August 2007 News Releases
- 8-29 Horse Experience 2007 At SWIC Red Bud Campus Sept. 15
- 8-29 SWIC Ranks In Top Four Percent Of U.S. Two-Year Colleges
- 8-21 SIU, Southwestern announce partnership
- 8-23 Moon Over Buffalo Auditions To Be Held Sept. 5-6 At SWIC
HORSE EXPERIENCE 2007 AT SWIC RED BUD CAMPUS SEPT. 15
You and your family could horse around at Southwestern Illinois College's Red Bud Campus! Horse Experience 2007 is just around the corner.
The event kicks off at 9 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 15. All events will be held on the campus grounds at 500 W. South Fourth St.
Horse Experience 2007 is free, though refreshments will be available for a nominal fee. Proceeds from refreshment sales benefit Christ Our Savior Lutheran High School in Evansville. You and your family can see nearly 20 horse breeds, watch horse-related demonstrations, catch a wagon ride and talk with horse owners and enthusiasts.
This year's schedule of events features a Western Pleasure Horse Training Session at 9:30 a.m., a Reining Horse demonstration at 10:30 a.m., a gaited horse parade of breeds at 11 a.m., a Natural Balance shoeing demonstration at 11:45 a.m., a rare horse parade of breeds at 12:15 a.m., a drill team demonstration at 12:45 a.m., a draft and saddle horse parade of breeds at 1:45 p.m. and trailer loading demonstration at 2 p.m.
In addition, between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., free 20-minute "Healing Touch for Animals" sessions will be held. Healing Touch is a holistic approach that assists humans and animals recover from injuries, illness, surgeries, healing, behavioral problems and stress-related issues.
Other planned activities include wagon rides, equine tack and product displays, and a swap meet. If you have horse-related products you'd like to sell, reserve a space, $5 per seller, or send a free posting for the bulletin board.
"This is the sixth year for the event. It's fun for the whole family. Whether you just have a mild interest in horses or you're an expert, we'll have something to interest you," said Deborah Oakley, student and community services coordinator.
Bring lawn chairs and take part in the experience. Events will occur rain or shine.
Call 618-282-6682, ext. 8104, for more information or visit www.swic.edu/redbud for updates.
SWIC RANKS IN TOP FOUR PERCENT OF U.S. TWO-YEAR COLLEGES
Southwestern Illinois College ranks in the top four percent of two-year colleges nationwide for associate degrees awarded, according to a Community College Week magazine analysis of U.S. Department of Education statistics.
In the 2005-2006 academic year, SWIC awarded 1,420 associate degrees. That puts SWIC at 63 out of 1,706 accredited U.S. two-year colleges. In Illinois only the College of DuPage awarded more associate degrees than SWIC. No college in Missouri made the top 100 list.
The number of associate degrees awarded in the United States increased by 2.5 percent over the previous school year, according to the magazine. While this is in keeping with the overall growth of the last decade, it is a slight slowing of growth over the past three years, the magazine reported.
"People are increasingly recognizing the value of an associate degree and how it can improve their economic well-being," said SWIC President Elmer H. Kirchoff, Ph.D.
With a two-year degree, an individual can expect to earn $500,000 more in a lifetime, than with a high school diploma alone, according to The Returns of a Community College Education study published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Summer 2005.
For more information, contact Laurie Almodovar at laurie.almodovar@swic.edu
SIU, SOUTHWESTERN ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
By Tim Crosby, SIUC University Communications – siucnews@siu.edu
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Southern Illinois University, in conjunction with Southwestern Illinois College, today (Aug. 21) opened an SIU System Service Center aimed at helping students achieve their higher education goals.
The center, operating on the SWIC campus in Red Bud, will better integrate and expand education opportunities for area students by streamlining cooperation between SWIC and the SIU system. The SWIC site is the second of seven planned for various local colleges in Southern Illinois and marks an innovative partnership between the University and area colleges that will help students pursue their goals in several ways. The University officially opened its first such center Friday, Aug. 17, on the Southeastern Illinois College campus near Harrisburg.
"My thanks to Southwestern President Elmer H. Kirchoff and his outstanding staff for partnering with us," SIU President Glenn Poshard said. "This center, and the others that will follow, exemplify our longstanding commitment to serving the needs of our entire region. I like to use myself as an example of how education can transform a life, and this innovative approach is yet another tool Southwestern and SIU can use to help our students achieve their educational and career dreams."
