Mt. Carmel, Ill.— Wabash Valley College’s baseball team hosted a number of professional scouts, ranging from area scouts to national cross-checkers, for a showcase on Sept. 17. There were several in attendance representing the majority of the Major League clubs. WVC Head Baseball Coach Rob Fournier stated the scouts “were there to see and evaluate our athletes, to determine who may be a fit for their organization in the future.”

September 20-26 marks the annual Adult Education and Family Literacy Week. The week serves as a reminder that reading, writing, and basic math remain an elusive target for 36 million adults across the country. According to ProLiteracy, a non-profit organization that supports literacy programs, low literacy costs the United States $225 billion or more each year in non-productivity in the workforce, crime, and loss of tax revenue due to unemployment. They say that 43 percent of adults with the lowest literacy levels live in poverty. 

A Lincoln Trail College project that has been in the works for the last three years took a major step forward after the Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Board of Trustees approved the bid for the Theater Renaissance Project. The addition to the Zwermann Arts Center will add a new choral room that doubles as a mid-sized lecture hall along with additional practice rooms, and office and storage spaces.

Roger Eddy will assume the role as the Interim President at Lincoln Trail College on October 1. He takes over for Dr. Ryan Gower who was selected as the Chancellor for Illinois Eastern Community Colleges in May.  

Illinois Eastern Community Colleges will observe Constitution Day on Thursday, September 17, 2020.  The IECC colleges will observe Constitution Day with a variety of activities and resources to promote the study of the Constitution. The following activities are planned at the IECC colleges:

There were only four community colleges in the State of Illinois that saw positive enrollment growth for the Fall 2020 semester. Lincoln Trail College was one of the four colleges with a three percent growth in enrollment. 

Lincoln Trail College is offering a CNA Instructor Course for RNs that includes the Alzheimer’s Disease and approved evaluator components. The program will be online only and there is no face-to-face requirement. The Train the Trainer Program starts September 14 and runs through October 23. The cost is $599 and is conducted in compliance with Illinois Department of Public Health regulations. The class is designed for nurses who are eager to teach in a Basic Nursing Assistant Training Program and want to learn how to teach in a classroom and in the clinical setting.

The grant that funds the TRIO Student Support Services program at Illinois Eastern Community Colleges has been renewed through 2025. TRIO SSS is a 100-percent federally-funded program from the U.S. Department of Education that is designed to provide academic development and assist students toward the successful completion of their postsecondary education. 

Parking lots at Lincoln Trail College will be sealed and striped beginning Monday, August 31. The work will impact faculty, staff, and students alike. Additional parking will be available on North Campus. Please do not park on the grass. Monday, August 31 – Half of the Main Parking Lot will be closed. It will reopen September 2 or September 3, weather permitting. Monday, August 31 – The Faculty/Staff parking lot will be closed. It will reopen September 2 or September 3, weather permitting. 

Lincoln Trail College will offer a trio of Chalk Couture classes this fall.  The first class is September 22 and will serve as an introduction to Chalk Couture.(Note: The class on Sept. 22 has been canceled) The second class is October 5 and will focus on pumpkin projects and students can make a farmhouse sign in the final class on Oct. 19. Each class runs from 6:30-8:30 at LTC. The cost of each class is $30, and participants can sign up for each class individually. Students can register by calling 618-544-8657.