IVCC Board

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OGLESBY — Strong enrollment, continued success for nursing students and promising “persistence rates” were among the highlights shared before the board Jan. 28 by Illinois Valley Community College President Jerry Corcoran.

Corcoran, referencing a recent report published by the college’s institutional research department, said end-of-term fall enrollment was 5,123 with an unduplicated total headcount for fiscal 2009 at 8,131. Combined with 4,156 noncredit students, the college served nearly 12,000 individuals in 2009, Corcoran said.

The president also noted the college’s persistence rate — the number of students who remained at IVCC from fall 2008 to spring 2009, was nearly 70 percent, and nearly half the students at IVCC in fall 2008 returned in fall 2009.

Corcoran said IVCC nursing students have exceeded state and national pass rates for three straight years on the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and in 2009 “our LPN students’ pass rate was a phenomenal 100 percent, and the rate for our RN students was 94 percent, significantly better than the state pass rate of 91 percent and the national pass rate of 88 percent.”

Trustees approved staffing for the Ottawa Center opening next fall. Associate Vice President of Career and Technical Education Sue Isermann will be the center administrator and her assistant, Jeannette Mathis, the acting center coordinator. A part-time receptionist, student workers and safety service personnel will also be assigned to Ottawa.

As a result of Isermann’s move to Ottawa, recruitment and dual credit/dual enrollment coordinator Mark Grzybowski will assume additional duties as IVCC/SRAVTE Partnerships for the College and Career Success Consortium co-director, and librarian Frances Whaley will assume responsibilities for CurricUNET implementation at IVCC.

In other business, the board authorized an “intervention in the proceedings” before the LaSalle County Board of Review regarding Exelon’s pursuit of a reduction in its $500 million assessment.

While Exelon has estimated the EAV of its LaSalle Nuclear Power Station at $325 million, an independent appraisal authorized by the 11 affected taxing bodies estimated the EAV at more than $736 million. The taxing bodies are represented by Whit Law LLC.

In other business, Lori Scroggs, vice president for planning and institutional effectiveness, updated the board on the college’s strategic planning process. Scroggs said the process promotes strategic thought and action, facilitates improved decision-making, enhances organizational responsiveness and improved effectiveness, benefits the people of the organization and is required by the Higher Learning Commission and AQIP.

The board also approved:

A 36-month lease for a color copier/printer for $26,802 from Illinois Valley Business Equipment of Peru.

The $10,995 bid of Scientific Spectrum of Willowbrook for an air-cooled, CO2 laser engraver for plant labeling in the horticulture program.

The $12,340 bid of Aidex Corporation of Lexington, Ohio, for a rigging system trainer for the industrial maintenance program.

The board also learned:

IVCC instructors David Kuester, Jim Gibson, Keith Stevenson and Linda Thomas have been nominated by students and colleagues for the 2010 Dr. Stephen Charry Award for Teaching Excellence.