Lake Land Celebrates National Community College Month

(STUDENT TRUSTEE LUCAS DUDUIT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES CHAIRMAN DORIS REYNOLDS HELP LAKE LAND COLLEGE CELEBRATE NATIONAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE MONTH AT MONDAY'S BOARD MEETING)

Lake Land College Board Chair Doris Reynolds led a celebration of national Community College Month at the regular board meeting on Monday.

“Lake Land College is very excited to be joining community colleges throughout the state of Illinois and the entire nation in celebrating National Community College Month this April. Just like we do here at Lake Land, community colleges provide opportunities for people to change their lives through the power of an education. We help people transfer their lives, and in turn, their families and their communities,” Reynolds said.

She then read a proclamation from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker that highlighted the role community colleges have in Illinois including these facts:

• Community Colleges in Illinois educate 60% of the students enrolled in Illinois public higher education, according to the Illinois Community College Board.
• Illinois is the first in the nation in bachelor’s degree completion rate among community college students who transfer, with 54% of these students completing their degrees.
• Nine out of 10 of the state’s community college graduates live, work, pay taxes and raise their families in Illinois.
• Earning an associate of applied science degree or long-term certificate from an Illinois community college adds $570,000 in lifetime earnings.
• Nearly 74% of Illinois employers have hired a community college graduate.
• Illinois community colleges have partnered with local school districts to offer 11,270 dual credit courses to 59,039 high school students.

The proclamation goes on to state, “Illinois community colleges share a common mission to prepare people for the workforce, to transfer students to other colleges and universities, and to continually respond to the communities they serve through adult, literacy, and continuing education services.”

Reynolds concluded the celebration by stating, “On behalf of the Board of Trustees, I would like to express our gratitude to the administration, faculty and staff for always putting students first in all that you do. National Community College month is a great opportunity to recognize the vital role Lake Land College plays in our community and in the state. We take this charge seriously and always strive for excellence.”

Founded in 1966, Lake Land College offers pathways to successful careers, including programs that lead immediately to the workforce and those that prepare students to transfer.  The college provides customized business training, adult education, alternative high school education, GED and English as a Second Language programs, as well as educational programs to correctional centers throughout the state. The main campus is located in Mattoon, with extension centers in Effingham, Marshall and Pana.