GATEWAY TO GREATER OPPORTUNITIES - The Southern Illinois University-Southwestern Illinois College Red Bud Campus Service Center opened with pomp and circumstance recently. The second of its kind opened in southern Illinois, the center will help students transferring to SIU make a seamless transition, and may in the future bring SIU classes to the Red Bud Campus. Pictured are, from left to right, Red Bud Campus Provost Mike Reed, Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Sparta; SIU-SWIC Red Bud Campus Service Center Director Wayne Collmeyer; Sen. David Luechtefeld, R-Okawville; SWIC President Elmer H. Kirchoff, Ph.D.; and SIU President Glenn Poshard, Ph.D.
Workers at the service center will advocate for the University, SWIC and students. They will broker student services and act as ombudsmen and liaisons between the schools for both students and faculty. They also will create innovative new approaches to help students and the schools work together for common good.
The service center also will assist with the existing "2 plus 2" program, designed to help students make efficient use of their community college education so that credits easily transfer to SIU. Under the program, SIU counselors monitor such students and provide ongoing feedback on their transcripts to facilitate their continuing education at the University.
Service center workers will help students who want a bachelor's degree to easily make the transition from SWIC to the SIU system. They also will assist students with dual enrollment, taking classes at both SWIC and SIU at the same time, if necessary. Officials also are exploring giving dual-enrollment students the option to use SIU facilities and participate in SIU programs on a fee basis prior to their arrival on campus.
SIU, SWIC and the local Regional Office of Education also are exploring offering SIU classes on the SWIC campus at night and on weekends. The service centers also will help coordinate that effort and assist students with enrolling in those classes.
Wayne Collmeyer, director of the service center, has one student worker on his staff. Collmeyer said his goal is to help all students reach their potential at SWIC and SIU.
"We intend to offer students a way of getting information about their college education in an efficient manner," said Collmeyer, a two-degree graduate of SIU Carbondale, where he also earned school administrator and school superintendent certifications. "We also hope to help young people who haven't yet made up their minds about where they're going to go to school, and hopefully persuade them to go two years at SWIC, followed by two years at SIU."
SIU officials hope the service centers also will increase the University's visibility within the region, encouraging local students to consider its programs in conjunction with local community colleges. It also will help the University identify students who express an interest in attending SIU early in their higher education career, allowing SIU counselors to help them achieve their goals.
Kirchoff said the service centers will promote solid educational opportunities for local students.
"Southwestern Illinois College was among the first community colleges in the state to draft and establish dual-admission agreements with those quality four-year institutions our transfer students are most likely to attend, including Southern Illinois University," Kirchoff said. "Dual-admission programs allow students to simultaneously consult with counselors at both schools to make sure their academic programs are on track and everything transfers as it should. SIU President Poshard and I agree this is a win-win situation for both of our institutions, but even more importantly so for our students."
The center is located in the Success Center on the Red Bud campus, 500 W. South Fourth St. It will be open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Thursday. Call 618/282-6682, extension 8174 for more information.
MOON OVER BUFFALO AUDITIONS TO BE HELD SEPT. 5-6 AT SWIC
If being on stage for zany antics, miscommunication, mistaken identities and rip-roaring comedy appeals to you, mark your calendar to audition for Southwestern Illinois College's fall production, "Moon Over Buffalo."
Auditions will begin at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 5 and Thursday, Sept. 6 in the Belleville Campus Theatre, 2500 Carlyle Ave. Students and community members are welcome to audition for the four male and four female roles being cast. Individuals will participate in cold readings from the script.
If you're unfamiliar with the show, "Moon Over Buffalo" picks up on a Sunday afternoon in 1953 in a small Buffalo, NY repertory theatre company. Has-been actors George and Charlotte Hay and a cast of characters prepare to take the stage for a matinee performance of Cyrano de Bergerac when they receive an urgent call. Hollywood Director Frank Capra is on his way to the production in search of a fill-in star for an upcoming movie. Tempers, jealousy, mistaken identities, mass confusion and a host of eccentric personalities collide with hilarious results.
Performances of the show will be held Friday through Sunday, Nov. 9-11 and Nov. 16-17.
The play is presented through special arrangement with Samuel French Inc.
For more information, contact Director Jeff Blue at 618-235-2700, ext. 5451; toll free in Illinois at 800-222-5131, ext. 5451; or from St. Louis at 314-436-3218, ext. 5451.