January 2008 News Releases
- 1-14 SWIC Seeking Distinguished Alumnus/Pacesetter Nominations
- 1-8 SWIC Celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Day
- 1-4 Opportunity Returns Project To Be Dedicated At SWIC
SWIC SEEKING DISTINGUISHED ALUMNUS/PACESETTER NOMINATIONS
The Southwestern Illinois College Board of Trustees is accepting nominations for the Distinguished Community College Alumnus and Pacesetter awards through Friday, Feb. 1.
Nominees for the Distinguished Alumnus Award must have completed a recognized program of instruction from SWIC (or the former Belleville Area College) prior to June 30, 2003. Nominees for the Pacesetter Award must have completed a recognized program of instruction from SWIC after June 30, 2003.
The Distinguished Alumnus Award honors an individual who completed a recognized program of instruction from the college more than five years ago and has proven to be outstanding in his or her career field or in the community. The Pacesetter Award honors an outstanding alumnus with those same distinctions who has completed a recognized program of instruction from SWIC within the last five years.
Criteria for the awards include:
- Outstanding success and distinction in the nominee's field,
- Humanitarian service that has proven greatly beneficial to the community, and/or
- Continued interest in and support of education and community colleges.
Previous Distinguished Alumnus Award winners include U.S. Rep. Jerry Costello D-Belleville, St. Clair County Sheriff Mearl Justus, Belleville News-Democrat Editorial Cartoonist Glenn McCoy and Shiloh School District No. 85 Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw and Industrial Nonwovens Group of St. Louis Vice President and General Manager Daniel C. Dobbins.
Pacesetter Award winners have included Motivational Speaker Lynette Gage, SWIC Adjunct Welding Instructor Ray Connolly and AG Edwards and Sons, Inc. Managed Products Fund Sales Team Member Daniel Siegfried.
Send nominations to Vice President for Community Services Valerie Thaxton, Ed.D., Southwestern Illinois College, 2500 Carlyle Ave., Belleville, IL 62221. For more information, call 618-235-2700, ext. 5476, or toll free in Illinois at 800-222-5131, ext. 5476.
SWIC CELEBRATES MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. OBSERVANCE DAY
Using drama, music, humor, insight and more than a dozen hats, Joe Cornelius, Ed.D., will examine the past, present and future of the African-American experience through his one-man performance "Hats."
This Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Day program will take place 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 24 in the Southwestern Illinois College Belleville Campus Theatre, 2500 Carlyle Ave. The event is free and open to the public.
"I saw Dr. Cornelius perform on a PBS program, 'The Tony Brown Journal,'" said Donna Moody, Minority Transfer and Multicultural Student Services Center director. "I was moved by the words, passion and stories that Dr. Cornelius illustrated using hats as a time piece. I instantly thought he would be a great person to bring to our campus."
An educator, author and playwright, Cornelius has performed "Hats" before such organizations such as the National Urban League, the NAACP and the National Education Association.
Cornelius is the principal at Joseph Brown Elementary School in Maury County, Tenn. He received his Doctorate in Education Administration, his Master's degree in Education and his Bachelor's degree in Biology from Tennessee State University. He is the author of "The History of African-American Education in Maury County, Tennessee from Slavery to 1998."
Program events include musical selections, a student reading of King's "I Have a Dream" speech and Cornelius' performance. A reception will follow in the Theatre lobby where the community, guests, students, faculty and staff will have the opportunity to meet Cornelius.
Reservations are recommended.
For more information on attending this event, call Moody at 618-235-2700, ext. 5537, or toll free in Illinois at 800-222-5131, ext. 5537.
OPPORTUNITY RETURNS PROJECT TO BE DEDICATED AT SWIC
A new 46,000-square-foot Liberal Arts Building, funded in part by $7.7 million from Gov. Rod Blagojevich's Opportunity Returns program, will open its doors Tuesday, Jan. 8 at the Southwestern Illinois College Belleville Campus.
College officials will host a dedication ceremony at 10 a.m. SWIC trustees, college administrators and dignitaries including local, regional and state elected officials are expected to participate in the ceremony.
"First and foremost, we are most appreciative of the governor's 'Opportunity Returns' funding, and the efforts of all of our area legislators who helped us secure that financial assistance," said SWIC President Elmer H. Kirchoff, Ph.D. "As Southwestern continues to attract an ever-increasing number of students, including 26,000 annually and one in every four high school graduates from the eight counties we serve, the need for more and better classrooms also will continue to rise."
The new building, which stands to the west of the Information Sciences Building, completed in 2001, will serve approximately 4,500 students and 248 Liberal Arts Division class sections primarily from nine social science and related programs. The facility includes 16 faculty offices, seven adjunct faculty workstations and two secretarial workstations; 16 new classrooms equipped with the latest technology; a computer lab; an expanded Barnes and Noble Bookstore; and a loading dock and receiving area. Accompanying the building is a new 120-space parking lot.
The bookstore opened its doors at its new location Nov. 13, 2007 to accommodate fall semester textbook buyback and the availability of Spring 2008 Semester textbooks.
"This new Liberal Arts Building not only addresses our near-term growth needs, it conveys to future generations of students that they, too, will be able to rely on SWIC for a high-quality, affordable education in the best possible learning environment," Kirchoff added.
In December 2005, members of the Illinois Capital Development Board and local legislators announced $7.7 million in state funding for the project from Gov. Blagojevich's "Opportunity Returns" program. The college broke ground on the new facility in August 2006.
The project cost $10.3 million. Construction of the building was overseen by the state's Capital Development Board, which manages the construction, repair and renovation of state facilities across Illinois including colleges and universities, mental health facilities, veteran's homes and historic buildings.