The Board of Trustees of the Illinois Eastern Community College District No. 529 met Tuesday night, March 19th at Lincoln Trail College, Robinson, Illinois.
The Board recognized Student Trustee Guadalupe Amicone for her service to the Board of Trustees and the IECC district. Ms. Amicone is a student at Lincoln Trail College who ran on the platform of improving student housing and access to healthy meal options on campus.
Progress was made on both fronts this year, and Chancellor Gower and the Trustees pledged to continue work on those matters in the upcoming academic year. The next student trustee, Jorri VanDyke, is a student at Olney Central College and will be seated during the April 2024 Board of Trustees meeting at Olney Central College.
Brandon Weger, Program Director of Institutional Assessment & Effectiveness presented the 2024 IECC Fact Book to the Board. Among the highlights discussed were:
• IECC had a 4.1% increase in headcount serving 17,497 students, 2,276 of these were degree or certificate seeking students.
• Retention of students from Fall 2022 to Fall 2023 saw marked improvements with an average retention rate of 68% for full-time students and 61% for part-time students. Both numbers are well above the national average.
• 942 students completed degrees or certificates at one of IECC’s four campuses. A total of 1,356 credentials were awarded.
The IECC Fact Book has been developed to provide stakeholders of Illinois Eastern Community Colleges information about the students in our District, enrollment history, the degrees and certificates granted, the financial aid received and distributed, and the District’s budgets and operations.
The Board approved the minutes of the Board of Trustees meeting held on February 27, 2024.
Board approval was given for revisions to the following policies:
• Minor updates were made to Policy 300.20 (Operating Cash Reserve), Policy 300.21 (Procurement Standards for Federal Grant Awards), Policy 400.1 Selection and Employment, Policy 400.4 (Holiday, Leave, and Benefit Policy –2 Non-Bargaining Unit Employees), and Policy 400.31 (Personal and Workspace
Appearance – Non-Bargaining Unit).
• Deletion of Policy 500.23 (Nursing Student Progression/Remediation Policy) as the testing referenced in the policy will no longer be used as a measure of achievement effective May 31, 2024.
The Board approved the 2025-2027 Academic Calendar and AY23 IECC Fact Book.
Affiliation agreements were approved with Clay County Hospital and Medical Clinics; Fairfield Memorial Hospital; Joyner Therapy Services; R&T Physical Therapy LLC; and Wabash General Hospital.
The Board waived the second reading and approved Policy 200.8 Campus Closures and Interruptions that ensures clarity in decision-making responsibilities, establishing communication channels, and setting clear expectations for students and employees.
Calendar Year 2023 Report for the IECC 403(b) Plan was accepted by the Board provided by Marsh & McLennan Agency.
The Board approved a lease agreement with Wabash Telephone Cooperative for the Lincoln Trail College Campus commencing March 20, 2024 with an initial term expiring June 30, 2024.
A three-year proposal received from Martin Hood, PLLC for audit services was approved.
Bid committee recommendations were approved for acceptance of the bid received from Kay Bee Electric for a total of $1,472,990 for a solar array project at Olney Central College. Once installed, the solar array will generate approximately 23% of the power necessary to operate Wattleworth Hall. With state and federal incentives, the array is expected to pay for itself in a nine year period. The Board also approved a bid received from WorldStrides Travel for a total of $104,400 for the TRIO Upward Bound Education Trip 2024.
Personnel matters included the approval of the employment of Abbygail Gangloff as College Admission Representative at Lincoln Trail College effective April 22, 2024.
Changes in employment status were approved for Heather Watts from Office Assistant to Administrative Assistant to the Dean at Lincoln Trail College and Jackie Shamhart from Administrative Assistant to the Dean & President to Administrative Assistant to the President at Lincoln Trail College March 25, 2024.
Approval of proposed non-college employment was approved for Joe Brown at KTDA 3 Trucking in Mt. Erie, Illinois and JB Express Transportation in Cisne, Illinois.
Resignation ratification was approved for Alexis McGrail as TRIO Upward Bound Counselor effective March 29, 2024.
Retirement ratification was approved for Linda Horn as Allied Health Advisor at Olney Central College effective July 1, 2024.
The next regular meeting of the Board of Trustees will be Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 6:15 p.m. at Olney Central College, Olney, IL.