 budget on display and confers “emeritus” faculty status

TAYLORVILLE – A $1.9 million renovation at Lincoln Land Community College-Taylorville that will enhance services to students beginning this fall was on display last night for LLCC trustees and community leaders, prior to the July LLCC Board of Trustees meeting.

The interior of the LLCC-Taylorville north building was transformed over the past year to meet accessibility codes and

LLCC Board of Trustees Craig Findley; Vice Chair Jerry Wesley; President Charlotte Warren, Ph.D.; 95th District State Representative Avery Bourne; Trustee Wayne Rosenthal; Trustee Kent Gray; and Secretary Dennis Shackelford prior to the July 22, 2015 Board of Trustees meeting at LLCC-Taylorville.

LLCC Board of Trustees Craig Findley; Vice Chair Jerry Wesley; President Charlotte Warren, Ph.D.; 95th District State Representative Avery Bourne; Trustee Wayne Rosenthal; Trustee Kent Gray; and Secretary Dennis Shackelford prior to the July 22, 2015 Board of Trustees meeting at LLCC-Taylorville.

provide a welcoming new student services area and gathering space; computer labs for testing and general use; a state-of-the-art Mac lab for new digital media classes; staff offices and energy efficient improvements. Welding and construction areas of the building were upgraded with a new classroom. The building’s metal exterior was enhanced with design elements to complement the south classroom building, constructed in 2011.

“The newly renovated building looks amazing and will serve our Taylorville area students extremely well,” commented Craig Findley, LLCC board chair. “We, as a board, are pleased that all of our outreach centers now reflect the high quality of the education offered at LLCC.”

The 40-year-old building originally housed a factory which produced grain bins. It was reconfigured for use as LLCC’s Eastern Region Education Center in 1994. As enrollment increased in subsequent years, temporary, mobile structures were added to the site to accommodate classrooms. Those structures were eliminated when the new classroom building opened four years ago.

Scott Stallman, associate vice president, LLCC outreach, praised

The newly renovated north building at LLCC-Taylorville features design elements that complement the south building, constructed in 2011, to add to the “campus” feel.

The newly renovated north building at LLCC-Taylorville features design elements that complement the south building, constructed in 2011, to add to the “campus” feel.

the board’s commitment to providing quality facilities throughout the district, and said a community open house with tours of the new spaces is planned for Monday, August 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We invite future and current students, families and members of the public to see our newly renovated building as well as the four-year-old classroom building next door. Both are attractive, highly functional facilities that add a layer of excitement to the already excellent teaching and learning that happens here at LLCC-Taylorville.”

Among the guests at the preview reception was 95th District State Representative Avery Bourne.

Following the reception, trustees voted to put the college’s tentative, fiscal year 2016 operating budget on file for public review for 30 days, as required by law. Final approval of the $43-million balanced budget is anticipated at the September board meeting.

The board also honored four retired LLCC faculty with the title of “Emeritus,” which recognizes outstanding contributions in teaching and service to the college by full-time faculty who have served a minimum of 20 years. Those so honored were retired automotive technology professors James Addington of Chatham, who taught full-time from 1981-2006; Tom Donaldson of Plainview, 1973-1995; and Joel Tjelmeland (deceased) of Rochester, 1971-1998; along with retired professor of math and physics Tom Snyder of Springfield,1987-2012.

LLCC Board of Trustees appoints new associate VP and area directors, approves no-smoking policy and recognizes GED grads

The LLCC Board of Trustees last night appointed three individuals to oversee and direct operations at several LLCC off-campus locations, effective June 1.

Scott Stallman was named to the new position of associate vice president of LLCC outreach. Stallman will oversee operations at LLCC education centers in Jacksonville, Beardstown, Taylorville, Litchfield and Hillsboro as well as district-wide high school partnerships and dual credit/dual enrollment agreements. Stallman has served as executive director of LLCC-Taylorville, Litchfield and Hillsboro since 2010. He will graduate in August with a doctoral degree in higher education administration from Illinois State University, and holds a master of education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis and a bachelor’s of science from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Prior to his work at LLCC, he was assistant dean of career programs at Moraine Valley Community College, assistant director of new student programs at Columbia College Chicago, and department chair, instructor and director of the career center at Stevens Institute of Business Arts.

Keri Mason will be the new director of LLCC-Jacksonville, where she has served as assistant director since 2008. She will also oversee operations at LLCC’s Beardstown location. She recently earned her master of arts degree from the University of Illinois-Springfield (UIS), where she was named outstanding graduate in communication. She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Truman State University. Prior to LLCC, she served as director of annual giving at Illinois College.

Debra “Dee” Krueger was appointed director of LLCC-Taylorville, where she has served as assistant director since 2009. She joined LLCC in 1992 as an an administrative assistant at the Taylorville Correctional Center, became an adjunct faculty member in 1994 and served as an administrative assistant for regional services from 1996-2009. She holds a master online teacher certificate from the University of Illinois and Illinois Online Network, a bachelor of arts from UIS and associate in general education from LLCC.

In other action, trustees approved a policy change that would bring the college into compliance with the new Illinois Smoke-Free Campus Act that takes effect July 1. Smoking and use of tobacco products will be prohibited on any college-owned or operated property, except when an individual is traveling through or parked on campus in a personal vehicle. All students, employees and visitors to any LLCC location will be required to comply with this policy.

BOT mtg

GED grads Grayson Davis, Page McAlexander and Isaac Schmidt were recognized at the board meeting for their academic accomplishments.

And, the board recognized three graduates of LLCC’s Adult Education high school equivalency (GED) program. Page McAlexander of Springfield completed the requirements for her GED early last fall, and has since completed two semesters of courses at LLCC as an honors student and student worker. Isaac Schmidt of Litchfield earned his GED in December, and just finished his first semester at LLCC with a 4.0 grade point average. Grayson Davis of Springfield recently completed all the requirements for his GED, and plans to enroll in LLCC this fall.